Are roof-top tents good for overlanding? This video outlines the case against them. They may make sense in certain situations but in most situations the benefits don’t seem to outweigh the downsides.
Archives for posts with tag: overlanding
Australian map and app company Hema is mapping the Continental Divide more their North American mapping app. They’ve also created a cloud sharing service where users can upload and share tracks. Here’s an example.
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.
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 »
All photos: Gregory McDonald
Greg on his way to Overland Expo 2015
Dear Readers!
I apologize for the radio silence the past few months. I’d like to get the WCXC ball rolling again with series of posts about last spring’s Overland Expo 2015. I had initially invited my good friend Greg from gadmachine to go with me. When a scheduling conflict came up, Greg, always up for adventure, accepted our press pass (kindly provided by Overland Expo) and headed to Arizona solo. He had a great time, met some great people, and took the fantastic photos you see here.
I’ll cover the Expo in four posts: Trucks, Products, Camp Vibes, and the Obstacle Course.
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.
On to the trucks! The Expo is a great place to see adventure vehicles. Here’s what Greg spotted. Read the rest of this entry »
In this video some guys from the Australian 4×4 magazine 4WD Action head down to Tasmania for some overlanding and camping. The trails are wet and tough, and it’s fun to watch them slog their way through. This classic Aussie stuff.
Link:
Original video
To me, this video captures the joy of overlanding, the quiet stretches of road, the beautiful scenery, the people, the friendships. Two Czech guys head off through Turkey for a drive around Georgia, Armenia, and Karabkh, in their Land Rover Defender. Well done.
Photo: Gregory MacDonald
A couple of weeks ago my friend Greg, from gadmachine, and I went on a quick trip up to the Mendocino National Forest, south of the Snow Mountain Wilderness. While there, we made some seriously good camp fires. We also set up an interesting camp, that I thought I’d share with you.
We set up two 10′ x 20′ tarps in a roughly A-frame shape. The open ends were parallel with the small valley we were in, so that the breeze could flow through. The top was open so that smoke from the fire could easily escape. We put the tents in the eaves of the tarps so they were protected from rain. The main thing though was that the tarps reflected the heat of the fire and kept any breezes from blowing in behind us. This made for a comfortable, warm camp even with the temperature around 26˚F (-3˚C).
There was hardly any snow. There’s been precipitation since, so call the ranger’s station if you’re planning to head up there. The campsite, which Greg had scouted years earlier, was a very nice one: flat ground with trees in a nice little valley.
An image gallery and a map with our campsite near Bear Creek pinpointed, can be found after the jump.
Related Links:
Fire Skills: The Elevated Long Fire
Four Essential Campfire Tools for About $30
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Here’s a nice video compiling photos and footage of three 4x4s driving through Central and South America: a Land Rover Defender, a Toyota Land Cruiser 70-Series, and a Mitsubishi Delica. Some of the scenery and bridge crossings are jaw dropping.
Links to the three guys’ sites below.
Links:
Land Rover Defender: kontraer.com
Toyota Landcruiser: thebluetruck-e.blogspot.com
Mitsubishi Delica: dinoevo.de