On a bikepacking trip or any strenuous human-powered adventure, you depend on a good night’s sleep. I can’t tell you how miserable it is to spend a night unable to rest through discomfort, and then forcing yourself over a mountain range the next day. Lack of sleep, combined with hunger and dehydration, is a first-class…
Category Archives: Camping
Overland News of the Week, February 12th, 2021
Mac’s Tie Downs Monkey Face Mac’s Tie Downs’ latest offering is a nifty little device called the Monkey Face, designed to make securing cargo even simpler for folks with stake pockets. The .375-inch laser-cut steel tie-down interface is welded to a .1875-inch square steel tube (which secures in stake pockets with an included linchpin), and…
Slim Pickins Outfitters is the First Black-owned Outdoor Gear Shop in the US
Slim Pickins Outfitters is the first Black-owned outdoor gear shop in the country, and like many other small businesses, they are fighting to keep their doors open through the economic downturn caused by Covid-19. But before you write this business off as just another gear store, it’s important to realize what Slim Pickins represents and…
Field Tested: Guzzle H2O Stream Water Filter
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. Sustained remote travel typically requires a means of resupplying water stores, with vehicle-based camping, bathing, cooking, and drinking. Why leave that idyllic mountain stream campsite when all you need is a proper volume filter to supply 2-3 gallons per day, per person?…
Overland News of the Week, January 29th, 2021
Ötzi Adventure Gear Spark Flatpack Portable Grill Bringing the barbecue along on off-road adventures can present a bit of a dilemma if you have limited space. But with Otzi’s flatpack portable grill and 9- by 9-inch footprint (when packed flat), there’s no reason to leave it behind. The Spark is made of precision-cut pieces of…
Hyperlite Ultamid 2 – Ultralight Pyramid Tent
The Hyperlite Ultamid 2 is a portable palace targeted primarily at the hiking/bikepacking community and weighs just 534 grams (just over 1 pound, weight only includes perimeter guy lines). The optional insert adds an additional 626 grams but turns the tent into a four-season shelter (there are lighter inserts available on their website, including a…
Nordic Excellence
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. The Nordic countries have been ranked among the most successful on the planet and for good reason. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark have arguably the happiest, most-satisfied, longest-living people, and a sublime natural world to escape to. And they escape to…
The Prometheus Design Werx A.G. Wilderness Quilt for Rooftop Tents
Want to snuggle with your significant other, your dog, or maybe just get under something cozy after a long day? Prometheus Design Werx has just introduced their A.G. Wilderness Quilt, a premium goose-down comforter you can use in your two-person tent, rooftop rig, or for couch-potatoing. The quilt is like your down comforter at…
Overland News of the Week, January 15th, 2021
Kuju Single-serve Pour-over Coffee Finding the motivation to crawl out of your rooftop tent or campervan in the morning can be challenging. But I speak from experience when I say that Kuju Coffee’s single-serve pour-over coffee is a great motivator to get out of bed. They offer six different options: a traditional light, medium, or…
Overland News of the Week, December 25th, 2020
GoSun Brew If you think there are too many coffee gadgets available to us caffeine-loving, shaky-handed, hot-drink enthusiasts, I hate to break it to you, but you’re wrong. There are never enough coffee gadgets (wink, wink). And if you are one of those folks who like to brew coffee on the go, then say hello…
2020 Overland Holiday Gift Guide: 20 Gifts Ideas Over $200
Western Mountaineering Flash Hooded Jacket With colder temperatures settling into the Northern Hemisphere, a lightweight down jacket makes a great holiday gift that can be used day in and day out. And the Flash hooded jacket from Western Mountaineering is that jacket. This California-based company manufactures down garments and sleeping bags of the highest quality….
2020 Overland Holiday Gift Guide: 20 Gift Ideas Under $200
Our overlander’s 2020 gift guide aims to take some of the stress out of shopping. Instead of frantically clicking the purchase button on Amazon a week before Christmas (or Hannukah, or Kwanzaa, or Festivus…), you can take a more leisurely approach and get your loved ones some thoughtful and useful gifts. In this article, you…
Overland News of the Week, November 13th, 2020
Luno Seatback Organizer The problem with those knee-height pockets in the back of your vehicle seats? Eventually, they just become one big pocket full of food crumbs, old tissues, and who-knows-what-else. That’s why the Luno Seatback Organizer is a breath of fresh air. It attaches to your seat’s headrest, putting it at eye level where…
New Thule Tepui Foothill RTT has Tiny Footprint
For all of their advantages, rooftop tents do have one obvious downside and this is the real estate that you must sacrifice on top of your rig to mount them. Sure, some RTTs offer the ability to mount load bars for cargo, but that often comes with significant weight limitations. But the folks at Thule…
The Combar Adventurer Tool
Simplicity affords adventure, as the more we reduce complexity, the greater the opportunity for discovery. This is true of most things in our lives, but it is even more significant with the gear we use. Any opportunity to reduce, combine, consolidate, or simplify will typically reward us with more time to enjoy the moment. It…
Into the Field: Terrain 365 Introduces New Terravantium Knives
Header Photo: Terrain 365 knives with Terravantium blades are heading out to the field for testing. Top to bottom: The new STS-AT framelock folder with black G-10 scale (framelock side is titanium); the new Mako Flipper-AT with titanium handles; and already in their collection, the Otter Slipjoint with Marine Gray G-10 scales. Terrain 365…
Gear Spotlight :: Spot, Halite, Sawyer, and RedArc
In preparation for our overland journey from Cape Town, South Africa to Vladivostok, Russia we have been accumulating gear that will be employed to make the journey easier, safer, and more secure. The following is a first impression look at four products which will be put to the ultimate test on the world’s longest possible…
Go Fast Campers SuperLite Redefines Hardshell RTTs
Montana-based Go Fast Campers has a penchant for producing drool-worthy overlanding gear, and they just did something that is likely to send waves through the rooftop tent (RTT) market. Behold the SuperLite: a sub-100-pound, hard-shell, made-in-the-USA rooftop tent for $1,300. Cue fireworks. EDIT: a SuperLite mattress to go with your SuperLite RTT will add $279,…
Coleman Powerhouse Dual Fuel 414 Stove | Field Tested
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…