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 nature often—not just when the…

  Show Notes for Podcast Episode #35 Principles of Overlanding: Recovery Part 2 Summary: Principles of Overlanding: Vehicle Recover Part 2, where Scott Brady, Matt Scott, and Jim West continue their discussion about the critical equipment and techniques of recovery for the overland traveler. This Episode is Supported By: Danner Boots About Jim West: Jim is a retired Fire Fighter/Paramedic based…

Are you tired of the nine-to-five? Is the work printer still being uncooperative despite the latest firmware? Want to travel but mislaid the keys to the superyacht? Desperate to see the world but living on a shoestring? (I’ve told you to stop eating those, ugh). Well, amigo, it might be time to take a seat, grab yourself one of those…

The Best Overland Trailers of 2020 I began considering the utility of an overland trailer while I was still traveling full-time in my RV, and here’s why. In the RV, I was frequently debating if I should leave the pavement, the lurking fear of needing to back down an off-camber dirt road ever present in the back of my mind….

One platform I’m surprised I don’t see more of in the expedition and full-time, live-in vehicle ranks is the humble ambulance. After checking out a few of these rigs in person, I think it’s fair to say that the unassuming, boxy silhouette doesn’t convey this platform’s potential. This particular ambulance was found in Denver, Colorado, with low mileage by designer…

  Show Notes for Podcast Episode #34 Principles of Overlanding: Recovery Part 1 Summary: Principles of Overlanding: Vehicle Recover Part 1, where Scott Brady, Matt Scott, and Jim West discuss the critical terms and fundamentals of recovery for the overland traveler.   About Jim West: Jim is a retired Fire Fighter/Paramedic based out of Phoenix, AZ. He represented the USA…

  Show Notes for Podcast Episode #33 Interview with Kurt Williams, overlander, Baja Champion, and the Land Cruiser Whisperer Summary: For this interview, Scott chats with overlander Kurt Williams of Cruiser Outfitters about travel around the globe, racing Land Cruisers, building Land Cruiser, and the joys of international overland adventures.   Host Bios:  Scott Brady Scott is the publisher and…

Here is a unique expedition vehicle with an impressive amount of custom work and upgrades. It recently showed up in the Expedition Portal forum, and we immediately knew we had to give it a feature. It’s a custom pop-top Defender titled as a 1972 Series-88 diesel, but the original frame was rotted and replaced with a galvanized 100-inch Discovery frame….

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Christian M. Simon and Phoebe P. Simon      Are you planning to overland? Will you cover significant distances and camp in remote places, maybe accompanied by kids, pets, kayaks? Have you invested in a rig with still-unfamiliar anatomical parts such as recovery points, solar controllers, and onboard air? Then you are a lot…

Western Mountaineering Flash Hooded Jacket With colder temperatures settling into the Northern Hemisphere, a lightweight down jacket makes a great holiday gift that can be used day in and day out. And the Flash hooded jacket from Western Mountaineering is that jacket. This California-based company manufactures down garments and sleeping bags of the highest quality. Their dedication to sourcing humanely…

  Show Notes for Podcast Episode #32 Planning Your First Overland Journey Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding, Matt and Scott review the fundamentals of planning your first overlanding trip, including basic equipment, vehicle modifications, and route selection. Host Bios:  Scott Brady Scott is the publisher and co-founder of Expedition Portal and Overland Journal and is often credited with popularizing overlanding in North America….

On the back cover of her book, Road to Mekong, Jai Bharathi stands in a black motorcycle jacket, one foot propped up on the footpeg of her Bajaj Dominar 400 motorbike. Her look is casual, but Jai is anything but. This woman is a force. From the South Indian city of Hyderabad, Jai’s first experience riding a motorized vehicle was…

The well-known (and loved) Slimline II roof rack system from Front Runner Outfitters is now available with specific fitment for the new Land Rover Defender 110. “Front Runner’s addition of the Land Rover New Defender 110 Slimline II Roof Rack Kit is a nod to the heritage of overlanding and early adventurers that utilized the original Defender platform for off-road…

  Show Notes for Podcast Episode #31 Interview from the Field with Jon Turner: Engineer, Overland Traveler, and International Businessman Summary: From the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, Scott Brady interviews Jon Turner, accomplished expedition camper engineer, traveler, and global business leader. Guest Bio: Jon Turner Jon is the Founder and Chief Engineer of Nimbl Vehicles. A lifetime traveler with…

The first annual Panhandle Overland Rally was held this past weekend from October 2-4, 2020, in the idyllic, forested Mountain Mafia Off-Road Park, 10 miles north of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and approximately the same distance from the Canadian border. About 200 overlanders descended from all over to a privately owned alpine spread covering nearly 100 acres, conveniently bisected with numerous…

Overland News There are few overland products as recognizable and as universally useful for backcountry travel as a few sets of MaxTrax. For over a decade, we have used MaxTrax for remote travel. And when we needed them, we really needed them. In recent years, they have expanded the product line to include the new Extreme model with replaceable teeth,…

Sleep beside the highest tides in the world, and drive on the ocean floor to an island in one of Atlantic Canada’s most underrated provinces, New Brunswick.  While Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Nova Scotia are more popular destinations for overlanders, New Brunswick offers some unique experiences. As a New Brunswicker from the northeast region, it is here that I…

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal‘s Summer 2020 issue. All men dream, but not all equally. Those that dream by the dusty recesses of the night, awake to find it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dreams with open eyes and make things happen. –T. E. Lawrence…

Lead image by Amber Baldwin Perspective through being forced off the road for the first time in over six years. Cliché as it may be, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” certainly applies to this period of sheltering in place, the longest my husband, Eric, and I have stayed anywhere in more than six years. In 2019,…

Back when the first tablets began to hit the market, I remember thinking, “Users NEED real buttons—these things will never replace a computer.” Clearly, I’m not the best forecaster of technological trends. I now own multiple touch screen devices. Their compact form and intuitive gestures have replaced the need for a computer in all but the most demanding of digital…