Is "Overlanding" a thing in your area yet?

Kira said:
Overlanding.....just another category for equipment catalogs.
Ex: Tent = tent. Overlanding tent = tent with optional padding, mounting fittings and higher price.
OR
Butch RVing, if you prefer.
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My friend owns an off-road shop that sees a bunch of people coming to turn vehicles into overlanding ones.
He says it is astonishing how much money they spend, and that is on new vehicles. He constantly has issues with expanding his business. He expands, then the new stall is not enough, so he expands again. He is killing it.
But, says, those that come back for some additional work, 80% of them have suspension brand new. You cannot see anything on suspension, no scratches, mud, or anything. They have never left town with that car.
 
Egg_Head said:
Looks cool but I'm with you @AZjeff. Just buy a base Tacoma and stay at the Ritz-Carlton with the $$ you save from not buying all the upgrades.
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agreed. i think in those cases, simplicity is key, reliability is key, todays cars are to complex and trims packages add a bunch of canbus circuits.

i once watched a video with a fella who bought a trd 4 runner, then proceeded to remove the axles and suspension and replaced it with "better" stuff. why buy the trd then?

i have seen more guys stuck with lockers and broken axles than with regular conventional diffs. the last thing you want is a broke axle.

you can blow the motor, but you still have a towable roller, grenade the axle and you are up the creekwith no paddle or a boat
 
burbguy82 said:
agreed. i think in those cases, simplicity is key, reliability is key, todays cars are to complex and trims packages add a bunch of canbus circuits.

i once watched a video with a fella who bought a trd 4 runner, then proceeded to remove the axles and suspension and replaced it with "better" stuff. why buy the trd then?

i have seen more guys stuck with lockers and broken axles than with regular conventional diffs. the last thing you want is a broke axle.

you can blow the motor, but you still have a towable roller, grenade the axle and you are up the creekwith no paddle or a boat
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March 2019, that big storm that hit Colorado, they called it "bombgenesis," or whatever.
08.00am: 50 degrees
10.00am 57 degrees: rain
12.00pm 34 degrees, slush. They canceled schools and daycares suddenly.
Picked up kid at 12.30 at daycare with Sienna, 10mls to home. Slush on the road already turning into ice, now mid 20's.
Took two hrs to get home bcs. people sliding, ending in the ditch. The access road to the neighborhood looks like an exodus. Everyone walking abandoning cars bcs. "all season tires are fine, just don't go out." I picked up 7 people, one guy was sitting in the trunk.
Got home, already 6-8" of snow, wind upward of 60mph, can't see anything. Take wife's Tiguan bcs. clearance and go out to pick up these people who have abandoned their cars.
By 5pm, we have drifts 6ft tall in some areas, some road sections have 3-4ft drifts, you cannot pass through it. On the neighborhood Facebook page, there are still a bunch of people posting how they are stuck in cars. I call a friend who has lifted JEEP, and he is already out getting to some folks with few other guys. Huge tires (probably the cheapest he could get), huge clearance, so we go out and start getting people home. Tiguan is really, really good in snow, short wheelbase, good AWD, skinny snow tires. Somewhere around 8pm we are trying to get to this car and it is maybe 8" of snow and his front axle just snaps. He is stuck. Hook him on the Tiguan to get him at least on the road, and just leave it there. I go with the Tiguan and go through that with no problems.
A few days later, I took him to the shop where he had his JEEP towed, and he was looking at his car. I got to talk to the owner, so I asked him what the deal was, and his answer was: "Well, cheap junk he put on the car."
 
Egg_Head said:
Looks cool but I'm with you @AZjeff. Just buy a base Tacoma and stay at the Ritz-Carlton with the $$ you save from not buying all the upgrades.
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It should be noted that when you're 50+ miles from the nearest paved road, and even farther from the nearest small town that might have a flea-bag motel, you might want a capable 4wd vehicle, and some camping accessories.

A percentage of people actually do use the lifts, aggressive tires, winches, recovery gear, armor under and around the vehicle, etc. to get to secluded spots miles from cellphone coverage. Then there are those that like to look like they do, while negotiating the Starbucks drive-through (Like the neighbor with his tire-shined-to-death Bronco Raptor). :ROFLMAO:

But more power to the posers, if it keeps the companies in business to provide products to those that actually utilize them.
 
“Overlanding” in some places in West Virginia is what some people do just to get to their house lol. If a road sign says “eight mile creek” you can bet at least two miles of it is in the actual creek. Not kidding. Trips to town is planned around rain storms.
 
02SE said:
It should be noted that when you're 50+ miles from the nearest paved road, and even farther from the nearest small town that might have a flea-bag motel, you might want a capable 4wd vehicle, and some camping accessories.

A percentage of people actually do use the lifts, aggressive tires, winches, recovery gear, armor under and around the vehicle, etc. to get to secluded spots miles from cellphone coverage. Then there are those that like to look like they do, while negotiating the Starbucks drive-through (Like the neighbor with his tire-shined-to-death Bronco Raptor). :ROFLMAO:

But more power to the posers, if it keeps the companies in business to provide products to those that actually utilize them.
Click to expand...
We have them here like mushrooms after rain. My BMW saw more dirt than 99% of them did.
 
edyvw said:
March 2019, that big storm that hit Colorado, they called it "bombgenesis," or whatever.
08.00am: 50 degrees
10.00am 57 degrees: rain
12.00pm 34 degrees, slush. They canceled schools and daycares suddenly.
Picked up kid at 12.30 at daycare with Sienna, 10mls to home. Slush on the road already turning into ice, now mid 20's.
Took two hrs to get home bcs. people sliding, ending in the ditch. The access road to the neighborhood looks like an exodus. Everyone walking abandoning cars bcs. "all season tires are fine, just don't go out." I picked up 7 people, one guy was sitting in the trunk.
Got home, already 6-8" of snow, wind upward of 60mph, can't see anything. Take wife's Tiguan bcs. clearance and go out to pick up these people who have abandoned their cars.
By 5pm, we have drifts 6ft tall in some areas, some road sections have 3-4ft drifts, you cannot pass through it. On the neighborhood Facebook page, there are still a bunch of people posting how they are stuck in cars. I call a friend who has lifted JEEP, and he is already out getting to some folks with few other guys. Huge tires (probably the cheapest he could get), huge clearance, so we go out and start getting people home. Tiguan is really, really good in snow, short wheelbase, good AWD, skinny snow tires. Somewhere around 8pm we are trying to get to this car and it is maybe 8" of snow and his front axle just snaps. He is stuck. Hook him on the Tiguan to get him at least on the road, and just leave it there. I go with the Tiguan and go through that with no problems.
A few days later, I took him to the shop where he had his JEEP towed, and he was looking at his car. I got to talk to the owner, so I asked him what the deal was, and his answer was: "Well, cheap junk he put on the car."
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right my point exactly.......unless you know what is good.

back in the day, 31 inch tires were the go go for offroading, maybe 33s on trucks. Anything bigger, and you really need some serious hardware, to be bulletproof. truthfully, that is all you need for 99% of real situation. IMO

It also takes a bit of knowledge and driving ability and knowing when you are pushing it to far, and when to use your winch etc.

Most jeeps you see with 37's never see the off road, nor would they last very long.
 
I just looked up the curb weight on the Gladiator. Mine, as a Rubicon, is 5050lbs. I have added a front axle disconnect, lightweight steel bumper, some lighting, a light weight winch (about 56lbs), an AEV 2.5 Dualsport lift which might have added 50lbs, as a guestimate with taller springs and some brackets...I wouldn't be surprised if it was less....And then about 15lbs per 35" tire, so another 75lbs there (unsprung). There's a tonneau that probably added 20lb. So I am probably sitting at 250lbs added weight. I'm guessing 5300lbs vehicle weight.

Stuff adds up quickly, so that's why I like a ground tent, small 12v fridge (35qt), 550 watt hour battery, and basic camping gear. The Hi Lift jack only goes if nobody else in the group has one, if I am by myself, and depending on how difficult the trails will be. Mostly, it stays home.

My Wrangler is set up the same exact way. Most of the time, in a group, I believe I have the lightest vehicle among those lifted and modified. I think it is important for many reasons....fuel economy/range, easier on the suspension and drive train components, less tractive force is needed to move it or get it unstuck, better road manners/handling, and without a racks, better visibility, lower center of gravity, and I can drop the top or open the Sunrider for more fun and better views driving through canyons.

I find it interesting that there is a major trend among the big YouTube overlanders to now try and lighten up their rigs. I don't think they are just looking to make new content, but they have come to realize the advantages.

I learned this stuff with my 93 YJ Jeep that weighed only about 3,000lbs. It was amazing what that thing could do with only a limited slip rear end and 30 inch tires. And if it got stuck, most of the time it would break loose with just a push from a guy or two. Try that with a rig pushing double or more the weight. You can't do that even with my "light weight" JL or JT. There would not be a prayer with some of these monster rigs I see.

That little YJ, btw was a neat setup. I had 2 inch receivers on both ends and a cradle mounted 8k Warn winch. I only carried the winch and its weight when I was going wheeling. Not for daily driving, so that Jeep stayed close to its original curb weight most of the time. I kick myself for selling that Jeep every time I think about it, LOL. I used to "Overland" in it by throwing a tent, sleeping bag, stove, cooler, lantern, and air mattress in it.

I think Overlanding these days should be called mobile glamping. They've got satellite connections, diesel heaters, and 4 batteries with 2000 watt solar panels to power their cappuccino machines and recharge their vibrators. All that unnecessary crap to enjoy nature, except maybe the vibrators. Lol.
 
31 x10.5

2.5 inch lift

I go to Uhwarrie all the times......https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/uwharrie-jeep-trail

it is also my Toad behind my RV, so no i dont overland, but close as far as USA standards go.
IMG_20250518_093218837_HDR.webp
IMG_20250518_093151881_HDR.webp
 
IndyFan said:
I just looked up the curb weight on the Gladiator. Mine, as a Rubicon, is 5050lbs. I have added a front axle disconnect, lightweight steel bumper, some lighting, a light weight winch (about 56lbs), an AEV 2.5 Dualsport lift which might have added 50lbs, as a guestimate with taller springs and some brackets...I wouldn't be surprised if it was less....And then about 15lbs per 35" tire, so another 75lbs there (unsprung). There's a tonneau that probably added 20lb. So I am probably sitting at 250lbs added weight. I'm guessing 5300lbs vehicle weight.

Stuff adds up quickly, so that's why I like a ground tent, small 12v fridge (35qt), 550 watt hour battery, and basic camping gear. The Hi Lift jack only goes if nobody else in the group has one, if I am by myself, and depending on how difficult the trails will be. Mostly, it stays home.

My Wrangler is set up the same exact way. Most of the time, in a group, I believe I have the lightest vehicle among those lifted and modified. I think it is important for many reasons....fuel economy/range, easier on the suspension and drive train components, less tractive force is needed to move it or get it unstuck, better road manners/handling, and without a racks, better visibility, lower center of gravity, and I can drop the top or open the Sunrider for more fun and better views driving through canyons.

I find it interesting that there is a major trend among the big YouTube overlanders to now try and lighten up their rigs. I don't think they are just looking to make new content, but they have come to realize the advantages.

I learned this stuff with my 93 YJ Jeep that weighed only about 3,000lbs. It was amazing what that thing could do with only a limited slip rear end and 30 inch tires. And if it got stuck, most of the time it would break loose with just a push from a guy or two. Try that with a rig pushing double or more the weight. You can't do that even with my "light weight" JL or JT. There would not be a prayer with some of these monster rigs I see.

That little YJ, btw was a neat setup. I had 2 inch receivers on both ends and a cradle mounted 8k Warn winch. I only carried the winch and its weight when I was going wheeling. Not for daily driving, so that Jeep stayed close to its original curb weight most of the time. I kick myself for selling that Jeep every time I think about it, LOL. I used to "Overland" in it by throwing a tent, sleeping bag, stove, cooler, lantern, and air mattress in it.

I think Overlanding these days should be called mobile glamping. They've got satellite connections, diesel heaters, and 4 batteries with 2000 watt solar panels to power their cappuccino machines and recharge their vibrators. All that unnecessary crap to enjoy nature, except maybe the vibrators. Lol.
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I bought a 36” HiLift bcs it fits inside (full time) - used in conjunction with this choker the lift would be at the wheel …

IMG_4974.webp


IMG_4976.webp
 
AZjeff said:
It is here in central Arizona, you see anything from Jeep Compasses to full size 4wd 2500 trucks with the tent on the roof or bed rack and various amounts of the cool gear that goes with the outfit. The main publication of overlanding, Overland Journal and it's associated internet forum ExpeditionPortal.com are based in nearby Prescott so it hasn't been unusual for quite a few years to see the big European expedition trucks lumbering around the area. The favorite platforms seems to be the Tacoma followed by 4 door Wranglers. Driving back roads all day long then sleeping in a tent on the roof of your vehicle seems like it would get tiresome but I'm old and like some comforts. I wonder how many stick with it any length of time? I worked for a short time for AT Overland building overland truck topper tents, atoverland.com, the wait time 2 years ago was 36 weeks to get one. You can get serious money into this.

Like this.
View attachment 142322
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It's an expensive hobby to outfit with all the product offerings. We looked into it but found the weight and cost wasn't worth it. The average Joe can have the same experience with Coleman tent, cooler and folding chairs for much less and even the smallest ground tent is more spacious to the roof top tent.

That being said, after 8 years of tent camping we did upgrade to a teardrop recently to secure valuables, ease cooking and add comfort for sleeping.

1000004581.webp
 
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Pablo said:
I only posted this because people apparently are not differentiating from off roading
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agree. they are different, and to your point, most think they are synonymous. My point was to the commenter and tire size\axles snapping deal.

And, adding an off road trailer to my jeep would equal overland capabilities. not primo, but good.

I argue that the 2500 Suburban would be the best overland vehicle.
 
burbguy82 said:
agree. they are different, and to your point, most think they are synonymous. My point was to the commenter and tire size\axles snapping deal.

And, adding an off road trailer to my jeep would equal overland capabilities. not primo, but good.

I argue that the 2500 Suburban would be the best overland vehicle.
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Yup. Maybe I should deck mine out.

FDF09F9C-2D19-4656-AFFF-ED1A8C85B823.webp
 
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