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…
Overland Routes | New Mexico and the Continental Divide
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2017. When most people envision New Mexico, they picture the outlines of rocky plateaus, desert sunsets, and Native American culture. It’s understandable, as you can certainly find these things in abundance throughout the state, but there is also something more: the Continental Divide. Drivers…
From The ExPo Vault: The Archaeologist’s Backpack
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2017. As the winter months continue, and we dream of camping inside a warm van, we decided to look back on one of our favorite builds ever. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! – Chris Cordes Unexpected snow flurries…
Overland Routes | Pacific Crest: Washington
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. Adventure doesn’t always look like what you would expect. It is not bound to the toughest trails or limited to foreign lands with unfamiliar cultures. Some journeys are about rediscovering the places we already know and seeing them in a new light. This…
¡Viva Baja! The Overlander’s Guide
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2011. Photography by Scott and Stephanie Brady, Cam Brensinger, Chris Collard, and Jeremy Edgar. The recoil forces me backward, the shaft releasing from the teak stock of the Riffe spear gun and driving home into the side of the triggerfish. I take a moment…
The Plucky Truck that Conquered the World
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2017. In the early hours of April 30, 1948, a tall man, anxious and out of place, stood next to a peculiar little car on the exhibition floor of the Amsterdam Auto Show. Only 27 years old, passersby could not have known, nor would…
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…
Field Tested: Eezi-Awn Stealth
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 – The Overland Journal Trailer Test
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…
Overland Routes | Anza-Borrego State Park
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2017. Anza–Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP) is a remote moonscape that beckons the adventurer with technical terrain, expansive geology, and the solitude of desert campsites. It is named for the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and borrego (bighorn sheep). At 600,000 acres it…
Pacific Crest Route
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2017. My heart sank as the axe gave way with a resounding crack beneath my gloves. What had felt like hours of chopping had scarcely brought us two-thirds of the way through the downed tree, and now our only cutting tool was gone. It…
Great Plains Drifter
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2017. Like all young boys, my childhood was filled with fanciful tales of soldiers clad in shining armor, new lands explored, and the quest for treasure. As a resident of Glasco, Kansas, I assumed such exploits only unfolded in places distant, if not imagined….
The Modern Classic
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2018. Photography by Chris Cordes, Scott Brady and Sarah Ramm The grass is greener on the other side, at least when it comes to Land Cruisers. As of 2014, Americans were able to begin importing the venerable 70 Series into the United States…
Shelter From the Storm
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2018 For many travelers, a tent is not just a weekend retreat, it is home on the road for weeks if not months on end. For those on extended journeys, spanning all four seasons and on roads prone to destroy delicate gear, finding…
The Cradle of Adventure
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2017. Kenya stretched out before us. We moved slowly and deliberately along a rogue track through the rugged and sparsely vegetated area near Sogwass Mountain in Northern Uganda. We were not convinced that this rarely used smugglers’ route was even passable, let alone legal…
“Today is a Good Day to Die”
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2007. After crossing the Rio Pico Mayo we entered the Chaco, the vast semi-desert area of northern Argentina. During the rainy season, the Chaco floods, and the clay soil makes travel nearly impossible. In the hot, dry season, the scrub forest sheds its leaves…
The Modern Explorer: Land Rover LR4 – Part III
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2014. I will be the first to admit that the introduction of a Land Rover Discovery with an independent suspension system sounded like the death knell to a brand I have come to love. Over the past few decades, each new model seemed to become increasingly…
The Arctic Challenge
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2016. Photography by Sinuhe Xavier The wind is always blowing on Alaska’s North Slope and on this particular day it was in rare form, buffeting the Tacoma and reducing visibility to a few meters. It was the middle of winter, the temperatures were well…
The Ultimate Overlander
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2015. One of the most hotly debated subjects around the campfire these days is what 4WD vehicle deserves the title of “Ultimate Overlander.” The conversation should not be limited to four-wheel drives sold in the United States, but to the best 4WD wagon platform…
A True Global Explorer from the Land Down Under: The EarthCruiser
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2012. The rain was driving hard against the windscreen, the storm rocking the ferry to starboard, rotating it with the wind and current. The operator was yelling now, his voice barely audible against the squall as the loading ramp slammed into a sand…