Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s 2021 Fall issue. For vehicle-bound travelers, storing and utilizing power when you are away from the electrical grid can be a daunting task. Many travelers spend significant time learning the skills to design and install off-grid electrical systems in their rigs. But not everyone…
Field Tested: Melanzana Micro Grid Hoodie
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. The Micro Grid hoodie from outdoor clothing manufacturer Melanzana has developed a cult following over the past decade and a half. Perhaps it’s because this synthetic hooded pullover achieves the perfect balance of comfort and technical performance or because its two-tone…
Field Tested: Suunto 9 Baro
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. Finnish company Suunto has been in the game for over 80 years, making compasses, watches, and dive computers. I owned their Vector, the first outdoor, sports-focused wristwatch that incorporated an altimeter, barometer, compass, and thermometer in one chunky housing. For me,…
Field Tested: Nomad Grill and Smoker
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. There is nothing better than a satisfying meal after a day of adventure in the backcountry, and it needn’t consist of hotdogs and Kraft singles on white bread. Enter the Nomad, the low-mess solution to smoking and grilling. As travelers, we…
Publisher’s Project: Moto Guzzi V7 Special
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. Opening image is from a movie production, closed course. We always recommend wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, but also acknowledge that helmet laws vary by state and country. There is such joy in simplicity, distilling a pursuit down to its…
Project Vehicle: Lexus GX 470
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. Traditionally, the best SUV platforms in North America have been restricted to the Land Cruiser offerings, and to a lesser extent, the 4Runner, G-Wagen, and Land Rover wagons. In 2003, Lexus released the GX model in North America, Russia, and other limited…
Motorcycle Soft Luggage
From scrublands to high mountain forests, the Idaho BDR challenges motorcycles, riders, and gear. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. After purchasing a BMW F 800 GS in 2009, I quickly sourced a set of expensive aluminum panniers, thinking that’s what you had to use on…
One Way or Another
Midnight on 7 August 2008, Steve Burgess and Dan Richards in their Land Rover Defender 110 double-cab are just two miles away from the Alaskan coastline and a place in the record books. Photography By Mac Mackenny Aand Steve Burgess Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. The…
Overland SUV of the Year
Above: We made every effort to test each platform thoroughly, with evaluations occurring on five continents and over thousands of miles. While technical terrain performance is the most compelling (like testing the Defender in Namibia as shown), it is but one of six categories we scored. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland…
The Little Bread Loaf That Could
A modern Bukhanka, making easy work of a mountain pass in Georgia. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. Bold but brutal, the UAZ-452 is a true one-of-a-kind experience— a perplexing mix of oddity and simplicity that has stood in open defiance to any automotive design trend of…
Field Tested: Ovrlandr Coffee Press
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. Planetary Design spent three years researching, designing, and testing the Ovrlndr, a French-style press that provides the opportunity to make a cup of coffee that can travel. Though it will not fit in a cup holder, you can drink directly from…
Field Tested: Scotts Steering Stabilizer
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. The Scotts Steering Stabilizer has one purpose: keep you in control of your motorcycle by limiting wobble, weave, and unintended deflection of the front wheel. The device is a hydraulic shock absorber housed in a gold-anodized aluminum box that mounts to…
Driving Through China’s Red Tape
Giampiero’s Defender, on the desolate tracks of Xinjiang near Hami. It was early September. After months of organizing, preparation, group calls, and visa applications, it was still an arresting moment to exit Mongolia and drive through the barriers at the Chinese border. To drive from Europe to China still seemed inconceivable, even though we…
Mission Driven
Cirios plants, also known as boojum trees, provide fascinating roadside entertainment in Baja’s Valle de los Cirios protected area. Legend has it they inspired some of Dr. Seuss’ comical characters. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. “ Do you feel safe down there?” It’s the question we hear…
Field Tested: Guzzle H2O Stream Water Filter
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. Sustained remote travel typically requires a means of resupplying water stores, with vehicle-based camping, bathing, cooking, and drinking. Why leave that idyllic mountain stream campsite when all you need is a proper volume filter to supply 2-3 gallons per day, per person?…
Making a Case for the Wild Places
The wildlands of the Judaean desert are a far cry from the dense complexity of Ramallah. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. A few years ago, I found myself on a long-disused track in the wastelands of Sudan. Over 200 kilometres from real civilisation, my team and I…
Nordic Excellence
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. The Nordic countries have been ranked among the most successful on the planet and for good reason. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark have arguably the happiest, most-satisfied, longest-living people, and a sublime natural world to escape to. And they escape to…
Navigating Adventure
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. As travelers, we embrace the serendipity and randomness of travel, the paper map unfurled on a dusty hood, each direction yielding a wonder. There are also times when we get two flats in one day and just really, really want to find…
Celebrating the Iconic BMW GS Series’ 40th Anniversary
Pinnacle of the air-cooled BMW GS lineage, the 1994 R 100 GS with factory Paris–Dakar components goes wherever you want to go, and then some. Gina De Pasquale puts the project bike through initial testing across varied Central California terrain. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s 2021 Gear Issue. …
One for the Road
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2020 Issue. Let’s accept that adventure motorcycling means long, unsupported journeys across the world’s developing nations, lately redefined as the Global South. Overlanding is another word for it, as distinct from regular touring vacations or even gnarly domestic adventures that aren’t hard to have…