For years, I ran an RSI SmartCap on my Ford Ranger. It’s a canopy that’s hard to fault—stylish, sleek, and built with clean lines that give any vehicle a polished, factory-fresh look. I loved how refined it made my rig look; it had presence, and it turned heads. But as my trips became longer and…
Category Archives: Overland Journal
Rachael Elseman and the Overland Expo Foundation
Overland Journal Podcast Host Scott Brady interviews Rachael Elseman, executive director of the Overland Expo Foundation and Overland Collective event coordinator. Rachael discusses living off-grid in a self-converted school bus in Baja, managing solar power and water. She also details bicycle touring from Vancouver to Tijuana after working in Alaska, sharing lessons on minimalism and…
Riding 50cc Kreidler Florett Bikes in Australia with Bea and Helmut of Time to Ride
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes Bettina “Bea” Höbenreich and Helmut Koch to discuss the impacts of returning to ADV basics, answering the question “How minimalist can you go and still function in expedition conditions?” Join us as Bea and Helmut share their incredible journey of traveling the world on vintage 50cc motorcycles, exploring…
Doug Patteson: Spycraft Travel
In this Overland Journal Podcast episode, Scott Brady interviews Doug Patteson about his journey from Texas ranching roots to a covert CIA career. Patteson details the intense recruitment process, deployments in Southeast Asia, and the vital intelligence lessons now informing his global travels: flexible planning, rapid decision-making, and the “rule of the stupids.” He highlights…
Jeremy Bergh on Facing Mortality
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady interviews Jeremy “Thor” Bergh of Alu-Cab about building his South African export-driven business and supporting over 600 employees. Bergh shares a deeply personal account of his health journey, beginning with a seizure diagnosis and a brain tumor (glioma) near critical brain regions. He details the immense challenges of managing…
Fix Manufacturing Tools :: Field Tested
Long after my poor father gave up on trying to teach me anything mechanical, he did at least instill one important bit of wisdom: the whole “right tool for the job” thing is real. I spent $39 on a tool whose sole job is to hold my drivetrain in place so I can spin the…
Celebrating 300 Episodes: A Q&A with Scott Brady
Recorded live at Overland Expo Flagstaff, host Scott Brady and Overland Collective Marketing Director Jake Perucca discuss the Overland Journal Podcast’s origins, emphasizing travel storytelling, editorial integrity, and audience engagement. They address shipping vehicles like the Grenadier to Australia and Africa, highlighting strict quarantine protocols, customs brokers, and essential import checks. The discussion includes route…
Adventure Motorcycle Traveler Michael Yang on 40,000 Miles and a Mid-life Reinvention
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes Michael Yang, a Korean American author, entrepreneur, investor, and adventure motorcycle traveler, to discuss his experiences riding over 40,000 miles from California to Alaska’s Arctic Ocean, across Newfoundland, and through Patagonia. Michael touches on adventure motorcycling in his 60s, the impact of immigrating to America during his childhood,…
The Bug Wall :: Field Tested
The Bug Wall makes UV-resistant rear and side-door van screens for the Promaster, Mercedes Sprinter, and Ford Transit platforms (among others). I had considered screens like these made-in-the-USA liners for my Ram ProMaster van, but figured them unnecessary, what with the five windows with their own screens I’d installed and the vent fan pulling hot…
Journey Beyond Borders: Kym Bolton’s Overlanding Adventures
In this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, Scott interviews overlander Kym Bolton about his decades of global travel in a Mitsubishi Fuso camper, covering over 500,000 kilometers across regions including Russia, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. Kym discusses why the Fuso is ideal for international trips, citing its reliability, payload capacity, and worldwide…
Northeast Argentina’s Iberá Park | Overland Routes
At the base of Argentina’s northeastern thumb of land, landlocked on two sides by Paraguay and Brazil, lies one of the largest wetlands in the world. Iberá National Park is co-located with Iberá Provincial Park, a combined two million acres of protected homeland for an array of earth, water, and sky creatures. From your camp’s…
Road Tripping America in Barbara Toy’s 1950 Series 1 Land Rover
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes Bill Cooper, Greg Fitzgerald, Amy Johnson, Tom Pickford, and Laura Stacey to discuss their trans-America road trip in Pollyanna, Barbara Toy’s iconic 1950 Series I Land Rover. In this episode, the group relives the journey, including the importance of Barbara Toy’s overland travels throughout the 1950s, the origins…
Dave Harriton | AEV FXL Super Duty Deep Dive
Overland Journal Podcast host Matt Scott and AEV’s Dave Harriton discuss the new AEV FXL, a Ford Super Duty heavy-duty truck program following AEV’s Ram and Chevy/GMC lines. They address brand loyalty, regional preferences, and modern truck capabilities. The FXL will be sold as complete VIN-stamped, warrantied dealer trucks and as individual parts starting early…
Summertime Essentials to Help Beat the Heat
Last summer was a true test of man, machine, and miniature dog. We left our base in Mexico in the spring, pointed the Land Rover north, and spent six months exploring the US and Northern Mexico. It was an odyssey of sweat and perseverance, lived entirely from our trusty Land Rover, with no air-conditioning in…
2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT: Mega Speed, Mega Compromises
Overlanders are a specific breed. We look for very specific non-negotiable features in a truck, and go-fast has never been at the top of the list. We want power, sure, but we also want fuel economy, comfort, a high payload rating, and reliability. The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT—yes, they brought back the Street and…
We Tested the Best 12-volt Fridge/Freezers. Here’s What We Found.
East Africa is known for many things, and nearly all of them are the stuff of overlanding dreams. But a few could be classified as nightmares, principally the endless dance with roadblocks, police checkpoints, and military convoys. At times, that includes determined efforts to separate the traveler from their cash. As a result, I would…
Principles of Overlanding: Truck Camper vs. Trailer vs. Expedition Vehicle vs. Van
Overland Journal Podcast, hosts Matt Scott and Scott Brady join Bryon Dorr to explore choosing an overlanding “home on wheels.” They compare truck campers, expedition vehicles, vans, and trailers, highlighting truck campers as an affordable, configurable, and underrated choice. The discussion reviews brands like Scout, Four Wheel Campers, and Supertramp, while contrasting flatbed and wedge…
Elevating Your Camp Cooking with Camp Yoshi’s Rashad Frazier
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes Rashad Frazier, co-founder of Camp Yoshi, camp chef, and author of Cook Out: Recipes and Tips for the Great Outdoors. In this episode, Rashad shares camp cooking hacks for overlanders, as well as his favorite gear, recipes, and most memorable trips. Overland Journal Podcast Episode #306 The Overland Journal…
Optima OrangeTop QH6 Lithium Battery :: Field Tested
The best thing you can say about a starter battery is that you never have to say anything about it at all; it should simply work every time you turn the key. An even better one doubles as an auxiliary power source. At just 21 pounds, the OrangeTop QH6 LiFePO₄ dual-purpose power unit punches above its…
Overlanding West Virginia with Jason Specht
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady talks with Jason Specht of Mountain State Overland at historic Camp Cheat about his origins in scouting and gear preparedness. They compare overlanding in the East versus the West, highlighting narrower trails and multi-sport integration. Specht shares route highlights like Canaan Loop and the TransAmerica Trail, emphasizing responsible travel…