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…
Expedition Portal and Cummins have partnered to help make your diesel dreams reality
You fall asleep at night thinking of your next vehicle project. You wake up in the morning to phantom smells of diesel fuel. You pull away from stop signs with a disappointing want for more torque. If you’ve given up hope and dismissed your ideas of having a diesel engine as unrealistic folly, or if…
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…
Field Tested: Lithium444 Power Pack by Flexopower
At events like Overland Expo, you can’t even throw your favorite collapsible spork without hitting at least one new portable power pack dealer. To be special in this market, you can’t just be good; you have to excel. When I was asked to review the new Flexopower Lithium444 I wasn’t all that excited until Chris…
Organizational Alchemy
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2018. “Junk show” were the words used to describe one camper’s vehicle, the back seat and storage area a cascading pile of sagging Rubbermaid containers and crisscrossed bungee cords. While the words were harsh, the Internet, and community forums in particular, often show little…
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…
The Modern Campaign Camp
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2017. In the ever-expanding lexicon of the backcountry traveler, a new word has emerged which, depending on your personal perspective, can register as a compliment or a pejorative. That term, glamping, is a clever portmanteau melding the word glamorous with camping. It is in…
My Favorite Free Travel Apps
I have been living on the road for just over a year now, and one of the more common questions I receive is What are the best apps for travel and overlanding? As you can imagine, this is a tough question to answer. There are so many useful applications out there these days that I…
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….
Gear Bag: February
Kovea Cupid Heater For those willing to brave the cold, winter camping can be a rewarding experience. It allows you to escape the fair-weather folk for a serene and secluded experience, giving you the chance to see nature in a whole new light. Just because you’re camping in the cold doesn’t mean YOU have to…
Burning Rings of Fire
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. One of my earliest camping memories is of my dad instructing me to police the grounds as we packed up, collecting any trash left by us or anyone that came before. “We need to leave it better than we found it,” was his…
Field Tested: Pull Pal RW6,000
If you’re looking for a lighter and more compact alternative to the full-size Pull Pal, you might want to check out the redesigned RW6,000. It shaved 2 pounds off its predecessor and has an improved soft shackle connection while still retaining compatibility with metal D-rings. Although the RW6,000 is designed for smaller rigs like UTVs,…
Gear Bag: January
Blue Ridge XL Tire Bag Trash, firewood, fluids, muddy boots, and dirty gear are things we don’t want rolling around inside our vehicles on a camping trip, yet often times there just isn’t a better place to store them. That’s why Blue Ridge Overland Gear created the XL Tire Bag for the back of your…
Field Tested: Nemo Stargaze Luxury Recliner
As ridiculous as it sounds, camp chairs are a hotly debated subject these days. Everyone has their preference, and whether it’s small lightweight options or the most expensive canvas and wood campaign chair you’ve ever seen, each has its merits. I’ve been on the hunt for my own favorite for some time now, and after…
Overlanding Skills: How to Pitch a Tent
Although every tent is slightly different, there are some common techniques for properly pitching a modern portable shelter. Do it poorly and you risk damaging the tent itself, or enduring a less than comfortable night’s sleep. I travel with people with extensive backcountry experience, yet see them making basic mistakes all too often. Most people would…
Classic Kit: The Ural Sidecar
The tri-wheeled motorcycle favored by the Red Army and adventurists alike.
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…
Roof Top Tents Vs Campers: The Pros and Cons
Four years. That is how long my family and I lived in a roof top tent. The four of us camped almost every day of those long years—cooking outside, living outside, and sleeping between walls of canvas. As the kids grew and our journey evolved from an adventure into a lifestyle, we realized that it…
First Test: The iKamper X-Cover Roof Top Tent
Innovation is a rarity, and quality is even more elusive, but this new roof top tent (RTT) from iKamper has them both in spades. At Expedition Portal, we were given the first access to this new tent and took the opportunity to use it in the field, digging into every feature and fabric looking for…
The British Touring Jacket You’ve Always Wanted
I’ve wanted a Belstaff Tourist Trophy motorcycle jacket for a while. That classic, British, belt-waisted jacket made famous by just about every American actor who’s thrown a leg over a motorcycle. Most notably, Mr. McQueen (see: here). My good friend Andy has one, something he scored from a smelly thrift shop in the Pacific Northwest….