Get Started With What You Have

[Eric Wade]

Hi everyone. We're always motivated by fellow Overland Bound members Kevin & Sarah of Lifestyle Overland, and loved Kevin's comments for beginners the other day when he said, "Just get out there. You don't have to have all the aftermarket parts and accessories and gadgets to start. Just get started with what you have. If you already have a reliable stock 4x4, food, water, map or GPS on your phone, it's enough to begin your adventures." (I paraphrased a little, but you get the gist). Great advice!

His additional recommendation is go with another more experienced overlander to begin your journeys. There are plenty of friendly folks in your area on this site that fit that description. Just ask them, and go enjoy the adventure. Thanks, Kevin.

If you are brand new to overlanding, and itching to know more about it, then go to Youtube and search for Lifestyle Overland. You will enjoy their videos and learn a lot. Their latest adventures are in the beautiful deep canyons of Utah. Patreon members also have access to their routes via Gaia GPS. "Stay Curious"

 

[Apoclapedia]

I started overlanding on a 1976 honda XL350 with a back pack and two gallon fuel can. Then i got a stock 80s ford ranger and crossed the chilcotin plateau in it. Didnt even ise a road or trail for part of it. Straight overlanding. Lol

 

[Mojavewanderer]

I miss the old Lifestyle Overland, when they were about the adventure of overlanding, instead of the current Lifestyle Overland that seems to be all about “look at the new overland stuff we just got!”. Adventure over gear all day, every day! That being said, I’m out adventuring in either a 40 year old Toyota pickup, or a 35 year old Toyota 4Runner. Most of my spare money is spent on maintenance, and repairs.

 

[ptgarcia]

I miss the old Lifestyle Overland, when they were about the adventure of overlanding, instead of the current Lifestyle Overland that seems to be all about “look at the new overland stuff we just got!”. Adventure over gear all day, every day! That being said, I’m out adventuring in either a 40 year old Toyota pickup, or a 35 year old Toyota 4Runner. Most of my spare money is spent on maintenance, and repairs.

The 1st gen 4runners are awesome. I wish I still had my 1989.

 

[Wose]

Yeah.

I think the build threads on here are cool, but I think I'm just going to keep running a mostly stock F150 and a 20' travel trailer. We drop the travel trailer before the road gets too rough, go out and explore, and come back to the trailer.

I'm not sure if that's "overlanding?"

We have a bunch of fun though. My wife and are both writers and that set of gear lets us do research for our books, as well as home-school our six-year-old.

 

[Sparksalot]

Yeah.

I think the build threads on here are cool, but I think I'm just going to keep running a mostly stock F150 and a 20' travel trailer. We drop the travel trailer before the road gets too rough, go out and explore, and come back to the trailer.

I'm not sure if that's "overlanding?"

We have a bunch of fun though. My wife and are both writers and that set of gear lets us do research for our books, as well as home-school our six-year-old.

It’s overlanding in my book.

 

[solidus365]

I never thought of it as "overlanding" but my old stock '02 grand cherokee took me through some pretty rugged trails in West Virginia and I used to load it up with camping gear and head into the Croatan forest in North Carolina for weekend camping trips. That Jeep served me quite well with some good tires and 4wd. Except for deep mud. Spent half a day winching it out by hand once lol

 

[axlesandantennas]

I've found that over the years, the more I go out, the less I take. Now, I will freely admit that I have bought a powered fridge and a jetboil, but the vast majority of my stuff is either older or simple in operation. The fridge was basically because I was tired of messing with ice and the jetboil is because waiting for coffee is a major drag.

 

[LTV_Chaos]

We found out less is more this past year. We take what we need. Makes getting out there easier and coming back home and unpacking easier also. Less stuff.

We’re about to do two weeks in a camper van in Iceland next month for a family of five. There’s NO extra space.

At the end of the day to each their own. Get out and enjoy the outdoors responsibly is the most important thing.

Pete