The Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA) is holding its annual Mojave Road Rendezvous. It is set to be a cracker of an event this year, bigger than ever before and with more to offer all desert lovers. The event features a lineup of world-class speakers, corporate-sponsored workshops, a huge offering of historical presentations,…
Finding Order in the Chaos of World Travel
“It is not an adventure until something goes wrong” Yvon Chouinard. Life on the road can be chaotic as very few things are within your control. Over the years, we have learned to manage our fears and concerns, the same fears and concerns that we all share when heading deep into the unknown. Before setting…
Tips for Riding the Trans-America Trail (TAT)
Armed with a 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan, some YouTube videos, and a recent dirt bike safety training course, I took on the Trans-America Trail, a route crossing the United States on mostly unpaved roads and trails. While I had extensive road bike experience, this would be my first time riding off-road for any distance since…
Celebrate National Public Lands Day With onX
Our Public Lands are a national treasure, and it is up to every one of us to join in taking responsibility for the care and protection of our most precious asset. Not only will we all benefit from the nurturing and rehabilitation of this land, but future generations will also reap the rewards. There are…
Scosche Powerup 600 Torch Portable Emergency Car Jumpstarter: For The Time When Your Vehicle Needs A Jump
Headquartered in Ventura County, California, Scosche is a family-owned company of outdoor enthusiasts that creates consumer technology for adventurers. They make vehicle accessories, car audio products, and other electronics, testing them in real-world scenarios to see how they’ll fare. I’ve been testing the Scosche Powerup 600 Torch portable emergency jumpstarter for the past month. I…
Making it Out Alive: Learn to save your own life or the one you love
Fieldcraft Survival and TacMed Solutions, companies providing industry-leading medical, simulation, and protection solutions for combat military personnel and first responders, collaborated on this comprehensive trauma kit, the MTK (Mobility Trauma Kit), with everyday mobility, off-roading, and overlanding in mind. The kit includes everything you could need in a life-threatening emergency: a tourniquet, modular bandages, combat…
Stopping the Bleed: Yes, it Can Happen to You
Kevin Henson has been answering calls to horrific accident scenes for at least 34 years. The trained paramedic and retired fire chief still grimaces a little when thinking about the worst accidents he’s attended. Many of them involved motorcycles. But there’s one item he never reached for in a trauma event: a first-aid kit. When…
Yes, You Can Travel the World With a Pet
When we first started overlanding with our two young children, we had limited space, time, and money. Let’s face it; it is a difficult transition from the comforts of a large home to full-time, vehicle-dependent travel, and that challenge alone was enough for us to decide not to travel with a pet. Fast forward 10…
Moto Dogs: Riding with Fido
Walter gets a little nervous when Reid Hobby isn’t around. The 4-year-old Deutsch Drahthaar doesn’t much like being without his human companion. “He’s a social dog,” Hobby says. “Actually, he’s like a leach. He’s the Robin to my Batman. He sticks to me like glue.” Walter has ridden shotgun in every vehicle Hobby has ever…
BMW: Still Time in 2022 to Ride & Improve Skills
BMW has a host of ideas help you improve skills, try out new bikes, and keep the adventure alive. Root for the USA at the upcoming GS Trophy competition or hit the road to a rally. Whatever you pick from their grab bag of options, motorcycles will be front and center. BMW Motorrad GS Trophy…
Off-Road Cycling Endurance, The RAD Dirt Festival
Rad adjective slang Extremely exciting or good. Excellent; wonderful. Radical. The terrain They call it an “untouched plethora of gravel unlike any other,” that southern Colorado plateau laden with impressive mesas, paths that will bear the churning of hundreds of bike wheels on October 8 as riders compete for the top finisher in the RAD…
The Best of the Late Summer Moto Rallies
There’s still time to get in on late summer motorcycle rallies and rides and soak up the remnants of summer sun before the leaves turn golden and the weather cold, and the west has no shortage of great moto events to choose from. Four Corners Motorcycle Rally The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for…
Skyway to Highway, Overlanding notes from a bush pilot
It seems Ramona Cox was born for adventure. She won’t share the locations of her favorite fishing holes, but she’s quick to share her survival stories with other adventurers, whether they travel by land, air, or sea. The Hollywood, California, native has adventured through 50 countries, pushing the limits of her comfort zones and navigating…
Roof Loading for Overland Travel: How Much is Too Much?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue. Many of you likely remember the Ford Explorer rollover lawsuits of the early 2000s. We were inundated daily with news reports about the dangers of the Explorer and the risk to society that SUVs posed in general. Fast forward 20 years, and though…
Trail Fire Grill, High-Elevation Cooking the Campfire Way
I knew I liked the Trail Fire Grill when I saw creator Mark Ritchie demo it at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, this past spring. He had made a bacon and eggs breakfast for me and showed me how this camping grill serves as a barbecue, wok, and oven. I took the grill home…
Opinel Nomad Cooking Kit and Picnic+
A while ago, we declared that Opinel knives are art. We stand by that declaration and, as if to prove us right, Opinel has launched a new, innovative multi-purpose range which has us drooling and dreaming of a long hike and a campfire feast. Multi-purpose gear is the outdoor explorer’s holy grail; we love a product…
Want to Write for Expedition Portal and Overland Journal? Here’s How to Submit the Perfect Pitch.
Photography by Jack Mac By the time the most recent issue of your favorite magazine graces the newsstands or appears in the post, its pages were already well-imagined, copyedited, laid out, and finalized many months in advance. If we board our time machine, traveling to a time well before the issue was put together, we…
Telemedicine: Health Care Options Continue to Expand for Overlanders
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue. Technology has advanced considerably over the past couple of decades, and services once out of reach while traveling have become readily available. This is especially true in the wake of Covid-19, as safeguards brought on by the pandemic have allowed expanded insurance coverage…
Join onX OffRoad For a 101 Live Tutorial: Master the App
On Aug 4, 2022 06:00 PM in Mountain Time (US and Canada) onX OffRoad crew members will walk clients through how to use each of the onX OffRoad app’s features and offer tips to optimize your planning for off-road season. Instruction will cover how to find trails, save offline maps, share waypoints and make a…
Is 4WD Essential for International Overland Travel?
Traveler friends Thomas and Sabine from Bavaria, Germany, recently sent me a typically entertaining message. “Next week, I’ll have a talk to around 100 interested people on Explorer-Ostsee-Camp concerning the question 4WD in Travel Reality—How much 4WD do you really need? My personal thoughts about that are only some of all possible. I’d love to add…