Lead photo by Bryon Bass As rally organizers gear up for this year’s full season, I know I’m not the only one looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. Overland rallies are where like minds come together, bundling up for nightly bonfire raffles, visiting with colleagues and friends, listening to stories from…
Garmin’s Acquisition of GEOS Might Affect Those With Additional Evacuation Coverage Who Activate inReach SOS Function
Early last year, Garmin announced the acquisition of emergency monitoring and incident response service GEOS Worldwide Limited, which operates the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) for SOS rescue efforts triggered by Garmin’s inReach personal satellite communication device. “With this acquisition, Garmin is now able to provide even more peace of mind to our inReach…
Field Tested :: Overdue App
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2022 Issue. Many of us don’t leave details of our trips to the backcountry with trusted contacts: Where are we going? When do we plan to return home? Who are we with? What colour and type of outdoor gear will we be wearing? What safety…
Risk Management for Overland Travelers
Editor’s note: This article is supplemental to “Risk Management,” featured in the Gear 2022 issue of Overland Journal Those planning their first overland adventure often ask, “What do I absolutely need to go on an overland trip and stay safe?” Trip preparedness must be included as part of your pre-trip planning, so it’s a great…
The Overland Expedition Medic
All bleeding stops, eventually. This morbid maxim, with two very different outcomes, is taught to first-year surgical residents during day one of rotation with the trauma surgery service. The moral being that if medical professionals do not learn their craft well, a patient could bleed out. The same dire lesson is especially true for anyone…
Duration Health
Suffering a medical emergency while traveling is a scary experience, especially when far from home and definitive medical care. For those who travel remotely, I recommend taking a wilderness first aid course and bringing an activity-specific first aid kit capable of handling the first 24 hours of accident or illness. But, what if your travels take…
Observation Skills: Did You See That?
As overlanders and remote explorers, we often find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, which tends to make us more aware of our surroundings. As a result, one of the most critical skill sets for us is observation. Looking is seeing with your eyes. Observing is seeing in detail, listening to sounds, watching interactions and movements, applying…
Assembling a Cold Weather Vehicle Emergency Kit
Here in the Rocky Mountains (I live in Colorado), we have plenty of winter hazards that can slow you down on the road. Whiteout conditions due to high winds, avalanches, and, of course, heavy snow are all possibilities that could disable your vehicle or force you to spend an unplanned night in your rig, waiting…
How We Began Our Overland Journey and What We Learned
Two weeks before the start of our overland adventure, my mother and I went to Spain for a week. Coen was flabbergasted. Buried in a list of things he felt needed to be done, he couldn’t understand why I went on vacation. On the other hand, I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about….
Modern Explorers | Mac Mackenney
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…
Mystic Myanmar on Dirt Bikes
To live in South Africa as an adventure biker has many advantages. It is a great place to get your motorcycle fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment, as well as a great starting point for an expedition to some of the wildest and most beautiful countries in Africa, such as Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, and Rwanda….
The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have
The Overland Journal Podcast #20 Principles of Overlanding: The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding, Matt and Scott review the top 10 pieces of kit that help support local and international overland travel. Topics include navigation, communications, recovery equipment, medical kits, training, tools, and more. Get in touch with…
Overland Skills :: Travel Planning and Safety
Even diehard overland travelers and expeditionary personnel will eventually need to stay at hotels, inns, or various private accommodations. You might need to overnight during the trip bookends, as you fly into a country and stage your gear, or prepare to depart back home. Arrangements can vary widely by country, continent, and culture. A concierge…
The Truth About Bribery
By Bryon Bass, Graeme Bell, Scott Brady, Dan Grec, and Lois Pryce Intro by Dan Grec Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. The very word bribery often strikes fear into the heart of those who have never experienced it. Terrifying images of corrupt military brandishing automatic rifles come to mind,…
Should You Bulk Up for an International Overland Journey?
Recently, I was sharing a cold beverage and stories with a new adventurer friend in Bavaria. Carsten has travelled the world for decades; he’s a wiry, muscular fellow who speaks with the gravelly voice of a man who has rolled his own cigarettes for 30 years. Carsten complained that gaining weight was a struggle since…
Water Matters
In mid-November 2013, we drove our Land Rover Defender from Arequipa to Cuzco, Peru. Well, that was the plan. At roughly 15,500 meters on the desolate, lifeless altiplano the engine management system beeped a loud warning: we were losing a lot of coolant. After a few minutes spent diagnosing the problem, we replaced the coolant…
Landcruising Adventure: How to deal with police officers while overlanding
How to handle bribes, bravado and other bouts with authority.
4 Wheel Nomads: Age is Just a Number
Michael Stahl explains why you should take your family on and extended overland journey.
Overlanding with kids – going beyond “normal” education
Overlanding with small children. Make the world a classroom.
Adventurous Appetite: Staying healthy while traveling
It looks good, but is it worth it?