Innehållsförteckning för Winter 2015 från Overland Journal

The narrow canoe rocked hard from the heavy chop and Felipe strained against the weight of the Triumph as it shifted between the gunwales. Sweat poured from his forehead, the heat of the midday sun pounding his back, any breeze impeded by thick riding gear. The canoe, filled with three motorcycles and four people had just crossed the main channel of the Meta River; everyone was feeling fatigued from the passage. Felipe’s concentration deepened and his grip tightened to the handlebar when the bark of a megaphone broke his focus. “Alto! Alto!” punctuated the rattle of the outboard motor and he turned his head left to see a .50 caliber machine gun aimed directly at him, the gunboat only 20 meters away and closing fast. The canoe operator chopped the…

MSR WindBurner $130 EDITOR’S CHOICE With only two years on the market, the Windburner has captured our top pick for personal cooking systems. These stove combinations employ a cooking pot designed to mate to a specific burner as a means of bolstering performance, efficiency, and convenience. With their tall and slender cooking vessels, they are best suited to heating liquids and preparing meals for one. The WindBurner employs MSR’s proprietary radiant burner, a technology designed to protect the heat source from the elements for a more productive burn. Fueled by an isobutane/propane cartridge which can be stored with the burner inside the 1-liter pot, the Wind-burner is compact and durable. As the name would imply, it is all but unaffected by the most stout breeze. Over the course of many…

Cook Partner $260 EDITOR’S CHOICE It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes, but it was way back in 2007 when we initially reviewed the Cook Partner stove and gave it one of our first Editor’s Choice awards. Although stoves throughout the industry have evolved considerably since then, the Cook Partner has remained the same and is still a class-leading product. Designed to meet the demands of professional rafting guides and outfitters, the Cook Partner is built with a heavy-duty aluminum box construction, each component joined with precision welds. The burners and pot support grid are made of stainless steel and the only plastic to be found anywhere are the two flow control knobs, both recessed into the body of the stove for maximum protection. The twin 10,000-BTU burners are…

The quiet sounds of the Mojave swirled about: wind through the yucca and Joshua trees, and the quick patter of a kangaroo mouse scurrying across the sand. Scanning the route ahead, everything looked wrong. The shortcut I had taken through the desert narrowed from a rough Jeep road into a vague two-track that looked like it had last been traversed by wagon wheels. Spiny desert scrub and creosote closed in around the front wheel of my 680-pound motorcycle, leaving little room to maneuver through the deepening sand. Between glances at the GPS, the two-track road had evaporated into a smaller side-track heading into the vast desert. The big BMW GS Adventure bucked over rocks, plowing alongside thick and thorny brambles while I dodged the dagger-tipped spines of Joshua trees overhead.…

The Mojave Road is one of the best known and most diverse overland routes in the United States. Like most western tracks, it was established by Native Americans and used as a footpath for travel long before Europeans arrived to map it. In 1776 the first documented crossing was completed by Francisco Garcés, a missionary on Juan Bautista de Anza’s expedition to California. Over the coming centuries the road would transform into a supply route, making way for wagons, equipment, and rail lines heading to California. Despite its similar history to other desert crossings, the Mojave Road is unique. Most classic tracks were improved over the years or turned to pavement; the Mojave became lost in time when more efficient routes for railroads were discovered. Even today, very little maintenance…

Scandinavia’s culinary reputation is bland—and well deserved. The region’s most famous dish is herring, fermented to the point of an unbearable odor and taste, served with shots of Absolut vodka to dull the flavor and the memory. I will spare you that recipe. Despite dishes that double as biological warfare, there are a few gems in the Swedish kitchen, such as this salmon dish. Easy to prepare, it can be cooked on a barbecue grill or above a fire. The aluminum foil helps the fish retain moisture, intensifies flavor, and makes it easy to store in the fridge. MENU APPETIZER: Salad of your preference MAIN: Scandinavian-style salmon with fresh lemon wedges SIDES: Peas and mashed potatoes, or boiled dill-sprinkled potatoes BEVERAGE: Dry white or rosé wine, or lager beer SCANDINAVIAN…

Make no mistake, the Toyota Tacoma is one of the best overland platforms ever sold in North America. The model is the most popular vehicle among our readership and represents one of the most suitable options for long distance adventure travel. As a result, we all held our collective breath as Toyota announced a major revision to this stalwart pickup. Fortunately, we were given the opportunity to evaluate this new truck in the field, over rock, and on the highway—it did not disappoint. What’s New For an engineer to mess with success is dangerous territory. However, Toyota enthusiasts can rest assured that the 2016 Tacoma is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The designers addressed most of our complaints with the previous model and even included a few surprises. At first glance…

These are by no means the only good stoves on the market, but represent the units we confidently recommend to our readers and fellow travelers. The camp stove of today has not changed materially since its inception over a century ago. A derivative of the early industrial era blowtorch, the portable burner was originally an improvised means of heating a workday meal, an ironic fact given the culinary aptitude of some of our fellow overlanders. Although its exact provenance is regularly disputed, it can be jointly accredited to Swedes Carl Richard Nyberg (for his torch invention) and Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist (for his insight into its potential), and subsequently the foundation of the now-famous Primus company. Despite the common usage of the portable cooking burner since then and the seemingly endless…

Primus ETA Spider $160 EDITOR’S CHOICE For the soloist or small group looking for a lightweight system capable of full-range cooking duties, the Primus ETA Spider is our top choice. Designed to maximize burner efficiency with a dedicated windscreen and pot featuring a built-in heat exchanger, the Spider produced some of the fastest boil times of any unit in the test. More than just a powerful heat source, it also simmers well and excelled at our difficult rice cooking test. Fueled by an isobutane/propane canister, the ETA Spider can be upgraded to burn liquid fuels, thus adding to its versatility as an international travel solution. One of the notable refinements to the Spider is how the stove nests within the all-metal windscreen via three strong magnets. With a remotely positioned…

Although I’ve never owned a BIG overland rig, the idea of having my house behind the driver’s seat has always been appealing. Whether it is a Volkswagen Syncro or Mitsubishi Delica, the advantages of being able to shut down the motor, set the emergency brake, and step into a comfortable, dry abode are indisputable. When we received word that Sportsmobile was collaborating with Mercedes-Benz on a Sprinter conversion, my curiosity level was heightened. While utility vans are quite useful for hauling motorcycles and shop supplies, I wondered if the Sprinter could be successfully modified for adventure travel. My reservations were addressed when I witnessed the four-wheel drive Mojave 2500 firsthand—at which time I hastily queried the possibility of borrowing one. My efforts were rewarded a few weeks later when my…

A sports program in Africa educates youth about the risks of HIV/AIDS. Soccer is a passion shared among all Africans, particularly children. In villages and cities throughout the continent, gleeful youth can be seen playing the sport anywhere a flat surface and a few improvised goals can be found. In 2002, a group of adventurers and doctors started the non-profit organization Grassroot Soccer (GRS), promoting athletics as an effective means to educate local adolescents about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Pediatrician Tommy Clark, GRS’s founder and CEO, conceived the idea after playing soccer professionally in Zimbabwe. He partnered with Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor Africa, and professional soccer players Methembe Ndlovu and Kirk Friedrich. Leveraging their celebrity status and regional contacts, the foursome began implementing awareness programs in Zimbabwe. Recent data…

A few years ago I was camped in Moab’s Kane Creek Canyon, Utah, near a group of climbers. Around the fire that evening, several read books and reviewed maps, while others pontificated solutions to the world’s problems. One set up a slackline between two vehicles and spent the next hour refining the art of balance. They had asked me to join them for a beer, but I had a pending deadline and remained in front of my laptop toiling away. I kept glancing across the road, watching their warm firelit shadows dance across the precipitous red canyon walls and contemplated closing my computer—and with it my deadline. I hesitantly lowered the screen and deliberated for a moment before opening it again. The Word document and the deadline were still there.…

Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium$60 EDITOR’S CHOICE When the Snow Peak LiteMax first appeared in the backcountry, it recalibrated expectations of how small and powerful a stove could be. At only 1.9 ounces with the most diminutive folded size of any stove on the market, it also cranks out an impressive 11,200 BTU. For those in search of the ultimate in lightweight burners, this is about as good as it gets. When slipped into my pocket, it has less bulk than a set of keys. Constructed of titanium and anodized aluminum, the LiteMax has the impressive build quality commonly associated with Snow Peak. I still use an early version of this stove and it has survived years of hard use. Although the stove lacks an included ignition source, it does have…

MSR Dragonfly $140 EDITOR’S CHOICE Having used a Dragonfly for well over a decade, it was difficult for me to enter this particular category without a slightly biased opinion. Reliable as a hammer, my stove has been fired hundreds of times without a single failure. In an effort to keep this test as objective as possible, we acquired a new unit and it performed just as well as my now-aged MSR, a testament to the design and construction of this popular stove. Able to burn white gas, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, the Dragonfly has been lauded for decades as an ideal stove for international travel, particularly where fuel type and availability are uncertain. The patented Shaker Jet resists clogging, although a full field service and rebuild of the…

“A SHOUT! THEY FOUND GOLD IN MAH DIA!” a newspaper vendor cried. Locals were hovering around, all wanting to hear the latest news. Who was the lucky guy that found a gold vein, a bounty that would ensure him millions of dollars? We had stumbled upon a unique event—the last “shout” (or “lash”) had been years ago—and we were determined to see the discovery with our own eyes. GUYANA’S GATEWAY TO THE INTERIOR We prepared ourselves for a challenging journey into Guyana’s tall timber and stocked up on fuel, food, and drinking water. From the capital of Georgetown we took a seven-hour ferry ride to Bartica, a frontier town and the gateway to Guyana’s interior, a region home to great numbers of legal and illegal gold mines. Miners come to…

The rain pounded against the container, echoing through the interior as I struggled against the straps that restrained the Land Cruiser. We were already three days behind schedule and still in Buenos Aires, the ship delayed by rough seas and the equally turbulent Argentine bureaucracy. Lightning cracked and tensions rose as we waited for the final documents to arrive from the port. Our customs broker had done everything possible to expedite the process, even calling in a few favors and making a direct plea to the shipping line. Each hour we were delayed needed to be absorbed by the remaining schedule, which meant a nearly impossible timeline. By nature, Expeditions 7 was a complex machine, moving four vehicles and a team of people through borders, across countries, and over oceans.…

With adventurers pushing the extremes of geographical and seasonal exploration, a thorough understanding of cold weather illness is paramount. For a review of frostbite, reference Overland Medicine in the Winter 2012 issue. For an overview of hypothermia, and to discover why polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s choice in skivvies may have led to his death, read on! Physiology Hypothermia is a medical condition characterized by a core body temperature of less than 95°F (35°C). A patient’s degree of hypothermia is difficult to define, and the disorder should be understood as a progression of symptoms over a range of temperatures. Mild hypothermia’s 93-97°F (34-36°C) symptoms can easily be mistaken for other illnesses: dysarthria (slurred speech) mimics alcohol intoxication and stroke, nausea and vomiting mimic carbon monoxide poisoning and gastroenteritis, and…

Driving with my daughter through a picture-perfect landscape was an unforgettable moment. “Mommy is not going?” asked a stunned Lilly. That was the crux of our conversation three years ago. Lilly didn’t have much trust in me for a solo-overlanding trip to Dinosaur National Monument...with no mom. Many dirt roads later we have completed numerous daddy-daughter trips; it is an experience that I recommend all fathers attempt. During that time, I have asked fellow fathers to join us. Their hesitancy indicates that they consider it an overwhelming activity and simply too daunting. With a reassuring smile, I try to inform them that overlanding with your child is a remarkable, unique, and rewarding adventure. When my wife Louise told me she was working for the next few days, I knew I…