Found myself a great little camping spot near the Oregon-California border after spending most of the day exploring the Lake Shasta area.
Northern California is absolutely beautiful, especially if you’re like me and enjoy taking backroads and following trails just to see where they lead.
But there’s another side to this part of California that you need to be aware of. Not every trail is one you should follow, and not every place is somewhere you want to end up.
Over the past two years, I’ve accidentally found myself in a few places I probably shouldn’t have been. And if you know Northern California, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
Let’s just say that being alone, miles from civilization, in the wrong part of these mountains isn’t always the kind of adventure you’re looking for.
Beautiful country, though. Absolutely beautiful.

Just did a little camping trip to Davy Crockett National Forest over the weekend where I stayed in my RTT. I’ve had this for on my car for about 3 years, and it’s been a pretty good piece of equipment. After packing up camp I drove for about an hour and a half before stopping for lunch.

When I got out I went to take a picture of my car and I noticed something didn’t look right. Well turns out the top part of the tent snapped off and flew away and I didn’t even notice while driving. You can see the top is still latched down but the plastic literally broke. I reached out to their email for support but have not heard back yet. Just a warning for anyone that may have one of these.

Picked up a fridge finally and holy heck is it heavy. I didn’t go with a drawer because I wanted to be able to take it inside to load, but I doubt if I could lift this thing full into the back of my suv. What do people prefer for theirs (1) leave it in the back of the suv permanently or (2) store it inside, be able to precool, and just carry the racks separately? Power would be from a jackery 1000.

Might be a thread somewhere here, I redirect would be appreciated.

I've had my wk2 (all stock) for about a little under a year and I've made it a goal to do a trail in Colorado by next fall. No Im not going all out my first time out.So here are some of my questions,

What are some must haves for trail driving with a family? 2 adults 2 kids under 8.

What trails are best for beginners? For families?

Tips for staying organized while on the trail?

Finally finished the internal roof for my DIY Camper. Let’s just say it was a little harder than I thought 😅 Planning to take it for a test run up north this weekend!

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/s/RmJtzEPKlj

If anyone was curious on how everything turned out from my previous post, here’s my truck now.
Just redid the gas shocks and leaf springs and threw on some 31x10.5 tires. Super happy with the canopy and rack combo, + custom storage boxes in the bed

Do you have an electric cooler you would recommend that was a good value purchase? I had a 45L Dometic which was great but no longer have. A replacement is quite expensive… This would be installed and hooked permanently.

Not here to bash them but sharing advice based on my 2nd order from them. If you are ordering anything in the US from them, I'd plan on highly variable lead times on actual shipments. I ordered my Hottapv2 kit four weeks ago to just receive an email it will not ship until at least December 1st. I have multiple trips on the schedule between now and then. Cold showers never killed anyone but I am getting old and soft...

Hey guys,

I drive a 2018 Wrangler. I've got the mechanical setup but I'm signing up for an upcoming trip across the desert, and visibility is the one thing I still need to figure out.

I figured upgraded headlights and a few auxiliary lights would be all I needed. But the more I look into different setups, the more I see people using thermal cameras or dedicated night vision dashcams. Now I'm wondering if I should return the headlights and go that route instead.

If I stick with lights, especially amber headlights or fog lights, will I actually be able to see the lead vehicle when it kicks up a massive cloud of dust? What does thermal imaging offer in those conditions that a good set of lights doesn't? What are some real world situations where thermal or night vision gear comes in handy?

Appreciate any insight or setup recommendations!

I've seen a lot of overlanding truck builds and they all have the pop up tent over the bed of the truck on mounts. Why don't they put it over the cab and maximize the bed space vertically? Im looking at it from the perspective of a daily driver/ overland build

Bought a second hand skybox 16 for $200 from some really great dude on OfferUp. The driver's side opens perfectly but the passenger side is dead and won't open. Vid shows the passengers side of the car

Any idea on a fix or what's wrong with it is appreciated

Also sorry if this isn't the place to post 😭

1st Post

We made it to Portland Maine today. Still taking tons of photos and we still need to create a shared folder but wanted to show you guys some more photos.

Also still working on a trip journal that I will share when it’s ready.

After Niagara Falls and Toronto, we headed across NY and into Vermont.

Apologies for the erratic text and photos. We are busy and usually during our downtime we are just enjoying nature at camp.

Happy to answer any questions.

I accidentally drove with my Eaton E locker on pavement up to about 30 mph on a slightly curving road then made a left turn at maybe 10-15mph and my tires screeched and I realized the locker was on and then turned it off. Did I risk damaging anything? it still works

Headed up on a weekend excursion with a group of 10-12 people and wondering what are your "camp friendly" appetizers? Fire ban has been lifted, so open campfire is available plus camp stove and Weber Q. I'm already planning on bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers and maybe some spinach artichoke dip. Any ideas?

I have a Dual XGPS150 and I’m ready to throw it in the trash. If it ever gets a signal, it takes over an hour and you can’t be moving. If you’re driving, forget it. It can take 3-4 hours.

My setup is an iPad mini (no cellular) and OnX. Even using my phone, the GPS isn’t very accurate, so I don’t think a newer iPad with cellular is the answer. Most of my trips are in and around Vermont NF land, so it’s rare to have any cell service.

anyone have something they like?

What do yall think of this.
Swapping my current overlanding rig which is a 2023 Raptor R - kitted out to the moon and back
for a 1985 Suburban.
Here’s my thoughts on it.
I paid a dash over 100k for the Raptor, it’s a couple years away from being paid off. It’s holding its value really well, should make a good chunk back if I sold it.
I could get an old suburban for 20k-ish and restó-mod it specifically for overlanding for about another 30.

Why does the suburban make sense for me.
1. I have 5 kids, the oldest three love camping, the wife loves camping, and the youngest two are still just too young. Currently myself and my oldest three fit just fine in the Raptor, but in a couple years we will be to many for it.
2. There’s no modern examples that are practical when filling every seat, suddenly the sequoia seems too small. Unless I pack a trailer along, but still no where near as spacious.
3. It’s super cool, I long for bench seats on long roadtrips.

Here’s a couple images of the current rig, and what a suburban could maybe look like (ai help)

SO. I wanted to drive through Asia. I’ve been on the road since may. And currently in Greece again, waiting 2 months for the Turkish no-Visa entry timer to reset. So I get 90 days in there once more. And also looking for a remote job for CAD work. Anyway. So much about the current state.

A couple of days ago I met a guy coming actually all the day back from Aserbaidschan. Because Iran was apparently impossible to pass right now and Russia too expensive and also annoying. His friends were constantly asked for documents, got their devices checked, their vehicles filtered though and also eventually turned around because Fcuk that.

The two questions here are now: is it actually a waste of time to drive all the day through turkey, Georgia and Aserbaidschan? Because it’s kind of a “dead end” right now.
And… does someone need really good technical drawings, 3D models and/or files for CNC or lasercutting parts?

This is for places like White Rim Road, Bucksin gulch and areas in Escalante.

I was planning on going October 16-26

I'm in a 4WD club and we do a lot of winter trips to the desert, Death Valley, Panamint, etc. Looking for a large weather-resistant tent we could use that could be carried in the back of a pickup truck or strapped to the roof of a Jeep and could accommodate 4-8 people sitting around in bad weather. A place to sit and have dinner out of the rain, use as a warming hut (with a couple of diesel heaters running) or just a place to hang out and play cards and have some whiskey while the wind and rain are howling outside. A lot of the tents I look at in this category would take up the entire bed of a Tacoma and weigh 200 lbs. I'm looking for something that will be easier to set up, break down, and won't be so bulky.

I know everything is a trade-off and I'm looking for something heavier duty than a Wawona (we had one fail last year in Panamint during a moderate winter storm), with enough room for one or two card tables and people sitting around. I've looked at bell tents, but the low perimeter makes them pretty inefficient. Whatever I find needs to have a good rain fly system, which eliminates most of the big Coleman style tents with the flimsy side walls and "yarmulke" style rain fly that just stretch across the top.

Any suggestions?

Few pics from a weekend get-away

We left Atlanta on October 1st for a 20 day overland trip pulling a small trailer with the hope of catching the foliage change in New England. Today was the halfway point and we spent last night and the next couple just outside Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine. This has been an amazing trip so far. Looking forward to the other half.

I will have several more photo dumps as the GF and I are both taking photos.

Hope you enjoy our photos.

Hey all, greetings from Greece. I am thinking of visiting this summer. I have a jeep gladiator built as an overland rig in Greece and travel as much as I can. Would really love to come with my rig but it’s too far away.. do you guys have any suggestions as to where I should look for Overlanding rentals (roof top tent etc)? Maybe a guide as well. Thanks