Overland life evolved in exciting ways in 2022.

As the global pandemic slowed or was increasingly ignored (depending on your perspective and general location), life gradually found a new normal. Schools re-opened, employees returned to their cubicles, and time spent on Zoom calls declined. Many predicted the unprecedented boom we saw in 2020-2021 in outdoor recreation and people taking on long-term travel would wind down.

By all accounts, the opposite was true.

The expected wave of lightly used Sprinter vans flooding the market never materialized. Overland Expo expanded from three yearly shows to four, and many workers continued to patch into the office remotely. Automakers, motorcycle brands, and builders of ATVs/UTVs sold $20 billion worth of off-road vehicles globally, including $12 billion in North America alone—a massive record despite increasing inflation. The segment expects 8 percent growth over the next 10 years by some measurements. There’s no doubt about it, “overlanding,” once our little niche in the travel world, is here to stay, and the big overland tent (so to speak) has grown to include more kinds of people, vehicles, and lifestyles.

Nowhere is this more apparent than with the OEM manufacturers, who are continuing to roll out many overland-focused trucks, vans, and SUVs that you can buy straight off the showroom floor. When traditionally slow-moving automakers embrace a trend like that, it’s bound to have some staying power. Let’s not forget the EV uprising; overlanding inevitably will be swept along with that tide as well. In fact, it already is, with surprisingly accomplished off-roaders coming to market last year. The Rivian R1T pickup, R1S SUV, and the GMC Hummer EV are already proving their mettle as legitimate overland platforms (still waiting on that Cybertruck—and waiting, and waiting).

You, the readers of Expedition Portal, are also a barometer for what’s essential in the world of overlanding and adventure travel. Even though the trails, routes, and popular destinations in North America and abroad are more crowded than ever, it hasn’t deterred you from getting out there and exploring. We applaud you for that, and we encourage you to keep rallying, traveling, advocating for responsible off-road use and public lands access, and sharing your stories with us.

Here are the top 10 articles on Expedition Portal from the last year, plus a handful of Editor’s Choice picks that reflect your passion, curiosity, and love of all things overland.

1. Starlink Satellite Internet Service is Now Roaming

It’s no surprise that Starlink is the technology that made the most waves this year in the overland community. The days of scrounging around for weak cell signals or public WiFi so that you can work or stay connected to your friends and family on the road are over. Starlink works amazingly well and is relatively affordable; let’s just hope the business model survives for the long-term. The drawback of this satellite-based internet service is the lack of international roaming, which may appear in the future.

2. Feature Vehicle :: Girl Gone Glamping’s 2014 Ram 3500 w/2016 OEV X10 Camper

Lindsey Kszos is just one of the high-profile adventure travel YouTubers and social media mavens to switch to a full-size truck platform for travel in 2022 (see also Bound for Nowhere, who made the swap even earlier). Her flatbed Ram 3500 camper is a clean and practical design. It gets her to more out-of-the-way places than her old Airstream trailer ever could without sacrificing too much comfort or living space.

3. Field Tested :: HydraPak Expedition 8L

Drink water. It’s probably some of the best advice you can heed, whether traveling or kicking back at home. As the Hopi people say, “paatuwaqatsi”—water is life. There are plenty of strategies for staying hydrated on the trail, and many brands have come to market recently with innovative solutions for filtering, storing, heating, and dispensing water. HydraPak’s Expedition 8L is one of the most impressive and versatile products we have tested in this category, and you won’t take a bath on the price, either.

4. Toyota Introduces the Tundra SX Package

A million voices cried out in anguish when Toyota announced in 2021 it would no longer sell the Land Cruiser in North America. It wasn’t a huge surprise—sales of their flagship SUV had slowed to a near halt, cannibalized by the nearly identical Lexus LX570. However, the Big T threw us a bone with the 2022-2023 Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV. Based on the global architecture underpinning the newest Land Cruiser, these American-made off-roaders are a big update over the outgoing model, packed with tech and serious trail-riding chops. The SX trim is essentially an appearance package for the SR5 model but a stealthy one for the overlander who wants to fly under the radar.

5. Teaser: Land Rover to Launch the New Defender 130–Finally!

With the possible exception of the Ford Bronco, the Land Rover Defender is the new 4WD on the scene that has received the most attention in the last couple of years. With the 90 and 110 variants first to hit the market, there was plenty of speculation on whether or not the venerable brand would be adding an extended wheelbase 130 model to the lineup. The lads and lasses at Solihul delivered. While only some people are sold on the ungainly styling, you can be sure this stretched Defender will be a hot seller, especially in North America.

6. Overland Classifieds :: Mercedes-Benz Vario 814D 4×4

Expedition Portal Bikepacking Editor Jack Mac is also our Overland Classifieds hero. Every week, he scours the forums for the most unique, capable, fun, and eye-opening overland rigs on the market. This beautiful and comprehensively engineered Mercedes Vario, a more common sight in Europe, is a rare beast on American shores. I agree with Jack that this van would be a perfect forever rig if I could meet the steep asking price.

7. The All-New Nimbl “Evolution” Camper is Now Full Carbon Fiber and Top Tier

Nimbl has taken the camper world by storm with its slick, sleek, and intelligently designed cab-over truck campers. Available as comprehensive nose-to-tail expedition builds, including a custom flatbed and even the full-size pickup of your choice, they upped the ante in 2022 with an Evolution model that’s nearly 100 percent carbon fiber. Prices for these space-age habitats can run well north of $500,000. In that rarefied air, you could also snag a pretty well-equipped Earth Cruiser or EarthRoamer. Worth it? Expedition Portal’s inimitable 4WD Editor Graeme Bell thinks so—if your wallet is fat enough.

8. Overlanding with a “Big Rig” Is a Game Changer

You will notice in this article on our top 10 posts for 2022 that there is a conspicuous lack of Toyota Tacomas, Jeep Wranglers, and other mid-size trucks. This segment of off-roaders has dominated the overland world for many years, but there’s been a significant (one might even say, big) shift recently. Modern full-size trucks offer increased payload, better towing capacity, and more space for larger habitats—often with comparable efficiency. One stroll through the exhibitor areas at Overland Expo this year only reaffirmed that the aftermarket has fully embraced the full-size revolution. Will you?

9. Is this Weird Whale Travel Trailer the Future of Camper Design?

Overland travel trailers are all the rage, from tiny tag-along teardrops to 30-foot tandem-axle monsters. Trailers are the perfect canvas for creative engineers to let their imaginations go wild. Without the constraints of a pickup or SUV structure to work against, we’ve seen some pretty out-there designs inspired by space capsules and the biological world, but none so wild as the Whale trailer. Its flowing lines and organic shapes are like nothing else on the road.

10. Top Ten Used Overland Vehicles

Reinforcing our readers’ abiding need to explore overland and find new horizons, this comprehensive Expedition Portal post from 2019 profiling the very best used overland vehicles rounds out our top 10. Look for a thorough reworking of this list in the coming months, as the landscape for those on the hunt for a new-to-them overlander has changed dramatically.

Bonus Picks: Editor’s Choice

Jess Stone and her German Shepherd are Riding Around the World

Expedition Portal’s Senior Editor Ashley Giordano is an incisive and empathetic interviewer (if you’ve heard her on the Overland Journal Podcast, you’ll know this already). Her chat with Jess Stone is absolutely fascinating—Jess roams the world on her BMW adventure bike with her German shepherd, Moxie, riding pillion. You read that right. There are many ways to travel, and we love showcasing them all. (You didn’t think we’d leave you without any moto content, did you?)

Featured Vehicle :: 1968 Volvo Valp

Sometimes you run across an overland build that makes you do a double—scratch that— triple-take. This ex-military Volvo box on wheels looks like a Nordic anime character, its proportions straying so far into the uncanny valley you can’t turn away. It’s one of the most idiosyncratic trucks we’ve ever featured on Expedition Portal, and the vision, detail, and care that went into its creation are nearly unmatched. If you skipped this profile earlier, don’t miss it now.

Seven of the Best Overland Camp Tables

Sometimes, the simple things make life in camp or on the road that much easier and enjoyable. Take the humble table, for instance. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, mixing drinks, rebuilding an alternator, or even a fierce few rounds of cribbage, we gather around tables for all kinds of activities. It’s a heavily used but often overlooked piece of kit. If you’re looking to upgrade yours this year, you can trust that our camp table guide is on the level.