Roof Rack + Snorkel = Overland?

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Who wouldn't want to save money on fuel. The best reason being it gives you more financial resources to travel for a longer duration and to more places.

So would buying Coleman products as opposed to Snowpeak or Levis as opposed to Patagonia. Just sayin...

I've always thought of overlanding as extended periods of travels. Months or weeks at a time and hence why you'd want a rig more comfortable to live out of. Is it really different than a long camping trip? no.

Funny, I have yet to meet a single self-proclaimed overlander who's ever done more than go camping for a weekend at a designated campground. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

The US is a big place. I don't see any reason you can't take extensive trips right here. It's possible to do most of that traveling in the dirt as well.

Believe me, it is and I do all the time. I just have yet to meet a self-proclaimed overlander who does too - just ones who tell me that they have an overland built Jeep.

So what's the difference between an overland rig and a well built up capable rig? Not much.

Exactly!

A rig like yours can go anywhere an overland build can. Not saying otherwise. The overland rig can't go everywhere a jeep like yours can.

LOL!! While this is true, you make it sound like a Jeep like mine has always been as built up as it is. Also, are you suggesting that a stock Jeep can't be an overlander?

The difference is they're not building a jeep to do both.

Funny, I didn't know self-proclaimed overlanders have specific limits as to how much they build up their Jeep. Exactly where is the line drawn?

They focus on living out of the vehicle in remote places as well as the not so remote stops in between. Would you want it offroad capable? Yes. So capable it can run the most difficult trails? no. Its not a huge difference.

And that was spoken exactly like a person who's never been in a truly remote place. Believe it or not, there are times and places where a smooth dirt road can get washed out by an unexpected flash flood. That once moderate to easy trail can suddenly become a most difficult trail. How do I know? I've been there - it's one of the reasons I started to build up my Jeep to what it is today.

The comfort of living out the the vehicle for extended periods of time is the real difference.

I suppose living comfortably out the back of a vehicle for extended periods of time is really subjective.
 

GCM 2

New member
I always saw overlanding as vehicle based travel. I always thought it was to build up the jeep to live out of it for extended periods of time. It seems they want a capable vehicle but not one built to run extreme trails on a regular basis.

Instead of running 37" or 40" tires they run a 35 or less. For fuel economies sake would seem like to be the most logical answer. All terrains seem to be preffered to a mud tire again for the sake of fuel economy.

Smaller lifts seem to be preferred. Cost would be one reason and you're not building the rig to run difficult trails. Also when putting gear on top you'd want to keep your center of gravity lower.

To me it seems overland rigs focus more on the comfort of living out of them for extended periods of time. So they put a rooftop tent on for the added comfort and ease of setup. Kitchen setups get more focus. Fridge/freezer/stove setup built into the back of the jeep for ease of use. Water tanks seem to be a common feature. Hot water/shower setups.

Auxiliary fuel tanks as well maybe.

An overland rig to me is more like an off road rv. Built up to give a little more comfort when out in wilderness. Overlanders want a fairly capable rig but seem to focus on the living out of the rig for periods of time as opposed to a build focused on improving the capabilities of the jeep.

Seems by your personal definition, which focuses much on comfort, you have added so much to a vehicle that it almost hampers the ability to actually get out there to explore anything other than fire roads or pavement.

An overland rig to me is more like an off road rv.

Why not just buy an RV and tow the jeep behind it?? :thinking:
 

munstie

New member
Seems by your personal definition, which focuses much on comfort, you have added so much to a vehicle that it almost hampers the ability to actually get out there to explore anything other than fire roads or pavement.



Why not just buy an RV and tow the jeep behind it?? :thinking:

And what happens when your rock crawler :eek:takes you to that ultimate place and you can't stay because all of your comforts are back at the overland rig. .:screwy:

Sent from the"Zone of Influence"
 

GCM 2

New member
And what happens when your rock crawler :eek:takes you to that ultimate place and you can't stay because all of your comforts are back at the overland rig. .:screwy:

Sent from the"Zone of Influence"

Haha! As Wayoflife said above...."I suppose living comfortably out of the back of a vehicle for extended periods of time is really subjective".

For me, when on the trail/wheeling/overlanding/rock crawling/camping......whatever, all my comfort items I have ever needed for my trips are actually with me in my rig! My jeep is the base camp, and most importantly I am always prepared to walk back out of a dire situation ;)
 

SDG

Caught the Bug
I suppose living comfortably out the back of a vehicle for extended periods of time is really subjective.

Exactly! This whole thread is incredibly amusing.

My cousins husband is a botanist at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town SA. He goes "overlanding" for work a couple times a year up to Namabia, Botswana, and Angola. Their overland rigs are a few 4dr toyota trucks and an old rangie, the mods include a winch, several shovels, a BBQ and food. They live out of them for 2-3 weeks at a time while out in the "bush". He is a bad ass overlander!

His brother took an old range rover with a couple mods (a winch, and a couple spare tires) and drove with his wife from London to Cape Town... Also another strong overlanding maneuver! They did some rock crawling (used 4wd to get over some rocks) and forged some rivers. I guess the question is, are they rockcrawlers, overlanders, or just plan nuts? He got the idea from his father, who did it back in the 60's in a MG......

I think Eddies whole point is that:
A) People who play in the rocks don't call themselves "rockcrawlers" and they don't build "rockcrawlers" they build capable rigs
B) People who actually overland call it "taking a trip" or an adventure... or just getting from point A to point B
C) Most likely someone who builds an "overlanding" rig is probably less able to actually overland than someone with a well built all around rig "rockcrawler"
D) If you buy into all these different categories, and pigeonholes you are a fucking twat... (I added that one myself... he may or may not be thinking that ;) )

Me personally... I am more of an outdoor enthusiast...
 

GCM 2

New member
Exactly! This whole thread is incredibly amusing.

My cousins husband is a botanist at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town SA. He goes "overlanding" for work a couple times a year up to Namabia, Botswana, and Angola. Their overland rigs are a few 4dr toyota trucks and an old rangie, the mods include a winch, several shovels, a BBQ and food. They live out of them for 2-3 weeks at a time while out in the "bush". He is a bad ass overlander!

His brother took an old range rover with a couple mods (a winch, and a couple spare tires) and drove with his wife from London to Cape Town... Also another strong overlanding maneuver! They did some rock crawling (used 4wd to get over some rocks) and forged some rivers. I guess the question is, are they rockcrawlers, overlanders, or just plan nuts? He got the idea from his father, who did it back in the 60's in a MG......

I think Eddies whole point is that:
A) People who play in the rocks don't call themselves "rockcrawlers" and they don't build "rockcrawlers" they build capable rigs
B) People who actually overland call it "taking a trip" or an adventure... or just getting from point A to point B
C) Most likely someone who builds an "overlanding" rig is probably less able to actually overland than someone with a well built all around rig "rockcrawler"
D) If you buy into all these different categories, and pigeonholes you are a fucking twat... (I added that one myself... he may or may not be thinking that ;) )

Me personally... I am more of an outdoor enthusiast...

....and common sense for the WIN! You are an exceptional poster to this thread :rock:
 

NFRs2000NYC

Caught the Bug
Exactly! This whole thread is incredibly amusing.

My cousins husband is a botanist at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town SA. He goes "overlanding" for work a couple times a year up to Namabia, Botswana, and Angola. Their overland rigs are a few 4dr toyota trucks and an old rangie, the mods include a winch, several shovels, a BBQ and food. They live out of them for 2-3 weeks at a time while out in the "bush". He is a bad ass overlander!

His brother took an old range rover with a couple mods (a winch, and a couple spare tires) and drove with his wife from London to Cape Town... Also another strong overlanding maneuver! They did some rock crawling (used 4wd to get over some rocks) and forged some rivers. I guess the question is, are they rockcrawlers, overlanders, or just plan nuts? He got the idea from his father, who did it back in the 60's in a MG......

I think Eddies whole point is that:
A) People who play in the rocks don't call themselves "rockcrawlers" and they don't build "rockcrawlers" they build capable rigs
B) People who actually overland call it "taking a trip" or an adventure... or just getting from point A to point B
C) Most likely someone who builds an "overlanding" rig is probably less able to actually overland than someone with a well built all around rig "rockcrawler"
D) If you buy into all these different categories, and pigeonholes you are a fucking twat... (I added that one myself... he may or may not be thinking that ;) )

Me personally... I am more of an outdoor enthusiast...

For me personally, overlanding is just a word describing an activity, not a vehicle. Its kind of a cheesy word, but I guess its used widely, so it stuck. Eddie's Jeep can partake in overlanding, a stock jeep can partake in overlanding, etc. All it means to me is vehicle based travel. You can overland in a Honda CRX, you can overland in a VW scoobydoo van, and you can overland in a unimog. Some here will just call it taking a camping trip, etc etc. Me thinks it's just hairsplitting.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Exactly! This whole thread is incredibly amusing.

My cousins husband is a botanist at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town SA. He goes "overlanding" for work a couple times a year up to Namabia, Botswana, and Angola. Their overland rigs are a few 4dr toyota trucks and an old rangie, the mods include a winch, several shovels, a BBQ and food. They live out of them for 2-3 weeks at a time while out in the "bush". He is a bad ass overlander!

His brother took an old range rover with a couple mods (a winch, and a couple spare tires) and drove with his wife from London to Cape Town... Also another strong overlanding maneuver! They did some rock crawling (used 4wd to get over some rocks) and forged some rivers. I guess the question is, are they rockcrawlers, overlanders, or just plan nuts? He got the idea from his father, who did it back in the 60's in a MG......

I think Eddies whole point is that:
A) People who play in the rocks don't call themselves "rockcrawlers" and they don't build "rockcrawlers" they build capable rigs
B) People who actually overland call it "taking a trip" or an adventure... or just getting from point A to point B
C) Most likely someone who builds an "overlanding" rig is probably less able to actually overland than someone with a well built all around rig "rockcrawler"
D) If you buy into all these different categories, and pigeonholes you are a fucking twat... (I added that one myself... he may or may not be thinking that ;) )

Me personally... I am more of an outdoor enthusiast...

:clap2: Near about put a tear in my eye :D
 

northjeeper

New member
So would buying Coleman products as opposed to Snowpeak or Levis as opposed to Patagonia. Just sayin...



Funny, I have yet to meet a single self-proclaimed overlander who's ever done more than go camping for a weekend at a designated campground. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course.



Believe me, it is and I do all the time. I just have yet to meet a self-proclaimed overlander who does too - just ones who tell me that they have an overland built Jeep.



Exactly!



LOL!! While this is true, you make it sound like a Jeep like mine has always been as built up as it is. Also, are you suggesting that a stock Jeep can't be an overlander?



Funny, I didn't know self-proclaimed overlanders have specific limits as to how much they build up their Jeep. Exactly where is the line drawn?



And that was spoken exactly like a person who's never been in a truly remote place. Believe it or not, there are times and places where a smooth dirt road can get washed out by an unexpected flash flood. That once moderate to easy trail can suddenly become a most difficult trail. How do I know? I've been there - it's one of the reasons I started to build up my Jeep to what it is today.



I suppose living comfortably out the back of a vehicle for extended periods of time is really subjective.

I'm basing this on general info that I've seen on what people call overlanding. The original post asked what makes an overland rig and what is overlanding.

There's a whole event on it in Arizona each year called the overland expo. There's a magazine called overland journal. There's u.p. overland in michigan. What I've seen from these sources is that people generally build their rigs like this. They seem to strike a balance between performance and gear for camping. You see roof top tents a lot and quite a bit of focus on the base camp setup.They're not all built this way but you do see a lot of the jks with these types of mods in these overland communities. I don't know if those folks refer to themselves as Overlanders or not but from the titles it suggests it.

Is there a limit on the modifications? No. No more then there needs to be a minimum. It could be done in a stock jk wearing Levi's with Coleman camping gear. Nothing wrong with that. Or in a well built rig. Nothing wrong with that either. In general this is what I've seen from people who put the name overland on it that's been my point.
 

10frank9

Web Wheeler
Eddie I would really appreciate the ability to use the Asshat Emoticon on the mobile app. It would be appropriate in this thread.
 

Rccrwlr

New member
Me personally... I am more of an outdoor enthusiast...

So if you take your rig on very difficult trails and you fight to maintain them for all to enjoy are you considered an "extreme environmentalist" :thinking:




--Rccrwlr
 

NFRs2000NYC

Caught the Bug
Are all these categories or pigeon holes needed? No. It's all jeeping I agree :)

Disagree simply because of vocabulary.....can you "overland" in a Jeep? Of course you can. Is "overlanding" possible ONLY in a jeep? Of course not...thus, it can't be called Jeeping. If 3 Nissans and 2 Toyotas go out for a 6 day trip from Moab to Mt Rainier, what do we call it? :D
 

NTXRUBICON

New member
For me personally, overlanding is just a word describing an activity, not a vehicle. Its kind of a cheesy word, but I guess its used widely, so it stuck. Eddie's Jeep can partake in overlanding, a stock jeep can partake in overlanding, etc. All it means to me is vehicle based travel. You can overland in a Honda CRX, you can overland in a VW scoobydoo van, and you can overland in a unimog. Some here will just call it taking a camping trip, etc etc. Me thinks it's just hairsplitting.

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!!
 

NTXRUBICON

New member
Eddie so what is the real story behind this all?
I read the first post but its now getting a little person with some of the responses by people

Did some tea sipper insult you?

Just wondering?

I think your rig is bad ass and can do just about anything I would want to do!
 
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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Are all these categories or pigeon holes needed? No. It's all jeeping I agree :)

:clap2:

Disagree simply because of vocabulary.....can you "overland" in a Jeep? Of course you can. Is "overlanding" possible ONLY in a jeep? Of course not...thus, it can't be called Jeeping. If 3 Nissans and 2 Toyotas go out for a 6 day trip from Moab to Mt Rainier, what do we call it? :D

Sorry but, for the purposes of this thread, I did specifically ask overland in regards to a "Jeep" and how one built up for that differ from any other good Jeep build. ;)
 

NFRs2000NYC

Caught the Bug
:clap2:



Sorry but, for the purposes of this thread, I did specifically ask overland in regards to a "Jeep" and how one built up for that differ from any other good Jeep build. ;)

Just the basics...some beef jerky, a roll of TP, and a few bottles of water. Eveything else is just a bonus. :D
 

sc_rhino

Member
So, overlanders only like to spend money on expensive camping gear, gadgets and designer cloths but cheap out when it comes to gas. Or, is it that they need to cheap out on gas so that they can afford to get the aforementioned? :idontknow:

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1387845240.493135.jpg

Here is an example of a jeep owner that got stuck in the easy group at a jeep jamboree because he didn't have lockers.
 
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