Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2007 från Overland Journal

Kudos I just finished your spring issue, and I must say I am very impressed with the publication—content, mission, style, presentation, etc. The departments were full of interesting items, news, and photos that I thoroughly enjoyed (especially Latitude) and I look forward to the editor’s project, “Grendel.” While I have no interest in a roof top tent for my vehicle, I was impressed with the thoroughness of the testing and review listings, plus I learned about something of which I had no prior knowledge. Basically, kudos to the Overland Journal staff and THANKS for making the Overland Journal a reality—I, for one, am looking forward to all future issues. Paul Aguire, 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser Rich Content I got my issue yesterday, and all I can say is, “DAMN.” This…

ACF Rift Valley GPS Survey Overland Journal’s conservation editor, Roseann Hanson, also the executive director of the African Conservation Fund, was at press time in the bush in southern Kenya. She is leading a small group of Toyota Hiluxes on a preliminary reconnaissance to establish a new tourism route between the Maasai Mara and Amboseli National Park. The new route, which will connect existing 4WD trails, travels through Maasai tribal lands and accesses some of the best wildlife-viewing areas on the continent. The goal is to bring more tourism dollars into the Maasai communities of the central Rift Valley, improving their economic situation while promoting wildlife conservation. Once the final route is determined, ACF will be organizing self-drive safaris for a very limited number of guests. Cost will include a…

Just how many soggy sandwiches have you endured in your lifetime? If you go camping often and use an ice chest, chances are the answer is, “More than I care to count.” Few things are more disappointing than returning to camp late in the afternoon after a vigorous hike, looking forward to that extra sandwich left over from lunchtime, only to find your mayonnaise jar floating in a watery sea of miniature icebergs. And there’s the sandwich in its plastic baggie, pinned down under the beer bottles. As you pull out each dripping item, with pinky finger in the air and a wince on your face, you see that the mayo is now a gruesome mixture of floaty white stuff, and the fluffy sandwich bread has been reduced to soggy…

Based in California, FridgeFreeze is a more recent player in the recreational refrigeration scene, garnering press reviews several years ago as a unique product. It remains so to this day. The FridgeFreeze is arguably the stoutest and best-looking unit of the bunch, boasting hand-built construction and high-quality materials and finish. Being bulletproof and beautiful comes at a price, however, as this is the most expensive and heaviest model in the review. A Danfoss BD35-F compressor is at the heart of the cooling system, with an optional rubberized toggle switch on the control panel that switches the compressor from low to high speed for boosted cooling. Thermostat selection is via a rotary knob with settings from “off ” to “one” through “seven,” seven being the coldest. A green lamp on the…

“Oh, by the way: You will also have to figure out how to get through the mine field in Socompa Pass.” Iain Chapman, the Camel Trophy’s managing director and field marshal, delivered those words in a thick Scottish accent as we walked past Eastnor Castle’s garages. I stopped and turned toward him and said, “You are putting me on, right?” He chuckled and said, “You’re resourceful. The job will get done.” I had just been handed a dream job as the 1994 Camel Trophy prescout team leader, but the thought of working out a way through a mine field made me wonder if the job would turn out to be a nightmare. It was January, 1993, during the Camel Trophy international driver training at Land Rover’s 5,000-acre Eastnor Castle Estate…

Polarizer surpriser. Nicely at right angles to the line between the sun and camera (note shadow), a 17mm shot captures enough sky to show the limits of the darkened sky zone – and the embarrassing results if you don’t look out: not only the banding but the excess tonal density. A polarised shot often looks delicious in the viewfinder but pause and really look at what you’re getting – especially on wide-angles. As the other shot shows, a superwide will grab enough sky to show the colour gradient you want anyway. Demon trio—wide lens, angle finder and beanbag: left (1/30, f22) on the ground, right (1/15, f20) on a small stone. Human necks are not designed to bend to this kind of angle without certain repercussions! The sense of ‘being…

Gepe Card Safe The capacity of modern digital storage cards is astonishing. However, that capacity can put hundreds of images at risk if the card is lost, or damaged by water or dust. The Gepe Card Safe is constructed from impact-resistant plastic, and the rubber inner liner creates a waterproof seal around the perimeter. It is also available in high-visibility yellow to help prevent loss. The Gepe case will house CF, SD, Memory Stick, and other storage devices. gepecardsafe.com Lowepro D650 AW Stealth Reporter This all-weather bag is designed for photojournalists and photographers working in the field and in inclement weather. The bag will swallow two SLR bodies and three lenses, along with a 15-inch Mac-Book Pro (or PC variant) and all associated card readers and power cords (a removable…

IN 1996 MY STEPSON JACKSON WAS INVITED to go to Mongolia on a trekking company’s exploratory horseback and raft expedition. When he returned with tales of high adventure, of mud and vodka and roasted marmot and a horse he named Narcolepsy, I asked him to show me where they had been. He indicated a red line on the map about halfway between the capital, Ulaan Bataar, and Mongolia’s westernmost border. “A road?” I asked. Probably my voice held a little disappointment. “Not a paved road,” he said with a grin. “Not a dirt road. In a good season, two ruts. In the rain or snow, not even a camel track.” Mongolia is a great, landlocked country that spreads nearly 1,800 miles from west to east. It’s not a part of…

ARB is a well-established and respected name in the portable fridge market. Their most recent models have been improved with quieter, more efficient motors, and each now incorporates a built-in digital thermometer on the control panel, allowing the user to monitor the temperature inside the chest. Construction consists of a melamine-coated steel shell, polyurethane insulation, and an ABS plastic interior. A single control dial turns the unit on or off and adjusts the temperature settings, numbered “zero” to “five.” This one-piece control makes operation simple, especially nice if you need to turn the unit on or adjust the thermostat while driving or in the dark. No visual confirmation is necessary. The digital thermometer is powered by a small internal battery. The ARB’s lid pivots on two open-ended pin-style hinges, and…

Based in South Africa, National Luna is a smaller company with a hands-on approach to product development. Popular in Africa since the late 1990s, National Luna fridges are only now becoming available in the U.S. The NLR-40 uses a Danfoss BD35-F compressor coupled with an intelligent control module that allows for the most user input of all the fridges we reviewed. The user interface is a touch-button panel coupled to an illuminated red LED digital display. A thermometer reading is visible when the display is not being used for input. Adjustable parameters include target temperature, differential temperatures, low and high temperature alarms, probe offset (temperature corrections for thermometer accuracy), defrost modes, and Celsius or Fahrenheit units. In addition to the control panel, there is a selector switch for an “auto”…

There is no denying the rock-solid history behind the ARB and Engel products. Since the 1960s they have accompanied countless expeditions around the world. Attractively priced, reliable, and supremely durable, they are justifiably popular (I own the 60-liter Norcold version.) Many retailers carry them, and many accessories are available. Thus either makes sense for someone with an average budget who wants to buy into the proven performance of the brands. No doubt the patented swing-motor is one of the fundamental reasons for the renowned status of this fridge. It has only one moving part and its own suspension system, so even the worst corrugated roads have no effect on it. I once ran a swing-motor compressor on a battery that dropped below 11 volts. While cooling capacity was severely limited,…

When designing and specifying a purpose-built overland vehicle platform, the great compromise is the balance between capability and comfort, rugged trail performance and a good night’s sleep. Overlanding is certainly not only about climbing over rocks or crossing swollen streams, but there is no question that inclement weather, a washed-out road, or a remote Mayan site can test the limits of a vehicle’s capability. Several years ago, when I first started to work with manufacturers on off-highway vehicle testing, I devised a series of criteria for how I felt expedition platforms could be evaluated. This included empirical and subjective measurements of the following performance criteria: Capacity, Capability, Reliability, Durability, Comfort, Efficiency. As expected, capacity (payload and volume) is essential to carry enough fuel, food, water, and support equipment to complete…

New Duramax Diesel General Motors has announced the release of a new 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel engine, designed to be a close physical substitute for the common 5.7L gasoline engine currently offered in a variety of GM vehicles. The engine will first be offered in the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and HUM-MER H2. Expected to produce at least 310 hp and over 520 ft-lbs of torque, GM nevertheless estimates the Duramax will be 25 percent more fuel-efficient than a gasoline equivalent, and should reduce CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by 13 percent, and diesel particulate and NOx by 90 percent, over previous GM diesels. As stated in their press release, the size of the engine will allow “flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there…

The UAZ 469 was the standard light military vehicle of the USSR, and in civilian form could be considered the Land Rover of the Soviet Bloc. Basic and crude, it was also durable, fairly reliable except for a troublesome transmission, and easy to work on. (Legend has it the factory tool kit comprised a large hammer, a small hammer, a screwdriver, and a spare hammer.) Many 469s are still in use all over Asia and eastern Europe. UAZ: Ulyanovski Avtomobilny Zavod, or Automobile Factory of Ulyanovsk. Founded in 1941 when the Soviets moved production machinery east out of Moscow ahead of the advancing German Army. The 469 was introduced in 1973 and nominally discontinued in 1985; however, production of a slightly modified version called the 3151 continued (now equipped with…

I consider this fridge a classic as it is has been around for what seems to be ages, even in the U.S., and the design has changed little over the years. It has been common knowledge for some time that the Engel is virtually identical to the ARB as well as the Norcold (not included in this article). All of them share the same basic appearance and construction, with slight differences in the badging, finishes and colors. I decided to include both Engel and ARB in this review mostly to verify that their performance was indeed similar. Many of the features I detailed in the ARB review apply to the Engel as well, save for the digital thermometer, which the U.S. version of the Engel lacks. The Engel exterior colors…

Waeco is another manufacturer that has enjoyed years of popularity among recreational users worldwide. A large company recently bought by Dometic, their CoolFreeze fridge is one of the many different electronics products they produce for the leisure market. The CF-40 uses a Danfoss BD35-F compressor, controlled with a power management panel recessed flush into the top edge of the cabinet. This is a smooth-surfaced touch-panel with color-coded controls and indicator lights for easy viewing and operation. The thermostat control utilizes a single button pressed repeatedly to cycle through seven temperature levels (“cold” to “freeze”). There is a power on/off button and “Turbo” button that will increase the output of the compressor (at the expense of greater power consumption) for faster cooling. There are three indicator lamps for “power,” “turbo,” and…

Ten years after Sportsmobile’s first 4WD rally, nearly 100 vans converged on Utah’s Summit County and the High Star Ranch. Starting with the first rally held in 1998 at Lake Isabelle, CA, these events have been all about adventure, with a heavy dose of education and training. Alan and Liz Feld, who operate Sportsmobile West, coordinate these events for their customers, and have bounced around North America, holding rallies in Moab, Baja, Silverton, and Hollister. The events have become so popular that the number of registrants must now be limited. Saturday afternoon marked the opening of registration, and the vans began to line up, turning into a 400-yard-long procession of 35-inch tires, Atlas transfer cases, and excited participants. It was easy to see how this gathering has become a family…