"Overland" please explain?

[Charlievee]

i have been doing the whole YouTube thing and watching the goings on, but can't get my head around it. Granted I'm a Cavalry scout and have done my fair share of overland, it just seems most are doing so on trails. Granted its impressive, but not really "overland". I have eaten out of bags and not showered for weeks if not months at a time, breaking trail with dismounts up front in trackless forests in eastern Europe (not to mention certain combat zones in the mid east). Most of what I see is trail riding with creature comforts. Again impressive, but "Overland" ? Why no mention of "way bags"? How long is the normal "overland" trip that requires roof tents, refrigerators and a trailer full of junk? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just looking to learn more about the sport.

 

[MissouriBreaks]

i have been doing the whole YouTube thing and watching the goings on, but can't get my head around it. Granted I'm a Cavalry scout and have done my fair share of overland, it just seems most or doing so on trails. Granted its impressive, but not really "overland". I have eaten out of bags and not showered for weeks if not months at a time, breaking trail with dismounts up front in trackless forests in eastern Europe. Most of what I see is trail riding with creature comforts. Again impressive, but "Overland" ? Why no mention of "way bags"? How long is the normal "overland" trip that requires roof tents, refrigerators and a trailer full of junk? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just looking to learn more about the sport.

It is whatever and however you want it to be. I don't have a rooftop tent or a trailer full of junk, just a tent, cot, sleeping bag, and regular cooler with ice. However, it is just me and if I had a family, then I might be having to drag a trailer full of junk, as there is only so much room to haul stuff in a 4Runner.

My overlanding typically consists of a variety of types of back roads and trails, with the drives being 2 to 4 hours. I go for the scenery and remote drives/campsites, as one gets tired of seeing people after spending time in the big city.

I typically restock food every couple of days and find a place to shower every couple of days.

 

[T4RZAN]

Depending on who you ask you will get a different answer. Seems most today think "Overlanding" is going out into the boonies for a long weekend. The term "Overland" is used in a very watered down context now. Many people that think they are overlanding are just glamping (glamour camping).

The amenities and the products companies have produced for today's "overlanding" though are quite nice and make camping much less of "roughing it". Which I think has gotten more people out into the outdoors that wouldn't have before. But for the most part today's "overlanding" is not true overlanding.

 

[mynameistory]

It's a buzzword that people use on youtube to sell you junk that you don't need. Just go camping and enjoy yourself without all the hashtagging.

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

I feel the mass majority of the SoCal self-proclaimed "overlanders" are just noobs with money and/or attention-hungry.



IMO, the best part of the off road experience is learning as you go - working your way up to the next mod or part, learning the capabilities of yourself and the rig together, and improving together - rather than just buying a new rig and spending $5,000 on mods and recovery gear for aesthetics.



It feels like new Tacomas and 4Runners come with an instagram account, a set of VTX faux-beadlocks, and an Icon lift - instant 5k followers.

 

[4Runner fun]

Overlanding

The guys I know seem to be more about the gear and the setup. while doing light to moderate trail rides.The gear seems expensive, elaborate and heavy. My rigs have always been slightly heavy by nature, armor, cages, beadlocks and oversized over build rigs. I'm very conscious of my controllable weight. Small ice chests, reasonably light and small tents, sleeping bags and tarps. all of it secured in the rig as if I'm gonna end up on my roof, the last thing I want is a yard sale.
Overlanding seems the opposite of that, convenience based overly elaborate things. Rooftop tents and gear loaded high on the rig seems counter intuitive to offroading.

I will say, my buddy has no problem busting out the gear, the awning and fancy reclining lawn chairs are out at the drop of a hat.

EDIT; It's good and bad to see so much support towards new Tacos and 4Runners, It does lean towards the JK crowd to some extent.

 

[srpuywa]

if you need a title to have fun, you're doing it wrong :wtf:

 

[jhguth]

in the US it means car camping but trying to stay as remote as possible and use dirt roads and FS trails and dispersed camping vs. asphalt to developed campgrounds. another thing that differentiates it from typical car camping is that it usually involves travelling, only staying in any one spot for a short time before moving on to the next where as car camping often means going to a campground staying there for a few days or week and then coming home. i grew up car camping but only a few of those trips would be overlanding.

and overlanding doesn't require 4wd, expensive vehicles, or expensive gear. if you go to something like overland expo you'll see plenty of instagram bro's but there are also plenty of people in old cheap vehicles and basic gear who just enjoy adventure and exploring.

i have no problem with the phrase, there isn't another phrase that means the same thing

(i do have a problem with people calling their weekend trip an expedition though, that always sounds ridiculous)

 

[cbielat]

Overland/Overlanding is just a new name for vehicle travel. The word's gotten beaten to death. By putting on a tremendous amount of accessories on their vehicle, which a majority don't even use, it's a "look" they're after. Some people do things to look like they're doing things that real people are actually doing. It's a joke.

Overland travel has been going on since the beginning of time starting with the first settlers and their horse drawn carriages. They just didn't think this word to spew out every time they packed up. But I guarantee they used everything they brought with them during time of travel. How did they get unstuck without MaxTrax?

 

[gfxcruncher]

I heard there's a special website you have to get a membership on and then collect a bunch of patches and whatnot, then you can be considered an "overlander"

 

[jhguth]

can we also talk about people who make their vehicle "tactical" and "high speed" like they're planning on leading a convoy through fallujah?

 

[techno]

Wow. A lot of miserable people in this thread who feel the need to be ridiculously critical of total strangers doing or buying something they like. :noidea:

Come on guys, relax a little and quit looking down on people who do things differently to you.
From the rich kid with the trailer full of 'junk' to the old schooler with a tarp for a tent, I've never met someone into this sort of thing who's an a-hole and won't have a beer with you around the fire.

 

[UrbanRunner651]

Not sure about Eastern Europe ,but generally speaking breaking fresh trail through woodlands is generally frowned upon (unless permissible by owner). You still want to have some responsibility when venturing new places and not create a bad name for other enthusiats.
Most people who truly "overland" are just doing extended road trips with a vehicle that contains everything necessary for living off the grid/not returning to town.

 

[Rightside Up]

It means you are listening to Toto's I miss the rains down in Africa,
while driving. :happy:

 

[cbielat]

Wow. A lot of miserable people in this thread who feel the need to be ridiculously critical of total strangers doing or buying something they like. :noidea:

Come on guys, relax a little and quit looking down on people who do things differently to you.
From the rich kid with the trailer full of 'junk' to the old schooler with a tarp for a tent, I've never met someone into this sort of thing who's an a-hole and won't have a beer with you around the fire.

I call it how I see it.
I'll have a beer with anyone out there.

 

[ElectroBoy]

It means you are listening to Toto's I miss the rains down in Africa,
while driving. :happy:

Weird lyrics. :rain:

 

[Inv4drZm]

'Overlanding' is just camping in scenic areas in your Yota' with tons of gear...

Maybe that's why Toyota is selling so many 5th gens.

I wonder if overlanding is a frequent phrase with the Jeep crowd? Probably not. Seems to be a more Toyota dominated activity.

 

[thenightman]

When I got my first 4x4 in 2004 it was "rockcrawling." Now people go hit the same trails in the sierras and call it "overlanding." Fine by me. Please, everyone, go get bit by the overlanding bug, and buy traction boards and gas cans. Then when you get sick of it ill buy them cheaply off you, hardly used. Call it what you want, those same trails are still fun. All the people bolting parts to a shiny truck help keep the off road companies in business. All the people buying trd Pros keeps the sales numbers up, so toyota will keep making them, even if they never see dirt.

 

[T4R2014]

It's the latest and greatest marketing term in the 4WD scene. The Jeep and TRD Bros agree with it because it makes a weekend in the woods seem more serious and purposeful. Reality of it is that everyone is competing for the biggest and coolest rooftop refugee camp.

 

[T4R2014]

When I got my first 4x4 in 2004 it was "rockcrawling." Now people go hit the same trails in the sierras and call it "overlanding." Fine by me. Please, everyone, go get bit by the overlanding bug, and buy traction boards and gas cans.

Hahaha. What a throwback. Everyone bought unnecessary armor to kill the gas mileage on their daily drivers. Overlanding is just a broader evolution. Now we need to have extra mounts on the bumpers for all the extra bro stuff.

I see nothing wrong with it. Business is business.