Overland Journal Spring 2023

MAP IT OUT I received Overland Journal as a gift subscription [from] my good friend Mike Westley. [He] has an EarthCruiser, and I have been out with him [to] Oregon and Colorado. I don’t have a four-wheeled overland vehicle, but I have a Triumph Street Scrambler (now Scrambler 900), and before that, I had a Kawasaki KLR for several years. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized there was quite a bit of motorcycle coverage in the magazine. Also, many of the [4WD] articles have tips I can use on my bike trips. Thanks for providing such a high-quality product. The only suggestion I have is that I would like to see more maps accompanying the articles. Paul Christie IʼLL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT I have been a subscriber of…

HEATHER LEA In the spring of 2014, Heather Lea thought her boyfriend’s suggestion to ride around the world together on motorcycles was a fantastic idea. Little did she know she was agreeing to nefarious activities such as blowing up her underwear and letting a dead toe touch her lips. Or the blood, sweat, and tears of breaking a bone, riding in sand, and mechanically trashing her G 650 GS so badly she’d need to use most of her trip money to replace it with another bike more up to the task. Heather’s goal in life has always been to travel through 50 countries by age 50. Mongolia was her 51st country, and she is nowhere near 50 years old, though closer than she’d like to admit. @writer_heather_lea BRITTANY HIGHLAND When…

With your head in a helmet, your body wrapped in protective gear, and heavy boots on your feet, staying cool on a motorcycle in triple-digit temperatures can be a challenge. Add the exertion of piloting a heavy bike over rough ground, and you could be on the road to mental or physical fatigue, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Every degree shed from your core temperature will help you ride more safely and comfortably. Staying hydrated and elevating electrolyte intake are keys to this process, as is cooling your skin. Fieldsheer, formerly known for its high-quality leather gear, has pivoted to keeping riders safe from overheating with their new line of Mobile Cooling gear. Their catalog includes shirts, hoodies, vests, skull caps, neck gaiters, and more for men and women. The…

I knew I liked the Trail Fire Grill when I saw creator Mark I Ritchie demo it at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, this past spring. He had made a bacon and eggs breakfast for me and showed me how this camping grill serves as a firepit, barbecue, wok, and oven. Trail Fire Grill was founded by Mark and his mountain biking buddy, Willy. When the pandemic hit, the Southern California friends opted to stay outside, escaping to the hills to build trails. Eventually, they got hungry and began cooking gourmet meals in an abandoned granite quarry over a modified fire pit. It wasn’t long before they refined their method and decided to share their engineering excellence with other outdoor enthusiast foodies. Fueled by propane, the heat is evenly…

I was never so excited to wear a set of tires down. My I 2020 BMW F 750 GS had come with a set of 80/20s, Michelin Anakee 3s. For that 80 percent of paved road, those Anakees clung to the tarmac, snug and tight. In the rain, they performed exceedingly well, but on dirt, they left a little to be desired. Taking street tires on gravel for the first time, my confidence eroded quickly. The bike simply felt unsteady. It wasn’t that the tires couldn’t handle the dirt road, but I didn’t like the wobble that came with each hard bump. Each dip, rut, and rock was met with apprehension, and I had to work exceedingly hard on relaxing my grip on the handlebars. I knew I was going…

Dual-isolated batteries have been a fixture of overland vehicles for decades, and in recent years, the price of solar and lithium batteries has dropped enough to become the go-to choice. Correctly isolating batteries is essential to preserve the vehicle starting battery, and keeping batteries fully charged is a necessity for modern camp life. Since 2010, Renogy has been a leader in solar panels, off-grid chargers, and battery systems. In recent years, they’ve created a range of products specifically for use in vehicles, including a DC/DC charger with MPPT solar charging. This all-in-one unit combines the functions of a DC/DC charger and a solar charge controller into one lightweight, silent package that works without any intervention. When the vehicle is running, current from both the alternator and solar are used to…