Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2021 i Overland Journal

QUALITY THAT ENDURES My favorite shirt is a subscription gift [from Overland Journal] that my wife got me years ago, at or close to the beginning of the magazine. I have other ExOfficio shirts, but they aren’t like this one. It’s a great item and lasts. I haven’t always kept the subscription up but always have each edition. The earliest I have is Spring 2007, so the shirt is at least that old. Lance Holvoet BACKCOUNTRY RESOURCE I recently bought a JKU and have started thinking of getting into overlanding and discovered your podcast, which I enjoy. Thanks for the tip about Google My Maps. My boys were both in Boy Scouts for years. As a result, I have camped about one weekend a month and for a week over…

One of the biggest dilemmas in travel is how to carry the things you need to the places you’re going. Enter 5.11 Tactical’s Rush100. This 60-liter pack is the brand’s latest addition to their Rush Series of all-purpose preparedness items. It has a distinctly larger silhouette than that of the other backpacks in this series and is stout and durable, living up to the standards for everyday missions that the brand upholds. My application for the Rush100 came in the form of a fiveday unsupported trip from North Texas to Central Colorado. I was able to load the pack with five days of clothing and personal hygiene items, throw it in the truck, and roll. The pockets are massive, and a few pairs of jeans, along with several days of…

Fuss and bother are two elements I can live without when it comes to gear, and these binoculars from Nocs Provisions, lovingly conceived in San Francisco’s Citadel of Excitement, fit the bill. First off, they come in a small, recycled cardboard box put together without glue—easy to open, environmentally friendlier. The Nocs, drawstring pouch, neck strap, and lens cloth are securely stowed within, and the absence of plastic packaging was refreshing. The next pleasant surprise was the missing instruction booklet; not missing as in they forgot, missing as in you don’t need one. A few simple instructions are printed on the box to get you started, but I must confess I did not read them (initially), choosing instead to pop the binos straight out and give them a go. The…

My wife, Megan, and I looked at each other in disbelief at the opportunity in front of us. Was this actually happening? Our three young kids came running into our little cottage on Maui’s North Shore to ask how the meeting went. “What do you kids think about spending a year overlanding Australia together?” “Really?” they said cautiously, eager eyes bouncing between Megan’s face and mine as we drew out the suspense before delivering the official good news. Joyful screams erupted. Still in disbelief, we relayed to the kids more details of the trip. We were going to Australia for a year, where we would work with Expedition Overland to document our travels as we explored the best of the Outback. The only catch was we were the only ones…

“WE HADN’T DONE HALF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO DO WITH OUR LIVES,” JULIE SAYS. “YOU CAN KEEP WORKING AND SAVING AND WORKING AND SAVING, BUT WHAT DO YOU END UP WITH? SO, WE SAID, LET’S DO IT WHILE WE’RE YOUNG AND HEALTHY AND SEE WHERE IT LEADS.” We're parked in a dry riverbed within the Ghost Public Land Use Area of Alberta, Canada, where Marcus and Julie Tuck have kindly opened their home to us for the evening. A chill autumn wind howls outside, but we’re sitting comfortably at the dinette table, hands wrapped around hot cups of black tea. Julie fills us in on what constitutes a proper British cup—strong Yorkshire Gold tea leaves and milk, served with digestive biscuits and Fig Newtons (Marcus’s favorite). When I discovered…

NATHAN The term vanlife may often be used to describe people living in vans, but I’m willing to stake my reputation on the idea that it is a mindset first and foremost. Case in point, Nathan Beers, vanlife extraordinaire, who previously called a 1990’s Suburban home, is now traveling on a Honda Shadow. Believe it or not (believe it), the first time I met this free-spirited individual was at a dance party where he showed up wearing a dragon costume. As someone who immediately comes across as genuinely and completely his authentic self, Beers didn’t grow up in an environment that supported his individuality or celebrated his uniqueness. “I came from a religious background that instilled me with a lot of shame, and a lot of not-enoughness, and this belief…

Owing to the potential risk to human life or damage to property when winching a vehicle, this list of safety guidelines and techniques is intended to serve as a reference. Be mindful that there are many schools of thought on the subject, and this is but one. A proper 4WD recovery course is always recommended before attempting to use a winch yourself. • There can only be one person in charge of a winching operation—this is not a democracy. The person with the most experience becomes the leader.• Always wear heavy-duty protective gloves in a recovery operation.• All spectators or passengers should remain well away from the entire procedure. A cable that breaks under strain can lash back and sever a leg or be propelled through a vehicle’s windscreen.• Never…

I stepped out of the airy hall of Durban’s King Shaka I International Airport with my wife, Jenna, blinking in the midday glare. The warm air carried the familiar scents of dry earth, diesel exhaust, sweat, and the ocean. These were the aromas of home, and it felt good to be back in South Africa. A middle-aged man wearing faded and torn jeans, a floppy cloth cap, and sandals sauntered over to us. The sleeves of his rumpled henley shirt were pushed up and a gleaming Breitling watch dangled from one wrist. His stubbled face broke into a beaming grin. Thus I met Kenneth Jones, at once a stranger and friend. Having spent the best years of my childhood in Zimbabwe and Kenya before settling in Michigan, I moved to…

BRYAN AND MEGAN WALTHALL Bryan and Megan are a dynamic duo in adventure photography and website building in the outdoor industry. They met during college in the mountain mecca of Bozeman, Montana, and married shortly after in Megan’s home state of Hawaii. After working hard to pay off debts and build up savings, they took a year off to travel, road biking from Switzerland to southern Italy and volunteering at a kid’s adventure camp in New Zealand. Now with three kids in tow, they can still be found exploring the Sonoran Desert in powered paragliders, the Pacific Ocean by boat, or driving backcountry roads in the Rocky Mountains. After all, it’s the time spent in the wild outdoors that brings them closer together as a family. SHIRLI JADE CARSWELL Born…

Lizard Skin Insulation An effective, non-toxic alternative to a butyl mat. Few things are more frustrating than starting a build in the back of your classic vehicle (in my case, a Land Cruiser) and discovering a plethora of rust. It’s even more irksome when you realize the cheap butyl mat installed by the previous owner has deteriorated into a thick, chemical-scented goo. By the time that butyl mat is removed and the rust repaired, the last thing you want is another round of adhesive noise mat. Lizard Skin spray-on insulation is a great alternative to butyl. The company offers Sound Control for noise reduction and Ceramic Insulation for heat. Both are non-toxic, water-soluble, spray on with an air compressor-driven paint gun, and cure in 24-36 hours. The entire process can…

When first looking at aftermarket lights, most people get caught in the trap of counting lumens. Logic dictates that the brightest light would be the best, but lumens are only part of the picture. You must also consider beam pattern, color, durability, and features; this is a balancing act that Baja Designs knows well, and their LP6 nails. The LP6 is the smaller cousin to the LP9 but hails from the same ideology of throwing big lumens downrange while casting a wide spread of useable light to the sides, blending distance, cornering, and close-range lights into one package. Each light will pump out 8,600 lumens from six forward-facing LEDs, with an additional 1,700 lumens via four side-facing LEDs integrated into their patented Integrated Peripheral Technology (IPT). Amber LED backlighting gives…

For vehicle-bound travelers, storing and utilizing power when you are away from the electrical grid can be a daunting task. Many travelers spend significant time learning the skills to design and install off-grid electrical systems in their rigs. But not everyone has the time or desire to take this approach. Lack of experience and knowledge can also lead to installations that neglect key safety elements. The safer and easier route of paying a qualified electrician is one option, but it comes at a substantial cost. Thankfully, due to an increased demand for simple and accessible off-grid power solutions that produce AC and DC power, we have seen a rise in all-in-one products. Many of these solutions strike a desirable balance between cost and convenience. They also offer versatility and mobility…

Riding to the end of the world, aka Ushuaia, was neverour original plan. We did not ride the Dalton Highway to the tip of Alaska. Hence, the popular route from the northernmost point to the southernmost point of the Americas was something that we had already missed a crucial step in accomplishing. As we took off from Chicago in 2017 and found ourselves in Argentina in 2018, the end of the world was near. And not as in a doomsday event being preached to us by someone on a soapbox, but physically closer than we would ever be for potentially the rest of our lives. It dawned on us that it was either now or never, so we adjusted our plans accordingly, thanks to the advice from travelers who were…

I sat on the couch, a beer in my hand, my I chest heavy with anxiety, unable to fully engage in the conversations taking place around me. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of a faded, white 60 Series Toyota Land Cruiser with a bad power steering pump, terrible suspension, and thousands of dollars worth of repairs needed to get it in safe driving condition. For over a year, I had been looking for the perfect vehicle to buy and turn into an overland rig. My requirements were simple: it needed to be reliable with as few wires as possible. A few dings and a bit of rust were a bonus. This 60 Series had all of this and more with its squishy brakes and terrifying body roll. The moment…

The sun, a brilliant round disk of light and warmth, can be tricky to encompass in a well-balanced picture. Due to an acute intensity of brightness lies an inability to view it directly overhead. Although challenging, with some inexpensive equipment, the sun is a dramatic image-enhancing inclusion. It can cascade rays of gold in every direction, illuminating the world with such brilliance and drama, your images will shine with living art. There are a few basics involved in the rewarding craft of shooting into the sun, as well as practical applications for photographing in hard and soft light to achieve optimum results. A little effort can go a long way. HOW TO SHOOT INTO THE SUN SAFETY FIRST Never look at the raging ball of fire with your naked eyes…

Outdoor Research Aksel Work Gloves Save your 10 little hand piggies from the bitter bite of Father Frost. Ever have to change a tire in a blizzard? Yeah, me neither, but if I ever do have to, these are the only gloves my fingers trust. With multiple pairs scattered across my life, their current résumé includes a successful mid-winter firewood chop, amplifying my Good Samaritan vibes when I recovered a stranger’s snow-stuck vehicle, and making it possible to repair my Trail 90 in subzero temperatures. Admittedly, I did not discover these lifesavers on my own; I borrowed a pair in a pinch. But after reluctantly returning them to their rightful owner, some new pairs found a permanent home stashed in my car, my chalet, my gym bag, and various other…

We shifted the Ford F-350 into low range and locked the rear differential, slowly climbing the precipitous shelf road of loose boulders and rocky ledges. The vehicle ascended confidently, without any tire spin, and remained composed despite the pitch or roll it encountered. It would have been an impressive feat in any vehicle but became even more notable in an 11,000-pound expedition vehicle, complete with 80 gallons of water, a full kitchen, dinette, and an interior hot-water shower. As we continued to climb the Calico Mountains, well above the Black Rock Desert, my mind drifted to life on the road and just how comfortable that capability can be. Good ideas can come from unusual beginnings, and most of them need to evolve with time to reach their potential. Well over…

One Saturday afternoon, the remnants of our lunch cleared away, we pored over a map of Botswana spread between the wine glasses. There is nothing like a beautifully illustrated fold-out map smelling of ink and adventure. The route we planned would take us to the border of Botswana to the Tuli enclave, up the eastern side to Francistown for supplies, carrying onto Nata, and finally, the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. From there, we would make our way to Maun and onto Moremi in the delta. We gave ourselves three weeks, leaving towards the end of the dry season in September when the driving conditions are best before the rains in November. I knew the central Okavango Delta and Tuli reasonably well, but not the other parks. Ian, my long-time friend,…

The more the Covid-19 pandemic went on, the more the world seemed like the setting of an absurdist, post-apocalyptic dark comedy—a failed pilot for a show that should never be made. Where actors read lines written by disillusioned writers, the director is blind drunk, and all the producers have skipped town. But despite the darkness, despite the broken rollercoaster ride that ensued, the human race is proving once again that it can endure. Bodacious, eccentric, gnarly, sometimes cruel, and always complex, humanity comes in many shapes and sizes. But one common characteristic we share is curiosity. Curiosity is a powerful force and has inspired incredible feats of ingenuity and invention. For some of us, curiosity drives us to the unknown, the strange and wild places where we are nothing more…

At the tail end of Hurricane Dorian, fierce wind battered our ferry as we pitched and rolled through the chop, blown into a white-capped frenzy. After two days of being tossed up and down in the North Atlantic, we anchored with gratitude to an island tucked between Norway and Iceland. Connected by causeways, bridges, and mountains gift-wrapped in a velvety green, heathland ran unbridled through every windswept valley. Just an hour’s flight from Edinburgh, Scotland, the Faroe Islands is a self-governed land of Denmark. Formed on basalt layers some 60 million years ago, it comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands of barely trammelled stomping ground—70 miles long, 47 miles wide. No point on these islands is more than three miles from the sea. Until Instagram gives this hidden pearl the same…

The desert has a strong hold over the adventure-prone. It calls us with its vastness, beckons us with hidden possibilities, and sings to us in beauty and isolation. At first glance, the desert asserts its ruggedness, a hardscrabble collection of defenses and obstacles. Images of canyon labyrinths and oceans of dunes and rock form a notion of impenetrability and permanence that become ingrained in our exploratory imaginations. In our minds, desert landscapes define resilience. How can we even make a dent in them? This perspective of deserts invites us to view them as recreational playgrounds—a fun challenge of sorts. But deserts can also teach us that they are fragile treasures where outward appearances belie the responsibilities that come with exploring them. I cannot resist the call, but there are ways…

Planning meals for travel can be as much fun as it is a challenge. Changing scenery and local ingredients can inspire us to cook in entirely new ways, but we have to tow the line between that inspiration and our limitations of space and time. At a minimum, cooking on the road can help us add a little flavor from our travels to our favorite recipes, especially with the right equipment. I use my Omnia stovetop oven for making everything from sweet-tooth cravings like brownies and cinnamon rolls to pizza and nachos, and it works with a single-burner stove or a contained open flame. I recently decided to step up my game and give lasagna a shot with a recipe provided by Omnia. Having the right ingredients on hand can…