Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2022 Issue. Travel by four-wheel-drive vehicle affords rapid access to the middle of nowhere, which is a potential mecca of peace and tranquility until said vehicle breaks down, or its jockey becomes ill. As an emergency and wilderness medicine physician, I’ve been trained to identify…
Stream2Sea Sunscreen And Bodycare Products: Sunscreen, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion, and Lip Balm That Won’t Harm Waterways
Stream2Sea creates sunscreen and other hair and body care products that are safe for waterways. Many companies claim to make environmentally safe sunscreens, natural shampoos, and more. Stream2Sea also makes this claim but backs up its assertions with testing. Stream2Sea has the only products proven safe for simple nematodes (C. elegans), freshwater fish, saltwater fish,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Staples In Tents’ The Gathering is Coming to Vancorum, Colorado, August 18-22
Sonya and Necota Staples of Staples In Tents and Black People Off-road are champions of equality in the outdoor space. They strive to make camping and overlanding accessible to everyone, including those from marginalized communities who haven’t traditionally enjoyed easy access to outdoor recreation opportunities. Enter The Gathering, a weekend of outdoor adventure and education…
Bear-proof Food Storage for Moto Campers
Many of us traveling overnight or long distances on motorcycles are going into bear territory; that’s why we love our ADV and dual-sport bikes—to get off main roads and into the backcountry. But what about storing food out of reach from bears while we sleep at night? Growing up in the Canadian Rockies, I often…
The Overland Adventure Rallies Return (With a New Name) For 2022
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….