There are 56 counties in Montana, and each one gets its own unique numerical prefix on the state’s license plates. Historically these were assigned by population—the more people who lived in a particular county, the lower the number. When Montana first started registering motor vehicles, the mining city of Butte was by far the largest in the Treasure State, so…

Show Notes for Podcast #164 Principles of Overlanding: 30 Insights on Traveling the World by Vehicle, an overview of the core tenets of overland travel. Scott Brady and Matt Scott discuss the Principles of Overlanding Tweet Storm. Lessons are often learned the hard way, which in Scott and Matt’s case includes screwing up, getting stuck, carjacked, impounded, detained, delayed, and…

Photography by Frank and Helen Schreider Frank and Helen Schreider were preparing to leave for the island of Flores, Indonesia, when the village chief in Komodo brought bad news. “There is no road at Labuhan Badjo,” he said, running a calloused thumb eastward over their map. “It starts here, at Reo.” Their map of Flores clearly showed a road, but…

Show notes and Summary for podcast #163. In the random show podcast, Scott Brady and Matt Scott riff on recent happenings in the overland sphere, including Matt getting stuck in the EarthRoamer, Scott getting stuck in the Grenadier, Matt going to Goodwood, buying a Tesla, and Scott ranting about payload again. . . Host Bios: Scott Brady Scott is the…

Editor’s Note: This Craghoppers clothing review was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2023 Issue.  In late 2012, we said goodbye to our home in Cape Town, South Africa, and packed the Land Rover for an expedition that would take us around the world without pause. We researched and sourced gear that would serve us best in preparation for the…

Show Notes for Podcast #162 Stanley Illman on Exploring the World by Gwagon and Porsche Summary: Scott Brady interviews Stanley Illman, Co-founder of Front Runner, international businessman, and global explorer. Stanley has driven around the world in Land Rover, G-Class, and classic Porsche. Stanley shares important insights on product quality, vehicle preparation, and travel. His trips have crossed Africa, Europe,…

I’ve never been a “knife guy”. Never mind everyday carry, I barely ever carry at all. With pockets jammed full of keys, wallet, pens, notebook, and phone, who has space to port around one more item? However, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been caught out on more than one occasion when I needed a blade, and I’ve…

Editor’s Note: Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2023 Issue.  They say the Million Dollar Highway begins and ends between the Colorado mountain towns of Silverton and Ouray, but traverse it, and you’ll also discover a plethora of dirt road hideaways laced with abundant scenery, lakes and streams, ample camping opportunities, and the rich history…

In Go Grandriders, 17 senior citizens embark on a 13-day, 1,178-kilometer ride by 125cc scooters and small motorcycles around Taiwan. With an average age of 81, the octogenarians take to one of Taiwan’s most dangerous roads: the Su-Hua Highway. Weaving amongst roaring cargo trucks and behind packed tour buses, the group enjoys lush cliffside scenery high above the Pacific Ocean,…

In a significant step towards the goal of a carbon-free future, Toyota has introduced a prototype of the Hilux hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. The debut of this innovative vehicle is indicative of Toyota’s comprehensive strategy to attain carbon-neutral mobility by employing diverse powertrain solutions tailored to varying user requirements and global operating conditions. These solutions encompass hybrid electric, plug-in…

Editor’s Note: This Eva Rupert interview was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue.  “Hey, I know you. You’re famous. I’ve seen you on TV.”  I stood at the entrance to a convenience store in northern Nevada, about to buy food for a week-long motorcycle adventure in the backcountry. As she spoke, the woman looked past me at my…

AMERICAN NORTHWEST Descend on Bend When: Sept 1-4, 2023 Where: Oregon Outback This family-friendly overland event near Pinnacles National Park is accessible to all vehicles, including motorcycles and rental cars. Live music, a daily maker’s market, and morning yoga are some of the highlights, while the event website sold me on its “coffee and affogato offerings.” Luxury amenities include porta…

I remember a time not so long ago when some overlanders would turn their nose up to the prospect of overlanding in a Sprinter 4×4. It wasn’t that the Mercedes was a bad vehicle but rather it had become a figurehead of the vanlife movement and gained an unwarranted reputation for being a bit chintzy. However, in more recent years…

Show Notes for podcast 157 Tom Sheppard on the Nobility of Wilderness, Crossing the Sahara, and Overlanding the Deserts. Summary: Scott Brady interviews the legendary Tom Sheppard, an icon of overlanding, and one of the most accomplished desert explorers in history. With overland projects and many solo, remote region, off-tracks Sahara expeditions to his name, Tom also led the eight-man, first…

It’s a rare product that changes everything about the way you travel. The Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Pro did just that in ways that continually surprise me.  I spent six months building out (well, overseeing the build of) my 2018 Ram Promaster, which is outfitted with three stellar 100ah batteries from the Utah Company Lion Energy and a whole host…

Editor’s Note: This sailing article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue. Lead photo by Bryan Danger. Bumfuzzle | Pat, Ali, Ouest, and Lowe Schulte Photography courtesy of Bumfuzzle “Neither of us had ever sailed or had a boat. We were just Midwestern kids from Minnesota,” Pat Schulte says of the moment he and his wife, Ali, decided…

Show notes for Episode #156 Wes Siler on Travel, Hunting, and the Case for the Ford Ranger Summary: Scott Brady interviews Wes Siler on his lessons learned hunting, backpacking, and overlanding around the globe. Wes has built a reputation for hard-hitting and deep-dive editorial about important topics that affect all strata of outdoor enthusiasts. Wes also shares his lessons building…

Tanya Ritchie-Hicks and her son were casually perusing the internet when they spotted a lemon-hued 1981 W123 Mercedes-Benz car for sale. Tanya hated yellow cars, and this one was particularly hideous. But it had a diesel engine, and it was cheap, so they went for it. Later, as Tanya’s son drove the Mercedes through the gates of her home in…

It’s worth remembering that most of the first motor vehicles were electric. In the late nineteenth century, electrification was the hot technology, and forward-thinking engineers (like Ferdinand Porsche) were betting on batteries to drive humanity into the future. These were not energy-dense or range-efficient machines by any measure, but it’s interesting to think about where we might be today if…

Adventure takes many forms, from climbing mountains to crossing continents to the limits of adhesion through a mountain chicane. On Expedition Portal, we have covered all manner of human and vehicular exploration, which now includes the thrill of grand touring.  Grand touring originated from the Italian phrase Gran Turismo, which was subsequently abbreviated to the ubiquitous GT. In the same…