“Birds and animals had never seen humans, warblers flew to me and touched my face, a badger trotted up and sniffed my boot, coyotes sat watching me walk by, an antelope paced for a mile. In complete silence and isolation, it was like what walking on the moon must be.” Julian D. Hayden (1911-1998), from The Sierra Pinacate
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…
The Motorcycle Relief Project
My favorite part of the week is the first time the veterans walk out and see the BMW motorcycles they will be riding for the next five days. The veterans come from all branches of the United States Armed Forces, all generations, from our current conflicts to as far back as Vietnam. We’ve even had…
Get a Grip
We test the latest traction devices and bridging ladders.
Happy Independence Day
On this day in 1776, the nation that many of us call home adopted its Declaration of Independence. Today, we celebrate that independence, as well as honoring the sacrifices so many have made defending it through the years. Whether you choose to spend your time grilling burgers with the family, hanging by a lake, or…
Triumph Tiger 1200 XCA Review
Review of the All-New 1200 Tiger XCA for Overland Travel For 2018, Triumph has freshened their lineup to reduce weight and improve trail performance for both Tiger models, with the most significant capability changes coming to the 1200. The Tiger lineup has traditionally been a 60/40 offering with a bias toward upright touring. However, the…
Video of the Week: Finding Adventure
If you only have one minute of free time today, we’d recommend spending it watching this video. Okay, so technically it is one minute and fifteen seconds, but in that short time this clip will take you on an adventure around the world and give you a much-needed mini-vacation from whatever you’re doing. It has…
Ruffwear Products for Your Roverlander
By Ruby the Adventure Dog Hi, I am Ruby, and I love adventure. That scar by my left eye was from a tussle with a rattlesnake! Read to the end to find out more about our first annual Roverlander of the Year contest and win some cool swag for your pup! If you’re going to…
Forum Migration to Xenforo
Fellow adventurers! We are migrating our community forum from vBulletin to Xenforo on 25 March, 2018 (tonight). Back in 2005, I fumbled my way through installing vBulletin and started a labor of love with expeditionportal.com. We have since changed servers and versions (of vBulletin) many times with the goal of continuing to improve performance and security….
Tool of the Trade
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2018. Throughout the history of our publication, the Toyota Tacoma has remained the most popular vehicle among our readers, a reflection of the model’s reliability and accessibility. As travelers, we ask a lot from our 4WDs, expecting durability, capability, comfort, and capacity, all the while hoping…
Field Tested: KLIM Women’s Altitude Riding Suit
Wholeheartedly in agreement with the view of any well-informed rider, women don’t have a “handicap” or “special needs” astride their motorcycles. We do, however, require a suit that fits well as much as it is fit for purpose. Coupled with the freedom to be fairly well catered for, where colour or cut shouldn’t be compromised…
Sneak Peek: MSR Hubba Tour 2
When foul weather forces me within the safe haven of a tent, nothing is more precious than a cavernous vestibule. With the passing of every wet minute, each inch of dry space is called upon to stash gear and makes for the ideal place to prepare meals or just stretch out. As useful as a…
Modern-Day Fuso vs. Old-School Mog
As Expedition Portal has grown in size and coverage, we’ve seen more big expedition trucks built, reported on, and periodically sold through the Portal. But as with any overlanding vehicle, there are pros and cons, and compromises must be made. Still, for a sizable minority of the Expo inmates, there’ll be a time when these…
Adventure Photographer: The Tank-Mounted Camera Bag
As a motorcyclist and photographer, I’ve often struggled with how to best carry my camera on the bike. For years I just plopped my DSLR into a tank bag but the constant vibrations resulted in the early demise of one lens and eventually a nice camera body. The most protective approach has been a tail-mounted…
Long Term Test: Therm-a-Rest Altair HD Sleeping Bag
For what seemed like decades, sleeping bag technology languished. There were a few minor innovations with regard to baffle shapes and fabrics improved slightly from year to year, but not until recently has the humble sleeping bag received the engineering advancements it deserved. This is particularly true of bags in the Therm-a-Rest line like the…
Wander Libre: Land Cruiser Troopy Camper Conversion, Part 2
Welcome to Part Two of our four-part series on our Land Cruiser Troopy Camper Conversion. We pick up the story in Cape Town, South Africa, as we kickoff fitment and begin working with Paul and the teams at R&D Offroad and Alu-Cab to transform our build requirements into detailed construction specs. We also make a…
Decked Announces New Systems for Midsize Pickups
Pickup owners are drawn to their vehicles by the promise of utility and large cargo-hauling capacities, but keeping items organized and within reach has never been very straightforward. Many pickup owners, myself included, have resorted to various bags, cases, totes, and home-built wooden boxes to keep things tidy, secure, and accessible. When Decked entered the…
Bikepacking: Maintenance Tips for a Fuss-free Trip
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…
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…