AMERICAN NORTHWEST Descend on Bend When August 30-September 2, 2024 | Where Yamhill River, Oregon Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Descend on Bend returns with live music, a daily maker’s market, a community potluck, a raffle, and workshops. The inaugural event occurred in 2014 when 15 VW Vanagon Westfalia enthusiasts gathered at Bend’s Hole-in-the-Ground crater and vowed to make it an annual tradition….

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would have been proud to watch 10 of her royal Land Rovers march through the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as though they were Trooping the Colors at Horse Guards Parade. This was the first time this collection of vehicles made their way to the United States, and they put on quite a regal display….

In this installment of the Expedition Portal series on brands that inspire us, Senior Editor Ashley Giordano profiles overland industry leader and vehicle-based storage solutions manufacturer Goose Gear.  It’s easy to notice the quality of a Goose Gear product at a glance. Burly slides hold expertly crafted wood drawers. Marine-grade plywood coated with a proprietary blend of bedliner protects each cabinet top and…

Editor’s Note – Valentina Vallinotto’s father, Angelo, was an ambitious explorer. Piling his young family into a series of Land Rovers, IVECOs, and Toyotas, he tackled uncharted routes across North Africa and the Sahara Desert throughout the 1960s all the way until the early 1990s. The 1970s was a particularly exciting decade for overland adventurers on the African continent, as…

Lead photograph by Joanie Pépin Despite becoming more materially affluent over the past four decades, those living in developed countries have not experienced the happiness boost expected from modern materialism. Since the 1940s, we’ve upgraded significantly, installing showers and bathtubs, microwaves, dishwashers, and big-screen color televisions—purchasing twice as many vehicles per person, and adding boats and campers, iPads, and laptops galore….

In this installment, Alpine Tactics (aka Shaun) embarks on a transformative trip through Southern Utah with his two kids (Brooklyn and Henry) and friends Ryan and Alexa (aka @rneptune). However, this is more than a movie; it and shares an important message that the overlanding community needs to hear.    As the episode begins, Shaun reminisces on the good ole days…

Even if we aren’t aware of it, overland travel provides countless immersive lessons in geography. Mobility allows us to observe how cities and towns are connected, whether by fields of cheerful canola flowers, hills punctuated by wind turbines, or riverways choked with litter. We notice how environments change from one place to the next and how the onset of valleys,…

The silence of the Alvord Desert is all-consuming. The column of quiet that descends on the dry lakebed in the evenings reaches through you. Sounds that would be swallowed by the regular cacophony of a workaday wilderness are amplified, like they’ve been plugged into a Marshall stack—the rumble of a pickup truck on the county road a dozen miles away,…

The Mission Overland Summit Adventure Trailer is designed to offer a safe, accessible, and comfortable living space for adventurers seeking an out-of-the-ordinary outdoor experience. Its robust construction features insulated aluminum frames and reliable power and water systems, ensuring long-term support in remote locations. The Summit’s compatibility with various vehicles, from lightweight SUVs to larger trucks, makes it a versatile option…

Who hasn’t dreamed of traversing the Pan-American Highway on an epic overland journey? I certainly have, and last year, that dream became a reality when a group of avid adventurers decided it was time to tackle one of the world’s longest road networks. The Backstory: From Dream to Reality In 2022, Max and Joel, the founders of Global Convoy, and…

Okay, let’s be honest. Just because I’ve been driving four-wheel drive vehicles for 50 years and just because I’ve covered most of the major four-wheel-drive events in the United States (including numerous trips over the Rubicon Trail, the Jeepers Jamboree, All 4-Fun, Sierra Trek, and Moab’s Easter Jeep Safari), I am not a “four-wheeler.” Getting stuck and digging or winching…

The Tacoma remains the mid-size truck to beat and is undoubtedly the most coveted pickup within the overlanding community. This sentiment was reflected in the immense anticipation, speculation, and excitement surrounding the release of the latest Fourth-Gen Tacoma back in May 2023. Despite the announcement, Toyota sold 234,768 third-gens (the best-selling model to date) in 2023, which is a testament…

Photography by Kevin Merrey and Mark Game It was 70 days into Reza Pakravan’s bicycle expedition from Norway to South Africa before he cracked. His body weak with a recent bout of malaria and severe food poisoning, Reza and his expedition partner, Steven Pawley, slogged through the Kenyan desert in 40°C temperatures, out of water and, eventually, out of stamina….

Overland Journal Podcast Episode 197 Scott Brady interviews Clay Croft at the 2024 Overland Expo West, discussing his most recent adventure in Africa and travel with his family and team. They also discuss the importance of doing hard things and being gentle with ourselves in pursuing our goals. The conversation also delves into the security mindset and the announcement of…

Over the years companies like Sportsmobile have fine-tuned their E-Series 4WD conversions and can subsequently transform this iconic 2WD commercial vehicle into a bonified overland rig. So, what makes this platform such a desirable choice for travel? First and foremost, you simply can’t beat a live-in vehicle for extended trips away and the E-350 provides generous 4-season interior comfort. It’s…

Photography by Richard Giordano, Eglė Gerulaitytė, and Lila Shaw There’s a kid driving a Corolla at 120 kph, waving a note at me with the words “I love you” scrawled across the paper. Normally, I would be flattered at this declaration of affection, but the teen’s foot is jammed to the floor, sending his beat-up car screaming beside us on…

Good times—at least of the sort we’re after—come with a downside. The hard truth behind adventure is that you can’t safely peace out beyond the confines of cell service with nothing but a sandwich in one hand and your car keys in the other. For those of us desperate for even a brief escape from technological and material overload, that’s…

Opinel Releases New Grilling Set Fabricated in France, this grill set includes a stainless steel folding knife, a spatula insert, and extra-large tongs with a stonewashed finish. The No. 12B folding knife features a beechwood handle from sustainably managed French forests and is equipped with a bottle opener at the end, while the spatula is designed to be inserted into…

Join us for episode five of our educational series on Tires for Overlanding, where we review selecting various tires, driving and recovery, vehicle preparation, Tread Lightly, and more. For this fifth episode, we discuss the fundamentals of overlanding recovery techniques, including using traction boards, a vehicle-mounted winch, and conducting a vehicle-to-vehicle recovery using a kinetic strap. Presented by Hankook Dynapro Tire…

In this installment of the Expedition Portal series on brands that inspire us, Senior Editor Ashley Giordano profiles the multi-generational Denmark-based storage company AluBox. She connected with Søren Wiberg to learn more about AluBox’s origins, its involvement in field expeditions, and how consumer preferences have changed since the company’s inception in 1999. Cover photo courtesy of Clay Croft, Expeditions 7…