Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2021 i Overland Journal

THE JOURNAL VISITS THE AMAZON What better place to peruse the 2020 Gear Guide than on a National Police of Colombia patrol boat. After a week of team and skill-building with the carabineros, some of us took a quick trip to the Amazon—what an amazing place filled with great people and culture. When home in New Mexico, I travel the Southwest in my in-progress restoration of a 1984 Chevrolet K5 Blazer—mostly stock—sporting a 6.2 NA diesel and TH400. Love your magazine and the inspiration of adventure. Mike Gardiner 1984 Chevrolet K5 Blazer I'LL TAKE YOU THERE Your publication is terrific! Your contributors are exceptional as well. It’s fun for me to be able to travel in their stories to places I’ll never go and have never been. A good writer…

HEST stands for “hostile environment survival tools,” and that is exactly what DPx Gear produces—knives that can survive the abuses of hard use in war zones, the backcountry, or even your garage. The HEST/F Urban titanium Mr. DP is a new take on their classic folding knife designed by Robert Young Pelton. It is manufactured in the US and features US-made sculpted titanium handle scales featuring the Mr. DP skull, a US-made CPM S35V stainless steel blade, stainless-steel caged ball-bearing pivots, and an impressive selection of other multipurpose features. The blade measures just under 3 inches long and is sufficient for most hard-use cutting tasks. The.16-inch-thick blade stock is about twice as thick as any other similar-sized folding knife that I own, and I found it to be more adept…

Don’t we all appreciate when a product serves more than one purpose? Kovea has hit that mark with the Dream Gas BBQ. While it is not the most compact stove on the market, it combines multiple functions for added convenience. This butane-fueled barbecue also serves as a stove with a single burner tray sturdy enough to hold a pot of water or a large cast-iron frying pan. The mesh grill has built-in skewer bars that can hold several kabobs away from direct flame. The ceramic-coated steel drip plate has a drain plug to save juices from a long simmer or help with clean-up. Additional features include an adjustment knob with auto-ignition and a U-shaped flame to improve heat distribution. The handled lid allows for checking on cooking progress while also…

Imagine a place where pink river dolphins swim beneath you, birds of every size and color fly overhead, and monkeys glide through the air between the trees. In the same place, you’ll find dangers lurking around every corner: crocodiles, piranhas, and anacondas are waiting to greet you if you dare go for a swim. We reached such a place after a boat ride into the Amazon jungle, where we hired a local guide and his canoe to venture farther into the largest tropical rainforest on Earth. Our adventure started with the usual scanning of the map. It became apparent that Ecuador has roads reaching into the Amazon Basin, with easier access than other countries. A Google search brought us to an article by Smithsonian Magazine online, and the first paragraph…

When I’m about to embark on a road trip, be it within Colorado or farther afield, my partner and I start by making a packing list. We do this because, without it, I will inevitably leave something important behind, prompting a discussion about decisions I made long ago when I was a younger, more impulsive human. But I digress. Making a list helps us systematically consider all of the gear (and trust me, there is a lot to consider) that could provide an elevated level of comfort for our particular destination. Having a list also helps us avoid leaving things behind when it is time to pack everything back into our car and head home. No matter where we are headed or how long our road trip will be, there…

In May 1992, my wife and I drove a 1981 Toyota pickup truck from our home in the Colorado High Country to Central America, which, at the time, was a socio-political hot mess. But it had been a tough winter at 9,000 feet, and we needed a warm-weather vacation. I wrangled a deal with Canoe & Kayak magazine to pen a story basically asserting that Central America—through which we had traveled extensively eight years prior—was a perfect destination for paddlers who might consider the specter of random gunfire, possible kidnapping, and almost assured armed robbery to be a compelling component of the overall adventure package. To procure the assignment, I might have overstated the amount of experience my wife and I had paddling together, which, in actuality, was zilch. There…

My wife, Claire, and I are digital nomads traveling the Pan-American Highway in our Ram 3500 with XPCamper. We are keen runners and no strangers to endurance sports, with six Ironman World Championship qualifications between us. Claire is a family physician, and I am an endurance sports coach. No matter where we are, after morning coffee and tea, our running shoes are laced, beginning an everyday routine that racks up between 60 and 90 kilometers weekly. Running takes us to places other travelers simply don’t go—a trail here, a path there—to villages, towns, and dwellings usually overlooked. This brings a smorgasbord of cultural interaction with people, idiosyncratic to our random running routes. Waves and shouts of encouragement are common, and there are plenty of opportunities to chat. Sometimes, the folks…

A few readers may be aware of a vehicle called the Land Rover Defender, a box-shaped agricultural tool that has also been known to fight a war or two and occasionally takes people camping. We stumbled across ours after searching for months and concluded that the farmer who had swapped it for a Mercedes sedan had perhaps retired from a life of toil transporting livestock, hay bales, broken machinery, and cases of brandy and cola, elated and exhausted. We made plans to convert the farm truck into something which may or may not have been fit for an amble across the southeastern quarter of Africa. Sure, the body is made out of aircraft material, and that lightweight stuff sits on top of a chassis better suited for a quarry truck.…

DAN GREC Dan Grec is an adventurer, snowboarder, and photographer who now hails from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Growing up in Australia, family camping trips gave Dan a passion for wilderness exploration in remote destinations. After studying and working as a software engineer, Dan went in search of a more vibrant life. Eventually driving 40,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina, he became inspired by the characters he met along the way and is now dedicated to helping others realize their own overland dreams. To this end, Dan created and maintains WikiOverland—the community encyclopedia of overland travel. After years of planning and preparation, in early 2019, Dan completed a circumnavigation of the entire African continent in his Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. GARY AND MONIKA WESCOTT Gary and Monika Wescott have spent the last…

Overland footwear is a piece of essential equipment often overlooked. We require footwear that allows precise control of the vehicle and is also supportive enough for when we are outside the vehicle working in rough terrain. Unfortunately, I often see people hop out of their expertly equipped vehicles in flip-flops or heavy mountaineering-style boots. I learned quickly as a guide on some of the world’s tallest peaks that proper footwear can make or break any expedition. For most Americans, the Salewa brand name is one of obscurity, but its distribution is growing here in the States. Salewa was founded in Germany in the 1930s as a leather goods manufacturer that specialized in backpacks and soccer balls. In the 1950s, they pioneered mountaineering protective aides and have been focused on mountain…

Xero shoes come from the natural movement school of thought, otherwise referred to as minimalist. The idea is that you need not put your feet in a cast of immobility (i.e., shoes structured with arch support or other orthotic notions) but instead achieve a footprint as close to barefoot as possible, strengthening your feet in the meantime. For 10 years, Chacos have been my go-to trail sandal. The Z-Trails, in comparison, weigh just over 4 ounces each, half the weight of an average pair of Chacos, though you lose some of the sturdiness factor. On the flip side, they are flexible and can be rolled into a ball for packing, ideal for those on a moto or with limited space. Complete with a zero-drop heel, adjustable polyester webbing, and a…

The large-displacement adventure motorcycle segment is a critical landscape for manufacturers, providing the financial margin and consumer excitement needed to sustain future opportunities in this rapidly changing market. Traditional superbike producers like Ducati have expanded their offerings to include scramblers and adventure models, all benefiting from the brand’s style and performance. The new Ducati Multistrada V4S, featuring their flagship Panigale V4 motor is their best adventure bike yet, and a solid shot across the Bavarian bow. As a touring motorcycle, the new Multistrada is the most comfortable Ducati I have traveled on, combining the smoothness of the V4 with the upright riding position of an adventure bike. While the performance of the Ducati is to be expected, the touring attributes are worthy of notable praise, starting with the wind protection…

I’ve always been more interested in adventurous experiences than living luxuriously. I was raised in a rough situation in Massachusetts and moved to Utah just after high school in hopes of building a better life—not having been farther west than New York before. With next to no money to my name, I had to get creative to save funds for experiences and gear. I lived in the cheapest living situations I could find: sleeping in a sheet fort in a stairwell in a three-bedroom house with nine housemates, posting up in friends’ garages, living out of vehicles, and camping for extended periods of time. After years of living this way, I started making a little money and putting it aside. I decided I wanted to take a six-month road trip.…

Bell-bottoms and platform shoes are en vogue. Bee Gees’ disco hits top the music charts while Grease is the must-see film of the summer. Stephen King publishes The Stand, Cold War tensions will continue for another 13 years, and the Berlin Wall will remain in one piece for another decade. There are no cell phones, no electronic navigation devices, no Google. Travelers use hand-drawn or Russian satellite maps and compasses for navigation and communicate by letter. Highly anticipated, hand-scrawled updates from the road take weeks to arrive in loved ones’ mailboxes back home. It’s 1978—the world in which a young Lilli Mixich began her travels. During a camping trip in Spain, touring in a shiny orange Opel Ascona and a ground tent, Lilli and her partner temporarily ditched their saloon…

Quietude, silence, and solitude greeted us at last. After maneuvering the Land Cruiser in between the sparse vegetation of a dry, sandy region in India, Coen turned off the engine. It had been an intense day of sightseeing in historically and culturally rich Rajasthan, but also a day of hassle, nagging, begging, and incessant attention from people all day long. Finally, we had meandered deep into the countryside, leaving the towns and villages behind us, driving past the last huts, and were now ready for a quiet camp in the desert. Alas, it was not to be. Within minutes people had gathered around the vehicle. Where had they come from? The sky? The ground? From behind the bushes? The men and women were quiet and curious, squatting around us until…

The nature of overlanding is continuously evolving, the definition expanding as the players, their methods, and motivations flex, driven by both autonomous and reliant factors. The industry is exploding as more newcomers join our ranks in droves, and vehicles and gear options continue to expand, albeit sometimes with a higher price tag than we’d prefer. I see these changes as primarily beneficial on all sides, though. Our equipment options continue to increase, and we have an opportunity to share our knowledge and the joy of overlanding. It also presents an occasion to explore new places as some of our favorites become more heavily trafficked, perhaps sending us more off the beaten path than we have ventured before. Everyone should be able to overland responsibly by their chosen mode. We’ve also…

If you are overlanding near water, one of the healthiest and fun things you can do is fish for dinner every morning; it’s also a great way to save money. While casting a lure from shore can be productive, there is nothing like a boat to improve your catch. We spent a couple of weeks camping along the shores of Baja California’s Sea of Cortez and borrowed a Sea Eagle FastTrack Angler two-person inflatable kayak. This multi-purpose craft sets up in less than 10 minutes, and thanks to its unique two-stage, double-action Bravo 4 pump, folding it up takes less time than it will to finish a cold drink. Its recommended inflation is a mere 3.2 psi. The adjustable seats are comfortable with tall backs and removable gear bags, and…

Learning to pack light feels half art, half psychology. Even after decades of veiled attempts, I am still miserable at it, ultimately bringing things I don’t need and leaving behind the essentials. Shoes have been particularly difficult, as they pack poorly and are often too heavy or specialized. But fortunately, over the past few years, minimalist shoes have become a genuine option, functioning better than ever before, and finally not looking like a circus accessory. Having tried several options, one of my favorites has become the Xero Shoes Mesa Trail trail runner. At just over 7.6 ounces each, these units are extremely lightweight, and the lack of significant structure allows them to be rolled or flattened for improved packability. Being a trail runner, the sole has a sufficient (8.5-millimeter) lugged,…

I am always on the lookout for new and interesting places but was struggling to find a safe way to visit and explore the horn of Africa. Somalia and Somaliland were not advantageous to this mean, especially unescorted in my vehicle. And the recent historic peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea has led to a strange state of affairs there. After more than 20 years, the border is now completely open and free, allowing locals to reunite with long-lost family members. When it comes to a foreigner like me, nobody can tell me what will happen. The ambassador is happy to grant me a visa, but he doesn’t know if there will be anyone at the actual border to legally allow me entry. Meaning I will have to drive into…

I turn off the highway onto the red dirt road and feel every bump beneath me as the whirling tires kick up dust. When I arrive at my campsite, I step out into the night with a renewed stillness, gazing up at the stars overhead, listening to coyotes howl, the cottonwood leaves rustling in the warm breeze. I launch into long lonely backroads in my Jeep for the same reasons I like to use my feet on remote trails—to see the stunning mountain vistas, smell the scent of fresh pine, or stop to gaze upon a red-tailed hawk in flight. It’s a way to reconnect with nature. I am a runner, and buying a Jeep in order to venture down new trails had the unexpected side effect of me falling…

Arizona is wonderfully diverse, possessing a broad spectrum of natural wonders and adventurous landscapes. While the state is quite populated (with Phoenix being the fifth largest city in the country), it also offers some of the most remote and longest unsupported overland tracks in the continental USA, including El Camino del Diablo in the south and Toroweap in the north. In the east is the Mogollon Rim, a prominent topographic feature that extends over 200 miles and ranges from a temperate 4,000 feet to a cool 8,000. The Rim can be traversed nearly in its entirety with a 4WD or adventure motorcycle. In our effort to expand the variety of our overland routes, we selected the Mogollon Rim Road as our first option accessible to large expedition campers and high-clearance…

The concept behind a banana boat is refreshingly simple and presents an opportunity to bring out the kid in all of us. A gently warmed banana stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows—what’s not to love? Unlike the more popular s’more, the origin of the banana boat is far less clear. We were first introduced to it as children by our parents, who had learned about it when they were kids. So naturally, we assumed they had existed since the start of time. Now, whenever we make banana boats as adults, they bring back memories of our first family camping trips. One of the things we’ve always loved about this interactive campfire dessert is that you can use any ingredients you want to create your own personal masterpiece. We’ve listed a few…