Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2020 i Overland Journal

NOT BUYING IT I found [the Summer 2020 issue in] my mailbox today. Why did it take 14 pages of ads to get to something interesting? I know advertising pays the bills, but I don’t have super deep pockets to afford nearly all of what you promote. The 500K vehicles can’t go where my humble 1982 Land Cruiser can go. Your publication has been interesting through the years, but I can’t see reading any more ads. James Bingham 1982 Land Cruiser RESPONSE FROM THE EDITOR: In recent issues, we allowed for an increase in advertising due to demand. But we are also working at increasing content to offset it. The transition has not been as seamless as intended, but the difference should already be evident. Thank you for voicing your…

Shovels have become a hot commodity in the overland marketplace. You can buy them pointed, square or round, ultralight or tactical, and even carbon-fiber models with titanium blades. At times, the designs and price tags can seem a little absurd. Let’s be honest, though, the reason people are willing to buy expensive shovels isn’t that they’ve become fascinated with digging—it’s because they look cool. But RoamBuilt’s V-nose combines good looks with practicality. The laser-etched logo stands proud along the handle, a serrated edge runs the length of the blade, and a sharp nose looks poised to destroy any dirt that has the gall to stand in your way. At first glance, experts might say the blade would be inefficient for moving large quantities of soil, and they’re right. However, the…

Racing the sun to reach the Seven Pillars of Wisdom before dark, our cavalcade of SUVs bumps along the red sands of Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert as we gun it toward the horizon. We reach the base and tumble out of our trucks with minutes to spare. Named for T.E. Lawrence’s memoir, the heptahedron rock looms large with historical significance. The man known as “Lawrence of Arabia” for his role in the First World War’s Arab Revolt trod this land just more than a century ago. As liaison to the British military, Lawrence traveled the desert’s rolling red sand dunes and sweeping sandstone valleys to relay intelligence that helped defend the area from the Turks. But that’s all recent history. The striated rocks around us hint at natural forces at…

The sequence of dots, once joined together, that finished with a Middlesex math teacher presiding over one of Europe’s most beloved navigation challenges, begins with a very sad 13-year-old trainspotter crying himself to sleep. It was 1979, and Austin Vince was at boarding school at Mill Hill in northwest London. A lanky bully named Elwyn James, in the year above him, was making his life hell. Like the best bullies, Elwyn seemed to have no motive save sheer sadism, and being a foot taller than little Austin, had nothing to fear from the elfin fourth former. However, this was cold comfort to young Vince, who, in the claustrophobic world of the boarding house, could find no escape from Elwyn’s relentless attention. “Initially, I knew nothing about the bullying, but I…

SERVES 2 COOK TIME 25 minutes ASSEMBLY TIME 5 minutes EQUIPMENT 2-litre saucepan, frying pan, knife, spatula, chopping board 1 large potato, thinly sliced1 large onion, thinly sliced2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Olive oil3 medium-sized eggs, beaten till frothy Salt and pepper The Spanish tortilla became a favourite dish of ours during our time camping on the outskirts of a small Nepalese village cradled in a valley below the mighty Annapurna Mountain Range. All of the ingredients were easy to obtain from the ramshackle wooden huts precariously balanced on their wooden stilts, seemingly hovering above the paddy fields. In the evenings, we would enjoy the tortilla with a cheap Nepali beer called Everest whilst watching the fields being prepared in readiness for the monsoon season. The rice paddies extended…

JACLYN TROP Jaclyn Trop is an award-winning journalist and automotive reporter, deciphering the world of sheet metal for the masses. She divides her time among Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York. She was awarded a Knight-Bagehot fellowship in business and economics reporting from Columbia University, where she also earned a master’s degree in journalism. Her byline has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Fortune, Vogue, Glamour, Newsweek, Fast Company, Forbes, Marie Claire, Men’s Health, Entrepreneur, Rolling Stone, Robb Report, Town & Country, U.S. News & World Report, and Refinery 29 among others. Jaclyn has reported from five continents and eaten ice cream in more than 50 countries. She serves as a US juror to the World Car Awards. SUSAN DRAGOO Shedding light on the obscure, especially at…

There is a sinking feeling with getting stuck, both literally and intellectually. Once stuck, our options dwindle, and the potential consequences mount. Additional damage is likely, as is being stranded, or worse, losing the vehicle to the rising tide. As a result, there are fundamental tools that belong in every overlanders’ recovery kit. It certainly includes the basics like gloves, a good shovel, and a set of traction boards, but it should also include a means of conducting powered self-recovery or a vehicle-to-vehicle pull. MaxTrax has redefined self-recovery with the invention of its reinforced nylon recovery tracks. Owner Brad McCarthy also recognized the opportunity to improve powered recovery or vehicle-to-vehicle extraction, and started a new line of accessories that have been optimized for light weight, performance, and safety. Last year,…

Based in Central California, Hinterland Industries Tents (Hi-Tents) designs classically styled rooftop tents (RTTs). I obtained their Rincon from company owner, Graham Holloway, for a multi-month field test, and mounted it to a Front Runner Slimline II roof rack on a Toyota Tacoma. The Rincon sleeps three (more with the included annex) and is designed as a four-season RTT. With a time-honored appearance, it’s reminiscent of Howling Moon or Eezi-Awn tents from South Africa. The tent weighs 150 pounds and has a heavyweight 400g ripstop breathable poly-cotton canvas tent body with impregnated waterproof coating. The body material is UV and mold resistant, as are the rainfly and travel cover. Quality dual-stitched and heat-taped seams keep water out. The rainfly is elevated (when the spring steel rods are inserted) and made…

As travelers, we embrace the serendipity and randomness of travel, the paper map unfurled on a dusty hood, each direction yielding a wonder. There are also times when we get two flats in one day and just really, really want to find a campsite. Planning and technology can complement adventure, even if our romantic ideals of exploration spurns visions of the Luddite’s journey. There are tools available today that make overlanding safer and more connected than ever before, allowing us to plug in while we unplug. In the end, these apps are tools, and we can always eschew those conveniences if we choose. NAVIGATION The most useful of the programs are navigation applications, which allow physical progress (via GPS) to be rendered over a map layer, shown alongside XML data…

A prehistoric mountain man stumbles from the woods and saunters straight through your remote mountain campsite. Exceptionally preserved for over five millennia in glacial ice, Ötzi (pronounced Oet-zee) is that Neolithic mountaineer. Found high in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, his trappings reflect a well-developed, albeit 5,300-year-old alpine culture: goat hide leggings, loincloth and cape, grassand hay-lined deer-hide shoes with bearskin soles (nice touch, that), wood-handled flint dagger, hafted copper ax, and bearskin cap with chin straps, just to name a few objects. One of his particularly intriguing preserved items is a hazelnut, wood-framed backpack with staves made of larch. It’s a truly vintage external frame, more old school than a Kelty. At a conceptual level, this pack is a means to transport heavy loads and could suggest primitive trade…

NO OTHER COUNTRY OFFERS SUCH DIVERSITY: deserts, active volcanoes, exuberant calderas, countless lakes, gigantic glaciers, lava fields covered with 30 centimeters of moss, torn fjords, and black beaches. The island’s astonishing natural wonders never fail to amaze me, no matter how many times I alight upon its shores. After two weeks on the island, we received a cheerful call from the Vatnajökull National Park rangers during our last night at camp, inviting us to have a try at the famous Gaesavatnleid track. We would be the first to attempt the crossing this year. This legendary trail along the northern slope of the immense Vatnajökull Glacier is considered one of the most difficult on the island. With an elevation peaking at more than 1,200 meters, it is often one of the…

Not long ago, I decided to try my luck by competing at the BMW GS Trophy Cup. For the uninitiated or obtuse, the Cup is strictly a BMW affair which fields three-person teams from countries around the world facing off in a daunting set of trials. It is a big event which only happens every other year, but worth it if you ever get a chance to participate in your country. Or better yet, move on to the big show, the international contest. Stu (a close friend of mine) and I put my R 1200 GS Adventure on a trailer and headed southwest to California. Prior to this trip, if I ever saw an adventure bike on a trailer, I figured it was stolen. We traveled down the lonely highway,…

The current iteration of Klim’s Latitude suit for men and Altitude suit for women tackles most road and dirt conditions. They accommodate varying abilities, riding styles, and trip profiles. The original Latitude/Altitude targeted the ADV and dual-sport/enduro crowd, but Klim saw touring riders favoring it, too. It handled dust, rain, and abrasions, and with its stylish looks, the jacket could also withstand beer gardens and dinner reservations. Klim eventually hit the drawing board to refine the Latitude/Altitude for touring, after filling the ADV/enduro niches with dedicated designs. However, the latest iterations are just as multifaceted as the original versions. They are a true go-to for dust-laden Baja rides, variable weather explorations on unimproved Balkan roads, or that 100-percent tarmac road trip up California’s Highway 1. An Alpha-Bet soup of specialized…

Leather boots require serious commitment, and there’s no secret sauce to bypassing the inevitable pain while they mold to your feet. But when it comes to my essential choice for work boots during spring, fall, and winter seasons, the pain is so worth it. Unlike most traditional leather hiking boots, the Mountain Light Cascade feels extremely light. It’s an excellent choice for quick errands when there’s slippery snowfall, in addition to its original functionality, most at home during long outdoor treks. This element is especially key for me, a SoCal girl who despises wearing anything more than a sandal; I don’t mind sporting these because nothing feels clunky. Designed and manufactured in Portland, Oregon, Danner spares no expense. These full-grain, single-piece, all-leather upper boots with VibramKletterlift outsoles are specifically created…

Sustained remote travel typically requires a means of resupplying water stores, with vehicle-based camping, bathing, cooking, and drinking. Why leave that idyllic mountain stream campsite when all you need is a proper volume filter to supply 2-3 gallons per day, per person? Enter Guzzle H2O, a company founded by two professional sailors. A few things stand out—the first being the durability of the box, a Pelican-style case complete with a lid seal and robust ribbing. All components are visible, including the Flojet pump, UV module, and high-quality, screw-top filter assembly. Quick-connects allow the inlet and outlet hoses to be easily attached, and the push of a button starts the process at 1.1 gallons per minute, powered by the built-in battery. The serviceability of the system also makes owner repair a…

The Dempster Highway sees hundreds of enthusiastic travelers each summer. They flock to Dawson City, Inuvik, and Tuktoyaktuk, eventually dipping a toe in the Arctic Ocean. I yearned to be one of those travelers. I wanted to spend time in the Yukon and Northwest Territories and learn more about my home country. Arriving in Tuktoyaktuk would conclude a trip that started in 2013, where my wife, Ashley, and I explored much of the Pan-American Highway from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Ushuaia, Argentina. The Dempster was the last piece of our Antarctic to Arctic puzzle. But this time, we chose to do things differently. We would drive someone else’s vehicle, film the entire trip, and tackle the Dempster in the winter. Clay and Rachelle Croft founded Expedition Overland (XO) a decade…

A few years ago, I found myself on a long-disused track in the wastelands of Sudan. Over 200 kilometres from real civilisation, my team and I had left Khartoum at dawn and driven throughout the day. It was getting dark. Our small convoy had stopped. The lead vehicle had a damaged rear-right tyre and could go no further without risking mangling the wheel itself. I imagined the culprit to have been one of the sharp rocks on the bed of a wadi we had crossed earlier. As I stood on the hard, cracked earth, I realised that never before in my life had I felt so insignificant. The night sky was vast and open, no trees or buildings or flashing lights could be seen—just a starlight-punctured void. The only sound…

It was early September. After months of organizing, preparation, group calls, and visa applications, it was still an arresting moment to exit Mongolia and drive through the barriers at the Chinese border. To drive from Europe to China still seemed inconceivable, even though we were right in the middle of doing so. When my girlfriend, Evelin, and I were preparing for our Budapest to Singapore (exclusive land-based) adventure, significant time was spent organizing our crossing through China, focusing on the less-traveled regions in the west. We were expecting complicated and lengthy bureaucratic hassles. Still, no matter how much we tried to educate ourselves, nothing could have prepared us for the level of bureau-craziness that awaited. The first tasks for anyone planning to overland through China are finding travel companions and…