Omg well said. Both of which are blown so far out of proportion and only benefits a few companies and yet somehow everyone and their dog seem to think it’s a convention that must be followed.
"Overlanding" is definately just car camping. I usually pull my popup camper to some BLM land that is close to a group of trails I like to do, then I'll spend the weekend doing the trails. I dont like to say I'm into "overlanding" but I'm in to offroading/wheeling.
Aussie here, we hardly even say 'overlanding' anymore since it's kind of dated. We usually just say 'touring' instead lol. Definitely agree with your point about the gear, anything is marketable and overlanding as a hobby or a lifestyle is no exception.
Fellow Aussie here, I only ever use 'overland' in RUclips searches. As you said, I did touring trip around the country years ago, lots of off-road, didn't once call it over landing.
Oh man if I had a nickle for everytime I've gotten into an argument after saying the same thing. It's the same thought with the guntubbers. Gotta have alllll the gear so I can larp.
Good “essay”. I’m a retired forester. My first woods rig was a 1964 Ford 100 4wd. In the 50 years since that day, I’ve driven thousands of miles of improved and unimproved forest and desert roads. I agree with the sentiment that the “overlanding” of 2024 is glorified car/truck camping. I ply the deserts of Eastern Oregon conducting citizen science for Oregon State University. Many of the roads I have traveled are in my experience the worst of anything I encountered in my 40 year career. There have been some but not many roads that I could not or chose not to attempt to travel because of my vehicle. So, what is it? I drive an unmodified 2018 BMW X5d other than a wheel set (18” rims) with an off road tread pattern. I have had no mishaps due to careful, prudent driving and have seen places that few will go to. My vehicle maintenance shop marvels at the amount of cheatgrass, sagebrush, etc. that I pack home in the undercarriage. Few people drive these capable vehicles beyond the grocery store. Anyway, if you’re interested in the science project, check out the Oregon Bee Atlas online. We are volunteers collecting native bees for an ongoing population dynamics study. I also pull a Nucamp Tab 400 with this rig to provide me with a base camp for my travels. Kudos to the companies that have tapped this marketplace, it’s just not needed for people like me.
Things like overland expo are really about the 'dream' of the wild and companies that supply the gear are fulfilling a market request. People toss money at the overlanding hobby because they are trapped at a desk all week and it's easier to buy gear then just go out camping in tent and notice other people are glamping and you look all ghetto.... Growing up we just went tent camping in the summer as a family, eventually my parents bought a crappy trailer so they could sleep in a bed while the kids were tent camping. Hiking, canoeing and campfire cooking was great fun. :)
Meh, everything is a grift... I see backpackers/hikers with 10k in ultralight hiking gear, I see fishermen with hundreds of thousands of dollars in boats and gear they dont need, hunters with the best scope, best rifle, thousands of dollars in optics. and rubbing piss on themselves... I just did a week trip to Yellowstone, and felt way better staying in my RTT as opposed to a ground tent in grizzly country.. Was I overlanding? I dont know... just felt like car camping to me..
Might I clarify/suggest that anything can be "grifted", but not everything is a grift? I'm trying not to drown in cynicism here. That's also why I keyed in on the word "overlanding" and the specific geography of the United States. There's a real time and a real place, but it doesn't look like alot of overlanding is happening where I am.
Anyone could pull their hair out stressing over gear choices and finance themselves for life trying to get the best gear for a drive to hike around hunting and fishing for the weekend. Instead use current gear and buy reasonably priced stuff and use what you know works from experience. Don’t buy into expensive is better, sometimes it is sometimes it isn’t, and it isn’t necessarily practical or more efficient. As the saying goes their is more then one way to skin a cat
You pretty much summed up how I’ve been feeling about this topic for the past 3 years. Nothing against having a hobby that involves modifying your truck/SUV, I love that people find things they’re passionate about. But to do it all with the guise of a building a purpose built machine seems disingenuous. Just enjoy what you do without feeling the pressure to buy all the things and own up to the fact that you got your icon lift kit because it just looks dang cool and it excites you. No shame in that.
I have the exact same truck as you do. 20+ years old. I just retired, gave it a little love. I do a Lot of long distance, off the grid, solo camping. I am truly glad for all of the new updates that are compatible with my old, first gen Tundra. Ready for the next 20 years. Everything has been paid for. When I take it into my local Toyota dealer, the service manager asks me if I want to sell it to him..
Couldn't agree more my man. The gear is ridiculous and these days when i see a tacoma with the huge bed rack with allllllllllll the offroad "gear" all over it. I laugh at the poor guy driving cause he fell for the overland gimmick. Like you said best thing to do is drive to a camping spot then explore on foot. Thats where you get to see true beauty. Cheers from Oregon and keep up the great content my man.
@H00Dwinked26 What you said doesn't make any sense. This video didn't give me a reason to laugh at anyone. I laugh in real life at the guys and gals that fell for the "overland" gear gimmick. Overlanding is just car camping. Did it in the 80s when I was kid and still do it now from the back of my truck. My grandfather did it back in the 50s to the 90s while he hunted...and camped. I laugh at all the folks who fall for the overland gimmick in regards to all the gear they think they need.
Overlanding is what you make of it and i don't try to define it. There are plenty of routes/trails/ roads in the us where you will use an entire tank of fuel or come close to running out, ive been there many a time so while that may not be your experience, it definitely does happen. I agree that most vehicles are overbuilt for what we do, i know mine is overbuilt for 75% of what i do, but its that 25% i do where i intentionally seek out the hardest tracks and trails that im glad i have that equipment and i use 100% of it. Lastly i agree that hiking/ backpacking is a far better way to see nature and explore this beautiful country, but as someone who did enough of that earlier in life, ill gladly keep exploring via vehicular travel methods and ditch the pack.
I think the point is that many of the people with their pristine rigs aren’t actually using their equipment like it’s designed and are instead end up with a mall crawler of a different flavor.
Overlanding in North America was a COOL "word" to describe backroadCar Camping. - great marketing though!!! It worked real good. Most overlanders only want to drive a bunch with a goal of cooking a great meal by a river or what not & hike 100 yard to watch the sunset.
In 2017 my wife and I did an out and back trip on the White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park. We went down the infamous shafer switchbacks in a Wrangler with bumpers, 35's, lights, winch, roof rack etc. At the bottom of the switch backs we passed by a rental Nissan Sentra with an older Japanese couple heading back up. I was a bit shocked, but asked them how they are doing . . . "I really enjoy the nature" was the reply, followed with a smile and a wave and on their way. I felt silly, and its stuck with me. Now I just try to "really enjoy the nature" and not focus on the rig.
I like the call National Parks "nature on rails". They're not nearly as immersive as being deep in a National Forest. Big Bend for example is a place people sometimes think of as being a place with awesome off-road activities. Well, you can do the whole park in a Civic except for Old Ore road, which if you were creative enough with stacking rocks could probably be done in a Civic. People travel days sometimes to go visit it in giant vehicles that get 10-15 mpg with all the "overland" doodads you can buy and while it's remote and awesome, totally didn't need a giant "overlanding" vehicle.
We are about the same size as Australia but have about 10x the population. We also have the largest economy in the world with wealth never before seen in history. As such, our infrastructure is just too good to have proper overlanding exist anywhere as we have the money to pave roads even in the most unpopulated areas. Our defense budget is the largest in the world and roads play a vital role in the defense of the mainland so it's easily justified to keep all our roads maintained and paved where possible. So ironically, I think our success as a country is essentially what has killed the overlanding scene in USA.
@@drewolm It's supposed to be for at night but most of the time people aren't driving trails at night. I could see a single light bar or a couple pods but no need to go crazy.
I agree on gear. Like many other outdoor activities, Overlanding is just a name, similar to Rock Crawling, Off-Roading, and others that came before it. What really matters is getting outside, enjoying nature, and having fun. The name is just a name.
Overlanding is NOT a joke! Who else is gonna buy red plastic sand ladders that fit behind their seats but they mount them on the outside of their "rigs" so that everyone can see they're an Overlander? Who else is gonna buy yellow lights and drive around with them on all the time even when there's no fog, rain, snow, or dust?
I've noticed a large trend of 'slightly overweight' overlanders. People who would never hike more than 2 miles in a single day but are perfectly happy driving around their overbuilt rigs aimlessly on forest roads all day. I've come to realize the best experiences in nature take place in federally protected wilderness, typically at least 5-10 miles of hiking away from the trailhead. For me, the 4x4 and a few nice pieces of camping gear help facilitate getting me to these trailheads. Driving forest roads for more than a few hours is honestly pretty tedious. You're absolutely right, overlanding isn't an activity on its own.
Ya. I wouldn’t be surprised if overlanding trends towards a lack of physical fitness. Agreed. I’m spoiled. I can use a vehicle to get away from people in Idaho, let alone hiking in national forests, plus all the acres of wilderness land. More work generally equals more reward, and seeing fewer people along the way.
FWIW, the positive side of this coin is that it enables people with less physical abilities to get out and experience more nature than they could in the city, or even a National Park campground.
Thanks for the great video. Now, I don’t have to spend $ on stuff I won’t use ( after having been to a few OvExpos). 20 years ago, I got a used 4x4 pickup ( 1st 4x4 in the family)and took my 70 year old mom with hip issues out onto the trails so she could see and breathe the nature. We did a lot of backpacking, out west, in the ‘70’s, as my parents were avid outdoors people (skiing, camping, fishing, hiking, photography, tennis, biking).
In my area, it's often much more than "slightly" overweight. My hiking group and I always get a kick out of pulling up to a trail and the parking lot has a jacked up truck with a tent, winch, and several thousand dollars of lights, in it (when we got there in Corollas and Civics) and Bubba is grilling burgers for his 400lb self
Very well said. You touched on every single point I like to make about "overlanding" but kind of struggled putting into words. I'm glad you touched on how for the majority of us, any 4 wheeling we are doing is really just a matter of transportation from point A to point B for some kind of access. Unless you go to ORV parks, primitive roads, deep snow, illegal 4x4 trails, you really don't need much more than a stock pick up or even a good AWD car. It all depends where you live. Where I am a high clearance lifted truck with diff lock is pretty necessary if you want to make up the really rough primitive roads and even some of the worse Forest Service roads. But when I was living on the other side of my state there weren't really any opportunities for that kind of terrain outside of ORV parks. It's a lot of marketing and people having these fantasies of going on these off road adventures that don't really exist in the lower 48... at least on the scale that overlanding is necessary.
Most Overlander's will just end up on a motorcycle anyways. It might take a decade... but they'll figure out that they've been doing it all wrong from the start. One is a slow, expensive bumpy experience, and the other is a 4 dimensional experience that will always make you smile.
Agreed. This guy only mentioned a dirt bike once in the video. People coming to the realization that a bike is better will often resort to ADV bikes, which I don't understand either. I wouldn't want a 4-500 lb. bike + luggage for off road.
I did the "adv" motorcycle thing for the better part of 2 decades. It was fun for sure, I'm glad I did it. It reminded me of hiking places. It was much more physical but I was also missing a lot. I have a much lower chance of seriously injuring myself in something with 4 wheels. I also noticed from the perspective of "missing a lot" that when riding off-road I was never really able to look around while riding. I had to be pretty focused on the trail and picking my line vs seeing what was around me. Same for hiking for a multiday trip. I wound up with my head down, slogging though the miles, vs looking around and enjoying myself. The enjoyment always came AFTER the hike. Not during. Same for riding, though riding was more enjoyable than hiking for me. I had to focus so much on my lines even on what would be an easy 4wd trail that the end wound up being more enjoyable the trip itself. As for why I chose an "ADV" bike vs a more dirt oriented dual sport bike, which I've owned more than one of. Well, there are a lot more pavement miles between the dirt than dirt miles between the pavement and on a month long or more trip I just found that in my use case the adv bike made more sense.
@@jeepinbanditrider I've done both, and have no hard reasons against either. I just find that most "overlanders" complain about trails being too easy and how they can do it in a Prius... then they become obsessed with the mods despite having no need for more capability. Whereas, on a Dual sport or Adventure style motorcycle, the entire trip from driveway to driveway becomes an adventure. Not to mention repair costs are usually a fraction of a Jeep or Toyota if you have chosen a bike you can repair yourself, and fuel mileage is 4 times better. Plus the amount of smells and tastes of insects you'd never experience in a Jeep is incredible. I tend to stop a lot when i ride motorcycles instead of Jeeps, etc. The ability to just hit a ditch and let people pass while i look at scenery is priceless.. Thats kinda my angle with this. I see some people are already feeling threatened by my statement. So just clarifying.
@@208Tyler I'm just messing with you , I enjoyed the video. I've recently gotten into overlanding in South Africa with my 4x2 Toyota Fortuner, and while I do have some good options to get truly out into the middle of nowhere, there is also quite a grifty side to it that I'm trying to avoid.
My “overlanding” vehicle is a 2WD pickup with a locker and I’ve traveled most of the “remote” 4WD routes on the West Coast. I haven’t had many issues and I haven’t damaged any trails (I don’t let my wheels spin and chew up the trails). I’d agree that this isn’t the overlanding as most of the world would define it… but it’s cool to see new places!
I'm Australian, and while "true" overlanding does absolutely exist here, the overwhelming majority of people throwing money at their rigs will never do it. I grew up in Central Australia, arguably some of the most untamed country that exists in the Western world and my parents would take us camping and gem fossicking in their old and standard 4WD. They also took us across the Tanami and into the Kimberley which required a trailer loaded with a couple of 44 gallon fuel drums, but the Nissan Patrol doing it was at most fitted with some heavier springs and obviously all this modern fancy expensive gear didn't exist yet. That's what overlanding really is. I live on the east coast now and I'll go foraging for mushrooms in a state forest only a couple of kilometres off the highway and find someone camping in a heavily modified 4WD with $10k+ of camping accessories including the kitchen sink. In a place that wasn't even remotely difficult to get to in a Honda Jazz and still within earshot of heavy vehicles on the main road. I just shake my head.
I have a very similar schedule, I work an office job 5 days a week and find myself wanting to do something more active on the weekends than sitting in my car. I've been finding that I really enjoy a combination of offroading and hiking. Taking a rough road to a remote trailhead and then hiking and exploring the surrounding area has been a great combination.
PA guy here. It’s always so funny to me to see all these “overland rigs” around me that don’t have a spec of dirt on them meanwhile I’ve taken a bone stock geo tracker through hell and back with open diffs. They are really one of the best vehicles for the tight woods around the Pittsburgh area and it’s amazing what you can do with them bone stock. I think people just like throwing money at things to make themselves look more interesting than they really are.
Overland- Long distance travel by vehicle. Remote- place that is away from cities and towns, and difficult to get to. Mechanized travel- any vehicle, device, or contrivance for moving people. If you're doing all three then yes you are overlanding, many people don't even understand what it is and it's a lack of understanding with a mix of social influencers. It often gets confused with other off road recreational activity(rock crawling). Some think it's glorified car camping which is wrong as well. Even though you disagree with the idea of travel(hint) being the main objective and not a certain destination, that does not mean you can't enjoy activities such as fishing, biking, or hiking trails. It's all in route planning(Most Important) for travel not just a specific spot but the sights to see and places to go. While I do agree with you in the sense of not much can be done within the US alone, but I'd recommend planning routes that run into Canada or South America(Especially) if you're looking for real travel, other wise most youtubers who's channel revolves around "overlanding" can enjoy their three day state park camping trip. But hey what do I KNOW I'm not some social influencer I just a guy who has travel to multiple countries.
We definitely have overlanding in Australia however I think that you are right given that the forest roads in America always seem to be extremely well-maintained and lead directly to camping locations with good facilities
Again, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Really all we do is go backcountry camping. The equipment is getting out of control. It is all about the newest and greatest and looking good, than the challenge of the journey.
Glad you came out with another video regarding this. The sentiment is the same. A great nickname is broverlanding. There is a pay to enter stigma, and if you dont have the latest and greatest, youre somehow less than. Think you’d enjoy “The Road Chose Me” by Dan Grec, true overlanding at its finest! Cheers to great content!
I’ve got a ‘04 diesel Excursion, lifted, 35s, but the only real overlanding I’ve done was in the US Army, in a 23 ton Bradley Fighting Vehicle and a Hummer. My Excursion pulls my travel trailer and hauls me and the family and pets to the campsite. After 25 years in the Army Infantry and 2 1/2 years in Iraq, I’ve had enough “overlanding” to last me a lifetime.😂 Don’t get me wrong. I still love exploring the backroads, Forest Service roads, car camping, etc, but that’s far from overlanding.
All true! But I’m still gona build a sick rig and be broke as hell. I’m an accountant and I was all about saving and investing for when I’m old. But life shouldn’t be about stacking all your money either. Find a passion and you’ve found a purpose to keep going in life no love the rigs, I love engineering and if I can drive on gravel roads with a badass rig, even better.
Couldn’t have said it better!! I “overland” in an old semi. Plenty of capability for the “off-roading” and way more capacity to carry camping gear (beer). And I love rolling up on “built” Tacomas on a forest service road! (Same roads that log trucks like my Kenworth have driven for years)
Good points! It does seem like no matter what folks do there’s a big group that gets competitive about their gear and such. I’ve found I really enjoy just cutting the fallen trees out of FS and BLM roads. Go further by cutting and stacking rounds for campers to use. No shortage of that work to do! Retired with too much time on my hands.
Thanks for this thoughtful video. I too drive a 4wd Tundra, much like yours that was paid for in 2008. I have successfully taken it places that I felt defied common sense, and found lesser vehicles already there (compact Japanese sedans, for example). Still, I glance with envy at folks with kitted out $100K rigs and wish I was wheeling around in something like that. It's hard to shake that feeling, but in my heart of hearts I know it would probably make me another poser. In reality my Tundra will always come through in places I may ever wish to go and rock bashing/bog wallowing just doesn't do it for me.
I like your take on the overlanding concept and the idea that backpacking is a good alternative. In my case. I've been backpacking since I was 14 and at age 62, have only recently really gotten into off-roading. Mainly because, with warn out knees and shoulders from a lifetime of physically demanding work. I just can't do the miles under a pack that I used to. I do miss the solitude and ability to go to places most people dont go because there are no roads. However, off-roading is a reasonable substitute...
My reasons for overlanding align a lot with what I perceive your to be, Tyler. It's about getting out in nature and sharing that experience with friends and family. I've got youngsters that I am raising and want to expose them to the joy of nature. I like to fish and hike and see new places. The overland is part of that journey and gets me to a general vicinity that I wish to further explore and experience. I can't speak for others but the allurer to what we are referring to as overlanding, from my personal perspective, is a sense of self reliance and sharpening or developing skills related to self reliance or being more self reliant than most people in the U.S. Challenging yourself to things not going as planned, planning for more complex tasks than plugging in a route on google maps, learning about your vehicle and adapting it to suite your needs or your families needs, should you find yourself in a scenario that you need to get yourself out of and developing a mindset for general preparedness. As I've explored this hobby, I've unexpectedly found myself to really enjoy the planning and map hunting portion. I spent a ton of time scouring maps for remote hot springs, fire towers, unique topography, etc... I spend far less time and money on preserving or building out my vehicle of choice compared to what I spend on gear and training related to field medical experience, organization and planning for contingencies. OEM's manufacture their products in a way to balance comfort, reliability and capability. They spent a ton of money in R&D to get those aspects dialed in, me monkeying around with that because of Instagram is a foolish way to spend time and money unless Instagram is returning that investment of my time and money or if one truly enjoys modifying vehicle. In that case, I say spend your time and money how you want to.
The gear is definitely out of control. The "expos" are bonkers SEMA level stuff. They just had one in Oklahoma. The event was held in a place with cabins, a big ass pool, a stage concert area and lots of other amenities and the "overlanding" was trails on the property. Not sure what was overland about it, and it wasn't cheap, but it sounds like folks had fun. It's become a catchword for companies to sell gear and for YT channels to get views and pedal their sponsored wares from said companies selling gear. I'm not big on hiking. The military ruined that for me. Luckily I still enjoy being outside even if I don't want to walk everywhere lol.
Truth. I just drove my first route and it was the smoky mountain 500. I loved it. Slept in my vehicle and ate local restaurants as I don’t like to cook. On the east coast you are never far from anything especially a dollar general! Lol. It’s almost a joke. But I enjoy the drive and I do it in old cars which give it a little bit of edge of will it make it ! Cheers.
it aint taking a dump at all - its actually great advice for anyone in the community or adjacent. I come from a camping family, i spent all of my youth camping, tent camping, backpacking, pop up camper, etc.. I recently decided to get back into it- and fortunately i have a lot of working gear from 10years ago... However, i also do astronomy - and as someone who has a mustang, its pretty much impossible to go camping at a national park campground, with a telescope in a mustang.. So ill be getting a cheap 4wd truck.. 4wd simply because i found a good price... but getting 35s, 2" lifts, nah.... i mean maybe when my stock suspension wears out ill get better than stock but.. 30qt cooler, 4 person tent, propone coleman stove, and general houseware stuff- i can easily hit 4-5 days in a mustang, with 2 people, possibly a dog, at a state park.. but anyway, thank you for making these videos, its great advice and forces me to re-assess "do i trade in mustang for a small tacoma size 4 door truck" the answer is still yes- because for any combination of a person + telescope means mustang too small. Also, i did visit a few state campgrounds - there were definitely some primitive sites where i could not drive a mustang... but anything else with a little more stock height- heck, even a van, would be fine.. the propane stove has been in use in my family for atleast 30 years..
Amen! My son is learning to drive stick on the Dakota I bought shortly after he was born. It’s taken us on adventures all over CO and the western US. He can’t wait to get a topper and a kayak rack for it.
Overlanding is just a label. Yes, some definitely over build their rigs and will most likely not see the full potential of their builds. I have used everything on my rig though. I have scrapped my high clearance bumpers and sliders. I just did a 2600 mile trip through 4 states, dirt roads for miles and some rock crawling. If I didn’t have the protection and high clearance I have I wouldn’t have made it in one piece. Im just a traveler prepared for the conditions I undertake. Im just truck camping/off roading/traveling.
By no means is this video an attempt to tell people like you that the gear that you are using and need is "dumb". People like you know what they need, and that's great. Been there, currently don't have the same needs for armor on my Tundra.
I agree! Golfed Prescott Thur and had dinner and then drove into the forest and camped out In my 4Runner. A pillow and blanket and I was set. Buying most of that fancy gear like a rooftop tent is a grift! Timmy C Arizona the cheap bastard I am!
I found your comments on using a ‘whole tank of fuel’ very interesting. Here in Aus, I have a 159 litre fuel capacity, and I have needed to have an additional 80 Litres in Jerry cans with me, just to ensure I didn’t run out on the between fuel stops. I would say the only thing stopping many of our cars from getting ‘overbuilt’ is our ADR laws and state vehicle laws which make anything over 33s/35s and a 4 inch lift very difficult to have legally.
9:14 is the first time I’ve ever heard someone (other than myself say that out loud). I love this content and I hope that it finds its way to some folks new to the hobby and helps them make more rational decisions when outfitting their vehicles.
If you go on any social media or forums on overlanding, all you see will be people's cars. or what they call "builds". few of them will be about where they actually go and what they actually do
I'm glad I watched both of your videos on how overlanding doesn't need crazy fancy off-roading rigs. I bought a 4x4 truck and thinking of decking it out, but you make good points on how you can do most of these trails in normal cars and I would just like a 4x4 truck to get to a little more remote fishing spots.
I love this follow up video, especially as an HD truck owner on 37's (RAM 2500, primarily to assist with getting my toy hauler into and out of softer conditions.) I drove to the end of the road at White Mountain, CA this summer; which is the highest accessible road in CA at almost 12,000 feet. Almost 8000 feet in elevation in an hour. On my way out, I encountered two Jeeps on 40s driving down to Hwy395. We were all seeking fuel, and had unintentionally caravaned to the nearest fuel station. They pulled out early, and I caught up to them a few minutes later on the highway, watching them struggle to keep even a 60 MPH pace on the heavy offroad tuned suspension with associated death wobble. I can tow my trailer faster in *not* California and still attack everything that won't cause body damage with ease. As mentioned in many comments, one finds two wheel drive cars at most dirt accessible trail heads across the Western US. Getting outdoors is the goal, keep up the videos!
I agree. I live in Alaska. We have overlanding here in it's truest sense. You can go hundreds of miles. But not with a regular truck with modified tires because of all the swamps, floating bogs etc. The Sherp or Atlas 1or an Argo with tracks is the ultimate overland vehicle here. I'm a humble carpenter so I overland with a ATV and do ok. But most Alaskans are utilitarian, meaning, we overland to go moose or caribou hunting. Not for the thrill of driving over land.
Similar here in Maine. Not the Sherps or anything but for hunting. It can get fairly remote. Huge lifts might not be needed but load range E tires and a cell phone booster and some good spot/flood lights and a winch wouldn’t be weird at all. Oh and a CB so you can get a warning of logging trucks in the area because it’s all 1 lane road shared in both directions.
We have a rooftop tent to stay above the scorpions and snakes in the desert southwest, but nothing else mounted. Hi would you like to off road and the last thing you want is 500 pounds of gear mounted up high on the bed of your pick up her up on your roof.
I honestly couldn't agree more, with come caveats. "Overlanding" is to the West Coast what owning a Gwagon/Ferrari/Lambo is to the East Coast. It's all about status and money. I live in Seattle and know for a fact that most of the Overlanding Rigs here are pavement princesses. Just like most of the sports cars in Miami are rentals that never go above 70mph.
I think this is a preexisting problem that probably predates the overlanding fad. I bought an offroad vehicle about a year ago and my neighbor (who is now too old to drive himself) started giving me all of his old tools, like a high-lift jack. Problem is there is no where on my car that I could even use something like that. I felt bad being given this stuff, especially now since I've never been in a situation where I've needed it. I drive to remote locations to hike, or take pictures, or to set up telescopes for astrophotography. I wanted to get something cheep but that could also go up mountain trails that I was afraid to take my primary car on. On that note, the problem, in the US at least, is the amount of protection placed. You really can't truly go off-roading anywhere, just mildly maintained dirt roading like you said. Granted, if you're out in the middle of nowhere, say New Mexico or Colorado or Wyoming, that "do not take motorized vehicles off the trail, even to retrieve game" sign probably isn't going to stop you, but in principle you shouldn't do it if only because it's illegal. It creates a problem where you either go to a private off-roading arcade, or it feels like you are on the BLM conveyor belt. "Come see The Tree ™and The Rock™and The Canyon™. No, do not sniff, lick, touch, or smell it in any way." I think 95% of people approve of protecting areas from damage, especially from man-made fire damage, but when the definition of damage is as shallow as "I saw a foot print on a walking trail" and the number of people traveling to any of these truly remote spots are really tiny anyway, it starts to make the whole thing feel very shallow, silly, and vindictive. Like you are just breaking the law by simply existing.
There is a National Forest about 4 hours from where I live that the Forest Rangers require you have a 4x4 if you plan to camp off of the main road. Very soft sand when you’re off of the gravel track, they’ll fine awd crossovers if they find them in the sand. It’s fair, 2wd vehicles are completely useless in the sand but you don’t need an extreme 4x4 a stock Ford Ranger with all terrains is enough.
I live on a farm on the edge of the west side of the cascades. From my house I can be on logging roads in 1/4 of a mile whether I go left or right. Thousands of miles of well maintained logging roads everywhere. I can go anywhere than I want to in a regular car. 4 wheel drive in winter can only get you as far as high as your frame. 😊
Extremely valid points - hiking or horses are the only way to see anything truly beautiful. Wilderness areas are off limits to anything with an engine. However, to be fair, I just spent two weeks in Idaho and it’s one of the most boring overlanding states I’ve ever been in. The FSR are highly manicured and the only “challenge” is that it’s steep sometimes. I wouldn’t even consider it off-roading.. more like gravel road driving. Your experience in your home state may have left you a little jaded. I know I felt that way even after just a few days. The fires and smoke didn’t help either. I did get to see a rodeo in salmon though 😅
You can get some amazing places with a vehicle. Idaho’s great for that. Idaho varies a bit depending on the area; but yes, most of our off road access is tame. I’m thinking we have something between 5-15 difficult off-road trails that aren’t either FSR or full-on rock crawling routes. It’s the way it is. Much of our unpaved roads are or were relied on for private property owners, towns, or mines. My time in Colorado and Utah has led me to believe similar things about those states, except Colorado certainly has some tougher passes and trails, and Utah has Moab
Weekend camping is not overlanding. Overlanding is traveling great distances and being self sufficient. It doesn’t have to be off pavement all the time. Also, even Americans have no idea how big the United States really is especially in the west. Each state is basically its own country. If you’re spending a week or longer exploring and seeing as much as you possibly can, you are essentially overlanding. As for gears, buy what you see fit for your application but be cognizant of the weight you’re adding to your vehicle.
I've seen Overlanding in the Australian outback (Stuart highway Alice springs to Adelaide)- extremely remote areas where gas stations on the map may exist, or may have closed 8 years ago (this happened to me). There may not be a single other person who drives past you on the road for days, or weeks and there's no cell reception for 100s of miles. Driving off the narrow, shoulder-less highway is often fatal. I did my trip in a Kia Sportage, a tent, and a 10-gallon water tank, but there were areas i couldn't safely or physically travel to away from the Stuart. There are no conditions like this anywhere in the US except parts of Alaska. And the overland vehicles i saw in Oz were usually 20-30 year old Mitsubishi Pajeros, Toyota Landscape, or Nissan patrol (US car companies have zero presence in original Overlanding areas) with snorkels and 'roo bars, but otherwise much more humble and older than the Overlanders i see in the Costco and suburban brunch-spot parking lots in the US.
Next time you have to show your foot kicking the dirt back in the hole after buying a #2. You don't have a 30L dual zone refrigerator and a fold out cook/prep table. Once you get those, you'll say to yourself "I am overlanding."
Some people buy off white, supreme and other shit, I buy clothes at Decathlon and OEM parts at a Toyota dealer, they might think I am crazy 😅, but I would never spend money on a supreme t-shirt. I know about the industry's influence on our brain, so I try to spend smart and DIY maintenance/upgrades
To me it always meant traveling and living out of your vehicle for extended periods, exploring off the beaten path areas. In the US now it’s more about 4 wheeling with a ton of stuff festooned over your rig and ignoring your payload capacity. 😆
Its called "camping" it's what everybody used to do before vanlifers and Millennials decided to spend thousands on designer gear and put an elitist tag on everything.
I like that you've defined the word. By your definition there is no overlanding in the USA. But now you are talking about what Americans think of as overloading... BDR routes, etc. This overland stuff is a lot like the Adventure Bike thing, some guys actually ride the crazy hard, dangerous stuff but the joke is that most guys just have a top spec BMW they ride to Starbucks. Same with the tricked out Jeep mall crawlers. People always want to go way overboard on their hobbies... I myself suffer from Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
I got a Jeep XJ, not to go to the outer reaches of civilization. But, a cheaper 4wd option to be equipped to deal with obstacles I don't plan on. I just want to car camp, fish, and have a capable 'basecamp' to go hiking from. It's also my daily driver so I can get robbed at the gas pump every visit!
We find a primitive spot to base camp to hike into a place that has dark skies for astrophotography. So while it’s not overlanding it’s definitely nice to have a base camp that has these luxuries.
Agreed. At the end of the day, my stock 2020 Canyon will do what I need. There will be a few changes - OME suspension not for a lift but for increasing gvm, frame reinforcements because we just got a caravan which is heavy enough that it likely is a good idea for peace of mind, better brakes for the same reason, and skid plates because even winter can do a number on the vehicle. Do I want all the fruit? Yeah. Gear acquisition syndrome is a thing. Do I need it? Of course not. Now I am lucky. I am a few days travel from northern Quebec which can get you as remote as you can get in North America (the trans taiga is over 700km from the nearest town at its end with one fuel stop) but even then, the roads are generally maintained service roads for the hydro projects. Are they rough? Yes. But they are rally car rough not built off road truck rough. Use regular road tyres at your own risk… For me, the whole hobby is about exploration by me for me. I won’t be the first there, but I will see things first for me. The more remote the better. What I love so much about being in the North is the silence. It is incredible. And that is good enough for me. Besides which, key to this for me is photography - that is my other passion and nothing gets me happier about travel than a mix of exploration and photography.
Like your thoughts on the subject. I think its a term that caught on probably during Covid. People were stuck at home, but they could go outdoors. Which really created a whole other new mess of those who have no skills, sense or camping etiquette. They just went to Walmart, bought all the stuff and off they go to the woods to be somewhere else other than home sitting staring at 4 walls...And others jumped in there vehicles and just wanted to get away...Far Far away from the new batch of campers. I like to off road, and fish and hunt and back pack and hike and explore old ghost towns and mines. I am , driving over land to get where I need to go and then camp. It used to be just called off roading or exploring. But, create a catch term and market it and off ya go...Lots of money in that industry now days. Everything electronic, cool roof top tents to keep away from bears as one said, but you do know they climb right. I'm a boy scout so I have really all I need for a few days of camping out of my Jeep or if I go on a backpack or explore. I didn't buy into all the hype. Its really to each his own. We see alot of them around, I think its the new look like a raised 4x4 that never hits the dirt. Just think of how much money is spent on all that stuff. Just don't look at my fishing and hunting stuff....probably spent the same amount....So I think your right, true overlanding, not really, but getting out and getting off road and exploring, definitely.Good job.....
To me “overland” is more about a route than a vehicle. “Overlanding” or “Overlander” are made up terms to make people feel warm and fuzzy. I’m not an overlander. I’m a backpacker on an overland hiking trail. I’m not overlanding. I’m camping along an overland route to avoid the city and highway traffic. This just so happens to require 4wd and camping gear.
Overlanding is definitely being pushed by profit motivations. Most influencers are either sponsored or getting a cut if products sell as a result of their videos. I recently sold my Toyota Tacoma that I had built for overlanding because I realized we were never going to fully utilize it. I may embark on another build but with the knowledge I’ve gained that the majority of the stuff I added to the Tacoma were never going to be used. Maybe a overland “lite” sort of thing
Glad I'm not the only one turned off by the whole " broverlanding" scene, legit only got a jeep cause my dodge dakota crapped out and wanted a just in case capable machine, kudos to the point of your better off actually hiking with some weight on your back to get to the cool spots your vehicle cant get you! cheers!
Awesome monologe. Agreed, the word overlanding is used poorly and also too commercialized at this point. An Australian guy pointed out the word touring which is what I think is more accurate for people who are just traveling mostly paved / dirt roads. And then you could say "offroad touring" if you're doing the same multi day but actually going offroad. Either way it's all glamping in my mind if you’re not carrying your own gear on your person. Also like how you clarified with lower 48, not sure if you've been up here to AK but it's definitely different in a few ways than out west L48. No forest service roads being the main thing. The dirt roads are for commerical / remote town access, and then basically all of our offroad are current mining or abandoned mining trails / some hunting. And there's not a lot of in-between for the dirt roads / offroad trails, which is typically where I think a forest service road in western L48 would fall. Also agreed on the fitness part. Especially helpful if your vehicle breaks down and you're many miles away from civilization.
Overlanding is the present bushcrafting/survivalist fad. Driving on forest service roads exploring our beautiful spots in our country while taking day hikes is a great pastime. It’s no different than the trill of the old Route 66 travels in the 20th century. It simply illustrates some of us are explorers at heart and every generation it gets reinvented. It’s a cool niche, it’s sad that people go overboard and everything is click baiting. You have a realistic and working man’s approach to this subject which I share, discernment is needed so that you don’t spend all your personal wealth on perception.
I'm glad you said it some of my friends from Australia as well saying that's not Is touring! Look, if you want to drive more and hours on your butt all day go ahead but for me. I like to go fishing and hunting....Oh, I'm sorry Australia you can't go hunting😂
I am a gear whore, love all the stuff. I just don’t have much of it. No racks, no RTT. I do have a shovel and fake max tracks that have come in handy. I just leave them in the bed of my truck, a pretty much stock F250. Ever time I see one of those fully rigged Toyotas, I know that dude isn’t even using that stuff. I never see ANY of those vehicles when I’m out in the woods or desert. That said, Ive got a stack of different tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and various items. I just got back from a trip this weekend listening to elk bugle all weekend, running after my dog that was a running a bear out of camp and thought I really need to sell off some of this stuff. I love cruising forest roads, looking for the right spot camp, then hiking and hanging out. It’s just camping.
Can definitely be a "lifestyle" + "gear" grift. Had a boss who decided to overland cause it's adventurous (never did much camping or off-roading before). He dropped $80K on a new truck (separate from his daily driver) and gear. In 2 years he went to Moab for a week (did the easy trails since he had no off-roading experience) and a few weekend car camping spots. For 5% of what he spent he could have had the same experiences (rent a vehicle at Moab, use his daily driver to car camp). He brought his truck into work on a Friday once before a weekend car camping trip and was very into showing off the gear. Felt like a mid-life crisis.
You hit it on the head. You work in an office 5 days a week. Now I'm the same. But when I got into this hobby I worked outside for 10-15hr/day 6-7 days a week. So when I did have days off that I could go camping I MUCH preferred offroading and absolutely hated hiking. These days working an office job I get what you mean. i still like offroading though and exploring by car, but I could possibly see the appeal of hiking. I need to get in better shape anyway.
I agree, and almost put a similar “paragraph” into this video. When I worked manual labor, those activities appealed more. Most people who like dirt bikes and razors (in my experience) work manual labor. But, I didn’t feel like that was quite true enough to put in the video, as there seems to be a healthy crossover of office people who “overland” or dirtbike, and manual labor people who hike or backpack.
@@208TylerI have had a CDL for nearly 25 years all of my driving has been home nightly. Before my CDL i worked an assembly line, I enjoyed going for random drives out of nowhere. After driving for a few years I could care less to go for random drives, with a purpose I’m all in. Although last 10 years I have even started allowing my wife to drive for the most part.
I'm still on a journey to become an overlander. I haven't quite got it down yet, but one day, I will. So far, all I've been capable of doing is a little bit of offroading and camping.
Man I hope ONX is paying you enough to make breaking the video flow worthwhile. I also saw the first and subscribed. I have felt this way for a while. Backpackers do the Appalachian Trail with tens of thousands in gear. Overlanders do level 3-4 trails with 100's of thousands. I don't get it.
As a viewer, does the add make you not want to continue watching the video/dislike onX? This is one of my first sponsor integrations. Thanks for commenting!
@@208Tyler I get sponsorship offers a couple dozen a week. I haven't been active in making content lately just because I hate editing video frankly. As far as the thoughts it was just an odd take to me to cut mid thought/sentence. It doesn't necessarily make me NOT want to watch. If I enjoy the content I'll skip through an ad. But it certainly doesn't make me want to keep watching if it's a subject matter I'm not interested in. IE: I'm not going to stop watching a good video because an ad. But I will stop watching a mid video because of one.
Gotchya. I am likewise inundated with "sponsorship" emails. This is one of the 1% I'm required to place the add before the halfway mark. I wanted to place it as late as possible and couldn't find a natural break. I would also hate to interrupt the video at a "low" point (viewers more likely to click off...?), so I settled on a part that split the video during an "up" or higher stakes part of the video. I've noticed other creators do this, and I notice that I always stick around for whatever is after the add and think "huh, that's a clever way to cut a video/place an add". Hopefully the chapters helped.
It’s just wheeling and camping. I figured out “overlanding” was a scam back in 2018 when I saw how much that dweeb at “overland bound” kept pushing it selling “memberships” and ultimately all these companies slapping that word on a ton of overpriced things you’ll never have a use for.
Maybe we need a new name for it. Foresting maybe? To me, I link overlanding more to expeditions than going out to a spot to camp for a night. That's just dispersed camping. With how much we have explored and discovered the world over the last thousand or so years, I would think it would be difficult to find land that would have little to no development for hundreds or thousands of miles. I think where capitalism comes into play with this is the idea of taking your vehicle where normal vehicles can't go, but minivan owners have clearly challenged that belief. Like you said, I think it's important to use overlanding as a way to help aid other outdoor activities (hiking, watersports, camping, etc), but not necessarily it's own thing.
Overlanding is like Valentines Day, made up by companies for profit.
Hot take! 🔥 Also accurate.
Omg well said. Both of which are blown so far out of proportion and only benefits a few companies and yet somehow everyone and their dog seem to think it’s a convention that must be followed.
Not as bad as making up God's. At least overlanding is actually fun😅
"Overlanding" is definately just car camping. I usually pull my popup camper to some BLM land that is close to a group of trails I like to do, then I'll spend the weekend doing the trails. I dont like to say I'm into "overlanding" but I'm in to offroading/wheeling.
Aussie here, we hardly even say 'overlanding' anymore since it's kind of dated. We usually just say 'touring' instead lol.
Definitely agree with your point about the gear, anything is marketable and overlanding as a hobby or a lifestyle is no exception.
Won’t be long until they adapt “touring” here and start slapping this over their “oVeRlanD” labels..
Fellow Aussie here, I only ever use 'overland' in RUclips searches. As you said, I did touring trip around the country years ago, lots of off-road, didn't once call it over landing.
@@joel57123 Haha yep, you get it. Cheers from Perth mate. 🍻
cheers from Tasmania
Most of these “trails” can be easily navigated by an unmodified 2wd car.
I drive a LOT of different trails in a lifted 2000 Accord on some simple all terrains. Don’t need a big truck and crazy rigs to hit most places.
That's where you won't find me...or I won't find you haha
Oh man if I had a nickle for everytime I've gotten into an argument after saying the same thing. It's the same thought with the guntubbers. Gotta have alllll the gear so I can larp.
Come join me in the mojave with your corolla.
@@claystil1Not talking about hard core rock crawling you putz. Did you even watch the video?
Good “essay”. I’m a retired forester. My first woods rig was a 1964 Ford 100 4wd. In the 50 years since that day, I’ve driven thousands of miles of improved and unimproved forest and desert roads. I agree with the sentiment that the “overlanding” of 2024 is glorified car/truck camping. I ply the deserts of Eastern Oregon conducting citizen science for Oregon State University. Many of the roads I have traveled are in my experience the worst of anything I encountered in my 40 year career. There have been some but not many roads that I could not or chose not to attempt to travel because of my vehicle. So, what is it? I drive an unmodified 2018 BMW X5d other than a wheel set (18” rims) with an off road tread pattern. I have had no mishaps due to careful, prudent driving and have seen places that few will go to. My vehicle maintenance shop marvels at the amount of cheatgrass, sagebrush, etc. that I pack home in the undercarriage. Few people drive these capable vehicles beyond the grocery store. Anyway, if you’re interested in the science project, check out the Oregon Bee Atlas online. We are volunteers collecting native bees for an ongoing population dynamics study. I also pull a Nucamp Tab 400 with this rig to provide me with a base camp for my travels. Kudos to the companies that have tapped this marketplace, it’s just not needed for people like me.
Things like overland expo are really about the 'dream' of the wild and companies that supply the gear are fulfilling a market request. People toss money at the overlanding hobby because they are trapped at a desk all week and it's easier to buy gear then just go out camping in tent and notice other people are glamping and you look all ghetto....
Growing up we just went tent camping in the summer as a family, eventually my parents bought a crappy trailer so they could sleep in a bed while the kids were tent camping. Hiking, canoeing and campfire cooking was great fun. :)
Meh, everything is a grift... I see backpackers/hikers with 10k in ultralight hiking gear, I see fishermen with hundreds of thousands of dollars in boats and gear they dont need, hunters with the best scope, best rifle, thousands of dollars in optics. and rubbing piss on themselves... I just did a week trip to Yellowstone, and felt way better staying in my RTT as opposed to a ground tent in grizzly country.. Was I overlanding? I dont know... just felt like car camping to me..
It's just car camping!
Might I clarify/suggest that anything can be "grifted", but not everything is a grift? I'm trying not to drown in cynicism here. That's also why I keyed in on the word "overlanding" and the specific geography of the United States. There's a real time and a real place, but it doesn't look like alot of overlanding is happening where I am.
Overland tax is definitely a thing.
Anyone could pull their hair out stressing over gear choices and finance themselves for life trying to get the best gear for a drive to hike around hunting and fishing for the weekend. Instead use current gear and buy reasonably priced stuff and use what you know works from experience. Don’t buy into expensive is better, sometimes it is sometimes it isn’t, and it isn’t necessarily practical or more efficient. As the saying goes their is more then one way to skin a cat
It depends on how much you pay to hunt or fish. A ten thousand dollar trip would justify expensive equipment so you dont come hack empty handed.
If it’s fun .. why does it matter? Life is short.
You pretty much summed up how I’ve been feeling about this topic for the past 3 years. Nothing against having a hobby that involves modifying your truck/SUV, I love that people find things they’re passionate about. But to do it all with the guise of a building a purpose built machine seems disingenuous. Just enjoy what you do without feeling the pressure to buy all the things and own up to the fact that you got your icon lift kit because it just looks dang cool and it excites you. No shame in that.
I have the exact same truck as you do. 20+ years old. I just retired, gave it a little love. I do a Lot of long distance, off the grid, solo camping. I am truly glad for all of the new updates that are compatible with my old, first gen Tundra. Ready for the next 20 years.
Everything has been paid for.
When I take it into my local Toyota dealer, the service manager asks me if I want to sell it to him..
Never sell it! It's great pickup
Couldn't agree more my man. The gear is ridiculous and these days when i see a tacoma with the huge bed rack with allllllllllll the offroad "gear" all over it. I laugh at the poor guy driving cause he fell for the overland gimmick. Like you said best thing to do is drive to a camping spot then explore on foot. Thats where you get to see true beauty.
Cheers from Oregon and keep up the great content my man.
Thank you sir! I appreciate it
I’m glad this video gave you a reason to laugh at other people.
@H00Dwinked26 What you said doesn't make any sense. This video didn't give me a reason to laugh at anyone. I laugh in real life at the guys and gals that fell for the "overland" gear gimmick.
Overlanding is just car camping. Did it in the 80s when I was kid and still do it now from the back of my truck. My grandfather did it back in the 50s to the 90s while he hunted...and camped.
I laugh at all the folks who fall for the overland gimmick in regards to all the gear they think they need.
But the more I build out my 4Runner the bigger my pee pee feels.
And the more you make fun of other people, the better you feel about yourself!
There isn’t a road or route in the US that hasn’t been driven by a 1920’s or 30’s 2wd sedan.
Wha? Pretty generalized statement. Haha
Overlanding is what you make of it and i don't try to define it. There are plenty of routes/trails/ roads in the us where you will use an entire tank of fuel or come close to running out, ive been there many a time so while that may not be your experience, it definitely does happen. I agree that most vehicles are overbuilt for what we do, i know mine is overbuilt for 75% of what i do, but its that 25% i do where i intentionally seek out the hardest tracks and trails that im glad i have that equipment and i use 100% of it. Lastly i agree that hiking/ backpacking is a far better way to see nature and explore this beautiful country, but as someone who did enough of that earlier in life, ill gladly keep exploring via vehicular travel methods and ditch the pack.
I think the point is that many of the people with their pristine rigs aren’t actually using their equipment like it’s designed and are instead end up with a mall crawler of a different flavor.
Overlanding in North America was a COOL "word" to describe backroadCar Camping. - great marketing though!!! It worked real good.
Most overlanders only want to drive a bunch with a goal of cooking a great meal by a river or what not & hike 100 yard to watch the sunset.
I agree 💯
I want to drive a bunch but I"m cool with hotdogs cut up in ramen noodles lol.
@@jeepinbanditrider exactly
In 2017 my wife and I did an out and back trip on the White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park. We went down the infamous shafer switchbacks in a Wrangler with bumpers, 35's, lights, winch, roof rack etc. At the bottom of the switch backs we passed by a rental Nissan Sentra with an older Japanese couple heading back up. I was a bit shocked, but asked them how they are doing . . . "I really enjoy the nature" was the reply, followed with a smile and a wave and on their way. I felt silly, and its stuck with me. Now I just try to "really enjoy the nature" and not focus on the rig.
I like the call National Parks "nature on rails". They're not nearly as immersive as being deep in a National Forest. Big Bend for example is a place people sometimes think of as being a place with awesome off-road activities. Well, you can do the whole park in a Civic except for Old Ore road, which if you were creative enough with stacking rocks could probably be done in a Civic. People travel days sometimes to go visit it in giant vehicles that get 10-15 mpg with all the "overland" doodads you can buy and while it's remote and awesome, totally didn't need a giant "overlanding" vehicle.
We are about the same size as Australia but have about 10x the population. We also have the largest economy in the world with wealth never before seen in history. As such, our infrastructure is just too good to have proper overlanding exist anywhere as we have the money to pave roads even in the most unpopulated areas. Our defense budget is the largest in the world and roads play a vital role in the defense of the mainland so it's easily justified to keep all our roads maintained and paved where possible. So ironically, I think our success as a country is essentially what has killed the overlanding scene in USA.
Logic and reason in overlanding is overshadowed by big lifts, huge tires, and LED lights, bro.
My bad I’ll quit now
I don’t get the light bar thing at all. Lifts and tires look cool. The lights? No.
@@drewolm It's supposed to be for at night but most of the time people aren't driving trails at night. I could see a single light bar or a couple pods but no need to go crazy.
I agree on gear. Like many other outdoor activities, Overlanding is just a name, similar to Rock Crawling, Off-Roading, and others that came before it. What really matters is getting outside, enjoying nature, and having fun. The name is just a name.
Overlanding is NOT a joke! Who else is gonna buy red plastic sand ladders that fit behind their seats but they mount them on the outside of their "rigs" so that everyone can see they're an Overlander? Who else is gonna buy yellow lights and drive around with them on all the time even when there's no fog, rain, snow, or dust?
I've noticed a large trend of 'slightly overweight' overlanders. People who would never hike more than 2 miles in a single day but are perfectly happy driving around their overbuilt rigs aimlessly on forest roads all day. I've come to realize the best experiences in nature take place in federally protected wilderness, typically at least 5-10 miles of hiking away from the trailhead. For me, the 4x4 and a few nice pieces of camping gear help facilitate getting me to these trailheads. Driving forest roads for more than a few hours is honestly pretty tedious. You're absolutely right, overlanding isn't an activity on its own.
Ya. I wouldn’t be surprised if overlanding trends towards a lack of physical fitness.
Agreed. I’m spoiled. I can use a vehicle to get away from people in Idaho, let alone hiking in national forests, plus all the acres of wilderness land. More work generally equals more reward, and seeing fewer people along the way.
FWIW, the positive side of this coin is that it enables people with less physical abilities to get out and experience more nature than they could in the city, or even a National Park campground.
Absolutely! That's a large reason of why I'm NOT in favor of closing down motorized access.
Thanks for the great video. Now, I don’t have to spend $ on stuff I won’t use ( after having been to a few OvExpos). 20 years ago, I got a used 4x4 pickup ( 1st 4x4 in the family)and took my 70 year old mom with hip issues out onto the trails so she could see and breathe the nature. We did a lot of backpacking, out west, in the ‘70’s, as my parents were avid outdoors people (skiing, camping, fishing, hiking, photography, tennis, biking).
In my area, it's often much more than "slightly" overweight. My hiking group and I always get a kick out of pulling up to a trail and the parking lot has a jacked up truck with a tent, winch, and several thousand dollars of lights, in it (when we got there in Corollas and Civics) and Bubba is grilling burgers for his 400lb self
Very well said. You touched on every single point I like to make about "overlanding" but kind of struggled putting into words. I'm glad you touched on how for the majority of us, any 4 wheeling we are doing is really just a matter of transportation from point A to point B for some kind of access. Unless you go to ORV parks, primitive roads, deep snow, illegal 4x4 trails, you really don't need much more than a stock pick up or even a good AWD car. It all depends where you live. Where I am a high clearance lifted truck with diff lock is pretty necessary if you want to make up the really rough primitive roads and even some of the worse Forest Service roads. But when I was living on the other side of my state there weren't really any opportunities for that kind of terrain outside of ORV parks. It's a lot of marketing and people having these fantasies of going on these off road adventures that don't really exist in the lower 48... at least on the scale that overlanding is necessary.
100% of the places my friends with kitted out 4runners, tacos, and jeeps have gone my outback has been able to go as well
Most Overlander's will just end up on a motorcycle anyways. It might take a decade... but they'll figure out that they've been doing it all wrong from the start. One is a slow, expensive bumpy experience, and the other is a 4 dimensional experience that will always make you smile.
Agreed. This guy only mentioned a dirt bike once in the video.
People coming to the realization that a bike is better will often resort to ADV bikes, which I don't understand either. I wouldn't want a 4-500 lb. bike + luggage for off road.
"My hobby makes sense, their hobby is stupid." Everybody here has too much disposable income - how you blow it is your business.
I did the "adv" motorcycle thing for the better part of 2 decades. It was fun for sure, I'm glad I did it. It reminded me of hiking places. It was much more physical but I was also missing a lot. I have a much lower chance of seriously injuring myself in something with 4 wheels. I also noticed from the perspective of "missing a lot" that when riding off-road I was never really able to look around while riding. I had to be pretty focused on the trail and picking my line vs seeing what was around me. Same for hiking for a multiday trip. I wound up with my head down, slogging though the miles, vs looking around and enjoying myself. The enjoyment always came AFTER the hike. Not during. Same for riding, though riding was more enjoyable than hiking for me. I had to focus so much on my lines even on what would be an easy 4wd trail that the end wound up being more enjoyable the trip itself.
As for why I chose an "ADV" bike vs a more dirt oriented dual sport bike, which I've owned more than one of. Well, there are a lot more pavement miles between the dirt than dirt miles between the pavement and on a month long or more trip I just found that in my use case the adv bike made more sense.
@@jeepinbanditrider I've done both, and have no hard reasons against either. I just find that most "overlanders" complain about trails being too easy and how they can do it in a Prius... then they become obsessed with the mods despite having no need for more capability. Whereas, on a Dual sport or Adventure style motorcycle, the entire trip from driveway to driveway becomes an adventure. Not to mention repair costs are usually a fraction of a Jeep or Toyota if you have chosen a bike you can repair yourself, and fuel mileage is 4 times better. Plus the amount of smells and tastes of insects you'd never experience in a Jeep is incredible. I tend to stop a lot when i ride motorcycles instead of Jeeps, etc. The ability to just hit a ditch and let people pass while i look at scenery is priceless.. Thats kinda my angle with this. I see some people are already feeling threatened by my statement. So just clarifying.
Oh darn. Guess I shouldn't have bought those ROAM boxes😢
Might not need a lifted 4x4 to travel most of the roads there mate, but damn well need a Unimog to traverse that cut to the sponsor segment :D
I can't tell if this is a compliment or a dig, but I hope the chapters helped you get where you needed to be haha
@@208Tyler I'm just messing with you , I enjoyed the video. I've recently gotten into overlanding in South Africa with my 4x2 Toyota Fortuner, and while I do have some good options to get truly out into the middle of nowhere, there is also quite a grifty side to it that I'm trying to avoid.
My “overlanding” vehicle is a 2WD pickup with a locker and I’ve traveled most of the “remote” 4WD routes on the West Coast. I haven’t had many issues and I haven’t damaged any trails (I don’t let my wheels spin and chew up the trails). I’d agree that this isn’t the overlanding as most of the world would define it… but it’s cool to see new places!
I'm Australian, and while "true" overlanding does absolutely exist here, the overwhelming majority of people throwing money at their rigs will never do it. I grew up in Central Australia, arguably some of the most untamed country that exists in the Western world and my parents would take us camping and gem fossicking in their old and standard 4WD. They also took us across the Tanami and into the Kimberley which required a trailer loaded with a couple of 44 gallon fuel drums, but the Nissan Patrol doing it was at most fitted with some heavier springs and obviously all this modern fancy expensive gear didn't exist yet. That's what overlanding really is.
I live on the east coast now and I'll go foraging for mushrooms in a state forest only a couple of kilometres off the highway and find someone camping in a heavily modified 4WD with $10k+ of camping accessories including the kitchen sink. In a place that wasn't even remotely difficult to get to in a Honda Jazz and still within earshot of heavy vehicles on the main road. I just shake my head.
I have a very similar schedule, I work an office job 5 days a week and find myself wanting to do something more active on the weekends than sitting in my car. I've been finding that I really enjoy a combination of offroading and hiking. Taking a rough road to a remote trailhead and then hiking and exploring the surrounding area has been a great combination.
I feel you dude, you should try sitting in a truck instead!
Agree 100%...
Thanks for commenting!
PA guy here. It’s always so funny to me to see all these “overland rigs” around me that don’t have a spec of dirt on them meanwhile I’ve taken a bone stock geo tracker through hell and back with open diffs. They are really one of the best vehicles for the tight woods around the Pittsburgh area and it’s amazing what you can do with them bone stock. I think people just like throwing money at things to make themselves look more interesting than they really are.
Overland- Long distance travel by vehicle. Remote- place that is away from cities and towns, and difficult to get to. Mechanized travel- any vehicle, device, or contrivance for moving people.
If you're doing all three then yes you are overlanding, many people don't even understand what it is and it's a lack of understanding with a mix of social influencers. It often gets confused with other off road recreational activity(rock crawling). Some think it's glorified car camping which is wrong as well. Even though you disagree with the idea of travel(hint) being the main objective and not a certain destination, that does not mean you can't enjoy activities such as fishing, biking, or hiking trails. It's all in route planning(Most Important) for travel not just a specific spot but the sights to see and places to go. While I do agree with you in the sense of not much can be done within the US alone, but I'd recommend planning routes that run into Canada or South America(Especially) if you're looking for real travel, other wise most youtubers who's channel revolves around "overlanding" can enjoy their three day state park camping trip. But hey what do I KNOW I'm not some social influencer I just a guy who has travel to multiple countries.
We definitely have overlanding in Australia however I think that you are right given that the forest roads in America always seem to be extremely well-maintained and lead directly to camping locations with good facilities
Again, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Really all we do is go backcountry camping. The equipment is getting out of control. It is all about the newest and greatest and looking good, than the challenge of the journey.
Glad you came out with another video regarding this. The sentiment is the same. A great nickname is broverlanding. There is a pay to enter stigma, and if you dont have the latest and greatest, youre somehow less than. Think you’d enjoy “The Road Chose Me” by Dan Grec, true overlanding at its finest! Cheers to great content!
Thank you sir. I appreciate the comment and the recommendation!
I’ve got a ‘04 diesel Excursion, lifted, 35s, but the only real overlanding I’ve done was in the US Army, in a 23 ton Bradley Fighting Vehicle and a Hummer. My Excursion pulls my travel trailer and hauls me and the family and pets to the campsite. After 25 years in the Army Infantry and 2 1/2 years in Iraq, I’ve had enough “overlanding” to last me a lifetime.😂 Don’t get me wrong. I still love exploring the backroads, Forest Service roads, car camping, etc, but that’s far from overlanding.
Thank you for your service @HighlanderMikeGolf.
@@pjdaugherty78 Hey, thanks! Best job I ever had. 😎
All true! But I’m still gona build a sick rig and be broke as hell. I’m an accountant and I was all about saving and investing for when I’m old. But life shouldn’t be about stacking all your money either. Find a passion and you’ve found a purpose to keep going in life no love the rigs, I love engineering and if I can drive on gravel roads with a badass rig, even better.
Overlanding =More gear than beer
Couldn’t have said it better!! I “overland” in an old semi. Plenty of capability for the “off-roading” and way more capacity to carry camping gear (beer). And I love rolling up on “built” Tacomas on a forest service road! (Same roads that log trucks like my Kenworth have driven for years)
Good points! It does seem like no matter what folks do there’s a big group that gets competitive about their gear and such. I’ve found I really enjoy just cutting the fallen trees out of FS and BLM roads. Go further by cutting and stacking rounds for campers to use. No shortage of that work to do! Retired with too much time on my hands.
Thank you for doing that, we all appreciate you 🫡
thank you!
Thanks for this thoughtful video. I too drive a 4wd Tundra, much like yours that was paid for in 2008. I have successfully taken it places that I felt defied common sense, and found lesser vehicles already there (compact Japanese sedans, for example). Still, I glance with envy at folks with kitted out $100K rigs and wish I was wheeling around in something like that. It's hard to shake that feeling, but in my heart of hearts I know it would probably make me another poser. In reality my Tundra will always come through in places I may ever wish to go and rock bashing/bog wallowing just doesn't do it for me.
I like your take on the overlanding concept and the idea that backpacking is a good alternative.
In my case. I've been backpacking since I was 14 and at age 62, have only recently really gotten into off-roading. Mainly because, with warn out knees and shoulders from a lifetime of physically demanding work. I just can't do the miles under a pack that I used to. I do miss the solitude and ability to go to places most people dont go because there are no roads. However, off-roading is a reasonable substitute...
My reasons for overlanding align a lot with what I perceive your to be, Tyler. It's about getting out in nature and sharing that experience with friends and family. I've got youngsters that I am raising and want to expose them to the joy of nature. I like to fish and hike and see new places. The overland is part of that journey and gets me to a general vicinity that I wish to further explore and experience. I can't speak for others but the allurer to what we are referring to as overlanding, from my personal perspective, is a sense of self reliance and sharpening or developing skills related to self reliance or being more self reliant than most people in the U.S. Challenging yourself to things not going as planned, planning for more complex tasks than plugging in a route on google maps, learning about your vehicle and adapting it to suite your needs or your families needs, should you find yourself in a scenario that you need to get yourself out of and developing a mindset for general preparedness. As I've explored this hobby, I've unexpectedly found myself to really enjoy the planning and map hunting portion. I spent a ton of time scouring maps for remote hot springs, fire towers, unique topography, etc... I spend far less time and money on preserving or building out my vehicle of choice compared to what I spend on gear and training related to field medical experience, organization and planning for contingencies. OEM's manufacture their products in a way to balance comfort, reliability and capability. They spent a ton of money in R&D to get those aspects dialed in, me monkeying around with that because of Instagram is a foolish way to spend time and money unless Instagram is returning that investment of my time and money or if one truly enjoys modifying vehicle. In that case, I say spend your time and money how you want to.
I totally agree. Getting to the trailhead no matter the access requirements. The true goal is to get access to more remote trailheads.
The gear is definitely out of control. The "expos" are bonkers SEMA level stuff. They just had one in Oklahoma. The event was held in a place with cabins, a big ass pool, a stage concert area and lots of other amenities and the "overlanding" was trails on the property. Not sure what was overland about it, and it wasn't cheap, but it sounds like folks had fun.
It's become a catchword for companies to sell gear and for YT channels to get views and pedal their sponsored wares from said companies selling gear.
I'm not big on hiking. The military ruined that for me. Luckily I still enjoy being outside even if I don't want to walk everywhere lol.
Truth. I just drove my first route and it was the smoky mountain 500. I loved it. Slept in my vehicle and ate local restaurants as I don’t like to cook. On the east coast you are never far from anything especially a dollar general! Lol. It’s almost a joke. But I enjoy the drive and I do it in old cars which give it a little bit of edge of will it make it ! Cheers.
it aint taking a dump at all - its actually great advice for anyone in the community or adjacent. I come from a camping family, i spent all of my youth camping, tent camping, backpacking, pop up camper, etc.. I recently decided to get back into it- and fortunately i have a lot of working gear from 10years ago... However, i also do astronomy - and as someone who has a mustang, its pretty much impossible to go camping at a national park campground, with a telescope in a mustang.. So ill be getting a cheap 4wd truck.. 4wd simply because i found a good price... but getting 35s, 2" lifts, nah.... i mean maybe when my stock suspension wears out ill get better than stock but.. 30qt cooler, 4 person tent, propone coleman stove, and general houseware stuff- i can easily hit 4-5 days in a mustang, with 2 people, possibly a dog, at a state park.. but anyway, thank you for making these videos, its great advice and forces me to re-assess "do i trade in mustang for a small tacoma size 4 door truck" the answer is still yes- because for any combination of a person + telescope means mustang too small. Also, i did visit a few state campgrounds - there were definitely some primitive sites where i could not drive a mustang... but anything else with a little more stock height- heck, even a van, would be fine.. the propane stove has been in use in my family for atleast 30 years..
but im going camping, to set up a tent, maybe a telescope, or maybe just bicycle and hike..... screw driving all the time..
Ive had as much fun in my bone stock Dodge Dakota as i have in my heavily modified 80 Series Land Cruiser.
Amen! My son is learning to drive stick on the Dakota I bought shortly after he was born. It’s taken us on adventures all over CO and the western US. He can’t wait to get a topper and a kayak rack for it.
Overlanding is just a label. Yes, some definitely over build their rigs and will most likely not see the full potential of their builds. I have used everything on my rig though. I have scrapped my high clearance bumpers and sliders. I just did a 2600 mile trip through 4 states, dirt roads for miles and some rock crawling. If I didn’t have the protection and high clearance I have I wouldn’t have made it in one piece. Im just a traveler prepared for the conditions I undertake. Im just truck camping/off roading/traveling.
By no means is this video an attempt to tell people like you that the gear that you are using and need is "dumb". People like you know what they need, and that's great. Been there, currently don't have the same needs for armor on my Tundra.
I agree! Golfed Prescott Thur and had dinner and then drove into the forest and camped out In my 4Runner. A pillow and blanket and I was set. Buying most of that fancy gear like a rooftop tent is a grift! Timmy C Arizona the cheap bastard I am!
I found your comments on using a ‘whole tank of fuel’ very interesting. Here in Aus, I have a 159 litre fuel capacity, and I have needed to have an additional 80 Litres in Jerry cans with me, just to ensure I didn’t run out on the between fuel stops.
I would say the only thing stopping many of our cars from getting ‘overbuilt’ is our ADR laws and state vehicle laws which make anything over 33s/35s and a 4 inch lift very difficult to have legally.
I commented on the first video, and now I'm commenting on the second. I think you make a good point and you're speaking the truth. Good video.
Thank you sir!
9:14 is the first time I’ve ever heard someone (other than myself say that out loud). I love this content and I hope that it finds its way to some folks new to the hobby and helps them make more rational decisions when outfitting their vehicles.
Thank you! I appreciate it, glad the video resonated with you
If you go on any social media or forums on overlanding, all you see will be people's cars. or what they call "builds". few of them will be about where they actually go and what they actually do
I'm glad I watched both of your videos on how overlanding doesn't need crazy fancy off-roading rigs. I bought a 4x4 truck and thinking of decking it out, but you make good points on how you can do most of these trails in normal cars and I would just like a 4x4 truck to get to a little more remote fishing spots.
That's ideal! Glad you got something out of those videos, thank you for watching
I love this follow up video, especially as an HD truck owner on 37's (RAM 2500, primarily to assist with getting my toy hauler into and out of softer conditions.) I drove to the end of the road at White Mountain, CA this summer; which is the highest accessible road in CA at almost 12,000 feet. Almost 8000 feet in elevation in an hour. On my way out, I encountered two Jeeps on 40s driving down to Hwy395. We were all seeking fuel, and had unintentionally caravaned to the nearest fuel station. They pulled out early, and I caught up to them a few minutes later on the highway, watching them struggle to keep even a 60 MPH pace on the heavy offroad tuned suspension with associated death wobble. I can tow my trailer faster in *not* California and still attack everything that won't cause body damage with ease. As mentioned in many comments, one finds two wheel drive cars at most dirt accessible trail heads across the Western US. Getting outdoors is the goal, keep up the videos!
A very well thought out and articulated essay. Enjoyed hearing your thoughts, thank you! Keep up the good work. Subscribed.
Thank you sir! Thanks for commenting
I agree.
I live in Alaska.
We have overlanding here in it's truest sense. You can go hundreds of miles. But not with a regular truck with modified tires because of all the swamps, floating bogs etc.
The Sherp or Atlas 1or an Argo with tracks is the ultimate overland vehicle here.
I'm a humble carpenter so I overland with a ATV and do ok.
But most Alaskans are utilitarian, meaning, we overland to go moose or caribou hunting. Not for the thrill of driving over land.
Similar here in Maine. Not the Sherps or anything but for hunting. It can get fairly remote. Huge lifts might not be needed but load range E tires and a cell phone booster and some good spot/flood lights and a winch wouldn’t be weird at all. Oh and a CB so you can get a warning of logging trucks in the area because it’s all 1 lane road shared in both directions.
We have a rooftop tent to stay above the scorpions and snakes in the desert southwest, but nothing else mounted. Hi would you like to off road and the last thing you want is 500 pounds of gear mounted up high on the bed of your pick up her up on your roof.
I honestly couldn't agree more, with come caveats.
"Overlanding" is to the West Coast what owning a Gwagon/Ferrari/Lambo is to the East Coast. It's all about status and money. I live in Seattle and know for a fact that most of the Overlanding Rigs here are pavement princesses. Just like most of the sports cars in Miami are rentals that never go above 70mph.
I think this is a preexisting problem that probably predates the overlanding fad. I bought an offroad vehicle about a year ago and my neighbor (who is now too old to drive himself) started giving me all of his old tools, like a high-lift jack. Problem is there is no where on my car that I could even use something like that. I felt bad being given this stuff, especially now since I've never been in a situation where I've needed it. I drive to remote locations to hike, or take pictures, or to set up telescopes for astrophotography. I wanted to get something cheep but that could also go up mountain trails that I was afraid to take my primary car on.
On that note, the problem, in the US at least, is the amount of protection placed. You really can't truly go off-roading anywhere, just mildly maintained dirt roading like you said. Granted, if you're out in the middle of nowhere, say New Mexico or Colorado or Wyoming, that "do not take motorized vehicles off the trail, even to retrieve game" sign probably isn't going to stop you, but in principle you shouldn't do it if only because it's illegal. It creates a problem where you either go to a private off-roading arcade, or it feels like you are on the BLM conveyor belt. "Come see The Tree ™and The Rock™and The Canyon™. No, do not sniff, lick, touch, or smell it in any way." I think 95% of people approve of protecting areas from damage, especially from man-made fire damage, but when the definition of damage is as shallow as "I saw a foot print on a walking trail" and the number of people traveling to any of these truly remote spots are really tiny anyway, it starts to make the whole thing feel very shallow, silly, and vindictive. Like you are just breaking the law by simply existing.
There is a National Forest about 4 hours from where I live that the Forest Rangers require you have a 4x4 if you plan to camp off of the main road. Very soft sand when you’re off of the gravel track, they’ll fine awd crossovers if they find them in the sand. It’s fair, 2wd vehicles are completely useless in the sand but you don’t need an extreme 4x4 a stock Ford Ranger with all terrains is enough.
I live on a farm on the edge of the west side of the cascades. From my house I can be on logging roads in 1/4 of a mile whether I go left or right. Thousands of miles of well maintained logging roads everywhere. I can go anywhere than I want to in a regular car. 4 wheel drive in winter can only get you as far as high as your frame. 😊
Extremely valid points - hiking or horses are the only way to see anything truly beautiful. Wilderness areas are off limits to anything with an engine. However, to be fair, I just spent two weeks in Idaho and it’s one of the most boring overlanding states I’ve ever been in. The FSR are highly manicured and the only “challenge” is that it’s steep sometimes. I wouldn’t even consider it off-roading.. more like gravel road driving.
Your experience in your home state may have left you a little jaded. I know I felt that way even after just a few days. The fires and smoke didn’t help either.
I did get to see a rodeo in salmon though 😅
You can get some amazing places with a vehicle. Idaho’s great for that.
Idaho varies a bit depending on the area; but yes, most of our off road access is tame. I’m thinking we have something between 5-15 difficult off-road trails that aren’t either FSR or full-on rock crawling routes.
It’s the way it is. Much of our unpaved roads are or were relied on for private property owners, towns, or mines. My time in Colorado and Utah has led me to believe similar things about those states, except Colorado certainly has some tougher passes and trails, and Utah has Moab
A/T Tyres is about all you could really would want, even that isn't mandatory. The rest you could just pack a sleeping bag and tent and away you go.
You’re stating the facts that most of us don’t want to openly admit. I think the term has taken on an idea rather than a reality.
Weekend camping is not overlanding. Overlanding is traveling great distances and being self sufficient. It doesn’t have to be off pavement all the time.
Also, even Americans have no idea how big the United States really is especially in the west. Each state is basically its own country. If you’re spending a week or longer exploring and seeing as much as you possibly can, you are essentially overlanding.
As for gears, buy what you see fit for your application but be cognizant of the weight you’re adding to your vehicle.
I remember my cousin visiting me at my house.. saw his Overland built Tacoma driving in and I thought he was my gardener 😂
I've seen Overlanding in the Australian outback (Stuart highway Alice springs to Adelaide)- extremely remote areas where gas stations on the map may exist, or may have closed 8 years ago (this happened to me). There may not be a single other person who drives past you on the road for days, or weeks and there's no cell reception for 100s of miles. Driving off the narrow, shoulder-less highway is often fatal. I did my trip in a Kia Sportage, a tent, and a 10-gallon water tank, but there were areas i couldn't safely or physically travel to away from the Stuart.
There are no conditions like this anywhere in the US except parts of Alaska.
And the overland vehicles i saw in Oz were usually 20-30 year old Mitsubishi Pajeros, Toyota Landscape, or Nissan patrol (US car companies have zero presence in original Overlanding areas) with snorkels and 'roo bars, but otherwise much more humble and older than the Overlanders i see in the Costco and suburban brunch-spot parking lots in the US.
Next time you have to show your foot kicking the dirt back in the hole after buying a #2.
You don't have a 30L dual zone refrigerator and a fold out cook/prep table. Once you get those, you'll say to yourself "I am overlanding."
Some people buy off white, supreme and other shit, I buy clothes at Decathlon and OEM parts at a Toyota dealer, they might think I am crazy 😅, but I would never spend money on a supreme t-shirt. I know about the industry's influence on our brain, so I try to spend smart and DIY maintenance/upgrades
To me it always meant traveling and living out of your vehicle for extended periods, exploring off the beaten path areas. In the US now it’s more about 4 wheeling with a ton of stuff festooned over your rig and ignoring your payload capacity. 😆
Its called "camping" it's what everybody used to do before vanlifers and Millennials decided to spend thousands on designer gear and put an elitist tag on everything.
I don't think it is a millennial thing. It is a pandemic effecting everyone.
gentrification isn't only for real estate, it's also possible to gentrify a subculture, sport, or hobby
I can go camping in my lifted prius with a rear hatch tent lol.
I like that you've defined the word. By your definition there is no overlanding in the USA. But now you are talking about what Americans think of as overloading... BDR routes, etc. This overland stuff is a lot like the Adventure Bike thing, some guys actually ride the crazy hard, dangerous stuff but the joke is that most guys just have a top spec BMW they ride to Starbucks. Same with the tricked out Jeep mall crawlers. People always want to go way overboard on their hobbies... I myself suffer from Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
I got a Jeep XJ, not to go to the outer reaches of civilization. But, a cheaper 4wd option to be equipped to deal with obstacles I don't plan on. I just want to car camp, fish, and have a capable 'basecamp' to go hiking from. It's also my daily driver so I can get robbed at the gas pump every visit!
We find a primitive spot to base camp to hike into a place that has dark skies for astrophotography. So while it’s not overlanding it’s definitely nice to have a base camp that has these luxuries.
Agreed. At the end of the day, my stock 2020 Canyon will do what I need. There will be a few changes - OME suspension not for a lift but for increasing gvm, frame reinforcements because we just got a caravan which is heavy enough that it likely is a good idea for peace of mind, better brakes for the same reason, and skid plates because even winter can do a number on the vehicle. Do I want all the fruit? Yeah. Gear acquisition syndrome is a thing. Do I need it? Of course not.
Now I am lucky. I am a few days travel from northern Quebec which can get you as remote as you can get in North America (the trans taiga is over 700km from the nearest town at its end with one fuel stop) but even then, the roads are generally maintained service roads for the hydro projects. Are they rough? Yes. But they are rally car rough not built off road truck rough. Use regular road tyres at your own risk…
For me, the whole hobby is about exploration by me for me. I won’t be the first there, but I will see things first for me. The more remote the better. What I love so much about being in the North is the silence. It is incredible. And that is good enough for me.
Besides which, key to this for me is photography - that is my other passion and nothing gets me happier about travel than a mix of exploration and photography.
Like your thoughts on the subject. I think its a term that caught on probably during Covid. People were stuck at home, but they could go outdoors. Which really created a whole other new mess of those who have no skills, sense or camping etiquette. They just went to Walmart, bought all the stuff and off they go to the woods to be somewhere else other than home sitting staring at 4 walls...And others jumped in there vehicles and just wanted to get away...Far Far away from the new batch of campers. I like to off road, and fish and hunt and back pack and hike and explore old ghost towns and mines. I am , driving over land to get where I need to go and then camp. It used to be just called off roading or exploring. But, create a catch term and market it and off ya go...Lots of money in that industry now days. Everything electronic, cool roof top tents to keep away from bears as one said, but you do know they climb right. I'm a boy scout so I have really all I need for a few days of camping out of my Jeep or if I go on a backpack or explore. I didn't buy into all the hype. Its really to each his own. We see alot of them around, I think its the new look like a raised 4x4 that never hits the dirt. Just think of how much money is spent on all that stuff. Just don't look at my fishing and hunting stuff....probably spent the same amount....So I think your right, true overlanding, not really, but getting out and getting off road and exploring, definitely.Good job.....
To me “overland” is more about a route than a vehicle. “Overlanding” or “Overlander” are made up terms to make people feel warm and fuzzy.
I’m not an overlander. I’m a backpacker on an overland hiking trail. I’m not overlanding. I’m camping along an overland route to avoid the city and highway traffic. This just so happens to require 4wd and camping gear.
Well said!
Thank you sir
I agree! I'll rather go camping, fishing and hiking! Or just drive on well maintained roads into the Woods... Rock crawling isn't my thing.
When i got my first 4x4 i thought i wanted to get into overlanding. After researching products i realized i just want to go camping.
Overlanding is definitely being pushed by profit motivations. Most influencers are either sponsored or getting a cut if products sell as a result of their videos. I recently sold my Toyota Tacoma that I had built for overlanding because I realized we were never going to fully utilize it. I may embark on another build but with the knowledge I’ve gained that the majority of the stuff I added to the Tacoma were never going to be used. Maybe a overland “lite” sort of thing
Have you been to Jarbidge, NV just across the Idaho border, I think it’s the most remote town in the lower 48..?
Great video, you are correct 👍
Glad I'm not the only one turned off by the whole " broverlanding" scene, legit only got a jeep cause my dodge dakota crapped out and wanted a just in case capable machine, kudos to the point of your better off actually hiking with some weight on your back to get to the cool spots your vehicle cant get you! cheers!
Awesome monologe. Agreed, the word overlanding is used poorly and also too commercialized at this point. An Australian guy pointed out the word touring which is what I think is more accurate for people who are just traveling mostly paved / dirt roads. And then you could say "offroad touring" if you're doing the same multi day but actually going offroad. Either way it's all glamping in my mind if you’re not carrying your own gear on your person.
Also like how you clarified with lower 48, not sure if you've been up here to AK but it's definitely different in a few ways than out west L48. No forest service roads being the main thing. The dirt roads are for commerical / remote town access, and then basically all of our offroad are current mining or abandoned mining trails / some hunting. And there's not a lot of in-between for the dirt roads / offroad trails, which is typically where I think a forest service road in western L48 would fall.
Also agreed on the fitness part. Especially helpful if your vehicle breaks down and you're many miles away from civilization.
Well said. Thank you for commenting!
Overlanding is the present bushcrafting/survivalist fad. Driving on forest service roads exploring our beautiful spots in our country while taking day hikes is a great pastime. It’s no different than the trill of the old Route 66 travels in the 20th century. It simply illustrates some of us are explorers at heart and every generation it gets reinvented. It’s a cool niche, it’s sad that people go overboard and everything is click baiting. You have a realistic and working man’s approach to this subject which I share, discernment is needed so that you don’t spend all your personal wealth on perception.
I'm glad you said it some of my friends from Australia as well saying that's not Is touring! Look, if you want to drive more and hours on your butt all day go ahead but for me. I like to go fishing and hunting....Oh, I'm sorry Australia you can't go hunting😂
Hahaha! You must be talking about Broverlanding.
I am a gear whore, love all the stuff. I just don’t have much of it. No racks, no RTT. I do have a shovel and fake max tracks that have come in handy. I just leave them in the bed of my truck, a pretty much stock
F250.
Ever time I see one of those fully rigged Toyotas, I know that dude isn’t even using that stuff. I never see ANY of those vehicles when I’m out in the woods or desert.
That said, Ive got a stack of different tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and various items. I just got back from a trip this weekend listening to elk bugle all weekend, running after my dog that was a running a bear out of camp and thought I really need to sell off some of this stuff.
I love cruising forest roads, looking for the right spot camp, then hiking and hanging out. It’s just camping.
Can definitely be a "lifestyle" + "gear" grift.
Had a boss who decided to overland cause it's adventurous (never did much camping or off-roading before).
He dropped $80K on a new truck (separate from his daily driver) and gear.
In 2 years he went to Moab for a week (did the easy trails since he had no off-roading experience) and a few weekend car camping spots.
For 5% of what he spent he could have had the same experiences (rent a vehicle at Moab, use his daily driver to car camp).
He brought his truck into work on a Friday once before a weekend car camping trip and was very into showing off the gear. Felt like a mid-life crisis.
I bought my Bilstein B12 rear springs for $100 for my GX 1.5 rear lift and did the airbag delete and call it a day for my GX.
You hit it on the head. You work in an office 5 days a week. Now I'm the same. But when I got into this hobby I worked outside for 10-15hr/day 6-7 days a week. So when I did have days off that I could go camping I MUCH preferred offroading and absolutely hated hiking.
These days working an office job I get what you mean. i still like offroading though and exploring by car, but I could possibly see the appeal of hiking. I need to get in better shape anyway.
It doesn’t need to be a long hike, look for the destinations with a couple mile hike to get in park get out and stretch the aches from the miles off.
I agree, and almost put a similar “paragraph” into this video. When I worked manual labor, those activities appealed more. Most people who like dirt bikes and razors (in my experience) work manual labor.
But, I didn’t feel like that was quite true enough to put in the video, as there seems to be a healthy crossover of office people who “overland” or dirtbike, and manual labor people who hike or backpack.
@@208TylerI have had a CDL for nearly 25 years all of my driving has been home nightly. Before my CDL i worked an assembly line, I enjoyed going for random drives out of nowhere. After driving for a few years I could care less to go for random drives, with a purpose I’m all in. Although last 10 years I have even started allowing my wife to drive for the most part.
glad you find your niche, keep it up 🎉
I'm still on a journey to become an overlander. I haven't quite got it down yet, but one day, I will. So far, all I've been capable of doing is a little bit of offroading and camping.
I think the best mindset to have is to do it and only buy or acquire stuff that fits your needs. That is the better way to build a rig in my opinion.
Man I hope ONX is paying you enough to make breaking the video flow worthwhile.
I also saw the first and subscribed. I have felt this way for a while.
Backpackers do the Appalachian Trail with tens of thousands in gear.
Overlanders do level 3-4 trails with 100's of thousands. I don't get it.
As a viewer, does the add make you not want to continue watching the video/dislike onX?
This is one of my first sponsor integrations.
Thanks for commenting!
@@208Tyler I get sponsorship offers a couple dozen a week. I haven't been active in making content lately just because I hate editing video frankly.
As far as the thoughts it was just an odd take to me to cut mid thought/sentence.
It doesn't necessarily make me NOT want to watch. If I enjoy the content I'll skip through an ad.
But it certainly doesn't make me want to keep watching if it's a subject matter I'm not interested in.
IE: I'm not going to stop watching a good video because an ad. But I will stop watching a mid video because of one.
Gotchya. I am likewise inundated with "sponsorship" emails. This is one of the 1%
I'm required to place the add before the halfway mark. I wanted to place it as late as possible and couldn't find a natural break. I would also hate to interrupt the video at a "low" point (viewers more likely to click off...?), so I settled on a part that split the video during an "up" or higher stakes part of the video.
I've noticed other creators do this, and I notice that I always stick around for whatever is after the add and think "huh, that's a clever way to cut a video/place an add". Hopefully the chapters helped.
It’s just wheeling and camping. I figured out “overlanding” was a scam back in 2018 when I saw how much that dweeb at “overland bound” kept pushing it selling “memberships” and ultimately all these companies slapping that word on a ton of overpriced things you’ll never have a use for.
Maybe we need a new name for it. Foresting maybe?
To me, I link overlanding more to expeditions than going out to a spot to camp for a night. That's just dispersed camping. With how much we have explored and discovered the world over the last thousand or so years, I would think it would be difficult to find land that would have little to no development for hundreds or thousands of miles. I think where capitalism comes into play with this is the idea of taking your vehicle where normal vehicles can't go, but minivan owners have clearly challenged that belief.
Like you said, I think it's important to use overlanding as a way to help aid other outdoor activities (hiking, watersports, camping, etc), but not necessarily it's own thing.
It’s like those who drink just to drink, missing the point that alcohol is best enjoyed as a complement to another activity, not as the goal itself.
I think the longest distance anywhere in the lower 48 between any two gas stations is about 110 miles. Be sure and fill up those jerry cans.
I wonder if any of these folk know how well gasoline ages in plastic containers on the side of a truck in 90-100 degree weather for months.