For the past few years, Factor 55’s recovery products have been steadily, if not rapidly gaining popularity amongst overland and off-road enthusiasts. Their line of carefully crafted closed-system winching products have been especially popular, so it comes as no surprise that they eventually caught the attention of famed winch and recovery gear manufacturer Warn. We…
Field Tested: The Benchmade 365 Outlast
When I was a kid, my grandfather passed down a knife that his father had given him as a boy. The blade was worn and the handle stained by the passing of time, but to me, it was, and remains, my favorite knife in the world. I still carry it from time to time, but…
The Best Backcountry, Travel, and Overland Communication Devices
We live in an age of constant connectivity. Emails, phone calls, social media, TV, and the internet inundate nearly every moment of our lives. With so much emphasis on modern technology, it’s little wonder we often look to nature for an escape—opportunities to ditch the devices and disconnect. Despite the downsides, technology has also made…
Ford Now Offers a Factory Warn Winch
OEM engineers and product planners continue to embrace overland and backcountry 4WD travel. The newest Ford Tremor is a significant example of that trend, offering a factory full-size diesel truck with a locking differential, 35-inch tires, and a new Warn 12,000-pound winch. Warn has long supported OEMs with winch and hub offerings, including the wildly…
Build Your Skills With These Off-Road & Overland Adventure Books
Over the years, our staff has been asked a lot of questions about overlanding. But there’s one query that almost every enthusiast seems to have in common. No, it’s not “What size tires can I fit with this lift?” but rather “What will improve my vehicle’s capability the most for the least amount of money?”…
The GFC Flight Deck Makes Aircraft Track Look Old-Fashioned
For quite some time, aircraft track, or L track, has been considered one of the best options for securing cargo in vehicles. But Go Fast Campers unveiled a system last week that makes it look downright outdated. It’s called the Flight Deck, a stout modular storage system that’s so elegantly simple that I can’t help…
The Tailgater Tire Table is the Wheel Deal
One of the fun things about reviewing outdoor gear is that you never know when a product is going to surprise you. Something that seems like a good idea may actually wind up falling short in testing, while a product you weren’t sure you’d like becomes one of your favorite pieces of kit; the Tailgater…
Straight to the Point
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. The archaeological record indicates that some humans were favoring stone blades—essentially any tool with two parallel edges longer than its width— by the Upper Palaeolithic period. Human culture evolved, as did blade and knife technology, and eventually transitioned in most instances from lithics to…
One Headlamp to Rule Them All?
We received a Headspin convertible lighting system test unit the day I left for the Altar Desert in Mexico, so what better place to beat up a new product and evaluate its performance than in the largest sandbox in North America? Pros Fully comprehensive kit Easy charging via USB or wall outlet Quick change between…
The Best Camp Axe :: Comparison Test
The best classic compact hatchets for overland and expedition use.
Field Review: RoamBuilt V-Nose Shovel
It seems a little odd that shovels have become such a hot commodity in the overland marketplace—people are crazy for them. You can buy shovels pointed, square, or round, ultralight or tactical, and even carbon-fiber models with titanium blades. At times, the designs and indeed the price tags can seem a little absurd, which is…
Life on the Road: Purposeful Provisions
A field tool kit refers to the tools you keep in your vehicle for roadside and trailside repairs and handiwork; the key is to assemble one that fits your vehicle. Use it at home when wrenching on your truck to get acquainted with what works and what is lacking. It is better to find out…
Factor 55 Releases New Recovery Straps and Soft Shackles
Overland News :: Factor 55 Press Release (unedited as supplied by the manufacturer) Soft Shackles- The Factor 55 10 inch Standard Duty Soft Shackles are Made in the USA under the uncompromising Factor 55 quality standards. Like all Factor 55 rigging products, these shackles have been lab and field tested to assure consistent repeatable minimum…
First Look: DMOS Delta Shovel
There are some things overlanders shouldn’t leave home without: a jack, spare tire, lug wrench, and medical kit, for example. But out of all the tools you should be carrying, the shovel seems to receive the least consideration despite being one of the most used. That’s something DMOS set out to change with their line…
Overland News :: Warn Synthetic Rope and Soft Shackles
Over the past decade, significant improvements in winching component safety has become available to the overland traveler, mostly as a result of synthetic ropes and soft shackles. The primary advantage of these products is to reduce the total mass of the winching components under load, a soft shackle weighing a fraction of a steel screw…
The Do’s and Don’ts of Winching
There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to winching. What should you do and what is considered best practice? What are the don’ts or things that can get you into trouble? I sat down with Warn Industries’ Strategic Communications Manager Andy Lilienthal, also my husband, to go over the basics of winching. Editor’s…
Overland for Baja
Photography by Ryan Resatka and Francis Fraioli It’s an expansive tract of land, roughly equivalent in length to the West Coast of the United States, but with countless roads that to this day remain unmapped and infrequently traveled. Like many deserts, it’s a place the earth wants for itself. The sense of isolation and beauty…
Initial Impressions: The General Grabber A/Tx
Crap was about the only word my brain could process as I felt the rock shift beneath the Excursion’s mass, letting the rear end slip from its precarious perch down into a ditch. The truck stopped with a thud, and I sighed in annoyance at the situation. Just a few hours earlier I had been…
Field Tested: DMOS Stealth Shovel
Jackson, Wyoming-based DMOS is a force to be reckoned with. Since their Kickstarter debut in the fall of 2015, this woman-owned company has taken the bull by its horns. DMOS exists to build tools that are purpose-built, portable, and engineered to outlast its customers. They make shovels. They make highly durable shovels. The Stealth is…
Locked and Loaded
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2018. I still remember my very first overland trip, a 4-day journey across El Camino Del Diablo, the infamous border road with Mexico that crosses the most remote region of the Sonoran Desert. The track has been in use for over 1,000 years, including…