Yesterday we posted a story about off-roaders going wild on an unpermitted (read: never, ever would have been permitted) party of 5,000 OHV enthusiasts in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. We’ve received emails in the past expressing displeasure that we cover the overlanding community because of the association with an element of off-roading that seems to care more about tearing it up on trails than the natural environment. But, off-roading and overlanding are not the same thing, necessarily, summed up well in this piece we previously published. We thought it was a good time to polish it up and send it back out into the world. This week’s AJ archival piece. Enjoy. – Ed.
The off-roader and the overland traveler are often thought to be the same, but there are important distinctions. An off-roader uses their vehicle, usually highly modified and not a daily driver, for recreational purposes and perhaps the odd holiday, where they will venture into the realm of the overlander for a brief time. Their priority is to test the limitations and endurance of both themselves and their vehicle either in designated 4×4 areas or on a round trip to an adventure destination where they will rely on the vehicle to take him to remote places over difficult terrain. The off-roader has nerves of steel.
Overlander. Photo: Fluid Imagery
The overlander’s objective is adventure travel over vastly changing terrain while testing their own courage and resourcefulness, and the vehicle’s endurance and reliability, all while maintaining some degree of comfort, usually over an extended period of time. Not all overlanders like to drive far from the beaten track and many will never exploit the off road capabilities of their vehicles. There is nothing wrong with this. Many amazing places are accessible by a well driven, unloved sedan. If you are an off-roader who intends to become a long term overlander you will have a fantastic journey if you are willing to adapt your mindset by carefully considering your travel needs.
There is a German man I never met who toured Central South America the same time we were there. We had mutual friends so the rumors we heard were fresh. He drove a custom modified Pinzgauer-based vehicle which resembled a lunar landing pod with wheels. The dashboard and ceiling of the cab were equipped with knobs and dials and switches, lights that flashed and gauges to inform of the pressure, fluid level, heat and health of every bloody moving part. Antennae swayed above the vehicle and a satellite dish jutted out the side of the living quarters. He had upgraded almost every part and had installed an electrical system which would baffle most electrical engineers.
Off-roader. Photo: Cody Lannom/Unsplash
The thing had six driven wheels, portal axles, lockers on each differential, self inflating tires, you name it. It probably cost more than I have ever earned or spent, and I started working when I was 14. Problem was…the thing hardly ever worked. The electrical system would crash frequently and the highly tuned engine ate the gearbox and pooped out the clutch. Twice he had to have a technician and a huge crate of spare parts flown in from some spotless Swiss workshop. The rub was that though the vehicle was designed to be highly competent off road it was unreliable and therefore unlikely to leave the hard top for any significant periods of time.
Hmm. Photo: Luisa Bell
Contrary to popular belief many overlanders are not able to afford the over-the-top rig and the associated costs. If you are going to travel around the world in any vehicle, you want to live by that old corporate chestnut: KISS, or Keep It Simple Stupid. No doubt when planning to outfit your vehicle you will spend countless hours on the web and attending outdoor shows where gleaming hardware and camouflage strapping solar powered water filtration air beds will coax the hard-earned cash right out of your pants.
That burly, khaki-clad salesman who once drove a fully kitted Toyota to REI on a particularly wet and windy day (or occasionally the outdoor magazine writer) will convince you that you should not even consider leaving home without the rock sliders and the custom roof rack and the full length LED light bar, the three extra fuel and water tanks, NASA designed pumps installed by his workshop while they drill in a cast iron drawer system, a full lighting system, a bar, two fridges, military grade under body protection, 40-inch tires and all the associated upgrades to the running gear and electrical system. All of that is great if you plan to use the vehicle to impress your mates every second weekend, and once a year for a run to Moab, but maybe not so great when you are planning to be a long term traveler.
Overlanders. Including the venerable Toyota Sienna minivan. Yes, minivan. Photo: Justin Housman
The focus when modifying a vehicle for overlanding should be on comfort and every day usability. You want to be dry when it is raining, warm when it is snowing or ice cold, cool in a heat wave, protected from the wind with the ability to store and prepare food under all those conditions, and sleep well at night, safe from bugs and predators-both two and four legged.
Recently we were camping in a desert with a bunch of Defender drivers when a small sandstorm blew through camp all night. Everyone was miserable except for the genius who had put an ambulance body on his Defender, and our family, which could sleep in a tent through a tornado. Said genius (he really is a genius, a rock climbing PanAm vet who manages a team researching pediatric cancer) was warm and clean and safe behind insulated walls. He had sleeping space for two and could cook inside or outside the vehicle. He had one-way blacked out windows for privacy, vents, and fans to cool the interior. The roof housed solar panels and surfboards, and had space for climbing gear or kayaks.
Inside he had storage space for more than he needed and a large, lockable safe for cameras and other expensive technology, as well as external storage boxes built into the ambulance body’s cavities. I spent a day with him driving some low range routes in the surrounding mountains and was impressed that the Defenders off-road capabilities were not hindered at all. I was envious. The cherry on the cake was that he had spent the equivalent of the price of a new roof top tent on the conversion-but, being a genius, he had created that bit of luck.
Top photo: Luisa Bell
Right on point Graeme! The key is getting out and exploring in a reliable vehicle…had my share of trips where others in our group suffered breakdowns due to “overbuild” vehicles failing.
That Defender 110 looks very familiar! I do believe that it’s the very same LR that got us through Africa in 2004 — I even can see the mounting points where they’d removed our (totally unnecessary) roll cage. It’s hard to believe that a vehicle that we’d built (from thousands of scrap parts) is still on the road. Fantastic!
“That burly, khaki-clad salesman who once drove a fully kitted Toyota to REI on a particularly wet and windy day will convince you that you should not even consider leaving home without the rock sliders and the custom roof rack and the …”
The truth well said.
This is an epic read ! And perfect advice . We are getting ready to give this a shot in a School bus
Spot on and a great read! definitely need a dependable vehicle and equipment then just go explore!
I’m a teacher, so I get some time to do extended camping trips in the summer. Never really thought about them as “overlanding” per se, but by this article’s definition, I suppose it fits.
Seems that nearly any daily driver could function. Most of my long trips (1 to 3 weeks) were done in a Prius. Hatchback plus a roofbox meant plenty of storage. Slept in a tent. Bike rack for kids’ entertainment. Certainly no off-roading, but if gravel roads are the toughest road you’ll see, a hatchback is all you really need.
We used to just call it “four-wheelin.” Places we went, we rarely saw other people or vehicles. Our goal was not to show off our motor vehicles for others nor to discuss our vehicular add-ons. This was something we did to go camping or for day-trips; it was not a “group” we all belonged to. I suppose the 5000+ in Tonto last week felt the need for re-affirmation of their ….. individualism {?!} or to beat drums together or something.
Keep your damn vehicle on a damn road. The earth will thank you.
Seriously, must you spoiled brats drive your toys everywhere??
Right on Miles.!
and I want to emphasis off of meadows!!
A paved road in and of itself creates far more environmental impact than “off roading” – but because that seems to be your only method of travel it’s easy for you get on your soapbox and decry everyone else as wrong.
Roads don’t just appear, they are mashed through the landscape and built with oil, fuel, and millions of tons of mined aggregate. Landscapes are changed irreversibly, countless yards of earth are moved or blasted away forever. Numerous drainage issues are created from the countless miles of now non-water absorbable surface area, solved by rerouting the water through miles and miles of plastic piping to places where it didn’t want to go, bringing all the newly displaced sediment with it. Chemicals and salt are applied all winter long so everyone can still drive 80 on the way to the ski area or CC trailhead. That’s the process to have a “damn” road.
Destroying the environment to create your home and the roads to it is apparently ok with you. Making roads through beautiful, once non paved pristine areas (National parks and forests) so you can drive closer to a trailhead also seems fine.
Others messing around in the dirt where you like to play (taking a paved road to get there that was blasted through once virgin land) is apparently the point where your impact is not a problem but theirs is.
Are you a spoiled brat for allowing bulldozers to build a road to your house? Are you a spoiled brat for pulling oil of the ground to create asphalt so you have nice smooth ride to your favorite hiking trail? Many people in countries without paved roads where they “off road” all the time might think so and possibly indignantly exclaim: “must you spoiled brats build your damn roads everywhere!?!”
Looking at your “keep your damn vehicle on the damn road” statement another way would make you (gasp) part of the problem as well, like the rest of us (god forbid).
What you really mean in my opinion is: the damage you do and or benefit from is ok, but what others are doing is the “real problem”
Elitism at its finest.
(No, off roading in designated wilderness is definitely not ok -and yes, there should always be large protected wilderness areas. Yes, of course I use roads also, but without trying to convince myself I’m better than others for doing so)
Like the roads that actually cover earth and what once used to be pristine pieces of land?. Think about it, what causes more damage to a particular piece of land, covering it with asphalt or concrete so nothing can live or drain properly on that piece of land and making it a road you speak of or someone who drives over it and hopefully treats it with respect with a goal of leaving no trace. Man, the virtue signaling for virtue signaling sake is just atrocious.
Yep.
To be fair, Miles, they’re still driving on roads, it’s just the roads are not paved. There’s a lot of dirt roads, fire roads, and other unpaved roads in various states of (dis)repair that can take us to nice places. I personally don’t travel this way, but certainly understand the attraction and desire for an appropriate vehicle.
I’m with you Miles. There’s an epidemic of lack of knowledge and lack of respect for others and the land that has gotten way worse during the pandemic. So many new public land users, having spent their stimulus money on outdoor toys, but not bothered to get educated, are abusing public lands in the name of “having fun with their family”. Please… The overland and outdoor industries are often to blame for taking the short road to profits and doing nothing to educate their customers or protect the land from which they profit.
By the looks of things, the difference is about $100K.
I frequently look at the site Expedition Portal & note the ubiquitous array of “planet” travelers & their vehicles. I live in the Intermountain West & am aware of 4 Wheeling (as in hard rock, Moab), Expedition travel with vehicles “loaded” & more meager Expedition travel so one can set up a camp and then hike, climb, explore & then return for food & some degree of sleep. I do a fair amount of the latter. Some zones require a high clearance, potential lift, larger tires (MT tread), sway bar disconnect & lockers. When I see video of travelers in Australia, S America, Africa, Europe or Canada or Alaska I’m reminded that each owner/driver has unique interests, ambitions & goals & it does little good to figure out the right or wrong way of travel. Weeks back I was in the Maze area of Canyonlands, Doll House area. It’s a long drive in & out, but there is much beauty in the area. I’ve been in the area enough times though to learn that maybe half, drive in, camp & then drive out the next day. Our practice is to camp/permit & then hike & then return to camp – the Park Service has a limit of 3 vehicles & a max of three days in one site. Two years ago I was in Needles, met groups of travelers with new Jeeps, 35/37 inch tires, roof tents and rear compartments all decked out. Each of them came in for a nite & then left. The author is well versed, but if residing in the Western US would have learned that a new machine has entered the fray – in the mountains & deserts – and the volume of these users & machines is astounding. UTV Side by Side are the day travel units of choice now, for hundreds of thousands, & the impact is enormous; & by force causing other full size vehicle users to change their practice & direction. And then of course, responsible driving, staying on roads/routes/washes & not causing mayhem to nature. There are many places in the US & world I’d love to see, but wonder if it will ever happen as time, money, partners & mentors (introduction to new areas) have to align. Weeks back I saw the Big Dipper in the N Sky & Orien to the South & imagined (on a moonless night) travelers in many zones saw the same sights. And then the hoot of an owl late into the night & the next morning review of First Nation art on walls. Hopefully quiet wonders exist into the future for new generations, in quadrants all over the world. Happy trails & safe travel to all of you out there.
Not really sure that either of those definitions are that accurate. People throw overlanding and off roading around in more ways then I can understand. I personally still consider it car camping, and trail riding. Overlanding is what Todd an the gang call taking their over stuffed, over weighted tacos an jeeps to a campground or area. To many people think overlanding is more than just a over used phrase weekend warriors use to sound exclusive. Like how hikers are now calling it through hiking sobo instead of “backpacking”. Pointless phrases for people who can’t do something with out adding obserd amounts of ego meaning to it all. Sounds arrogant an elitist.
I travelled in my jeep jk all over the country. Never once did I think I was an overlander or off reader.