Overland Journal Gear 2017

Loo with a View Traveling northwest toward Oregon on the historic Applegate-Lassen Emigrant Trail to the High Rock Canyon Wilderness, I reenacted a famous picture from the 2012 Gear Guide at Double Hot Springs. That photo was the sole inspiration to plan the trip and travel this beautiful and remote area of northwest Nevada and southeast Oregon. Thank you! J. Christopher Miller 2008 Toyota 4Runner 2000 Toyota 100 Series Land Cruiser Give ’em Hell [Will] be watching your X3 tyre review with great interest. I’ve found out that it will come in a 255/55/19 size so will fit my Disco3 wheels. If they are as good as I hope I’ll be fitting them for next year’s Morocco overland trip so please give them a damn hard time on rocks, sand, and road driving. Another…

BILL DRAGOO Bill Dragoo is an adventure motorcycle coach, certified flight instructor, commercial seaplane and sailplane pilot, skydiver, scuba diver, Jeeper, adventure journalist, and a lover of all things that happen off the pavement. Always game for a challenge, Bill has won numerous competitions in motocross, cross-country mountain biking, and sailboat racing. He has enjoyed first and second place finishes at RawHyde Adventures Rider’s Challenge and represented Team USA in BMW’s 2010 GS Trophy competition in South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. He is quick to tell anyone that the synergy between riding and writing has opened doors he never would have imagined as a younger man. BRYON BASS For Bryon, overland travel is often vocational necessity rather than a purely adventurous pursuit. To accomplish field research for a PhD in archaeology, he frequently…

A few years ago, I had an acquaintance apprise me that he and his significant other would be heading to New Zealand for vacation. I responded with excitement and provided a few suggestions for the South Island. With an inquisitive look he said, “I don’t think we will be on the South Island, but we are doing Australia too.” My initial thought was that they must be taking a few weeks or so for the trip, but the answer to my next question made me cringe, “Just a week, but Australia will be my 40th country.” It was clear he didn’t know the land of the Māori is split between two major islands, and a couple of new ink smudges on his passport landed high on the priority list. How…

Driving along narrow, tree-lined tracks on a moonless night in Victoria’s High Country, I found the 5,700° Kelvin beam to be exceptionally bright and void of hot spots or shadows. During the past decade, LED technology has crept into and dominated the auxiliary lighting sector. There are many benefits of utilizing light emitting diodes to illuminate your path, a few of which are longer lifespan, lower amperage draw, and desirable color temperature. ARB entered the market in 2013, not with a “me too” lookalike, but with a unique, 32-LED fire-breather. Rumors were circulating that they had a light bar in the works, and during a recent trip to Australia I had a sneak preview and test drive with their newest offering. Rather than taking a boxy one-size-fits-all approach, the Intensity is designed…

Why on earth would you want to live in a tent for 9 weeks? is usually the reaction I get upon telling people I’m going to be camping on my drive from the Arctic Ocean to the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. They envision the traditional thin sheet of fabric held together by flimsy rods, but that’s because it’s hard to imagine anything like the canvas apartment sitting atop our Chaser trailer. It’s called the Globe Tracker, and is Eezi-Awn’s newest iteration of a ridiculously plush trailer tent. Like the model that came before it, this tent utilizes a one-piece wooden base, eliminating the need to fold the bed in half. While this does increase the footprint, it greatly reduces the folded height and the weight that must be lifted during…

Not all travel includes your own vehicle or motorcycle. More than half of my adventures involve boarding a plane and stepping off the tarmac into the unknown. I frequently rent, test, or borrow vehicles for short international trips, which requires packing only the base essentials. I also loathe checking bags, and go to extreme lengths to only use a carry-on. Having tried nearly every variation of airline compliant case, my experience has brought me exclusively to the Meridian. Understated, yet sophisticated in construction, it is engineered to maximize capacity while still ensuring durability and modularity. The secret of the Meridian’s innovative design is the triple clamshell, supported by control panels and compression straps. I use the outer zippered compartments for clothing, separating bottoms from tops on either side and cinching everything…