This is an introduction to overlanding, put together by a couple of beginners that have questions, too.
Until a year ago, I had never heard of overlanding. It’s still a little bit of a foreign concept. Throughout research and watching YouTube videos, I’ve realize that it’s definitely something that I wouldn’t mind doing full-time.
To date, we have only been on four major vacations as a family, three of those were road trips. It sounds like we have never been anywhere or done anything, but I assure you that is not the case.
When planning road trips, I use these apps: All Trails, Roadtrippers, The Dyrt, and iOverlander. The idea is to get to as many states and as far as our 7-day vacations will allow us.
How did we find out about overlanding?
Kevin used to tell me that the only camping experience he wanted had to include the words ALL INCLUSIVE RESORT. In other words, camping in a tent, especially in the wilderness, was not at all what he had in mind. That all changed during our first road trip in November 2020. I still remember him complaining about driving for hours. Then, a light switch flipped, as soon as we drove through a red rock mountain in Southern Utah, his face changed. He was in his element. I kept telling him, “Just wait.” When we reached the Valley of the Gods, a miniature Monument Valley, he lit up like a child on Christmas morning. He said, “This is what I’m talking about!”
We drove down Valley of the Gods Road for awhile, until I realized that we would not make it to our next destination if we didn’t hurry. As we turned back onto the highway, he glanced out the window and said, “We’re coming back here.”
That moment changed us all, not just Kevin. Kevin’s excitement was like a lightning bolt that ran straight through us. We were so excited about the next few days of our trip and what other surprises awaited us.
After going to some very remote places and finding new OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) trails, I was surprised to find that overlanding is actually quite popular. Neither Kevin nor I had ever heard of overlanding, now it is an adventure that we are excited begin.
What is overlanding?
Overlanding is when you are self-reliant and traveling to remote locations, usually over various terrains. Some people say that your overlanding trip should be between 50 and 200 miles. Most say that you should have a 4×4 vehicle and 33″ tires, which we also recommend. Some of the trails we have been on are muddy, rocky, include small boulders, and creek, river, or stream crossings. Overland Expos usually will have a guided trail ride that lasts for 2 or 3 days and nights over various terrains, and those are usually less than 100 miles.
What are the best ways to camp when overlanding?
There are various ways to camp when overlanding.
Truck Bed Camper
If you have extra spending money, a bed camper for a truck is the way to go. My favorite is the Alu-Cab because you can customize it to your needs. You access the tent mattress from inside the bed of your truck versus climbing a ladder to a roof tent. The tent mattress is pushed to the roof of the Alu-Cab, so that a person who is 6′ tall can stand upright in it with plenty of head room. It can be customized with a fireplace, solar power, window screens, and so much more. There are families of 4 that camp in these quite comfortably.
Some people customize a traditional truck bed camper shell, but for a family of three, it would be challenging.
Slide-in Camper
Slide-in campers are also acceptable. You do have to be very careful when going over extreme terrain with them though. They are not usually attached to the vehicle very well. A family of 4 can sleep pretty comfortably in one of these though.
Roof Tent
The roof tent is by far the most popular option. It is great for SUVs and for families of up to 4. There are options for tent annexes that attach to the tent to give you more living space and privacy when going on the trails with other overlanders.
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Tent
The best option for beginners is a traditional tent. Traditional tents are the least expensive of all of the camping options. Another positive is that there are tons of options from 1 person to 16 persons. There are also all season tents for those who want to camp in the winter.
An instant cabin tent makes the set up and tear down process easier.
Tent camping makes it easier for those who are just figuring out if they want to continue overlanding or not. If you try overlanding and don’t like it, you won’t feel like you wasted a ton of money.
Off-road Camping Trailer
An off-road camping trailer is an interesting concept. They are priced similar to any other camping trailer.
Most of them are pop-up campers that are very versatile. Like roof tents, some of them have annexes that make them much larger.
Camper Vans
Camper vans can be customized, and they can be lifted with off-road tires. They may not be able to do extreme overlanding because of being top-heavy, but they can still do some overlanding and reach some remote places.
What gear do I need to go overlanding?
The answer to this depends on the terrain that you expect to encounter. The gear that I am listing here is the traditional, bare minimum gear. Some may disagree with this list, but this is our bare minimum for our 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland 4×4 with 33″ tires and a 2-1/2″ lift.
When being in very remote locations, there might not be a chance of someone coming to the rescue. That’s a very terrible feeling, but a very real reality.
Spare Tire
It should go without saying, this should be important in every vehicle. However, on the trails, a spare tire is a must.
Gas Can
A 5-gallon minimum is suggested. We have one, because we almost ran out of gas in a remote part of Colorado during our first road trip, and I do not want that to happen again.
Heavy Duty Jack
A heavy duty jack allows for easy tire removal of a high clearance vehicle. It can also help with other obstacles that may be on the trail.
Winch
With overlanding being a self-sufficient activity, you don’t want to get stuck in a position that you can’t get out of. There are different types of winches, but we opted for a heavy duty, 12,000 lbs, winch with synthetic rope.
Tow Straps and Tree Saver
If you are getting a winch, you are going to want to get tow straps. Most people know about tow straps, but what is a tree saver? A tree saver is a short tow strap, usually only 6′ to 8′ long, but can be longer, that wraps around the tree and protects it from abrasions. Because the tree saver is designed to be used with trees and boulders, it is recommended that you carry one on the trail with you.
Traction Boards
If there is a chance of snow or mud on the trails that you are going to be on, having traction boards is a good idea, just in case. We opted for traction boards that have a jack lift base. This way, if we are in a situation where we need to use the lift, but the surface is not adequate, we can use the traction boards for that too.
Tire Deflators
This took the longest for us to understand. We would watch people on YouTube deflate their tires before getting on the trail, and we had absolutely no idea why.
Tire Inflators
Tire inflators should be a part of every emergency kit, just like a spare tire, a jack, and jumper cables.
Tools
The experienced overlander knows all the things that can happen on the trail, and they know how to work on their own vehicle. This is something that Kevin and I are going to have to learn.
Jump Starter
Jumper cables should be in every vehicle’s emergency kit. When you are in such a remote location, having a jump starter, also known as a jump box, is a must. Anything can happen on the trail, including battery drainage.
Portable Power Supply
Though, it is not an absolute necessity, having a portable power supply can make things a little easier on the trail. It has various ports to make it usable for most any kind of plug.
2-Way Radios
On the more difficult trails, spotters are needed. They will help guide the driver up and over obstacles. A cell phone could be used, instead of 2-way radios, however, it may be easier to just use a radio. The best option may be a long distance, emergency, 2-way radio, just in case.
Chainsaw
When overlanding in the wooded areas of the US and elsewhere, it’s good to have a chainsaw handy for removing trees from the trail. It can also be used to help collect firewood.
Tire Patch Kit
If there is a slow leak in a tire, plugging it can be a simpler solution when you are on the trail, rather than using a spare tire.
What are the different trails I might encounter?
Overland trails can be scenic and easy or they can be incredibly challenging. A lot of trails are listed with numerical difficulty levels.
Difficulty 1
This is the lowest level of difficulty. At this level, you will experience an easy drive for even 2WD vehicles. The trail may or may not be maintained, but it will be a typical, two vehicles wide, dirt or gravel road. In Utah, SR-261 leads up to Moki Dugway. It’s an actual shelf road that I do not recommend driving at night. There are no side rails to guide you on that road.
Difficulty 2
This level will include somewhat maintained roads, meaning that ruts may be filled in and the trail grated from time to time. Just off of SR-261, at the base of the switchbacks, is Valley of the Gods Road, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. It is great for dispersed camping. We have found the Valley of the Gods to be our happy place.
Difficulty 3
At this difficulty, you can expect well traveled, unmaintained dirt roads. There are more ruts and rocks, which 2WD vehicles can go on, but 4×4 are recommended. For any difficulty above 3, you will need a 4×4. We encountered this difficulty when dispersed camping right outside of Zion National Park on the Smithsonian Butte Back Country Scenic Byway. Kevin believes that this was actually a difficulty level 4, but I think that it can be either/or.
Difficulty 4
At this level and above, a 4×4 will be needed. These trails are rocky, rutted and may include rock shelves of no higher than 8″. On the east side of Zion National Park, near the Belly of the Dragon, Mount Carmel, we encountered a road that was a difficulty 2, but turned into a 4 toward the end. Once you got onto the 4, going up the hill, there was nowhere to turn around. Luckily for us, it did come out at the highway, just south of where we wanted to be.
Difficulty 5
At this level, the trail will be rocky, rutted, and may include rock shelves of no higher than 1′. Though, I can’t find a difficulty level for the OHV Dry Creek Rd trail leading to Devil’s Bridge Trailhead in Sedona, Arizona, I can tell you, it was our first OHV trail in our stock 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, and it was an experience. We had to use the hydrolic lift as high as it would go to get over the entrance to the trail.
* We haven’t gotten to anything above a difficulty level 5, but when we do, this post will be updated.
