Overland Journal Summer 2013

Devoted My name is Robin Young and my partner is Jason Cooper, and we love Overland Journal. We’ve been devoted subscribers for several years and always anticipate upcoming issues. We are also devoted Overland Journal Facebook fans where we recently followed you [COO Ray Hyland and family] to Gonzaga Bay, Mexico. Living in San Diego, we decided we had to go for ourselves over Presidents’ Day weekend. We packed the Disco with the tent, paddleboards, dogs, and our most recent issues of Overland Journal. It was one of our best camping trips of all time, and there have been a lot. The picture at right includes myself and one of my copilots (Tate, the paddle-boarding cairn terrier), at our campsite at [Campo el] Sacrificio, Gonzaga Bay. Please keep up the great work…

Sam Watson Sam Watson, from the hills of Northern England, first travelled the Sahara Desert at age seven, and it stole his heart. Since then he has lived in various locations in Africa, and in the process mapped areas of the Sahara, Middle East, and Kenya. He has worked in desert search and rescue, as well as for various conservation projects including the Kenya Wildlife Service and Born Free Foundation. He is happiest when overlanding in his two Defender 110s, Elsa and Stella. Based in Cairo, Egypt, he spends most of his time exploring the remote corners of the Sahara. Sam is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation. Christophe Noel Christophe Noel has been an avid backcountry traveler since he was too…

The defining moment, when a camping or road trip becomes an overland trek, is when you begin to let the trip take you. Since the inception of Overland Journal there has been a lot of controversy about the term overlanding—some of it quite spirited. Web forum members contribute their two bits, magazine editors have spun satirical yarns, and I’m sure many a campfire chinwag has broached the subject. Subscriber Michael Black recently sent me a note querying the subject. “How would you define an “overland journey?” I get it as a larger concept, but since I’m new I don’t really know at what point a trip goes from a “road trip” to “overlanding.” Michael has a very good question and he’s spot-on about the “larger concept.” As Editor-in-Chief of the magazine that…

In factory form, the Land Rover LR4 is impressive in the dirt. As with all stock vehicles though, there are compromises. Land Rover is self-described as “The Best 4x4xFar,” and the LR4 comes equipped with enviable hardware to help support that claim. A few key features include a highly effective Terrain Response system, adjustable-height air suspension, and excellent visibility. For this second installment of our Modern Explorer project vehicle we’ll be addressing two primary constraints to the long-distance overland suitability of the LR4 platform. The first is the fitment of a 33-inch light truck all-terrain tire on an 18-inch factory LR3 wheel. The second, to increase the running ground clearance. Wheel Diameter and Tire Size While a 19-or 20-inch wheel can look beautiful on a road-going vehicle, a vehicle used for extended…

ShockStrap™ Tie-Downs $16-$22 Someone has finally come up with a solution for properly securing gear with a cam buckle tie-down. The ShockStrap is a creative cam-style strap with a segment of polyurethane (PU) between the hook and cam buckle. With a good pull, the “shock” stretches an inch or more, providing copious preload. The webbing is 1-inch polyester (1,100 pound working load limit), hooks are a hefty 3/8ths zinc chromate-coated steel, and the shock, rated at 500 pounds, is molded from a proprietary PU formula that is not affected by most chemicals, oil, moisture, or fungus. I recently used ShockStraps during a riding trip in Nevada. The cam buckle’s aggressive teeth didn’t yield, even when bouncing around Nevada’s backroads. They worked great. Available in 6-, 10-, and 19-foot lengths. (CC) shockstrap.com,…

With a heritage of crafting premium snowmobiling apparel, Klim approaches their moto gear with an engineering edge rather than simply applying aesthetic appeal. Klim Badlands Pro $650-$900 Adventure motorcycling has grown exponentially during the past five years, and the manufacturers dedicated to this genre of riding gear have met the demand with a plethora of high-quality offerings. What makes adventure-riding apparel unique from that designed for street riding, motocross, or touring, is a combination of protection, ventilation, gear storage, and a more athletic cut. The Klim Badlands Pro Jacket and Pant address each of these attributes with an impressive level of quality and attention to detail. With a heritage of crafting premium snowmobiling apparel, Klim approaches their moto gear with an engineering edge rather than simply applying aesthetic appeal. The Badlands Pro uses…