Innehållsförteckning för Gear Guide 2014 från Overland Journal

Cobbler Cuisine I never imagined that I would actually enjoy something like cooking in your magazine (my cooking abilities are limited to boiling water), but undoubtedly I do. The reason I’m writing is not because of that, but because of the Classic Kit article on Dutch ovens (Spring 2013). Having read it, I have no doubts what cobbler Christophe Noel is fond of. However, whatever item it is that he is to cook, there seems to be a guarantee of it being sprinkled with a good dose of humor…so I’m for it! Romek Mikuliszyn 1997 80 Series Land Cruiser A Mere 129 ° F My wife and I were in the mountains near Death Valley on June 30 this year and we knew that near-record-breaking heat was predicted. The world…

A fellow traveler once told me that formulating an idea is easy, it’s the execution that is the hard part. The act of simply embarking on an extended long-distance trip might be one of the most difficult challenges you’ll face. Knowledge can be acquired, vehicles and equipment can be purchased, en route breakdowns fixed, and difficult situations overcome, but the courage to follow a dream takes more than time or money. Whether that courage is mustering the strength to leave the comfort of home and that which is known and familiar, or informing your family that you’ve just quit your job and intend to drive around the world (and take them with you), the act of actually leaving may not be easy. “Explore” is an annual gathering at the Royal…

Shocks are one of the unsung heroes of the backcountry. After being shoehorned between the chassis and the frame, they are for the most part forgotten about. Working in conjunction with the springs, they are the interface between bone-jarring contours of the trail and a fractured spine. Tucked into dark and lonely recesses, shocks are peppered by flying gravel, choked by dust, sprayed with sleet and rain, and occasionally buried in mud, sand, or snow. In the process we heat them to temperatures that will blister a finger, beat the daylights out of them for hours or days on end, and expect them to work on demand like an Energizer bunny every time we turn the key. When it comes to selecting a shock there are as many choices as…

In 1974, Bob Fox began penciling the design of a new innovative shock for a Maico dirt bike, the FOX AirShox. Machining was done in a friend’s garage, and when Fox introduced the AirShox to the world of motocross it was an instant hit. Since that time the company has grown to be an international powerhouse in the world of automotive, moto, and mountain bike sports. The 2.0 Performance Series IFP is aesthetically very similar to the ICON unit: a beautiful CNC milled 6061-T6 aluminum body with an integrated end mount. The .625-inch shaft is hard chrome-treated alloy steel; the rod end is also 6061-T6 billet aluminum and utilizes polyurethane bushings. The monotube design incorporates a sintered and heat-treated steel piston, spring steel disc stack, and nitrile main, wiper, and…

It was in September of 2010 that I was first introduced to the idea of using a hammock as a serious substitute for a tent. We were planning for No Limit Expeditions’ first Central America Exploratory Expedition, and Nick Taylor suggested that we investigate hammocks. His argument centered around their extreme lightness and packability as compared to tents (we needed to be as light and compact as possible given the number of people in the vehicle), as well as the ubiquity of trees in the region we would be traveling to. Research plunged us into an almost arcane world of people to whom a tenth of an ounce was critical (or at least viewed as so), and comparatively little consideration given to comfort or quality. These were hammocks that not…

Tomtor, Siberia, is one of the coldest inhabited places outside of Antarctica. At minus 71°F, exposed skin will freeze in less than four minutes. The first brush of arctic wind against your face will induce a shiver and early vasoconstriction, which pulls warm blood from the fingers and other extremities back to the body’s core in an effort to protect vital organs. Death can come quickly at these temperatures, and did for many prisoners held captive in Siberian Gulags (Soviet labor camps) and forced to construct the infamous Road of Bones. Known officially as the M56 Kolyma Highway, it threads its way through more than 2,000 kilometers of Russia’s heartland, from the banks of the Lena River transecting central Russia, to the country’s eastern shore. With our crossing of North…

Over the last week my friend Chris and I had been turned away from two separate borders. First we had attempted to cross into Georgia only to be turned away due to the ongoing conflict in the semi-autonomous region of Abkhazia. Then after much head scratching, and with the expiration dates of our Russian visas looming large, we headed back up through the Caucasus, carefully skirted war-torn Chechnya, and made our way over to the Caspian Sea. As part of the Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile road trip from London to Mongolia, our final destination was the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. After studying our tiny and outdated Eastern Bloc road atlas we concluded that our next plan of attack should be to try to enter Azerbaijan. From here we would theoretically…

Part mountain bike, part touring rig, the titanium Fargo is a witch’s brew of exotic ingredients borrowed from other platforms to create an adventure bicycle without peer. If you could have just one bicycle, what would it be? If you’re an avid rider you know that question is moot, as one bike is never enough. However, I do have my own personal answer, and it is the 2014 Salsa Fargo Ti. Part mountain bike, part touring rig, the titanium Fargo is a witch’s brew of exotic ingredients borrowed from other platforms to create an adventure bicycle without peer. At its core it is a 29er hardtail mountain bike, giving it enough brawn to tackle moderate singletrack without complaint, even when loaded with a full complement of bikepacking bags. The slightly…

When German entrepreneur August Bilstein started his small window fitting company in 1873, few would have predicted that it would someday be a major influence in the automotive world. It makes sense; Benz wouldn’t invent the Patent-Motorwagen for another 13 years. Bilstein didn’t enter the shock absorber market until 1954. But when it did, with a gas-pressurized monotube design, it was revolutionary. The 5100 Series follows the methodology of meticulous German engineering. It is a mono-tube design and construction is seamless formed steel with a multi-layer zinc finish. Mounts are welded steel with polyurethane bushings, and the 14-mm shaft is hardened chrome-plated steel. In dyno testing the 5100 returned figures very close to the OE unit (maximum force at 45 in/sec at room temperature was a low 436 pounds). This…

Stepping into the shock and suspension arena in 2008, California-based ICON Vehicle Dynamics is the new kid on the block. However, they didn’t waste any time in introducing a full line of racing and consumer-oriented products. Crafted from 6063-T831 anodized aluminum and sporting an integrated mounting hoop, ICON’s 2.0 V.S. Aluminum inspires confidence. The rod end, which is attached to a .625-inch nitro steel shaft, is machined from 6061 aluminum and houses polyurethane bushings. As with the other monotube units, there’s a fixed piston and shim stack affixed to the internal end of the shaft, and a floating piston separates its oil from nitrogen gas. There is a small fitting at the end to allow the addition of nitrogen if additional gas pressure is needed, and like the FOX and…

With a 21-inch Excel front wheel and 17-inch rear, both of which are spoked, it instantly had a more “moto” feel than most other ADV bikes I’ve ridden, especially when turning off the pavement. When looking for the new project bike for Overland Journal there were a lot of considerations to, well, consider. Weighing in at 165 pounds and standing only 5 feet 9 inches tall, I’m a smaller guy, and I’d been raised on motocross bikes since hopping on my first CR 50 back in 1983. I must admit, with all the cars and other variables, pavement riding has always been a bit intimidating to me. After my move from Colorado to California I found myself yearning to ride but not going because of the distance to dirt.…

Pros • Highly modular• Suitable for two occupants• Multi-position zippered door Cons • Weight• Needs larger rainfly• Bug Net hangs low• Short ridgeline The Eagles Nest Outfitters’ (ENO) OneLink Sleep System is the most modular and complete hammock system I’ve come across. It can be set up by itself for an afternoon at the beach, or with the Guardian Bug Net should small biting friends become an issue, or with the DryFly for rain protection. It weighs in at 4.5 pounds, the heaviest system in the review, and can accommodate two occupants or 400 pounds. Setup is easy using the optional Atlas Straps (1-inch polyester webbing). Simply wrap once around the tree or post and pass one end through the opposite end loop. There are 15 adjustment loops set at 5-inch intervals, allowing the hammock’s carabiner to…

Pros • Large rainfly• Integrated gear pocket• Small and lightweight Cons • Suspension lines tangle easily• Storage pocket sags• Small for taller persons Byer of Maine was founded in 1880 and built their business making slippers and textiles. In the 1900s they supplied the armed forces with camp cots (they also currently have a great line of cots). It wasn’t until 1999 that they got into the hammock business, but they now offer a selection of them, including the Amazonas Moskito Traveller Hammock. The Moskito, based on a Brazilian design, differs from the other hammocks reviewed in suspension and cut. Ropes on either end are made up of 10 long loops that attach through the edge of the nylon structure. This makes it lie almost flat until you get in. This is a symmetrical hammock and…

Using their intuitive website we entered our vehicle model, the configuration that would suit our needs, and the depth of the drawers. Truck Vault has a long history of providing cargo management systems for the military, law enforcement, fire, and search and rescue professionals. There are a number of reasons for this: the first is quality of construction and the second is security (thus the name). With a wide range of systems available, from single drawers to elaborate first-responder command centers, choosing the right unit for my family’s 2000 4Runner was easy. Using their intuitive website we entered our vehicle model, the configuration that would suit our needs, and the depth of the drawers. Options were 6- or 10-inch depths, single or double drawers, foldout tables, lighting, locks, color, and…

Tire punctures are the most common “breakdown” for dual-sport riders. Unfortunately, road service is often unavailable where we ride, and with the exception of those running sidecar outfits, spares are rarely carried. Tubeless tires are easily repaired with a plug, and a can of Fix-a-Flat may seal tubes, but patching a tire or tube will require additional tools and a bit of elbow grease. Carrying the appropriate repair kit for your tires is the best way to continue riding on air…rather than rim. Stop & Go International Inc. Deluxe Tube-Type Motorcycle Tire Repair Kit $40 Bill Merriman, fellow motorcyclist and president of Stop & Go, is a pioneer in the motorcycle tire repair kit business; he’s been doing it for 32 years. With eight different repair kits and several inflation…

I slammed on the brakes and veered left as a camel cart entered my path, its “driver” oblivious to the onslaught of oncoming traffic. The car to my left, just inches off the fender, honked, accelerated, and slipped around the dromedary. The camel jockey never flinched, slipping into the void and continuing on at a camel’s pace. I glanced over to my passenger, Peter Richings, to check for white knuckles, pallid skin, or signs of cardiac arrest. Wide-eyed and with a death grip on the overhead handle, he just stared out the windscreen; apparently the thought of dying on an Indian roadway wasn’t on his short list of things to do this day. The camel pilot on the other hand seemed indifferent—obviously of the Hindu faith. You see, Hindus believe…

Pros • Side-zippered entrance• Stabilizing guys• Four-season use (with options) Cons • Tree straps too short• Minimalist rainfly Tom Hennessy, who as a child used a surplus U.S. Army jungle hammock for camping, is credited with creating the jungle hammock industry. He eventually decided to make a better mouse trap and started his own company. Hennessy offers 11 models of hammocks along with a multitude of accessories to allow for true four-season use. The Expedition is large enough for an occupant up to 6 feet tall and 250 pounds. I chose the Asym Zip because I like the side-zip entrance. The system weighs in at 3 pounds, comes with a large stuff sack, and includes everything you need for a simple setup: hammock, rain tarp, and tree straps. Unfortunately, the standard 42-inch tree straps are…

Customize to Your Needs Nothing is perfect. Well, few things are. So the question, when presented with a bunch of options, is to look at what others have done before you and how they customized their setup. I’m not the final word on hammocks, but I thought it might be useful to list the setup I use for jungle trips. My kit has to be light, compact, and warm enough for 30-degree temperatures in humid environments that feel more like teens, and be easy to set up in the dark after a long day. It also needs to offer excellent rain and insect protection. As previously mentioned, I have a Warbonnet Blackbird, but I’ve swapped out the cinch-strap suspension for a Whoopie Sling. This suspension is fantastic for several reasons:…

The Overland Journal reader’s definition of Classic Kit might describe the genre as field worthy items that are: robust and overbuilt, reflect heirloom quality in appearance and construction, find a place in your essential equipment inventory, will be moved from vehicle to vehicle, and are rarely loaned out—even to trusted friends. In this installment of Classic Kit we examine military surplus equipment from Switzerland that might pertain to expedition and overland travel. Though designed for an alpine-based citizen army, these items are appreciated by gear hoarders and minimalists alike. They have an intimate, handcrafted feel that demands respect, can stand up against any modern equipment, and provide a counterpoint to mass production. Without further adieu, let’s delve into a few indispensible pieces of the Swiss Army’s Classic Kit. Swiss Precision…