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…
Category Archives: Overland Journal
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…
Highway to Heaven: Through Ladakh and Kashmir in our 65-horsepower Wonder Bus
Both engine and lungs struggle for air as we wind our way past overloaded trucks and vertical drop-offs at 5,300 meters. Fingers and face tingle in spurts, and every bathroom break feels like running up the stairs to the fifth floor. Hospitals respirate below 92% blood oxygen. When a traveling doctor measured mine at 85%…
Story Time with John Blashford-Snell: The 1971-72 Darién Gap Expedition
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes John Blashford-Snell, a British explorer, author, and former army officer known for leading pioneering scientific expeditions to some of the most remote regions on Earth. Born in 1936, he served in the British Army’s Royal Engineers before turning his focus to exploration and conservation. Blashford-Snell tells the story…
Overland Conservation :: Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps
Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps (ESCC) Founder and Executive Director Agnes Vianzon asks a simple question: How did you first access the outdoors? Through family camping trips? School outings? Friends and local programs? Where you grew up—urban or rural, in Florida, California, Nebraska, or Idaho—can also shape your access to nature. While wild spaces should belong…
Adventures with Cyrus “Scooter” Anderson: Seven Summits and Beyond
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady and Cyrus “Scooter” Anderson explore the importance of being present during travel and the value of family adventures, anchored by Anderson’s mantra to “Never, ever give up.” Anderson outlined his ambitious project to ride all-dirt routes between the highest points of every continent, an idea born after he summited…
Snow Peak’s Bomb-proof Camping Gear
In the 30 years I’ve been buying camping gear, from the expensive wool socks I took on my first backpacking trip in Big Bend National Park, I’ve never come across a brand that so marries style and functionality as the Japanese company Snow Peak. I’ve owned a tiny powerhouse of a stove from the brand…
Jim Oostdyk on the Adventure of Business, Family, and History
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady interviews Jim Oostdyk, founder and president of OK4WD, discussing his nearly 47 years in the four-wheel-drive industry. Jim shares the origins of OK4WD, which began in 1979 after he rebuilt his rolled Jeep, growing from a small garage to one of the country’s most respected off-road shops. The episode…
2024 Toyota 79-Series Land Cruiser :: Feature Vehicle
Australia is a continent of contradictions, with crocodile-filled billabongs, ancient rainforests, and snow-dusted mountains. And it is vast, covering over 7.69 million square kilometers that include approximately 11,000 beaches. It features a desert (Great Victoria) nearly the size of France, and has more wild camels than anywhere else on Earth, along with a decent showing…
Celebration of Life: Coen Wubbels, Landcruising Adventure (1969-2026)
Coen Wubbels lived a life defined by curiosity, creativity, and an unwavering belief that the world was meant to be explored—not rushed through. Best known as Landcruising Adventure, Coen and his partner, Karin-Marijke Vis, left the Netherlands in 2003 in a LWB 45-Series Toyota Land Cruiser, setting out on what was meant to be a…
Eva zu Beck on Overlanding Mauritania
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano welcomes adventurer, storyteller, author, and National Geographic Host and Director Eva zu Beck to discuss Eva’s recent overland trip to Morocco and Mauritania in her Land Rover Defender 110. In this episode, Eva shares more about the inspiration behind her National Geographic SuperSkilled series, and how, in life and…
Crossing West Africa with XOverland: Final Miles, Fuel Range, Teamwork, and Truck Lessons
The Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady and Clay Croft discuss XOverland’s 40,000-kilometer Africa crossing, recorded with just 300 kilometers remaining to Cape Agulhas. They navigate West Africa’s uncertainties—coups, elections, and border hurdles—while managing sickness and tight schedules. Key practical lessons include maintaining a 1,000-kilometer fuel range due to local shortages. They credit their multi-skilled…
Lilli Mixich Reflects on Nearly Five Decades of Overland Travel
For this week’s episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, host Ashley Giordano welcomes German overlander Lilli Mixich to discuss her lifelong love affair with the African continent. Currently overlanding solo in a 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 named “Toyo,” Mixich shares what she’s learned from various vehicle platforms, including the Land Rover 109, Magirus Deutz…
Paula and Jeremy Dear on Overlanding West Africa in an Ex-Belgian Military Police Truck
Joining us this week on the Overland Journal Podcast, host Ashley Giordano welcomes Paula and Jeremy Dear, two Brits en route from Belgium to Southern Africa in a 32-year-old ex-Belgian Iveco military police truck. In this episode, Paula and Jeremy dive into why they chose this vehicle for travel in Africa, how a slow pace…
Graeme Esarey on Expedition Sailing
On this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, Scott Brady and Brian McVickers interview Graham Esarey about his expedition sailing life, focusing on his team’s 2024 Northwest Passage crossing aboard the Dog Bark, a converted 60-foot Open 60. Graham detailed navigating heavy Arctic ice, spotting polar bears, and receiving a rare icebreaker escort that turned…
2008 Toyota Tundra and OEV Alpine Camper :: Feature Vehicle
Our 1990 Toyota Pickup, affectionately named “Little Red,” has been our go-to adventuremobile since 2013. It has seen a couple of continents and a few revisions along the way, but it remains an antiquated, underpowered, 36-year-old minitruck. It does a wonderful job of scoot-ing through moderately sized whoops, narrow trails, and soft sand while the…