Overland Journal Fall 2021

QUALITY THAT ENDURES My favorite shirt is a subscription gift [from Overland Journal] that my wife got me years ago, at or close to the beginning of the magazine. I have other ExOfficio shirts, but they aren’t like this one. It’s a great item and lasts. I haven’t always kept the subscription up but always have each edition. The earliest I have is Spring 2007, so the shirt is at least that old. Lance Holvoet BACKCOUNTRY RESOURCE I recently bought a JKU and have started thinking of getting into overlanding and discovered your podcast, which I enjoy. Thanks for the tip about Google My Maps. My boys were both in Boy Scouts for years. As a result, I have camped about one weekend a month and for a week over the summer for over…

BRYAN AND MEGAN WALTHALL Bryan and Megan are a dynamic duo in adventure photography and website building in the outdoor industry. They met during college in the mountain mecca of Bozeman, Montana, and married shortly after in Megan’s home state of Hawaii. After working hard to pay off debts and build up savings, they took a year off to travel, road biking from Switzerland to southern Italy and volunteering at a kid’s adventure camp in New Zealand. Now with three kids in tow, they can still be found exploring the Sonoran Desert in powered paragliders, the Pacific Ocean by boat, or driving backcountry roads in the Rocky Mountains. After all, it’s the time spent in the wild outdoors that brings them closer together as a family. SHIRLI JADE CARSWELL Born in South Africa,…

Outdoor Research Aksel Work Gloves Save your 10 little hand piggies from the bitter bite of Father Frost. Ever have to change a tire in a blizzard? Yeah, me neither, but if I ever do have to, these are the only gloves my fingers trust. With multiple pairs scattered across my life, their current résumé includes a successful mid-winter firewood chop, amplifying my Good Samaritan vibes when I recovered a stranger’s snow-stuck vehicle, and making it possible to repair my Trail 90 in subzero temperatures. Admittedly, I did not discover these lifesavers on my own; I borrowed a pair in a pinch. But after reluctantly returning them to their rightful owner, some new pairs found a permanent home stashed in my car, my chalet, my gym bag, and various other go-to spots. They’re…

One of the biggest dilemmas in travel is how to carry the things you need to the places you’re going. Enter 5.11 Tactical’s Rush100. This 60-liter pack is the brand’s latest addition to their Rush Series of all-purpose preparedness items. It has a distinctly larger silhouette than that of the other backpacks in this series and is stout and durable, living up to the standards for everyday missions that the brand upholds. My application for the Rush100 came in the form of a fiveday unsupported trip from North Texas to Central Colorado. I was able to load the pack with five days of clothing and personal hygiene items, throw it in the truck, and roll. The pockets are massive, and a few pairs of jeans, along with several days of shirts and…

Lizard Skin Insulation An effective, non-toxic alternative to a butyl mat. Few things are more frustrating than starting a build in the back of your classic vehicle (in my case, a Land Cruiser) and discovering a plethora of rust. It’s even more irksome when you realize the cheap butyl mat installed by the previous owner has deteriorated into a thick, chemical-scented goo. By the time that butyl mat is removed and the rust repaired, the last thing you want is another round of adhesive noise mat. Lizard Skin spray-on insulation is a great alternative to butyl. The company offers Sound Control for noise reduction and Ceramic Insulation for heat. Both are non-toxic, water-soluble, spray on with an air compressor-driven paint gun, and cure in 24-36 hours. The entire process can be completed in…

As the wind howls across a frozen lake, our1990 Toyota Pickup sways back and forth. It’s winter in the Rocky Mountains, and the snow falling sideways from the dark grey sky is proving it. We hop into our Go Fast Camper, battered by 60-kph gusts, and switch on the heater, cranking the heat up as high as it goes. Outside, the sun sets, and the temperature drops, but we’re stripping off our down jackets and kicking off our boots within minutes. We’ve gone soft. Maybe it was our recent winter trip to Tuktoyaktuk, Northern Territories, or another long, cold season in the Canadian Rocky Mountains? Our future plans include a long-term trip around the world. Unlike our 18-month road trip down the Pan-American Highway, where we chased summer by driving south,…