Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2024 från Overland Journal

ROW 1 @_poudredescampette_ Snorkeling this morning, taking advantage of the calm sea to get behind the reef (translated from French). Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico. @sotallrightnow Where else in the world can you experience all of this? Botswana is definitely the right spot for a nice blend of a motorcycle and safari adventure.  @overland.n.explore That mind-blowing blue! Throwback to our Kireas Lakes [island of Evia] trip. Yes, the water actually looks like that because of minerals flowing to it from nearby mines, so sadly, you can’t swim in the lake. ROW 2 @lifeofshack Surf check. @alvetoexpedition These are some of the last photos [taken on] the north coast of the Persian Gulf as we say goodbye to Iran, the incredible country that hosted us for the past three and a half…

Layering is the secret to dressing effectively for extreme cold weather, and being able to regulate your body temperature is critical. An overland journey to cold climates means that most of the day will be spent within a vehicle with occasional dashes into the elements for fuel stops or photo opportunities. A good base layer should be comfortable in a heated vehicle and for short or long forays into the cold while maintaining your core temperature. I found that Triple Aught Design’s 100 percent merino-wool Praetorian Hoodie and Overlord Sweater were a winning combination to keep my upper body toasty and comfortable. Designed for versatile use in a range of environments, they reflect a blend of historical inspiration and modern functionality, suitable for working through the day (combined with a…

I was sure I’d never have to pay any attention to rooftop tents. Why devote precious cargo-hauling space to a place to sleep when ground tents take up such a small footprint inside of a car and can be set up in minutes? Plus, I had a built-out camper van with a comfortable bed and a teardrop trailer with an even better mattress. I couldn’t imagine a scenario where a rooftop tent made sense. Then, I tried the Thule Approach. I get it now. The thing about ground tents in a bag is the roomier they are, the more annoying they are to set up. Yes, they’re easy to move around, but the bigger the footprint, the harder it is to find enough level ground in some spots. They have…

When I first laid eyes on Yakima’s new Exo system, I was skeptical. The modular setup certainly seemed groundbreaking—a dual-platform design that could carry all sorts of gear configurations, hauling bicycles, a camp kitchen, and a storage box on two levels mounted to a hitch rack. It just felt like a lot for my Subaru Outback to muscle around the wilderness. Then I tried it. And I’m surprised to say the Exo is now a vital part of how I explore the outdoors. The Exo offers a new way to hit the road. The GearLocker ($529) connects to the SwingBase ($569) via an easy and secure cleat system, letting me stow my inflatable kayak and gear in its 10 cubic feet of storage space instead of on the roof, which…

WHITEDUCK TUFF SERIES LOG CARRIERS | $30-$35 Often, the best gear is the simplest. Whiteduck makes its affordable Tuff series log carriers from 21-ounce industrial waxed canvas. They come in four distinct styles, each available in four different muted earth tones. Log carriers are great for keeping dirty, splintery firewood corralled in the back of your vehicle and for moving wood around the campsite, of course. But they have plenty of other uses as well, from gathering up birds from a dawn hunt to offering a dry place to sit or kneel when working on your rig. Whiteduck even recommends them as bearers for small pets (your mileage may vary on that front). The rectangle and diamond shapes are open-ended—they operate more like a wrap than a bag, which makes…

The silence of the Alvord Desert is all-consuming. The column of quiet that descends on the dry lakebed in the evenings reaches through you. Sounds that would be swallowed by the regular cacophony of a workaday wilderness are amplified, like they’ve been plugged into a Marshall stack—the rumble of a pickup truck on the county road a dozen miles away, the thud of a grasshopper landing heavily on the cracked mud at your foot, the creak of the frame of your camp chair as you lean back to take in the stout expanse of Steens Mountain to the west. There is unease in the tranquility. Ghosts haunt the playa, gliding over its preternaturally plumb surface as sure as the landsailers leaning into the morning gales. It was here that “the…

I am deeply in love with Italian food and can sniff out a Bolognese from anywhere. I was in Bologna, Italy, while pregnant. I still feel my swollen, hot feet and football belly walking into a restaurant. “Ciao,” comes from the kitchen, and I’m fed quickly. The Italians are family people, and when they saw a pregnant woman coming in, they were honestly serving before I could sit down. What I adore about Italian cuisine is the connection between family and food. The joy of sitting together and sharing meals made with love—it’s wholesome and contagious. I became obsessed with fresh handmade pasta and devoted myself to recreating my memory of this special trip. I have been slowly cooking my own version over the campfire for a few years now…

PRAETORIAN HOODIE | $228 The Praetorian hoodie, inspired by the history of the Roman Empire’s elite Praetorian Guard, is designed for adaptable leaders who assume roles of responsibility. Made in Italy from 100 percent Australian merino wool, the hoodie offers an active fit and is Woolmark and RWS-certified. Its extra fine, 19-micron fabric ensures a comfortable, luxurious feel,​ and its unique aero hood design, reinforced elbows, and thumb-hole cuffs provide additional protection and functionality. The full front coil zipper and YKK zippers ensure durability and ease of use. The two hand-patch pockets and a Napoleon pocket offer practical storage options; the only slight criticism I have is of the size of the chest pocket, as it is barely large enough to store a wallet. However, the hand-patch pockets accommodate even large…

After an undulating 14-kilometer hike with 35 poundson my back, I opened the NEMO Dagger Osmo three-person tent for the very first time under the looming shadow of Mount Assiniboine—motivated by a relentless cloud of thirsty mosquitoes. Perhaps this wasn’t the smartest plan in the world, but it made for a perfect opportunity to see how intuitive this tent is. The freestanding Dagger and its nylon-polyester Osmo rain fly are symmetrical, making setup straightforward. Color-coded poles and webbing make it even easier. I initially had concerns that the DAC Jake’s feet clips at each corner felt fragile, but they have proved reliable over dozens of nights in the tent. It would be unfair to fault a product on a perceived lack of durability, plus NEMO’s lifetime warranty provides peace of…

In the past, the spheres of all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive have been separate and very unequal. While capable enough in slippery conditions on regular roads, all-wheel drive has struggled for cred when the going gets really rough. Flimsy axles, part-time operation, and a conspicuous lack of both locking differentials and low range all have conspired to keep AWD vehicles off the hardest tracks. The short-travel-independent suspension traditionally fitted to most AWD cars lifted the barrier to off-road entry even higher. Solid axles and big pumpkins were (and in some ways still are) the only way to fly if you wanted to reach the end of the most remote roads—and get back home in one piece. However, a new class of all-wheel-drive pickups and SUVs has entered the market in…

With a crack of lightning, the lodestone is magnetized, becoming one of the most unusual and useful stones on earth, melding magnetic coercivity and geomancy, divining everything from feng shui to the navigator’s compass. When suspended from a string, the lodestone would slowly and steadily rotate until it pointed toward the magnetic poles. The Chinese are credited with the first mechanical compass before 1050, followed by Europe in 1190. By 1302, the Amalfi maritime pilot Flavio Gioja had perfected the dry compass with the magnetized needle suspended by a pin over the compass rose. By the early 1500s, the compass had advanced to include a gimbal and stabilizing oil to bring in the Age of Discovery, including the prolific Portuguese that frequented the great Cape of Africa. With those early…

It was 70 days into Reza Pakravan’s bicycle expedition from Norway to South Africa before he cracked. His body weak with a recent bout of malaria and severe food poisoning, Reza and his expedition partner, Steven Pawley, slogged through the Kenyan desert in 40°C temperatures, out of water and, eventually, out of stamina. Pakravan’s vision went black, and he collapsed. There’s only so much the human body can take. With no other way out, he had to continue. Just to the next village, he told himself. Just 10 more miles. He started pedaling slowly on the dusty, rock-strewn desert track. Suddenly, several warriors from the local Samburu tribe ran beside him with wide smiles, excitedly following his bike, legs pumping. This act helped Pakravan continue for the next 3,000 miles…

BOTSWANA, A LANDLOCKED COUNTRY in Southern Africa, is a paradise for adventure seekers looking to challenge themselves in one of the continent’s wildest countries. With vast stretches of untamed wilderness, diverse wildlife, and rugged landscapes, it offers an ideal playground for overlanders who venture off the beaten path. Kubu Island was the first place marked on my map. I had two goals for this trip and seven days to get it done. The first was to recce the southern part (Kubu, Maun, and Gweta) of a larger route I had planned for later in the year. The other was acquiring photography assets. Before hitting the dirt roads to Kubu Island—a 45-kilometer section of narrow dirt and sand tracks that weaved about through dense bush and eventually opened up to massive…

From a distance, we spot the bridge, but as we come closer, I notice an iron wire strung between two poles that creates a height restriction barrier to prevent trucks from crossing. It doesn’t look like our Land Cruiser (with all the stuff on the roof) will be able to pass underneath, but we try for it nonetheless as we have set our minds on some glorious wild camping in the foothills of the Pamir Mountains. The Pamirs border the southern side of the Alay Valley in Kyrgyzstan, a region easily overlooked by many travelers who focus on driving the Pamir Highway through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. However, just north of the border crossing is the entrance to the Alay Valley, and all you need do is take a turn westward…

Good times—at least of the sort we’re after—come with a downside. The hard truth behind adventure is that you can’t safely peace out beyond the confines of cell service with nothing but a sandwich in one hand and your car keys in the other. For those of us desperate for even a brief escape from technological and material overload, that’s the dream. It’s just not always practical. No amount of planning will keep life from throwing wrenches. Flat tires, empty tanks, broken arms, natural disasters, weather fluctuations, miscommunications, and other hazards are eventually inevitable. It’s a matter of when not if. Even the most experienced aren’t immune. We’re all playing Russian roulette out there to an extent. Unpredictability is all part of the fun—until the consequences catch up with you.…

Okay, let’s be honest. Just because I’ve been driving four-wheel drive vehicles for 50 years and just because I’ve covered most of the major four-wheel-drive events in the United States (including numerous trips over the Rubicon Trail, the Jeepers Jamboree, All 4-Fun, Sierra Trek, and Moab’s Easter Jeep Safari), I am not a “four-wheeler.” Getting stuck and digging or winching myself out is not what I consider fun. On the other hand, things can go sideways, and it’s usually not on purpose. I maintain that the definition of getting stuck is when you leave the keys in the ignition and walk away from your vehicle because you know nobody can steal it. Otherwise, you’re just temporarily detained. Having had the experience of going through three Camel Trophy training seminars in…

“Don’t go to Skye—just don’t go.” I’m sitting in the caravan of Huey Hughs, a Scottish stove maker from Wigtown. He hands me a pint-sized Stella Artois from a cooler in the kitchen. I accept the can, cracking open the top and taking a bitter swig. “But it’s supposed to be one of Scotland’s most stunning wild spots,” I say. “Aye,” he agrees. Huey coughs, adjusting his fur-lined cap. He smells of cigarettes. Long strands of silver hair escape from his hat. A smile spreads across his face, lighting up his bright blue eyes. “Don’t go.” Rain hammers against the window. The wind is howling. Huey swipes through photos of secluded beaches with clear water—treasures saved on his iPhone. “It’s the Outer Hebrides you want. You have to go.” Referred…

Even if we aren’t aware of it, overland travel provides countless immersive lessons in geography. Mobility allows us to observe how cities and towns are connected, whether by fields of cheerful canola flowers, hills punctuated by wind turbines, or riverways choked with litter. We notice how environments change from one place to the next and how the onset of valleys, mountains, or deserts affect the way people live their daily lives, from what they eat to the clothing they wear and their role within the local community, society, and economic systems. If we’re in tune, we also notice how the places, landscapes, and people influence us. Understanding how humans and their surroundings interact helps us make sense of the world around us—something which the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), with the…