The overland community certainly has its debates: Toyota versus Land Rover, wide tires versus tall skinny tires, roof tent versus ground tent and so much more, but there’s one thing that almost all of us can agree on, and that’s the removal of factory running boards. That’s because they significantly reduce the breakover angle and…
Field Tested: Baja Designs LP6 Pro
Whenever I’m lucky enough to spend time with experienced overlanders, I try to glean some knowledge from their travels. I’ve heard tips on packing, tricks to help win favor with border agents, and even recommendations on a leather hat selection for repairing engine gaskets, but there’s one piece of advice that seems to be universal,…
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…
Jeep JL ICON Suspension
It is easy to list the specs of a new product and publish the press release, but what is too often a secondary thought is how will a product perform in a month, four months, 7,000 miles and longer after installation. At Expedition Portal, we prefer to review and report on products after we have…
Lightforce Genesis LED Driving Lights
Australia’s Lightforce has long been known as one of the kings in auxiliary vehicular lighting. They offer up superior LED driving lights, and their round 140W LED Genesis 8.3-inch diameter model is no exception. Our 4×4 needed secondary lights for dedicated off-road use. We’re constantly traversing uneven terrain at night (or in thick forests) and…
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…
Treeline Outdoors Tamarack Constellation
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. Camping is one of the most enjoyable aspects of overland travel—nothing beats pulling up to a remote lake with no other vehicles or buildings in sight. Certainly, sleeping in the wild can be a simple affair, using a bedroll unfurled beneath the stars….
MaxTrax Extreme :: First Field Test
“Expedition Portal gets a first look at the newest, and most durable MaxTrax yet.” I remember the first time we really, really, really needed Maxtrax. The Expeditions 7 team was deep into the Canning Stock Route in Australia and encountered a half-mile long, water-logged track. We had already been stuck many times that day, but…
2018 Holiday Gift Guide $300+
It’s hard to believe that December is already halfway gone, meaning there is precious little time left before the holidays. Of course, by this time you’ve probably got most of your gifts for friends and family sorted out, but if you haven’t, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with two lists of great outdoor ideas….
Last Minute Holiday Gifts For Your Overlander
You’re sitting in your office, counting down the days until the holiday break when all of a sudden it hits you, you’re almost out of time for gifts! Frantically, you try to figure out what to buy. Well, fret not, as we have two giant lists of last-minute products for the outdoor enthusiast in your…
Letting the Air Out
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. There’s no debating the advantages of matching tire pressure to terrain. Decreasing psi is the most effective way to extract that last measure of traction from your tires. Doing so not only increases deformation and flotation, but also improves comfort over rough surfaces…
Eezi-Awn Stealth – Field Tested
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. Everyone loves the idea of a tree house, and for the overlander, few things resonate as much with this concept as the rooftop tent (RTT), a comfortable and elevated retreat from the creepy crawlies and uneven terrain below. I ordered my very first…
Home on the Range
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2018. Photography by Chris Cordes The trailer listed hard to the side, the 44-inch tire deep into the crevasse, the Hilux’s frame broken, and a tire peeled from the bead. The Expeditions 7 team had just crossed Greenland and was now fighting for every…
Gear Scout: Brake Light Antenna Mount
We’re always fans of simple products developed with a little ingenuity, especially when they solve rather annoying problems. Case in point, this flush mount antenna bracket for your rear brake light. It was originally designed by Neal Technologies for the new Ford trucks, as the magnetic mounts wouldn’t stick to their aluminum body panels, and drilling…
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Testing Cummins R2.8 Turbo Diesel Crate Engine
I settle into the driver’s seat of a clean 1996 Toyota FZJ80 and ask Stephen Sanders, program leader for the Cummins Repower Crate Engine Program if I should keep the RPMs below a certain mark, stick to predetermined highway speeds, or mind some shift points on the hills. A heavy black data wire exits from…
Get a Grip
We test the latest traction devices and bridging ladders.
Life in a Go Fast Camper
I think in order to understand where we are going, it is best to know where we have been. With that in mind, I want to start by addressing a question I’ve been getting a lot lately, “Why the switch?” For those of you that don’t know, I had a Flippac for quite a while before getting…
Warn Elite Series Bumper for Jeep JL
There have been mountains of new products being developed for the Jeep JL lately, and last week, Warn Industries threw their hat into the ring with a new line of bumpers for the platform. They’re a part of their Elite Series, and each has been designed to match the JL’s modern styling cues while retaining…
The New Lower Priced LP9 Sport
I’d say more than a few of us were excited when Baja Designs released the LP9. We fell in love with their modern looks, high output, ducted cooling, and of course that 200-degree beam spread, but then there was the price. At full retail, a set of two would cost over $1,200 USD, and that’s…
Ruffwear Products for Your Roverlander
By Ruby the Adventure Dog Hi, I am Ruby, and I love adventure. That scar by my left eye was from a tussle with a rattlesnake! Read to the end to find out more about our first annual Roverlander of the Year contest and win some cool swag for your pup! If you’re going to…