Overland Journal Summer 2022

BEST IN CLASS As a long-time subscriber who has every issue released, I wanted to comment on my appreciation for the content in recent issues. I look to Overland Journal for guidance about equipment, vehicles, and trips, even though oftentimes, featured items are outside my current financial reach. Best-in-class items cost more than generic ones based on the effort put into producing them, the quality of the components used, and their scarcity. [It’s important] to buy the best item for the need even if the price causes us to have to save a little longer. What is the point of producing a magazine that only features the lowest common denominator? A Walmart sales flyer does that for free. The same goes for travel in far-flung parts of the world. While…

CHRIS SCOTT Chris Scott is an award-winning, UK-based adventure travel writer who specializes in the Sahara; he’s visited nearly 60 times since 1982, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea using motorcycles, 4x4s, a jacked-up Mercedes sedan, local bush taxis, and camel caravans. Chris’ desert films have been featured on the National Geographic channel, and for many years he updated the Outback regions of Australia for Rough Guides. His books in print include Morocco Overland, and the Overlanders’ Handbook and Adventure Motorcycling Handbook (now in its 8th, full-color edition). He recently published short guides on Sahara camel trekking, as well as inflatable kayaking and packrafting. DAN GREC Dan Grec is an adventurer, photographer, and videographer. Growing up in Australia, family camping trips gave Dan a passion for wilderness exploration…

The Picopresso is the culmination of eight years of design refinements that started with Wacaco’s first espresso maker, the Minipresso. The Mini garnered much love and appreciation, but it had some limitations, specifically that it only generated 118 psi (8 bar) of pressure. But the next iteration, the Nanopresso (reviewed in Overland Journal, Spring 2020), addressed the pressure issue, delivering 261 psi (18 bar) for a higher-quality shot. The Pico ups the ante. It is still compact like the Mini and Nano but shorter overall, although slightly larger in diameter. Like its predecessors, the Pico is aimed at the coffee enthusiast who wants the ability to make high-quality espresso shots on the go. However, unlike the Mini or Nano, the Pico adheres to some industry standards. It has a 52-millimeter,…

The Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube is a fun little gadget to keep in your vehicle’s center console or mount to your backpack strap when you are heading out the door for an adventure. Primarily designed to help you get a closer glimpse of that far-off summit or unidentified bird, with the addition of the Inspector microscope, it can also be used to view tiny objects like insects or plants. Upon receiving the Zoom Tube, I attached it to my backpack with the included Peak Design Capture Clip. This clever system provides a secure mounting point for the monocular, allowing it to be quickly and easily removed when you want to observe something in the distance. This mounting solution is secure enough that I could scramble up rocks and jog down…

Purchased for a trip to Saudi Arabia, the first test of these jeans was on the plane departing Toronto. We were giddy to be on the Boeing 777 and celebrated with the finest red wine. The thin plastic cup immediately cracked and spilled 2021 Malbec all over my brand-new, coriander-brown pants. I wiped off the residue in haste and rushed to the bathroom to find the wine had almost shed itself already. A quick wipe with a paper towel, and they were pristine once again. Founded in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia produces clothing for surfing, skiing, fly fishing, climbing, trail running, and other outdoor sports. You’ve surely seen fleeces or puffy jackets adorned with their logo—a silhouette of Mount Fitz Roy. Patagonia encourages consumers to “Buy less, demand more”…

Let’s face it, overlanders have a bit of a reputation as gear nerds. We appreciate a well-made piece of kit and enjoy the balance of form, function, and practicality that go into its production. But as much as we love our gear, I’ve come to realize there’s a confluence of cyclists and van builders who have taken things to a whole new level. They’ve managed to take something as simple as a bike mount and offer an endless array of options as ingenious and expensive as you’d like. You can buy exterior mounts for the rear doors, vertical options for the interior walls, systems that slide out with gear trays, and mounts that attach to the roof. There are even kits with bike wash stations. In reality, most of us…