Few names garner as much respect in the overland world as Toyota. The brand’s quality, capability, and reliability have made it legendary among travelers and enthusiasts alike, but during the last two years, American auto manufacturers have been turning up the heat on this Japanese giant. Trucks like the ZR2 are coming equipped with better off-pavement features, more horsepower, and…

In the Czech town of Český Krumlov, I piloted my Defender 130 down a cobbled village road, heading towards the Vltava River. There, parked on the lawn next to a gigantic teepee, stood a spectacular Land Rover Defender 130. Leigh, a tattooed, muscular, and energetic Australian mountaineer and oil rigger stood beside the Landy with his wife, Stephanie, a Frenchwoman,…

As we head further into the summer season and our adventures grow in grandeur and danger, we want to make sure safety is top of mind. One crucial aspect of that is medical evacuation insurance, and thus we’re bringing Christophe’s article back to our front page. We hope you find it as informative and helpful as we did! – Chris…

Overland Journal addresses wheel diameter and ground clearance on the LR4.

Our resident archaeologist digs into the best shovels for overland vehicles.

The Blue Nile has been called the Everest of rivers. It was an unmapped, unconquerable section of water, a raging torrent that extends 500 miles through Ethiopian gorges and at times runs over a mile deep. It was plagued by bandits, crocodiles, disease, and rapids that could swallow a boat whole, but 50 years ago a team of 70 people…

There seems to be a vehicular renaissance upon us. Iconic names like Defender and Bronco are returning from the golden days of four-wheel drives, and manufacturers are realizing that capability sells. Jeep’s JL has already blown us away on the trail, Chevy’s ZR2 is nothing short of phenomenal, Toyota is offering a range of capable 4x4s with an increasing array…

A few years back, I decided I’d try for once to get some people together on my birthday. We set a three-day expedition date in February to the high desert in Western Nevada, which was a risky proposal due to the potential conditions. I invited some friends from Prometheus Design Werx, Exploro, and some guides from my former company Bay…

By Ruby the Adventure Dog Hi, I am Ruby, and I love adventure. That scar by my left eye was from a tussle with a rattlesnake! Read to the end to find out more about our first annual Roverlander of the Year contest and win some cool swag for your pup! If you’re going to be an adventure dog, you’d…

It all hit me at a Starbucks in San Jose, California. I was hammering away on my keyboard, happily sipping my latte while writing a story, when I noticed a group of five girls in the corner. Every single one of them was alternating taking photos of their drinks with taking selfies in the sun. There was no conversation, or…

We evaluate a lot of gear here at Expedition Portal and Overland Journal. Tents, trucks, bags, fridges, and recovery equipment are regularly used and reviewed by our team, and normally the write-ups are pretty straightforward. We cover their specifications, talk about our expectations, and determine how well the product ended up meeting them. But today I find myself unable to…

Exploring the depths of America’s most captivating landscape.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2016. The mere mention of the word overlanding is often enough to evoke images of sunsets on the Serengeti, the silhouette of a truck marked for adventure by the outline of a roof top tent. Although roof sleeping is not commensurate with overlanding, removing the tent from that…

In 2018, environmentalism, conservation, and preservation are common terms. Most of us are aware of the damage society has inflicted on the natural treasures we love, and, in turn, we make conscious efforts to save these wonders. But it wasn’t always so. Back in the late sixties, pollution was rampant, lake and rivers were treated as dumps by large corporations,…

How adventurous is your family? Do you think you’d survive a nine-week road trip together in a small car? How about a nine-month road trip in a tiny 60-year-old Land Rover that breaks down every day? Well, the Hyland family did just that, and their route took them from London to Singapore across some of the most beautiful and unpredictable…

G’day, mate! If you’ve come here to take a squizz at some of the four-wheel drives rolling around Australia, you’re in the right place. On our last trip to this speccy country, we picked up more than just some ripper new slang. We also brought back heaps of photos of cool fourbies from coast to coast. These aren’t vehicles built…

On April 30, Land Rover will be celebrating a huge milestone in their company history: its 70th anniversary. While most manufacturers would choose to throw a big party or rip around a racetrack, this British icon has opted to commemorate the occasion a little differently. They decided to drop world-renowned artist Simon Beck off at over 9,000 feet in the…

We all dream of being that guy (or gal). Suntanned, sinewy and wise, a world traveller with a million stories to tell and the scars to prove it. The life of a long-term international overlander is far from glamorous though; in fact, the closest he gets to glamour is drinking wine from a glass. That first year on the road…

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2015. Air, the simple mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and a few other gases, is not only elemental to life, it is a fundamental requirement for a vehicle or moto-based backcountry trek. In addition to assisting our internal combustion engines in converting chemical energy into thermal and mechanical energy, it…

What is the ultimate overland vehicle? Plenty of people have voiced their opinions, but from Defenders to Jeeps their responses couldn’t be more diverse. Out of everyone I’d say Jonathan Hanson was the closest when he wrote “The best overlanding vehicle is the one you already have”, but it still left something to be desired. In my opinion the ultimate overland vehicle isn’t always what you own…