This couple has a really nice overland camp trailer set-up that designed themselves on used, military HumVee trailer. It’s so organized and has neat features like solar power, skylights, and rainwater catchment.
Thanks to my friend Greg for the tip on this video!
Through my illustration shop, Nik Schulz Illustration, I illustrated and designed this vintage Ford Bronco t-shirt. I draw them in original, factory colors, and am really happy with the way they’re turning out. This one is a 1973 in Carmel Bronze.
If you’d like to have a look, check them out here. More colors after the jump.
Colorado-based Timberleaf Trailers has come up with a beautiful, lightweight, modern version of the classic teardrop trailer.
Teardrop trailers first became popular in the 1930s, a time when hundreds of new federal and state parks were being built the Civil Conservation Corps. Magazines like Mechanix Illustrated, perhaps eager to offer their readers a DIY way to take advantage of this new, national infrastructure, published plans for the home builder. The classic layout offered sleeping quarters forward and an open-air kitchen to the rear, under a large rear hatch.
The Timberleaf Trailer utilizes this same classic layout but weighs in at a very modern, and eminently towable, 1,200 lbs. Ground clearance looks to be about 7 inches.
The birch plywood construction appears to be first-rate, and the trailer offers standard niceties such as a polycarbonate skylight, R-11 insulation, 110V and 12V power via a 125aH deep cycle marine battery, USB outlets, and 12 gallons of fresh water storage. A built-in cooler and cookstove are optional extras.
Trailers, unlike rooftop tents, offer a way get some of the camping load out of the truck. They also offer a way to leave the camp set-up at camp. No need to fold up the rooftop tent for a quick day trip.
Prices start at just a hair over $15,000. It looks like a very nice way to see the country. More pics after the jump.
Hat tip to Silodrome, where I first saw the Timberleaf.
Link:
Andrew St Pierre White, the South African dean of overlanding, stalked around the German overlanding expo, Abenteuer Allrad, this year asking, “What tires are overlanders using?” His aim was to get a sense of which tires the overlanding community is adopting. He also weighs in with his own experience with various brands.
He didn’t have confidence in my previous tire, the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S, though I liked them. He had good things to say about the tire I’m currently running though, the Cooper Discoverer S/T. I’m happy with that one too. It’s a tough tire with plenty of grip.
See which tires he pans and which ones he gives a nod of approval.
There’s an interesting discussion about people’s navigation and communication preferences taking place on Reddit’s r/overlanding subreddit: CB vs HAM, HAM vs GMRS, what kind of mapping solutions like, that kind of thing.
Have a look and weigh in, if you like.
My own two cents is that HAM and GMRS are actually compatible. You can tune them to the same frequency. Just look in your GMRS manual to find what frequency the channels correspond to and you’ll be able to do it. Also make sure that the privacy filter on the GMRS (sometimes called “Interference Eliminator Code”) is set to 0.
All photos: Gregory McDonald
This is our second installment on Overland Expo covering products. Besides the classes and workshops, there’s a whole section of the Expo devoted to vendors. What follows are some of the more interesting ones that Greg, our man on the scene, spotted.
The photo above shows a collection of handmade fire steels by L. T. Wright.
Next year’s Overland Expo will be held May 20–22, 2016 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The event offers a chance to work on your overland driving skills, attend workshops and classes, watch films and demos, and offers a tangible air of camaraderie. They’re already taking reservations. If you’re interested, click here. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s pretty amazing that aerial adventure footage is now within the grasp of non-professionals. Are you itching get some amazing follow shots of your truck on the trail? Here’s a brief look at some of the systems on (or coming to) the market.
Find a video about the Inspire One after the jump.
Links:
Inspire One drone, $3000
18 minute flight time, fully gimbaled, 360-degree camera
Airdog drone, $1295
10–20 minute flight time, auto-follow enabled
Hexo+ drone, $1199, attach your own GoPro
15 minute flight time, auto-follow enabled
Zano, $265
10–15 minute flight time, auto-follow enabled
In this video the Australian guys from All 4 Adventure show off the mods to their Toyota Land Cruiser 200-Series ute, which include front and rear winches, extra lithium batteries, bumpers, lights, air compressors, an updated electrical system and suspension, and some cool storage solutions.
These guys were involved in a recovery rollover a while back while trying to get a truck out from a rising tide. The video is quite hairy and is a good illustration of how problems can compound, if you’re not careful. It’s worth a watch.
If you’ve ever gone duck hunting or skeet shooting, you know the joy of a nice shotgun. Well, Holland & Holland, the English gun-maker founded in 1835, takes the craftsmanship of a “nice” shotgun to a stratospheric level. A single, hand-built gun can cost £60,000 to £100,000 (~$40,000 to $66,000) and that’s not including luxury engraving, which can double the price. Time from order to delivery? Two to three years.
The video above shows the painstaking level detail that goes into each gun. They manufacture bolt-action rifles as well, should you be so inclined.
Pour yourself a glass of single-malt, sit back, and enjoy.
Links:
Holland & Holland
What it’s like to visit Holland & Holland’s New York Gun Room
Wikipedia page
My friend Greg from gadmachine, who’s an avid home and camp chef, pulled out this cool little camping stove on a trip last summer. It’s a Iwatani butane-powered, single-burner stove. This particular one (Model ZA-3HP) puts out 12,000 BTUs and costs about $35. They make another version (Model 35FW) that puts out 15,000 BTUs that costs about $80. For comparison a standard, propane Coleman camp stove will produce 10,000 BTUs per burner.
That extra heat is great for searing steaks. You can even use it indoors, so it can do both camp and home kitchen duty. Greg says they’ve been making them forever in Asia and really have the design nailed down. People seem to love them.
They both come with carrying cases and might make great gifts.
Links:
Iwatani 12,000 BTU stove on Amazon, and Central Restaurant Products
Iwatani 15,000 BTU stove on Amazon, and Central Restaurant Products
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