As much as I love to venture into to the woods and survive on trail mix and beef jerky, I also admit I’m an unabashed foodie. I have a tattered Michelin restaurant guidebook with plenty of dog-eared pages, and can snob around the food scene with the best of them. When I learned of Good…
Field Tested: Nemo Equipment Dark Timber
The venerable wall tent has been around for over a thousand years. The Vikings, Romans, and soldiers of the Civil War, just to name a few, all used them. Some were made of animal skins, others of heavy canvas. The operable word there is—heavy. Traditional wall tents have always provided a cavernous and comfortable interior,…
Field Tested: ARB’s Digital Tire Inflator
ARB throws a splash of tech at their classic inflator
You Stink: Shower Pouch to the Rescue
The pre-moistened towel ready for the big job of cleaning a full grown human.
Field Tested: Redverz Hawk II
When Redverz entered the market a few years ago they made a big splash with their Atacama tent, built to house a pair of sleepy travelers as well as a full-sized motorcycle. I can see the advantages of such a structure, but I’m oft inclined to distance myself from my machine after a long day…
Land Cruising Adventure: Do you need a fridge?
Karin-Marijke & Coen overlanded parts of their 14-year journey with a fridge, but also years without a one. What is their verdict?
Field Tested: ARB Adventure Light 600
ARB illuminates us with their latest adventure light
Field Tested: Snow Peak Single Action Table and Red Chairs
Several years ago I started a project to suss out which camp tables are the best of the rest. In my head the working title for that article was “Camp Tables that Don’t Suck.” I didn’t end up writing anything because the majority of the units I tested—sucked. One of the few to live up to its lofty…
Company Profile: Cascade Designs
When they were furloughed from their Boeing jobs in 1971, Jim Lea and Neil Anderson could have never known the company they eventually built with John Burroughs would evolve into a juggernaut of the outdoor industry. As the abridged story goes, a simple gardening cushion was the flashpoint for the self-inflating sleeping pad we now…
A Tent For All Seasons: The Fjallraven Abisko Dome 2
For decades tents have been neatly split into two classifications: three and four season. As accurate as the three season label is, denoting spring, summer, and fall usage, the four season designation is misleading. Most four season tents are not really designed for all seasons, but just the fourth—winter. If not actual winter, then environments…
Water Treatment Solutions: The Mother of all Reviews
All travelers understand the importance of clean drinking water, but too few know how to best select the proper water treatment system for their individual needs. It is an understandable conundrum as there are seemingly endless options for filters, purifiers, and chemical solutions. Over the span of the last two years, I set out to evaluate…
Midland FRS/GMRS Handheld and Dash Mount Radios
There are a handful of items in the overlander’s inventory which seem to never go out of fashion, and radio communication systems rank high on that list. On our Expedition Portal forum we have a category dedicated to that one subject and it has accrued thousands of posts over the years. It is also a…
Cut it Out: The Hand Saw Shootout
A compact and portable hand saw is a convenient tool everyone should have in their arsenal. I’ve tried dozens over the years, some good, many only good for a short while before they dulled prematurely or simply fell apart. With spring fully sprung and a lot of deadfall laying around my local forest, I realized…
Truck/SUV Drawer Buyer’s Guide
No matter how much we try to trim down our kits, more and more gear continues to find its way into the back of our rigs. As these items continue to pile up, it becomes increasingly difficult to locate specific items amongst the mountain of countless duffels, tool rolls, and pelican cases—not to mention the…
American Overlander: Gerber Center-Drive with Bit Set
I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve become somewhat of a multi-tool nerd. I think it started while evaluating tools for an extensive review for the Fall 2016 issue of Overland Journal. In that roundup I tested Gerber’s Multi-Plier 600 Basic and was impressed with its ease of use, thoughtful selection of functions, and…
Field Tested: Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium
A tale of two Yetis. How well does the new Lithium powered Yeti 400 improve on its popular predecessor?
Field Tested: Nemo Equipment Symphony Luxury Duo Sleep System
Nemo’s super sleeper is the most comfortable bush bunk we have ever tested.
American Overlander: C.C. Filson
It is one of the most influential dates in modern history, but one easily forgotten. The day was August 16, 1896 when in the far flung wilds of the Canadian Yukon George Carmack, his wife Kate, and her brother Skookum Jim found massive gold nuggets along the banks of Rabbit Creek. It was a discovery…
Field Tested: Solo Stove Bonfire
Several times a year I’m contacted by an upstart company asking if I can help promote their Kickstarter campaign. My canned answer, delivered sometimes abruptly, is always––no thanks. I’ve learned my lesson featuring projects which not only failed to achieve their fundraising goals, but effectively robbed people of their hard won cash. That doesn’t mean…
Field Tested: Nordic Pocket Saw
The power of a chainsaw in your back pocket.