Overland Journal Gear Guide 2011

Tom Sheppard Tom has an exploration career spanning 50 years, and totaling over 110,000 overland miles since 1960, including significant exploration in northern Africa and the first-ever lateral crossing of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Tom is a freelance writer/ photographer and consultant, and author of the Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide and the new The Nobility of Wilderness (Desert Winds). From the Royal Geographical Society, Tom has received the Ness Award, and the distinction ARPS (Associate of the Royal Photographic Society). Gary & Monika Wescott Gary & Monika Wescott have spent the last 37 years traveling around the world, from the arid deserts of Afghanistan and Chile, to the deepest jungles of the Brazilian Amazon, and across the frozen steppes of Siberia in the dead of winter. In 1972…

“I got the distinct feeling that if I turned around and tried to move against the herd, an employee with a cattle prod would show up to correct me.” Early last year, out of curiosity and a desire to investigate how much of America shops now, I visited an Ikea store—oh, sorry, I guess I’m supposed to write IKEA. I resolved to be objective, because, despite the big-box aspect, I’d read about the company’s much-publicized environmental programs—reducing the use of formaldehyde and PVC, for example, even buying lumber from sustainable sources. However, five minutes into my visit I was already aghast at the mounds, the piles, the mountains of stuff on offer. Is the average U.S. shopper more attracted to a rattan chair if it’s one of 500 identical rattan chairs clearly just…

If you don’t have the right tool for something minor, you can probably improvise, but lacking the right tool for something big will probably bring the proceedings to a quick halt. When I began considering exactly what to put in my one-Pelican-case tool kit (see the Winter, 2010 issue), I decided to address major repairs first, and work my way down to minor operations from there—my reasoning being that if you don’t have the right tool for something minor, you can probably improvise, but lacking the right tool for something big will probably bring the proceedings to a quick halt. Since major repairs on a vehicle are almost certainly going to involve removing and installing bolts or nuts, wrenches and socket sets were at the top of the list. Considering one of…

Over Easter break, 2011, a small, intrepid group of explorers will follow routes across the Sahara Desert originally used by the legendary Long Range Desert Group during World War Two. Major Ralph Bagnold used his extensive desert exploration knowledge to assemble this small but elite force of men to wreak havoc on the enemy in North Africa, by attacking from the direction they least expected—across the desert. In the 1920s and 1930s, Bagnold and his fellow expatriate Brits used Model T Fords to venture where cars had never been before, and both mapped and surveyed large areas of the eastern Sahara. When WWII started Bagnold gathered the same group of friends and equipped them with specially outfitted 30-cwt (1 1/2-ton) Chevrolet and Ford trucks, joined later by Jeeps when their light…

price not available at printing, mud flaps $99 Overlanding Represented at SEMA The Specialty Equipment Manufactures Association (SEMA) show is the most significant automotive accessory show in the world, drawing 100,000 industry-only attendees from nearly every country of the globe. As a result, it becomes a collecting point for not only new ideas, but for adventurous souls. This year was no exception, and over-landing was represented throughout the Truck and SUV, Tire and Wheel and Feature Vehicle areas. Roof tents permeated the skyline along with roof racks, fuel cans and snorkels. Toyota featured Four Wheeler magazine’s tasteful and competent backcountry 4Runner project and Jeep featured a trail-rated trailer and our project J8 with Habitat. The Truck and SUV section included many new faces and an expansion of products that serve the adventure traveler.…

Kanz Field Kitchen $595 (without stove) Homeowners spend more money remodeling kitchens than all other rooms combined, and for good reason. Now your camp can get the same attention. The Kanz Field Kitchen with a Partner Steel stove is the Smallbone cabinet/Wolf range combo of the outdoor world. Constructed of marine-grade Baltic birch plywood and brushed aluminum, it opens to provide a work surface, side tables, windbreak, and well-organized storage. Use it on a table or the tailgate, or insert the sturdy legs into concealed sockets to create a completely free-standing system. You can order it bare or with the Partner stove, and even add a complete set of kitchen equipment. Look for a full comparison test of field kitchens soon. (JH) kanzoutdoors.com, 818-894-6589 mKettle $82 I love my old volcano kettle, which…