When bikepacking started to gain momentum roughly 10 years ago, concerns over bike reliability were not just overstated, they were wildly overblown. The reality is, most bikepacking trips clock in at well under 500 miles—if not fewer than 200. If your bike can’t survive a week of use without catastrophic failure, you need to rethink…
Overland Skills: Make Power or Store Power, Which is Best for You?
If you follow Expedition Portal with any regularity, you know we cover the topic of power management quite often. The business of watts and amps has become inextricably intertwined with the pursuit of overland travel. Even when we’re roughing it, we can’t seem to live without our electronic devices. Over the last many years the…
Expeditions 7: Outfitting the Expeditions 7 Vehicles
Outfitting the Expeditions 7 vehicles for a trek around the world.
Modifying the Polaris General
The Expedition Portal staff install accessories on our long-term project General, improving utility and performance.
Adventure Interview: Heather and Dave of Riding Full Circle
How many times have you wished you could sell everything that wasn’t bolted down, or put it all in storage, and hit the open road? For most people those daydreams are just that—dreams. There are those with just that little bit of extra courage who take it to the next level and push beyond the…
Field Tested: Filson Duffle Pack
Like all good things, Filson products do not come cheaply. Don’t read that to suggest they are a poor value. Far from it, all of their bags are capable of serving several generations of users, making even their most expensive items a flat-out bargain—but the entry point can be too steep for some. To open…
Long Term Test: Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent
When Yakima first announced the release of their roof top tent last year, three attributes from the press release immediately caught my attention. The 95-pound weight for the smallest of two sizes made it one of the lightest roof top tents on the market, and because Yakima has spent several decades perfecting all manner of…
Field Tested: REV’IT! Philly 2 LF Jeans
As with my cars, I am a firm believer that classic bikes of the 60s, 70s and 80s should still be used for the purpose they were designed and manufactured for back in their heyday. Of course they are not as refined as a modern counterpart, but choose the right model for the task at…
American Overlander: North Street Flanders Backpack
When company founder, Curtis Williams, started North Street Bags, his mission was simple enough. He wanted to make high-quality bicycle panniers and backpacks with homegrown materials, by hand, one-by-one. Only a few years in, he’s building a loyal following of people drawn to his clean designs and uncompromising attention to craftsmanship. The Flanders is his…
First Ride: REI Co-Op DRT 2.1 Mountain Bike
Although it had been around for ages, it was high time for REI to retire the Novara bicycle line. Discerning cyclists never really warmed to the label, quick to dismiss it as an entry-level house brand. To be fair, that is essentially what it was. For 2017, REI made the decision to give their bike department…
4×4 Legends: Toyota Land Cruiser, From Series 20 to the 1980s
In 1955, only 22 years after the formation of their automotive division, the Toyota Motor Company released the second generation of their now-famed Land Cruiser, which was in many ways the same vehicle they produced for the next 3 decades. In those early years after WWII, Japan’s recovery was happening quickly and Toyota was keeping…
The General “Overlander”
The Expedition Portal Team dips a toe into the world of UTV exploration
Company Profile: Good To-Go Dehydrated Meals
As much as I love to venture into to the woods and survive on trail mix and beef jerky, I also admit I’m an unabashed foodie. I have a tattered Michelin restaurant guidebook with plenty of dog-eared pages, and can snob around the food scene with the best of them. When I learned of Good…
Field Tested: ARB’s Digital Tire Inflator
ARB throws a splash of tech at their classic inflator
First Drive: AEV RAM Recruit
We find out if the Recruit makes the cut
Jeep Heritage Expo
Two days of Jeepn’ fun in the Georgia backcountry.
La Aduana: 1995 Land Rover Defender 90, No. 219 of 500
This is the story of Number 219. This North American Specification Land Rover Defender is number 219 our of the 500 imported to the U.S. in 1995. It was never in the cards for 219 to be a garage queen. What originally rolled off the showroom floor as an Arles Blue Land Rover Defender 90…
Water Treatment Solutions: The Mother of all Reviews
All travelers understand the importance of clean drinking water, but too few know how to best select the proper water treatment system for their individual needs. It is an understandable conundrum as there are seemingly endless options for filters, purifiers, and chemical solutions. Over the span of the last two years, I set out to evaluate…
Midland FRS/GMRS Handheld and Dash Mount Radios
There are a handful of items in the overlander’s inventory which seem to never go out of fashion, and radio communication systems rank high on that list. On our Expedition Portal forum we have a category dedicated to that one subject and it has accrued thousands of posts over the years. It is also a…
Five Wild Western Overland Destinations for Your Shortlist
Every year our forum section explodes with thousands of posts dedicated to trip planning. If you live in a part of the country where the western half is within striking distance, your options for adventure are genuinely without limit. Sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains sits a dozen…