There are people who love old Triumph motorcycles and classic Italian sports cars, and for good reason. These machines were design icons in their time, and they force the user to become active and essential participants in the experience. For every thrilling apex, acceleration, wind in your hair corner, there is a greasy oil puddle…
Snomaster CL56D Long Term Review | Field Tested
We have been travelling for a long time now and I am a large man who loves a cold drink, my family consumes more meat than even the most carnivorous Uruguayan. What do cold drinks and meat have in common? Well, they both need to be kept cold, or at the very least cool. Until…
Gear Spotlight
We are planning another intercontinental overland journey, and as always, our gear is an essential part of the trip. While we are not always able to get our paws on an actual product, the internet is a wonderful, addictive creature, and a few hours are easily lost to drooling over new gear, gizmos, and essentials….
Maiden Voyage | Tail Lamp
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2020. I woke up to find my tent in my face. Why had my shelter collapsed, leaving me wrapped up in a lasagna of damp nylon? I lay motionless, listening for any clues that might suggest the cause of my predicament. It was early and quiet,…
Rugged Coffee Press for the Trail: Planetary Designs OVRLNDR
With over three years of R&D and field-testing, we’ve got high hopes for the OVRLNDR press, the newest French press from Montana-based coffee innovator Planetary Designs. But in a world of coffee-making kits, of which there are many high-quality options already available, what makes the OVRLNDR special? CEO of Planetary Design, Jess Nepstad, had this…
Everyday Essentials :: Products That Make Your Life Easier
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. I recently had the privilege of leading an amazing group of women from Montana to Idaho on our very first all-ladies overland trip for XOverland. The seven of us all had different experience levels, and it was a great opportunity to plan, film, and…
Claymore Ultra+2 Rechargeable Area Light | Field tested
This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2020 issue. The business luminary Peter Drucker once said, “Don’t make a hundred decisions when one will do,” and that philosophy applies equally to overlanding. I have shifted my approach from highly specialized equipment to now looking for high-quality products that serve multiple uses, reducing weight,…
The Primus Camp Kitchen | Field Tested
This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2020 issue. The year was 1911, and Roald Amundsen had just arrived at the South Pole. Roald was known for his pedantic nature and the extreme lengths he went to in testing equipment prior to an expedition. His stove of choice was the Primus, and it…
Overlander Lubricant – Drink Responsibly
It has been a long, hot, and trying day. The rig has been behaving badly, the last of 20 checkpoints involved a locked and loaded Kalashnikov, your convoy partner has been very hard work, and there is a difficult multi-day remote mountain pass ahead. It is at times like these that all an overlander needs…
The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have
The Overland Journal Podcast #20 Principles of Overlanding: The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding, Matt and Scott review the top 10 pieces of kit that help support local and international overland travel. Topics include navigation, communications, recovery equipment, medical kits, training, tools, and more. Get in touch with…
Is the Eezi-Awn Cube the Ultimate Shower Enclosure?
I was recently in South Africa, overlanding through Mapungubwe in the north, which is settled along the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe. The Limpopo River flows through there, and the region is packed with mega-fauna. The goal of the trip was to test the new Hilux and also evaluate the cadre of new equipment from…
Sea to Summit Nails Comfort With Their New Deluxe SI Mat
A year ago, the thought of an air mattress was enough to make me cringe with memories of a sore back and uncomfortable nights on the ground. Their poor designs and habits of deflating had ruined my image of inflatable beds forever, or so I thought, but thanks to the Comfort Deluxe mat and Aeros…
Podcast #16 :: Rooftop Tent or Ground Tent or Wedge Camper for Overlanding?
The Overland Journal Podcast #16 Principles of Overlanding :: RTT vs. Ground Tent vs. Swag vs. Habitat vs. Sleeping in the vehicle Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding podcast, Matt and Scott discuss the best sleeping solutions for an overland camp. They review the options of a Rooftop Tent (RTT) vs. a Ground Tent vs….
National Overland Influencer Award Winner Announced
With 2019 behind us, the Overland Board of Influencing Association (OBASS) has announced their coveted Overland Influencer of the Year Award. #Hotly contested, this award considers everything from the chosen campsite to the #gear and #patches used to represent the #ultimate #overland #lifestyle. To everyone’s surprise, Azuki the Hedgehog won for an unprecedented 13th year…
The Trailblazer Fire Pit Grill is 3 Pounds and Cools in 90 Seconds
According to the National Park Service, 85 percent of wild-land fires are started by humans, and with each passing year they battle more illegal fire rings and burn scars in the natural places we love. Yet, I’ll be the first to admit that camping just doesn’t feel like camping without a fire, so how do…
Nomad Kitchen Module :: Overland News
(Editor’s Note: Unedited Press Release) Berkeley, CA (February 27, 2020) – Nomad Kitchen Co. is excited to announce the upcoming launch of their first mobile camping kitchen. The small startup, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, hopes to cater to weekend warriors and hardcore adventurers alike with their compact slide-out kitchen…
The Best Coffee Grinders for Camping
Using a manual coffee grinder as part of your morning java ritual not only gets the blood pumping, it also promotes conversation and fuels campsite camaraderie. Forget noisy electric grinders requiring an inverter, or lowering the bar completely and milling those beans at home before the trip. If you’re a discerning overland javascenti, interested in…
The Products We Loved At Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2020
Each year the Outdoor Retailer show brings together some of the largest arrays of outdoor products and enthusiasts in the world. You’re undoubtedly familiar with the Summer market show, which we have covered in previous years, but for 2020 we decided to drop into their winter “snow show”, and we’re very glad we did. That’s…
Outdoor Retailer Show Goes Overland
The Outdoor Retailer Show continues to reinforce overlanding as a rapidly growing segment. The Winter Market show in Denver this week included an Overland Experience area, and even broader OEM representation. For our “Day One” coverage of the industry-only event, we will feature the products, innovations, and vehicles showcased at the venue. Our day two coverage…
Gazelle T4 Hub Tent
By Ryan Keegan The Gazelle T4 Hub tent is a direct descendent of the Eskimo ice fishing shelter as well as the Barronett hunting blinds, both made by Ardisam. They have been producing seasonal outdoor products since 1960 and have upped their game with the Gazelle line of camping tents and shade awnings. The Gazelle…