Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2009 i Overland Journal

Now that our long-term Royal Enfield Bullet EFI (Fall, 2009) is run in, I’ve been scooting around the mild dirt trails south of our place. It’s hilarious to watch occasional riders on “normal” adventure motorcycles twist their heads trying to figure out what the heck just went past them the other way. Several have almost ended up in the cactus. So far the RE has embarrassed itself just once, when (as it turned out) a faulty sidestand switch prevented it restarting during a ride. I hate those things anyway, so I simply unplugged it. Now I can open and close our gate without either shutting off the engine or putting the bike on the center stand. I replaced the stock, 5.5-inch-diameter sealed-beam headlight with a seven-inch halogen “tribar” unit that…

RGS Explore I first went to the Royal Geographical Society Explore event in 2003, expecting a stuffy atmosphere and a “colonial” approach to travel. Egg on my face for being completely wrong. Explore 2003 turned out to be a gathering of people who love the world and love to travel all over it, discovering everything it has to offer while preserving those aspects for future generations. I met some of the most well-traveled and inspirational people in the world. So when the invitation came to attend Explore 2009 Expedition & Fieldwork Planning Weekend for Overland Journal and Overland Training, I jumped at the chance. Along with Scott Brady, and Nick Taylor of Sagen media, the U.S. overlanding segment was well represented. The guest list included such notables as George McGavin…

The Mantec Sand Tracks look the part, and garnered the most attention and desire from our group of testers. With classic PSP looks, these ladders would be right at home on the side of a Safety Devices roof rack, bolted to the top of a Sand-Glow-painted Land Rover. However, there is no doubt that Camel Trophy selected the PAP for function well before form, which was proven in our tests. The units are the longest of the group at a full five feet. They also store nearly flat, and would make ideal flooring for a roof rack. They will be less effective in wet or icy conditions, as the perforations only face towards the terrain surface, with nothing but a smooth aluminum surface on top to provide tire traction. Soft…

The use of fiberglass-reinforced structural flooring for traction aids has become popular in the last decade. Units made from this material are inexpensive and relatively light, and capable of both bridging and ramping. We found out about the Track Pad when Norm Klapper handed Graham Jackson (of water filter testing fame) a set at the Land Rover National Rally. When queried on the price, Norm told us they would be $96 for the pair, plus shipping. Inexpensive and functional, and even more compelling, cut from recycled flooring. These units are cheap and light enough to justify using as flooring for your rack (photography platform?), and would be easy to mount. However, handling quickly became a major consideration, as even on the first use, splinters of fiberglass stuck out from where…

Bicyclist seeks company on ride across two continents. Full or part-time. No experience necessary. Well, I’m nearly there. I’ve and all that remains is for Vancouver to Prudhoe Bay, in Anchorage. I’ve spent the Vancouver picking up a few (marshmallows, morphine, and enjoying the comfort of room, and the laughter of. It has dawned on me during this relaxing period, that I’m completely mentally unprepared for the task ahead of me. Cycling a bike that distance? hard work but manageable. A tandem for periods on my own? Physically testing but maybe possible. Trying to make an exciting film at the same time? Stupid! All I really feel like doing is curling up on the couch and watching daytime television and eating ice cream. Two candles flicker on…

“It’s all nonsense,” he said. “What’s all nonsense?” “This thing about cake. Not being able to eat it and have it too. We’ve been doing it all along.” When my husband, Overland Journal’s publisher, Scott Brady, handed me Osa Johnson’s book, I remember being amused by the title, thinking, “If I were to write a book about my life, that’s the title I would have chosen!” So it was, from my initial viewing of the title, through the last adventure-filled pages, I was literally mesmerized by Osa’s account of her life, romance (don’t worry men, this is kept to a minimum), and travels with her beloved dreamer and explorer husband, Martin Johnson. First published in 1940, I Married Adventure follows the lives of Martin and Osa Johnson, from their initial…

“What’s the best advice a person with your experience can give somebody?” Now there’s a question most of us have either asked or been asked at one time or another. The answer represents the sum of years of accumulated knowledge boiled down, hammered out, and compressed into a gold nugget of information that is so pure, and so appropriate, that you know it is the truth. We value these treasures of information, and we never forget them. One of those invaluable nuggets of truth came to me one day when I squeezed into the busy cockpit of a PBY Catalina flying boat for my first flight as pilot-in-command in the left seat. The Catalina is a big radial-engine twin that can land on water (“more than once,” pilots like to…

The engine dies. “It’s the turbo,” I mutter to Chrissy. It had been whining a bit, but my mechanic said I shouldn’t worry. I should’ve worried. Woohoo! My wife, Chrissy, is in the passenger seat, our two little kids are in the back, and I am driving us out from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in our silver 1995 Isuzu KB280 turbodiesel double-cab 4WD bakkie. We purchased the truck recently, for just $6,000 U.S.—a super deal on the market here. Despite having 500,000 kilometers on the clock, the diesel mechanic friend from whom we bought it assured us it had been rebuilt at 300,000, with more recent rear tyres, suspension, rally and reverse lights, wiring, a battery, and much more. What a pal! Shortly after buying it, though, the diesel pump went…

Ron Moon Ron and his wife, Viv, have spent much of their lives exploring and writing about Australia’s wild places, although their travels have encompassed the world. Together they have contributed to or written 13 guide books covering the outback; Ron was the long-time editor of 4X4 Australia, and now serves as an editor-at-large there. Viv is also the author of two outdoor cookbooks. Together they launched the magazine Let’s Travel. Their writing reflects a wide range of interests, including 4WD travel, birding, fishing, hunting, canoeing, and photography. They now share their experience with others through their tour company, Legendary Outback Expeditions. Chris Collard Chris’s early years riding dirt bikes in Baja, Mexico, with his father lead to a life-long passion for overland adventures. His journalism career has taken him…

The MaxTrax certainly looks the part of a modern sand ladder, in high-visibility orange with aggressive molded lugs. On initial inspection, the low weight stood out, as did the ease of transport with the integrated handles. The mat is constructed from UV-stabilized, reinforced nylon, which allows for the unique shape and molded lugs, and also ensures long-term durability. The units are clearly designed with the primary goal of traction, with a ramped leading and trailing edge, and large supporting cones with integrated cleats. To resist bending, and for use in light bridging, the MaxTrax has two full-length supporting beams. In use, the MaxTrax is easy to carry, and can be turned over and used as a shovel. The clear downside of the MaxTrax is its limited use beyond a traction…

The PillowTrack is the new kid on the block, and reflects much outside-the-box thinking, like the MaxTrax. The unit is billed as serving a myriad of duties: a traction mat in the sand, a bridging and ramping device, a crossed-axle traction device, a lift to raise the chassis when high-centered—even a flotation device and lounging pad in camp. The construction is completely different from the others in the test. An internal inflation bladder slides into one end of a reinforced and rubber-coated outer shell. The bladder uses a single tube for air intake and deflation. It can be filled partially by blowing into the tube with your mouth or a small camping pump, or, preferably, by inserting the Schrader-valve adaptor and using an onboard compressor. The bag filled within a…

This test was not simply an exercise in which product is best suited to the job; it was also an evaluation to determine if the products are worth the bulk, weight, and cost. The testing proved two things regarding function, primary of which is that the sand ladder must have structure to be effective. For example, the PillowTrack has essentially the same surface area as the SandMats, yet delivered 70 percent less distance in the climbing test. In preliminary testing this applied to carpet and rollable mats as well. The rotational force of the tires results in the PillowTrack being wadded up and shot out behind the tire, with very little forward progress being made. The second attribute that contributed to distance climbed was, not surprisingly, ladder length, as this…

Maybe it was all the snow I shoveled growing up along the front range of the Colorado Rockies. Maybe it was the winter I spent spinning wrenches on hovercraft outside Sakibe, Japan. Or maybe it’s just the last six years soaking up the sun in the Sonoran Desert. Regardless of the root cause, I have developed a deep-seated aversion to the cold. Tonight was reinforcing it. We were on the shoulder of historic Route 66, west of Seligman, Arizona, idling along at about five mph. The temperature was headed toward a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit that night, and the heater in the Jeep Wrangler was making a valiant effort to keep the cold air at bay. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t up to the task—understandable, considering both windows were rolled…

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - using a Land Rover Dustin Hindman fell in love with Land Rovers while working in the U.K. a few years ago, which led to an obsession to acquire a Defender 110—which of course is nearly impossible in the U.S. Lucky for him, his family and circle of friends include some considerable Land Rover talent, including Nathan Hindman of Pangaea Expeditions, Graham Jackson of Overland Training, and Nick Taylor and Bill Green of Sagen Media, who collectively have several hundred thousand overlanding miles under their Land Rover belts. The group pooled their talents and spent the last five years building Dustin a Defender 110 from scratch, with a focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability. The majority of the vehicle was sourced from recycled parts. The original donor…

While I love breakfast and dinner (and dessert, of course), I confess to thinking of lunch as a necessary and often boring bridge between those two. I have a hard time getting excited about sandwiches. And let’s be honest, it’s tough to keep bread fresh and un-squashed while on the road. But recently a safari chef friend, Sampson Nicodemus, gave me some great ideas for very un-boring lunches that are tough enough to stand up to five or six hours bouncing around the Maasai Mara, yet delicious enough to make hungry clients very happy. Among our favorites—even for Mr. “I love sandwiches” Hanson—are cucumber tuna boats, hard-boiled eggs, avocado (if available), and tortilla chips. The nice thing is, you eat your serving dish, so there’s nothing to wash. Dare I…

You might not gasp at the revelation when I tell you that two people can analyze an identical situation and react with diametrically opposed emotions. But sometimes I’m astonished at the divergent views extracted from a single concept. Recently I received two emails and a phone call on the same afternoon that illuminated this perfectly. In spite of—or perhaps because of—our subscriber-driven editorial layout (low ad density, high text and photo content, archival print quality, and resulting premium subscription price), Overland Journal’s renewal rate is above the industry average for all periodicals, including those 12-issues-for-$9.95 car magazines that make up the revenue with ads for cheap cigars and Pajamagrams, and pitches guaranteeing improbable physical enhancements. For those of our subscribers who do fail to renew, we send out personalized letters…

Even in a Down Market, SEMA Delivers the Goods The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, November 3 to 6, 2009. The show, the largest of its kind in the world, drew an estimated 100,000 attendees from over 100 countries. Overland Journal featured two vehicles at the show: the Overland JK, which had pride of place at the entry corner of the Chrysler Jeep booth; and our 2006 KTM 950, which was featured in the RAM Mount booth. Both placements reflected the surge in interest in overlanding products at this year’s SEMA event. Scott counted at least 30 rooftop tents at this year’s show, including four in the trend-setting tire and wheel area. Among the over 2,000 new products featured at the…

Resources Getting There Esperance is some 440 miles from Perth, and can be reached by daily flights or a good road drive. Ceduna is 470 miles west of Adelaide, and is most easily reached by a pleasant road drive. Adelaide is around two hours flying time from Sydney while Perth is around four hours. Hire Vehicles Fully set-up 4WD hire vehicles can be rented in Perth, Adelaide or Sydney. australia4wheeldriverentals.com, britz.com.au Maps and Guidebooks The southern coast of Australia is pretty poorly covered as far as decent mapping is concerned. There will be a new guidebook to the area soon, guidebooks.com.au. Recreation Swimming and snorkelling with the seals at Baird Bay has to be one of the great wildlife experiences available in the world today. For more details visit: bairdbay.com.…

The Mantec bridging ladder is a handsome piece of equipment, with PSP-style perforations in the traction surface, and bent and welded support beams along the sides. The units are heavy at 21 pounds each, and must be carried with gloved hands (which should be worn during all recovery operations) due to sharp edges along the beams. The units are clearly designed with bridging in mind, with fore/aft ramps and four-inch-tall structural beams. Also of note are the perforations, which are stamped with the bevel pointing upwards, providing excellent grip to the tires. With very little work, these units could be modified to use as legs for a table, and would also make a good shower platform. The Mantec bridging ladders performed the best in the sand and bridging, at the…

Almost anywhere you explore, it seems plants are lying in wait to wreak havoc on your skin. Plant species have been identified all over the globe that have either direct toxic effects on the skin (contact dermatitis), or are capable of producing allergic skin reactions (allergic contact dermatitis). What’s the difference? Contact dermatitis describes primarily the skin inflammation produced by direct contact with a caustic substance or irritant. An example is the burning and redness you get if you splash a strong cleaner or solvent on your arms. (Although your annoying neighbor might be an irritant, he can’t be blamed for contact dermatitis. Neurodermatitis maybe—but that’s a different story.) Allergic contact dermatitis is a hypersensitivity reaction caused by contact with a substance to which you have become sensitized, or “allergic.”…

The joy of owning and carrying a Brunton comes from the certainty that you will never encounter a situation for which your compass won’t prove far more accurate than needed... It is well to observe the force and virtue and consequences of discoveries; and these are to be seen nowhere more conspicuously than in those three which were unknown to the ancients; namely, printing, gunpowder and the magnet. For these three have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world; the first in literature, the second in warfare, the third in navigation; whence have followed innumerable changes; insomuch that no empire, no sect, no star seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these mechanical discoveries. - Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, 1620 When…