Innehållsförteckning för Fall 2019 från Overland Journal

When I purchased my first air compressor, speed was all that mattered.The faster it was,the less time I had to spend on the side of the road.After it failed twice in the field though,my priorities took a hard left.I wanted simplicity and reliability in any conditions along with fierce durability—the Kalashnikov of compressors.Thorough research and countless recommendations pointed toward the ExtremeAire Magnum, and last summer I made the order. The Magnum is Extreme Outback’s flagship compressor,a 12-volt beast designed for reliability and speed.It uses a replaceable air filter instead of flat wafers, stainless steel hardware to prevent corrosion, and a special coating around the cylinder which dissipates heat.Most importantly,the compressor runs on sealed bearings that prevent the breakdown or contamination of grease due to water and dust.This means you can…

I doubt many of us stop to appreciate our tires on a daily basis, but there’s nothing like the Australian Outback to give you some perspective. Out there, hundreds of miles from nothing, and even further from something, you begin to cherish the precious rubber standing between you and a very long, miserable walk. It was in this unforgiving environment that the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro proved its worth and convinced me to test a set upon my return to the States. The STT Pro is Cooper’s most advanced mud terrain to date. Their engineers spent an enormous amount of time honing the acoustic engineering, shape, and balance to deliver the off-pavement performance we expect from an M/T but with road manners closer to an A/T. It utilizes a hybrid…

Gridlock, choking fumes, a clamor of horns. Motos, taxis, buses, and trucks vie for space, trading paint and insults without mercy. Battered lane markings intended to impose order, now useless, are lost beneath the chaos. Pedestrians clamber between the vehicles latching on to slow-moving buses, abandoning taxis. Not exactly the wilderness adventure one pictures when planning an overlanding journey. The only way to move forward was to become a part of this chaotic steel ballet. Like teeth in a turning cog, we lumbered in unison toward our destination. A glance at the clock told us we should have been there already. That Ben and I were even this close was a testament to our good fortune. Or the fact that we were now stuck in traffic could be seen as…

For over 60 years, Backpacker’s Pantry has been producing camping meals, their first efforts inspired by a Girl Scout trip gone awry. As a company, it is still a privately held, family-owned brand that makes the meals in Boulder, Colorado. Their recipes are made from both freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients with an estimated shelf life of up to 10 years for the packaged options, and 25 years for their #10 cans. We found it somewhat curious that the lot we received had already sat unsold for nearly four years. The package itself is durable and sturdy, arguably the most robust (but also the largest) of the test. This ruggedness made opening the package difficult, but closure for cooking was simple. Cooking requires 2 cups of boiling water and 15 minutes…

Outdoor Herbivore is a charming company with a genuine story of entrepreneurial dreams, ethical goals, and ingredients that are good for us and the planet. While not every overlander will want vegetarian or vegan meals, there is no arguing the healthy contents of the penne dish we selected. The company was founded by Kim Safdy, with a focus on locally sourced, renewable, and sustainable foods that include no flavor enhancers, preservatives, MSG, fillers, sulfites, nitrates, GMOs, textured vegetable protein, or artificial ingredients. The plant ingredients are certified organic, and everything is packaged in minimalist recyclable bags that are both space efficient and resealable. Preparing the meal requires a pot and 1.5 cups of water. After bringing the water to a boil, the pasta mix and enclosed olive oil package are…

As evaluators, we often come into a test with preconceived notions as to how the evaluations might go, and for this one, I was convinced it would be clinical, and honestly, quite boring. Fortunately, learning about dehydrating, freeze-drying, and the history of these interesting companies proved to be time well spent. The taste testing with the team was also an exercise in hilarity, with much laughter; Atlas is looking forward to the next one. This combination of structured, objective testing and charting was nearly perfectly balanced by the broad sample of five subjective judges. There was only one meal (chicken piccata) where the group deviated markedly. For the most part, it was obvious which meals were really good, and which were just tolerable. As overlanders, we certainly get remote, but…

When I was 18, I hopped a jumbo jet to the Middle East and settled in. It was a difficult transition from my speedy, drive-through life back in the States. Living just a few miles from the Old City of Jerusalem, I woke to the minarets each morning—early—and spent time going up and down the country from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Golan Heights. The culture was fascinating, the history was amazing (though tragic), and the food was brilliant. I fell in love with falafel, got hooked on pizza without meat, and pigged out on street shawarma. Years later I got into big bikes. Each winter, my friend and I travel to Baja and explore the lesser-seen areas of the peninsula, trying the food everywhere we go. One time,…

After meeting each other only two months earlier, through a mix of reckless wanderlust and spontaneous adventure, we came up with an idea. Together, we would drive the planet. Inspired by Gunther Holtorf ’s 24-year world tour, we put pen to paper and drew up a 220,000-mile route through all seven continents and 70 countries. This was to become our life for the next three years. Neither Topher nor I had any 4WD experience, mechanical background, or overlanding history. And with our departure date set for only one month away, we knew we would have to learn on the fly. This quick departure turnaround allowed us to keep the entire expedition on the down-low, with our friends and family back home in New Zealand having near to no knowledge of…

Overlanders love 4WDs, but we also tend to explore the earth by other means. Though I’m a fan of the water, carrying a canoe is rarely an option, which is why I borrowed a Forager packraft from Alpacka Raft last year. The Forager is a heavy-lifter, expedition-grade craft equipped to haul two people and 500-plus pounds of gear. Originally designed for big game hunting in the remote reaches of Alaska, it is ideal for a weekend paddle or a journey around Iceland’s coasts. This packraft isn’t your kid’s Sevylor. Its standard hide is 420-denier nylon coated with a UV-resistant heavy polyurethane film; an optional 400-denier, five times stronger-than-steel Vectran fabric spun from liquid crystal polymers is an optional material. The Forager is self-bailing and includes ingenious features like the Cargo…

Ubco is the world’s first production 2x2 electric motorcycle, a lightweight, go-anywhere mule aimed at ranchers and rangers, but just as suited to urban duties and trail wrangling. Conceived and developed in New Zealand, the road-legal export model features LED lighting, smart-phone connectivity, a 75-mile range, and a top speed of 30 mph—anyone with a licence can ride it. With a weight of just 144 pounds, it’ll easily perch on a truck’s fender rack. I was guided round a North Island MTB trail by Ubco’s CEO, Tim Allan, and found the two-wheel ute’s learning curve no steeper than a loading ramp. The oversized MX footrests, low saddle, 5 inches of well-damped travel, and a 48-ampere-hour battery set low in the step-through trellis frame made whizzing through the tangled undergrowth easy…

The Evoque has always been a compact crossover utility vehicle (CUV) with an emphasis on design and performance, while still delivering respectable fuel economy and the Land Rover promise of all-road capability. For 2020, Land Rover is launching the MKII model, which is almost 100 percent new, yet remains visually familiar. ON THE ROAD Any Range Rover should be a pleasure to pilot on pavement, consuming miles with brand-honoring aplomb, and the new Evoque is no exception. Road noise was noticeably lower, and steering feel was excellent—a major improvement in tuning and weighting, particularly on center. The 2.0-liter, turbocharged I4 is eager under heavy acceleration, and the turbo spools quickly, producing a 7-second, 0-60 run with the non-hybrid variant, and a 6.3 time for the mild hybrid. It feels faster…

I can still remember the smell of the horse shashlik, a tub of meat and indecipherable seasonings that we pulled from a freezer in the remote Russian village of Kosh-Agach. The only way I knew it was horse meat was from the line-art drawing of an equine on the lid, and the confirming nod and smirk from the storekeeper when I pointed and whinnied. Food was scarce in this extremely remote area of southern Russia, and this was the only meat available for sale at the outpost. We stocked up as best we could in anticipation of several weeks of travel on the formidable northern road across Mongolia. The border proved brutal with a combination of entry delays and an incident with the local military where a drunk driver crashed…

One of the oldest, largest, and most respected brands in the test, Patagonia has only recently started producing shelf-stable food. Founder Yvon Chouinard has a passion for food and sustainable and organic standards. As a result, they have developed a high-quality offering that is non-GMO, organic, and produced with no chemicals, additives, or preservatives. Their range of products includes everything from vegan soups to smoked salmon, buffalo jerky, and mussels. We selected a serving of their organic green lentil soup and complemented it with a serving of their wild-caught, lightly smoked pink salmon fillets, making a complete meal. For preparation, the soup requires a pot (cannot be cooked in the bag) and it is recommended to bring the 2 cups of water to a boil before simmering the contents for…

The wind from the Southern Ocean clawed against my skin, and the mist from crashing waves of Cape Carnot speckled my sunglasses. I was standing on some of the oldest rock in Australia, with nothing between me and the coast of Antarctica. I stood in awe of my surroundings, humbled by the scale of the place, by the immensity and age of the continent behind me, and the reality that it was once connected at this very spot to Antarctica. Between the early Permian and late Jurassic periods, the supercontinent of Gondwana began to tear apart as Australia moved north, the rift creating the Great Australian Bight. This area is not only famous for its remoteness but the stark beauty of the world’s largest limestone plain, the Nullarbor. Any good…

If someone had told my now-husband, Dave, and me that we would get crabs from a rusty bathtub in Russia, then ask if we’d still want to go, the answer would be yes, in retrospect. Definitely, yes. Because it turns out that this story, along with our tea party and other Russian shenanigans are anecdotes we tell often; it’s often the trials and tribulations of an adventure that lead you to the very thing that defines the word itself. When we planned a two-year motorcycle journey through 40 countries, Russia was a destination that needed little discussion before joining the itinerary. It was home to two intriguingly dangerous off-road routes: the BAM (Baikal–Amur Mainline), an unmaintained service track for a railway built as an alternative to the Trans-Siberian Highway; and…

When it comes to boots, there are few names that garner as much nostalgia as Red Wing here in the United States. They’ve been outfitting our country’s workforce with quality footwear since 1905, but have expanded their line to be fashion forward as well, with heritage options like the Iron Ranger. Just like the boots made over 100 years ago, the Ranger is made from oil-tanned leather, which is water, stain, and perspiration resistant. It’s extremely durable and forms a natural patina over time that’s stylish and attractive.The leather is triple-stitched for longevity, with double layers in the toe cap and heel pocket, and laces that tie through metal eyelets and hooks. The soles vary based on the model chosen and are available with smooth bottoms for the office or…

The quest for the right camp table has always been a struggle for me and is ongoing. I want something compact to save space, but that doesn’t take forever to set up. Since I store it inside my vehicle, it can’t rattle like the roll-up aluminum models, but needs to be sturdy enough for practical use. It’s a delicate balance to strike, and last year I found my almost perfect match, the Primus Campfire. This table is less than 3 inches thick when stored, but spans 22.8 x 29.5 inches when open. That’s an ideal amount of space for kitchen tasks like meal prep, cooking, and eventually eating, but things can get a bit tight with a large stove, pots, pans, and ingredients. Setup is measured in seconds thanks to…

There is something beautiful about the sound of a V-twin engine sparking to life, settling into a low exhaust rumble—the same engine configuration designed by Giulio Cesare Carcano nearly 60 years ago. I find that almost everything about a Moto Guzzi sparks emotion, which is why I purchased a V7 Special years ago for the in-town back and forth. In mid-March, I flew to Sardinia to test the newest Guzzi, their V85 TT, a motorcycle that Piaggio Group has positioned as the first classic enduro. The concept has massive appeal to me as a rider, as it not only brings in the nostalgic visuals of early scramblers but includes a proper dose of simplicity and durability. I find this new category of motorcycles to be a reminder of what these…

AlpineAire is a subsidiary of the Katadyn Group, well known for brands like Optimus and SteriPen. In business since 1979, the company is celebrating 40 years of producing high-quality, healthy freeze-dried and dehydrated meals for the outdoors and emergency use. Their products are known for their variety, preparation convenience, and purity of ingredients with no artificial preservatives, flavorings, colorings, MSG, or white sugar. The packaging is durable and easy to open, and has a ziplock seal for cooking. The package size is large enough for water, but not too big to complicate storage. The base of the bag is wide and stable, permitting freestanding while cooking or eating. The cooking process was straightforward and efficient with a 12-minute cook time, the upper end of their recommendation, but consistent with the…

The oldest brand in our test, Mountain House, was started in 1969 during the Vietnam War when the US military put out a request for long-lasting, better-tasting, and lighter rations for long-range patrols with the Special Forces teams. They continue to make military rations, but also specialize in backpacking, camping, and emergency preparedness. For 50 years, they have produced freeze-dried meals that last up to 30 years in storage, and have been to the moon and back. We selected beef stroganoff, a popular offering, and one rated highly among consumers. The package is one of the bulkiest in the test, and unnecessarily so. It is also difficult to open and leaves a massive (nearly 3-inch) and unusable top strip that ends up in a landfill. By comparison, the Good To-Go…

In the early 1970s, Toyota began production of the Land Cruiser in South Africa. At the time, my father was living in tents in Botswana and Zululand, working as a geologist’s assistant. He used many of those early model Cruisers before buying one from his employer, which we used for years on family trips. Forty years later, I got my first job as a geologist and soon found myself in Zambia behind the wheel of a 79-Series Cruiser pickup—the progeny of the earlier models my dad had used in the same work. I spent several years working all over Southern Africa driving Cruisers from swamp to desert, living a life I could never have imagined during my early days in the geology lecture hall at Rhodes University. Around the time…

Years ago, in Punakha Dzong in Bhutan, I saw a horde of tourists surround a young Bhutanese woman. In the courtyard of the monastery, they pushed their cameras, smart-phones, and iPads close to her face, snapping away. The woman, trapped inside the circle like a movie star caught by the paparazzi, looked anxious, bewildered, and deeply uncomfortable. Photographers call this the Human Zoo, where amateurs or tourists with cameras treat local people as exotic creatures to gawp at and photograph, rather than real humans with real feelings. There are worthwhile debates, especially online, discussing photography of people and cultures and whether it is respectful or helpful or instead exploitative. That isn’t something I plan to go into too much detail on here, but the Human Zoo is obviously the wrong…