The essentials
How We Prep for a Trip
A new year brings new adventures. As you go about planning your trips, I thought you might like to see how we prep for ours. If you have any trip prep tips to share, please add a comment. Thanks.
Review: SureFire LX2
Are you afraid of the dark?
La Aduana: German VW Vanagon Ambulance
Great for any Emergency
Scratch-Off Wall Map
(Not a scratch and sniff)
Overland – Getting Started: Where do you want to go?
Answering the most important questions first
Winch Trick
Via West County Explorers Club: This looks like a great trick for winching a truck that’s pinned against a tree or rock.
In a nutshell, here’s how it works. Turn the front wheels toward the object you’re pinned against. Take the slack out of the winch cable. Put the truck in reverse. It will pull against the cable and crab sideways away from the obstacle.
In the video, the guy reverses while winching forward, which I imagine only works in slippery conditions.
Has anyone tried this?Two Wrench Leverage Trick
Via West County Explorers Club: Here’s a great trick for getting extra leverage out of your wrenches. Uploaded by YouTube user, WheeliePete.
La Aduana: Time-portal Subaru Brat from 1986
Flashback
Vintage Offroad: Early-70s Grand Wagoneer Dealer Promo
via West County Explorers Club: Here’s a dealer commercial for the 1973 Grand Wagoneer. Things were definitely simpler then. The narrator enthusiastically states that the rear seat is standard, not an optional extra.
It’s funny to look back at the history of the SUV. On this full-time 4-wheel-drive system, the lock-out for the center differential was in the glove box!
La Aduana: Cummins-Powered Land Rover Series IIA 109
via West County Explorers Club: This looks like quite a nice rarity, a fully restored 1971 Land Rover Series IIA 109, that’s been re-powered with an intercooled Cummins 4BT turbo diesel engine. In addition to the…
Book Review: Adventure Motorcycle Routes
Finding inspiration for the adventure traveler
Dirt: The Off-Road Movie
Portel Retromodern iPhone Wallet
Thick leather and oversized snaps have proven to be 100% reliable and the shape has literally moulded to . . . the Land Cruiser’s seat.
Into the Mind
Captivating
Vincent Urban: In South America
via West County Explorers Club: Vincent Urban and his crew of friends have just finished another journey, this time through South America. Last winter I posted his first big video, a beautifully shot and edited Land Rover tour through Asia. This is one equally great. Go Vincent! And thanks again for the tip, Greg!
KTM 450 Adventure
Not available from the factory, but a potent exploration weapon nonetheless
KTM Zweiradcenter Bernhardt in Germany has performed an impressive conversion the to KTM 450 EXC, a factory dual-sport motorcycle with a considerably bias towards short-distance technical dirt travel. The interesting result of Zweiradcenter’s modifications is a motorcycle better suited to long distance, remote exploration, with expeditions into the Sahara, the Road of Bones and even the Trans-America Trail all coming to mind. The concept of this platform has considerable appeal, combining the athletic performance of the 450 with additional range and greater rider comfort. The brakes are bigger, a rally computer has been fitted, along with 37L of fuel. The complete modification list is impressive, but additional oil capacity or improvements to the service intervals seems to be absent from the line-up. I could easily see strapping a Giant Loop bag to the back and ripping up the Skeleton Coast. Zweiradcenter Website
Driving in Russia
Even with the distinct possibility of death, it is so worth it
Along the Road of Bones, far eastern Siberia
VOTD: Town of Ghosts
via West County Explorers Club: Here’s a beautiful video of Bodie, the ghost town in the Sierra Nevada a few miles from the Nevada border. We visited there on our Mark Twain trip. Click here, if you’d like to read more about it.
Thanks for the tip, Greg!
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook
Chris Scott’s ultimate and always practical motorcycle planning guide. If you ride adventure motorcycles you need to read this book.











