No, I didn’t know diesel fuel gels when it gets too cold, preventing the van from starting. I did not find this to be common knowledge before this all went down. We should have probably thought things through a bit more or at least paid attention to the below-freezing temperatures the night before when the…
Lessons From A 35 Year Old Land Cruiser
The morning frost had begun to melt on the sage and bunchgrass steppe that stretched to the horizon. A thick cloud of dust billowed from our tires, diffusing into the otherwise tranquil air. Inside the cabin of the Troopy the atmosphere was thick with corrugation-induced vibrations and the voice of Jack Johnson trying to cut…
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….
New Performance Upgrade Packages for Ford Ranger
Ford enthusiasts rejoice, the Ranger just got a whole lot more customizable straight from the dealership. New owners will soon have three optional levels of upgrades to choose from, adding improved performance and style to their 2019 or 2020 Ranger. These additional options come after Ford saw that most new owners were adding an average…
The New Ineos Grenadier is Overland Glory
There are moments in time when greatness coincides with the market—with consumer and commercial demand. The Unimog came back to North America 10 years too soon, and so did the 1993 Defender 110. However, the team at Ineos appears to have timed the release of their Grenadier exactly on queue. I think Sir Jim…
Overlanders Share Their Favorite Apps
Mobile apps are designed to improve our lives and provide us with readily available information. This is especially helpful while travelling. Hundreds of new apps are popping up left, right, and centre, so we connected with our fellow overlanders to help narrow down the search. Google Maps, iOverlander, and Maps.me were crowd favorites, and nearly…
What I’ve Learned About Full-time Travel From Shelter-in-Place
Lead image by Amber Baldwin Perspective through being forced off the road for the first time in over six years. Cliché as it may be, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” certainly applies to this period of sheltering in place, the longest my husband, Eric, and I have stayed anywhere in more…
Expedition Portal Celebrates 15 Years of Adventure
June 25, 2020 :: Press Release In late June 2005, expeditionportal.com (known as ExPo) went live, serving initially as a community forum, and now as one of the world’s largest online overland resources for the vehicle-based adventure traveler. While the website has grown continually since 2005, growth has accelerated in recent years because of the…
Featured Adventurers :: Jamie aka ‘Captain Manicorn’ & Sandra
Sometimes you have to hit rock-bottom before you can realize your true potential, and for Jamie Leibert that meant landing in federal prison. This incredible low taught him what can happen when you lose your way. But after serving his time, Jamie decided to completely turn his life around. He abandoned his vices and took…
Life on the Road | Moto Proven
This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2020 issue. One of the wonderful things about adventure motorcycle travel is the simplicity, eschewing the complexities and excesses of daily life. As a rider, we can only bring so much, and the more we travel, the more we tend to leave behind. The less we…
Maiden Voyage | Tail Lamp
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2020. I woke up to find my tent in my face. Why had my shelter collapsed, leaving me wrapped up in a lasagna of damp nylon? I lay motionless, listening for any clues that might suggest the cause of my predicament. It was early and quiet,…
Montana by Land Rover
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2020. Even by the standards of Montana Land Rover clubs, this idea seemed like a pipe dream under the paired influences of Scottish ale and mid-winter cabin fever. The proposal was such: a weeklong overland foray in early May into some of the most remote country…
Nitro Gear’s Restored Trakka Troop Carrier | Feature Vehicle
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2020. All too often, the vehicles we love are eventually lost. Old muscle cars are traded in for more practical sedans or wind up in a ditch, road trip vans succumb to high miles and blown motors, and our trusty camping trucks begin to rust after…
Five Things We Love About The Jeep Gladiator Mojave
Fox 2.5-inch Internal Bypass Remote Reservoir Shocks This is the money item on the Mojave, and what really transforms it from a Wrangler truck to something you’d feel comfortable throwing around the desert. For overlanding, I’m a big fan of OE engineering. While it may not result in the same performance you could get from…
Warn’s Legendary 8274 Now Pulls 10,000 Pounds
There are few products that are truly legendary, and the Warn 8274 winch is one of them. This winch has served explorers around the globe for over 60 years. Originally, it was called the Belleview winch, and was manufactured from 1959-1973. In 1974, it was improved and strengthened, taking on the name 8274. “By the…
Land Rover Begins US Deliveries of All-New Defender
It has been 23 years since Land Rover dealerships in the United States have seen a Defender come into the showroom, a period that officially ends now as Land Rover begins initial deliveries of the all-new 2020 Defender 110. Both Scott Brady and I have been lucky enough to spend extensive time with the vehicle…
Why The Jeep Gladiator Mojave Is a Middle Finger To The Competition
Aimed at those more likely to blast through the desert on the weekend as opposed to hitting the trail to crawl, The Gladiator Mojave is Jeep’s answer to competitors like the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and the Colorado ZR2. Still equipped with a solid front axle (yay!) the Mojave behaves a bit differently than the…
Thule Tepui 2020 Rooftop Tents
Swedish travel accessory manufacturer Thule is well known for its luggage, roof racks, cargo boxes, bike carrying systems, and more recently, Tepui rooftop tents. Thule acquired Tepui in late 2018 and has upheld and further developed its line of rooftop tents with offerings that fit every type of vehicle out there, from cars to trucks…
Photography Legend Peter Beard
Raucous nights on the town, relationships with supermodels, and dashing good looks often captured the media’s attention, but it was his eclectic collages and often daring wildlife photography that solidified Peter Beard’s standing as one of the most notorious artists of the 20th century. Mr. Beard, who had dementia, passed away in April at the…
Getaway :: Fordypningsrommet Fleinvær ‘The Arctic Hideaway’
The coast of Norway is dotted with ethereal clusters of islands, remnants of the last glaciation that blanket the mainland like a protective barrier from the icy Norwegian Sea. This windswept landscape of rolling hills and countless fjords is an explorers’ paradise of spectacular beauty and makes an especially stunning backdrop for a cluster of…