Here in the Rocky Mountains (I live in Colorado), we have plenty of winter hazards that can slow you down on the road. Whiteout conditions due to high winds, avalanches, and, of course, heavy snow are all possibilities that could disable your vehicle or force you to spend an unplanned night in your rig, waiting…
Goodbye, Transmission
In my mind, destroying a manual transmission is an act of violence. It is something that involves loud grinding, clunking, maybe even a stalled engine. I believed it was something that would leave you stranded on the side of the road waiting on a tow truck. It turns out, it wasn’t anything like that. Olivia…
Overland News of the Week
Pelican Commemorative First Aid Kit Pelican Founder Dave Parker, who recently passed away April 2020, started the now-global company in his garage in Torrence, California, back in 1976. One of his first products, a first aid kit specifically designed for divers, initially put him on the map after customers began repurposing the waterproof, crushproof housing…
Modern Explorers | Mac Mackenney
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal‘s Summer 2020 issue. All men dream, but not all equally. Those that dream by the dusty recesses of the night, awake to find it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dreams with open eyes and make…
Overlanders Share Their Favorite Apps
Mobile apps are designed to improve our lives and provide us with readily available information. This is especially helpful while travelling. Hundreds of new apps are popping up left, right, and centre, so we connected with our fellow overlanders to help narrow down the search. Google Maps, iOverlander, and Maps.me were crowd favorites, and nearly…
Life on the Road | Moto Proven
This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2020 issue. One of the wonderful things about adventure motorcycle travel is the simplicity, eschewing the complexities and excesses of daily life. As a rider, we can only bring so much, and the more we travel, the more we tend to leave behind. The less we…
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 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. This list is all…
Agile Offroad 3.5-ton Scissor Jack with Axle and Frame Adaptor
Various common jacking systems can work for changing tires off-highway. Hi-Lifts are manual, demand solid jack points on the vehicle (steel frame-mounted rock sliders and bumpers), can be very hazardous in unfamiliar hands, and if you do use it to swap a tire, you’ll also need a jack stand. Bottle jacks are simple and have…
Warn Acquires Factor 55
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.