Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2023 i Overland Journal

MOTIVATION STATION I just wanted to say thank you. I have been watching your videos for a while [Expedition Portal YouTube channel], and you all have inspired me and my young family to do a few trips around Europe, the Middle East, and now up to Northern Africa. I am a truck driver from the UK, and I am moving with my Michiganian wife back to Detroit [where] we will be setting up a 4x4 to go all over America. Keep up the hard work. Gallal Al-Mawri GO GREEN As a long-time subscriber, I enjoy your magazine very much. I did notice Summer 2023’s “When Nature Calls” [was] glaringly missing one item in the subsection Urination Bottles: the venerable Gatorade bottle. The wide-mouth 1-quart Gatorade bottle has provided urinary relief…

There has never been a more exciting time to buy a mid-size truck, with offerings from all the major brands and models being more capable than ever. These new trucks are also more comfortable for long-distance travel, and we even see payload numbers (ever so slowly) improving. A decade ago, there was only one mid-size truck that overlanders would consider, and now there are a half-dozen options, with the all-new GMC Canyon AT4x vying for the front of the pack with features never seen before in the segment. POWERTRAIN The 2023 Canyon uses an all-new drive-train powered by the GM-engineered-and-manufactured L3B, an all-aluminum, 2.7-liter, 4-cylinder, turbo-charged gasoline motor. With dynamic fuel management and variable valve timing (featuring three cam profiles), the motor can be optimized for everyday driving, maximum fuel…

The quality of the products we use matters, and few elicit quite the response that a Land Cruiser does. There has never been another vehicle so universally employed for hard work in more corners of the globe than the Toyota Land Cruiser (TLC). In many cases, it is the best tool for the job, serving as a lifeline for the businesses and even the lives of the occupants. As modernity crept into all aspects of travel and vehicles, each new TLC model was met with suspicion. Was this the one that would finally be too complicated or too unreliable? And yet, like clockwork, each Land Cruiser proved to be better than the one before. To find out if the same was true for the new300 Series, we traveled to the…

We stood beside our small portable barbeque in a campsite outside Whitehorse in the infamous Yukon territory, watching the coals glow red and thinking about the human relationship with heat and cold. We were in the midst of a journey to the Arctic Ocean in March. According to the weather app on my phone, the temperature was -4°F, and the drink freezing in my gloved hand bore testimony to the cold. For four hours, we stood outside during the life-giving sunset, testing our apparel layering technique and monitoring my body for cold spots. We’d learned a lot in the last few months and chose our cold-weather advisors wisely. Bill Soucess, a fellow Land Rover enthusiast, spends almost every day of the year outdoors, working in the central Canadian oil fields…

The oldest-known wild bird is an albatross named Wisdom, now 71 years old. Given her age, biologists estimate this avian has flown more than three million miles in her lifetime. As extraordinary as this seems, it takes on greater significance once one understands the taxing nature of an albatross’ travel. An albatross can go years without touching land, sleep while flying, and sense aquatic food from a distance of 12 miles. With these capabilities, it’s little wonder mariners from centuries past have considered the albatross an omen of good fortune. For overlanders Nicolas Chazee and Mathilde Vougny, who share their adventure under the name Next Meridian Expedition, “Albatross” was a suitable moniker for the Land Rover Defender they selected to transport them around the world. “On our overland expedition, we…

Have you ever felt like the car-chasing dog that finally catches the car and isn’t sure what to do with the long-sought-after prize? That’s where my mind was as I bounced down a washed-out Ecuadorian jungle road, my motorcycle headlight cutting through the smothering darkness of the night. Limits had been pushed today, and the collective breaking point seemed to be approaching. There were four of us on three Kawasaki KLR 650s. We had run out of water hours ago, and other than a single serving of spaghetti noodles, rice, honey, and peanut butter, we had nothing to eat. We were now hopelessly looking for water and a safe place to set up camp, but the hellacious mountain road was unrelenting as we slipped and skidded through the pitch-black night.…

Iceland has a reputation. The country offers nearly everything the overland traveler seeks: rugged and exquisite terrain created by the forces of fire and ice, hot springs galore, and rapidly changing scenery—from jet-black sand to unexpectedly verdant mountains. Icelanders are friendly, churning river crossings provide the thrill we seek, and the history of the place will keep your nose buried in one of many books written by local authors. However, traveling in Iceland is expensive. Fuel prices are amongst the highest in the world. Wild camping is prohibited, so overlanders must pitch up at campgrounds. Meals out, coffee, and alcoholic drinks can devastate the daily budget. But there are ways to experience a taste of Iceland without breaking the bank. Fuel stations are much different than those in North America…

MARIANNE TODD Marianne Todd has been a professional photo-journalist and writer since 1987. Her career began in newspapers and rapidly spread into national news magazines. Her work has been featured on the pages of Time, Life, National Geographic, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal, where she was nominated for Photographer of the Year International. Todd became a publisher in 2009, creating titles reflecting the music, arts, and tourism industries of the South (she still sports the accent), and her work as the official photographer for Governor Haley Barbour led her to photograph everything from Hurricane Katrina to presidential visits. Since moving to New Mexico four years ago, she has left hard news coverage to travel on her trusty BMW F 750 GS, journeying the roads of America and beyond.…

Thirty years ago, AM General began selling a civilian version of their M998 Humvee. The original Hummer was equal parts capable, commanding, and entirely unique—it was legendary. The 1992 model came equipped with independent front and rear suspension, torsion differentials, and 37-inch tires. Now three decades into the future, Hummer has released another wagon, arguably more capable, more comfortable, and equally commanding as its forefather. And not coincidentally, the Hummer EV SUV is also engineered with IFS/IRS and the ability to fit 37-inch tires. The first thing I noticed about the 2024 Hummer EV was the proportions, a handsome combination of bold fenders and large-diameter tires. The 39-degree approach and departure angle also added to the balanced presence, all communicating a vehicle fit for adventure. Easter eggs also abound, with…

IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM, KRUGER TO CANYON ENTAILED OVER 700 KILOMETERS OF DIRT ROAD RIDING over the course of three days through the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa. The following three days would be off the bikes, swapping them out for a Land Rover Defender game-viewing vehicle as our mode of transport to Painted Wolf Camp in Greater Kruger. Due to the limited choice of rental bikes here in South Africa, our group rode oversized and extra-heavy BMW GSs. As our friends from overseas weren’t quite as used to handling bikes of this size, most of our group spent a lot of time parallel to the horizon. Trying to get comfortable with the bikes in slippery and muddy conditions became a challenge in mind and spirit. Even…

Western Europe is not exactly a paradise for overlanders due to restrictive laws regarding off-roading and free camping. In turn, countries on the continent’s Eastern side, especially those in the Balkans, abound in what their occidental counterparts lack: looser regulations and fewer off-pavement prohibitions, with vast areas of stunning nature still seemingly untouched by mass tourism. Among the countless things to see here are the unique, alien-looking monuments called spomeniks, a testament to the region’s struggle and revolution against fascism in World War II. Spomeniks are scattered all over the territories of the six republics that once formed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Some of the most impressive monuments were built on actual WWII battle sites. Their remote locations, sometimes well outside of inhabited areas, are significantly more convenient…

When I began adventuring through some of the 700,000 kilometers of dirt roads in South Africa, it’s safe to say I didn’t have the right kit for the job. Transitioning into dirt riding, I made do with what I had at the time with gear used for my 1994 Harley Dyna. My first true off-road motorcycle adventure was back in 2016. I was on my 2015 Triumph 900 Scrambler, headed to the iconic Sani Pass with a group of friends. My extent of riding kit at the time consisted of a pair of Red Wing Iron Ranger boots, a pair of 511 Levis, a Biltwell Gringo helmet, a Roland Sands riding jacket, and a pair of Iron and Resin riding gloves. Back then, I focused more on the “looking cool”…

In 2021 Land Rover reintroduced the Defender 90, a 102-inch wheelbase overlander that combined all of the technology of the 110 and 130 into a more nimble package. My first time behind the wheel of the D90 was on a sandy track in the United Arab Emirates; it was a beautiful spring day in the Arabian desert that brought an epiphany—the case for less. All of my early overland vehicles were small, with the longest being a 103-inch wheelbase, and yet, I always seemed to have enough space (further evidence of Parkinson’s Law). The Defender 90 is diminutive by modern standards and refreshingly minimal. Fromthe driver’s seat, it had all of the comforts of any luxury 4WD, yet it was a joyous affair to pilot, traversing the test loop with…

Teardrop trailers are old-school cool, with a lineage that dates back to the DIY plans of the 1930s. The trailer style has remained popular ever since, and for a good reason—they just work. The teardrop perfectly balances compact dimensions, sleep-inside comfort, and timeless style. Most small trailers use a rooftop tent for sleeping, but it isn’t easy to justify the expense when you can (in most cases) mount the same tent to the top of the vehicle. Teardrops earn their keep because of the quiet, four-season, secure sleeping pod they provide, and few teardrops match the Escapod Topo 2 for delivering on that promise. Escapod was born out of necessity and became the American dream for co-founders Jen and Chris Hudak. Like many great company stories, it started with a…

Traveling by motorcycle during the summer months is a game of chance for those of us who live in the desert. The days are hot, and the storms seem to come out of nowhere. We plot our routes through the high country whenever possible, pack our rain gear at the top of our panniers, and hope that Lady Luck dons her helmet to ride along pillion. I had 10 days to complete a four-day trip. Why rush when time was on my side? I rode north out of town through the cool afternoon air, a welcome relief courtesy of the Southern Arizona monsoon season. Storm clouds piled up in the gray sky, but Bisbee’s canyon walls kept them at bay. I was heading to Oregon to explore the American West…

I view cocktail-making as a gesture of love. There’s care involved: slicing citrus, preparing ingredients, sourcing ice cubes, shaking or stirring. Time, a precious commodity, is also required. Your personal preferences are attended to. Two shots or one? Too sweet or not enough? The casual mixologist, often a friend or acquaintance (but not always), cares enough about your existence to prepare something unessential for your survival but enjoyed after a long day. Of course, these cold concoctions are nicely complemented by a sandy beach, sweet-smelling woodland, or a flaming campfire with friends. As a self-proclaimed mid-range minimalist, I know that barware isn’t vital for overlanding. One could argue that a pull of whiskey directly from the bottle should suffice. However, we all have items that are essential to us—things that…

The man-made destruction of rivers, wetlands, and water sources on our beloved planet reduces the one thing required for overlanding: land. The Mississippi River basin, which drains some 31 states, is rich with rivers, lakes, and bayous, but it also offers prairies, marshes, and beaches—land quickly becoming lost to saltwater intrusion and, as a result, coastal erosion. Since 1932, Louisiana has lost roughly 2,000 square miles of land, about the size of the state of Delaware, to rising sea waters overtaking lands that can no longer compete with saltwater. Some researchers estimate the coastline here is losing the equivalent of 30 football fields per day. The water was high, and the air was a chilly 28°F the first time I braved the Mississippi River in a small boat. Frost had…

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. –Mark Twain My daydreams were not of picket fences, white dresses, and wedding cakes. In my curated visions, I fashioned the grainy photos of photographer Peter Beard and a dusty road leading me from Nairobi to the wildest places in Africa. I held the promise of adventure from slices of pictures, movies, and words that held me captive. My art direction skills were grounding the canvas of the profession I would eventually follow. In detail, I saw the characters I would meet and the remote landscapes I…