Initial Auctions Will Be Held in the UK Later This Month I raised my children in a Land Rover Defender. Literally. They saw the world through flat glass, perched on a bench seat designed more for short-distance travel than long-term comfort. The only people who have likely spent as much time in a Defender—aside from…
Category Archives: Adventure
2027 Toyota Land Cruiser :: An Evolution Rather than a Revolution
The current-generation Land Cruiser was introduced only recently, and as a result, the 2027 model carries over the same core architecture, hybrid powertrain, and overall design. There are no major mechanical changes reported, with updates largely limited to minor refinements in trim offerings, equipment packaging, and availability. In practical terms, both model years deliver the…
onX and Toyota Expand Trail Revival Project with 24 Nationwide Restoration Events in 2026
The trails we all love and treasure are in constant need of preservation and maintenance so that we, and future generations, can continue to enjoy this precious outdoor resource. To this end, onX, the leader in digital navigation technology, has announced the expansion of its Trail Revival Project in partnership with Toyota for a second…
Invader Viator: South African Brand Expands Its Premium Off-Road Camper Line
We recently published a Pop-top and Expandable Living Buyers’ Guide, which provided a useful opportunity to review the market and assess the range of available camper trailers, along with their features, strengths, and compromises. That exercise reinforced my view that a pop-top remains one of the most effective solutions for long-distance overland travel, offering a…
Year Two of The Big Thing Is On!
After a massively successful inaugural year in 2025, Overland Collective’s The Big Thing is back at the XOverland Ranch for a second go. Situated on 500 acres in Montana’s Yellowstone Country, this community-focused event will again feature world-class trainers providing hands-on instruction in areas like expedition prep, recovery, overland cookery, and out on the test…
H-D Reveals 2026 Pan America 1250 Limited
Harley-Davidson’s Pan America 1250 Limited edition for 2026 is ready to explore the outback right from the showroom. That first ride could take you anywhere, just toss your kit into the 120-liter set of aluminum luggage and hit the road. Motation A bike this tricked out will naturally be a little heavy, even with the…
We Will Roam Launches 5-part Australia Overland Series
Following the release of overland series from Bound for Nowhere, Roam Overlanding, Gon Dirtin’, and yours truly (Desk to Glory), Expedition Portal and Overland Journal’s next XOverland-produced series sees 2020 Overland Film Festival winners Ant Austin and Emma Brentnall of We Will Roam return to the wheel after a long and unexpected hiatus. Over a…
Expedition Portal’s 2025 Overlanders of the Year :: Leigh and Stephanie Dearle of GrizzlyNBear Overland
The American author Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” The 2025 Overlanders of the Year, Leigh and Stephanie (Steph) Dearle, live this idea fully. Since 2017, they have traveled full-time in their Land Rover Defender (“Bear”) and Four Wheel Camper (“Grizzly”), covering more than 242,000…
Beauty and the Beast: Facing the Sublime in the Italian Alps
Photography by Richard Giordano In A Philosophical Inquiry Into the Origins of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful (1757), Edmund Burke identified the sublime as the overwhelming sensation we feel in response to intense natural phenomena. Burke believed that sharp cracks of lightning, dizzying heights, hurricanes, storms, and waterfalls instilled a sense of…
The Best-Laid Plans: Overlanders Share Their Trip-Planning Tips
Cover photo by Chris Cordes In 1997, Russell Harris and Shaun Fenton embarked on a random journey guided only by a pair of green dice. The Diceman series aired on British cable television until 2002, and by then, Harris and Fenton had traveled 18,000 miles from Iceland to Poland, the USA, Greenland, and Germany, rolling…
Embracing Remote Adventures: Life in a Sprinter Van with Kathy and Peter Holcombe
In this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, Matt Scott hosts Peter and Kathy Holcombe from FamaGogo, exploring their 11-year, full-time travel journey. From their early days in a Honda Civic to their current adventures in a Sprinter van, the Holcombes share their experiences traversing the Pan-American Highway, kayaking in Ecuador, facing vehicle breakdowns in…
Overlanding with Purpose: Remote Journeys with TrailRecon
Join Matt Scott and Scott Brady on the Overland Journal Podcast as they sit down with Brad Kowitz from TrailRecon. They discuss his remarkable career transition from the US Navy to creating noteworthy content in the technical four-wheel-drive world. Delve into topics such as expedition planning, vehicle builds, medical preparedness in remote travel, and the…
Iconic Rebelle Rally Locations to Incorporate into Your Next Overland Trip
Lead photo by Nicole Dreon In one week’s time, over 60 teams will gather in Mammoth Lakes, California, to begin the 10th edition of the Rebelle Rally. The rally route—which leads competitors through eight days of off-road navigation using maps, compasses, and roadbooks to locate checkpoints throughout the deserts of Nevada and California—is completely confidential….
Mastering Off-Road Techniques: Throttle, Eyes, and Strategy with Emily Miller
In this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, hosts Matt Scott and Scott Brady welcome Emily Miller, a notable figure in the off-roading community and the founder of the Rebelle Rally. The conversation dives into the details of the Rebelle Rally, discussing its origins, format, and the unique challenges it presents. Miller shares insights from…
Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve | Overland Routes
We first discovered the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve (also known as the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004) in 2011 after returning home to South Africa from a journey to Kilimanjaro in our 2003 Land Rover Defender 130. We fell in love with the untamed beauty of the remote…
The Arctic Beckons – Expedition: Greenland Film Set for Release
Deep in the dog days of summer (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), it’s hard to imagine the brutality of the freezing conditions north of the Arctic Circle. Lying almost entirely above 66 degrees of latitude, Greenland is one of the last frontiers of human exploration. Just a few short years ago, a small team…
Overlanding With Jeep on the Rubicon Trail, 70+ Years After Mark Smith Organized the First Jeep Jamboree
“It’s really gnarly up there,” trail boss Pearse Umlauf of Masor Performance (also president and CEO of Jeep Jamboree USA) tells us, over dinner. We’re high in the High Sierra near Lake Tahoe, a group invited by Jeep to tackle the most brutal stretch of the Rubicon Trail, the crown jewel of off-road routes. Umlauf’s…
The Big Thing :: A Mighty Little Triumph in Montana
Having attended my share of overland events over the years, I half-expected XOverland’s inaugural The Big Thing (July 10–13, 2025) in Montana to feel like a polished production with an established vibe. What I didn’t anticipate was the heart, the attention to detail, and that family-oriented community energy pulsing through the XOverland Ranch like wildfire….
The Big Thing :: Where the Heart of Overlanding Came Home
The Big Thing event began with a simple idea: create something that feels like why we all fell in love with overlanding in the first place. Not for the gear. Not for the builds. But for the belief that adventure makes us better—because it brings people together and changes us along the way. So, we…
The BDR Bros: Nothing’s Thicker than Blood and Bikes
When TJ Brown heard the newly minted NorCal Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) was being opened in the summer of 2024, he immediately called a meeting of his friends, all adventure motorcyclists. The BDR Bros, as he dubs them, assembled on a Tuesday evening with maps, both Google and folding, and began planning for a two-wheeled…