Influencer I
You are from that area too than? The muntz ranch is the only one besides the Harvat’s ranch that i know who they are. There are few more that i cant remember besides the spicer ranch
Has overlanding become elitist ?
- Thread starter John D.
- Start date
yes... the walmart parking lot..
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Drat, sounds like I'm going to need to get me some muds and a winch on my Tacoma.
looks like you have a locker and KO2s on a Toy...youre good!
winches are generally needed on jeeps...
Steward I
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My Rig is. 1999 K1500 Suburban with a 2.5” lift. It takes me everywhere I need to go in North America. I have always used the tools and camping equipment I collected over the years. Oldi but goodie is the word. What I love about Overland Bound is “whatever you drive” Adventure is Necessary! Unlike other overland sights, i am not judged by my gear or the rig i drive.
Just keep being the best version of you wherever you explore.
Michael Dean
Just keep being the best version of you wherever you explore.
Michael Dean
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Thats the thing nowadays with socialmedia.. constantly seeing mostly these €100.000 "overland rigs".
I know most of these guys worked hard for there goodies and or let other things pas in life to buy that sweet cruiser.
Do i want a €100.000 overland vehicle.. absolutly! Can i afford one... no freaken way.. not now.
And so i bought a new RTT , threw it on the roof of my old €2000 Nissan sedan and made an 3 week epic roadtrip trough some of the most beautiful and remote backcountry roads in Norwegian Lapland ...
Would it been more comfortabel in a shiny Landcruiser, absolutly, and would have saved my 2 back wheels bearings of my Nissan sedan haha.. But i was still out there, enjoying every minute of it!
So long story short.. most of this elitist thing is i our mind, don't let it stop you going on adventures,
do with what you have and maybe one day do that in that €100.000 rig but don't be waiting at home for that day to come!
Steve.
I know most of these guys worked hard for there goodies and or let other things pas in life to buy that sweet cruiser.
Do i want a €100.000 overland vehicle.. absolutly! Can i afford one... no freaken way.. not now.
And so i bought a new RTT , threw it on the roof of my old €2000 Nissan sedan and made an 3 week epic roadtrip trough some of the most beautiful and remote backcountry roads in Norwegian Lapland ...
Would it been more comfortabel in a shiny Landcruiser, absolutly, and would have saved my 2 back wheels bearings of my Nissan sedan haha.. But i was still out there, enjoying every minute of it!
So long story short.. most of this elitist thing is i our mind, don't let it stop you going on adventures,
do with what you have and maybe one day do that in that €100.000 rig but don't be waiting at home for that day to come!
Steve.
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My wife and I bought a 4x4 truck for $2500, spent about $2500 on building a camper and solar electric system and lived out of it for 18 months while traveling from USA to Panama and back. If you add up everything we spent on our truck, modifications, camping gear, and 18 months of traveling it comes in around $35,000, which is about $10,000 less than a new TRD Tacoma.
Our truck doesn't look pretty, but where we're going there won't be anyone around to see it :)
Our truck doesn't look pretty, but where we're going there won't be anyone around to see it :)
Off-Road Ranger I
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Expedition Master I
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Hey John I know this is an older post and tons of people have responded to you, but here is my two cents:
I can totally see where one could see things this way. You go on Instagram, Facebook and You Tube and you see tons and tons of super kitted out rigs, but you also see guys and girls out there just starting they're builds. You have to keep in mind a large amount of these people with these 100,000 rigs either work for manufacturers, are influencers for the manufacturers or as many people have commented people that just enjoy modifying they're rigs.
I am personally a retired Deputy Sheriff and own a 2015 Toyota 4Runner SR5 that I purchased used in 2016, from our local Toyota dealership. This vehicle was as stock as it was they day it came off the showroom. After about a year of driving it, I couldn't take the factory suspension so I replaced it with a better 3" suspension lift and a set of BF Goodrich KM2's (255/70/17) I found on Facebook for $300.00. After about another year I found Overland Bound and went on my very first trip to Death Valley and I have to say my rig was the least modified vehicle in the group. We were out for there for seven days and I've been head over heels ever since. I have since build my 4Runner up to be seriously modified and is generally one of the most modified rigs when I go out.
But with this being said not being super modified never stopped me from going anywhere. When it wasn't as modified I might of had to go through things slower, or take a different line but I still went out and still made through everything I attempted and had a great time. Each trip I went on let me know what my rig and I were capable of. All the cool stuff does is make you slightly more comfortable.
Over the past few year, I have build my 4Runner into a very modified capable rig but like you I don't have and endless supply of money that I can throw at this thing. 98% of the installs or wrench work I have done myself (god I love You Tube). I have bartered stuff for products and have done tons of internet research to find equipment and parts at the lowest possible prices. I have also fabricated numerous items; mounts, brackets, etc. Anything I can do to save money I have done it.
Take my word for it, you can enjoy this wonderful lifestyle on a budget!
Good luck..
Member III
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As long as it gets you there and back, who cares what it looks like. Thumbs up
Enthusiast I
Well said, Mike. In fact, I think John (the O.P.) may have missed a critical point; getting more people into it made it cheaper, not more expensive. For those of us who started out poor as a church mouse, that avenue is still there. You can still use a jigsaw to open up the fenders. You can gas axe the bumpers down to a narrower profile. Heck, you can lockers dead cheap. My son did it to an old Blazer and it cost him a six pack, some gear oil, a new diff gasket, and about 15 minutes time on the machine making a custom Lincoln Locker. And those have been around since Noah was a sailor. And for those without the fab skills and access to a good shop you can now get decent bumpers, racks, and all kinds of other gear, for dirt cheap now that it's mostly made in China. Far cheaper than when I was trying to kit out my first Willys back in the '70's. Is there a lot more super expensive kit out there? Sure! And those who can afford it will buy it and drive that end of the industry. But with the economy of scale, the basic stuff has never been cheaper.
And far more important, for every one guy out there in a 100K kitted out rig, there are 100 guys out there in 10K budget rigs kitted out with Ozark Trail gear from Walmart. And they are having just as good a time, if not more so!
Advocate III
@Magic Mike
@AnInterestingLifeOverland
Just so you know, John the OP has not been on for more than seven months. He said back in July of last year he thanked everyone for their responses and was trying to close the thread.
Not saying you should not be adding responses here, though he may not be getting any notifications and may not reply to any posts directed towards him.
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@AnInterestingLifeOverland
Just so you know, John the OP has not been on for more than seven months. He said back in July of last year he thanked everyone for their responses and was trying to close the thread.
Not saying you should not be adding responses here, though he may not be getting any notifications and may not reply to any posts directed towards him.
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Now the elite are those with a large enough back yard to go camping without having to violate their "stay-at-home" orders.
The high dollar rigs are all dressed up and nowhere to go.
The high dollar rigs are all dressed up and nowhere to go.
Member III
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Look at it this way. They are saving a whole lot gas money and still getting lots of fresh air. Even those living next to a dairy farm.
Enthusiast III
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Go peruse expedition portal/overland journal you'll find the very definition of elite-ism. They only feature the expensive gadgets their sponsors sell and their vehicles featured are over-the-top unaffordables. Their writing has a specific style that smacks of an English major editor with a bent for convoluted, artistic, touchy-feely prose. Don't get me wrong, I have subscription to their Journal but the artistic prose is getting old. Along with that, it seems like every article is the same no matter what it's subject is. To me, it defines elitism.
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Member III
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I'm kinda glad for some delays in travel. I planned to go to PNW RALLY in june. Complications made me cancel plans. Now the rally has a date change to around labor day. I think I will be able to make that later date and give me time to sort out issues with my rig if everything with the virus has settled down.
I think we are confusing elite with expensive. Sure you need to be rich to buy lots of the high end gear but you can go the places with a lot less if you aren't driven to keep up with the Jones's. If you drive a 20 year old Tacoma it might be cheaper to ship to Africa than a brand new Quigley. Lots of the brand new gear has zero support in the third world but you might find a used replacement when a 40 year old item breaks down.
If you want to travel on a budget you can do it all. If you need to have the best, newest, fanciest, you need a good income. But travel costs are the same for us all. Gas prices, Permits, Fees are pretty affordable. And the reason I overland is to get away from the elites paying $100 a night for full service hook ups.
I find travel on a low budget safer too. If I'm not advertising $50K of accessories hanging off my RV I'm less likely a target parked at WalMart or the Trail Head parking lot.
I'm glad there are bigger fish attracting the opportunist scum of the world. i doubt anyone will see $$$$ in kidnapping me.
If you want to travel on a budget you can do it all. If you need to have the best, newest, fanciest, you need a good income. But travel costs are the same for us all. Gas prices, Permits, Fees are pretty affordable. And the reason I overland is to get away from the elites paying $100 a night for full service hook ups.
I find travel on a low budget safer too. If I'm not advertising $50K of accessories hanging off my RV I'm less likely a target parked at WalMart or the Trail Head parking lot.
I'm glad there are bigger fish attracting the opportunist scum of the world. i doubt anyone will see $$$$ in kidnapping me.
This is an interesting topic. Building a kitted out vehicle doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if you can do the work yourself. I built my rig for about 25000AUD all in, this is vehicle purchase, repairs, modifications and all camping gear. Its very well setup and is doing well going through africa, but its full of dents and scratches so it will never get a second look, which is also a good theft deterrent. I tried to avoid as many aftermarket items hanging off the wagon as possible, but a shorty only allows so much storage inside.
I'm gonna generalize here and put it into 2 groups:
The fancy rigs: You see them on instagram, they are always parked up posing on a track but somehow dont even have a scratch on there lower bumper plastics? these are the well built rigs that dont actually get wheeled but get heaps of followers so we all see it on our feeds. this is what was mentioned in post 1 I think. Large online presence but small trail presence.
The real rigs: You see them, but dont notice them. they have some mods but well thought out mods, watching the weight and performance as they go. Some have a following and some don't.
As what has been stated earlier is that do what you can with what you have. I sure am, and there is no way I could ever justify or would be willing to deal with the debt of a new toyota, now if you donated one to me would I take it? damn rights I would.
I drove across Australia in a bog stock 90 Pajero... so you dont need expensive gear, you need good gear
On route to Birdsville QLD before cutting across to perth via all dirt roads:
I'm gonna generalize here and put it into 2 groups:
The fancy rigs: You see them on instagram, they are always parked up posing on a track but somehow dont even have a scratch on there lower bumper plastics? these are the well built rigs that dont actually get wheeled but get heaps of followers so we all see it on our feeds. this is what was mentioned in post 1 I think. Large online presence but small trail presence.
The real rigs: You see them, but dont notice them. they have some mods but well thought out mods, watching the weight and performance as they go. Some have a following and some don't.
As what has been stated earlier is that do what you can with what you have. I sure am, and there is no way I could ever justify or would be willing to deal with the debt of a new toyota, now if you donated one to me would I take it? damn rights I would.
I drove across Australia in a bog stock 90 Pajero... so you dont need expensive gear, you need good gear
On route to Birdsville QLD before cutting across to perth via all dirt roads:
Member II
Nice rigThis is an interesting topic. Building a kitted out vehicle doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg if you can do the work yourself. I built my rig for about 25000AUD all in, this is vehicle purchase, repairs, modifications and all camping gear. Its very well setup and is doing well going through africa, but its full of dents and scratches so it will never get a second look, which is also a good theft deterrent. I tried to avoid as many aftermarket items hanging off the wagon as possible, but a shorty only allows so much storage inside.
I'm gonna generalize here and put it into 2 groups:
The fancy rigs: You see them on instagram, they are always parked up posing on a track but somehow dont even have a scratch on there lower bumper plastics? these are the well built rigs that dont actually get wheeled but get heaps of followers so we all see it on our feeds. this is what was mentioned in post 1 I think. Large online presence but small trail presence.
The real rigs: You see them, but dont notice them. they have some mods but well thought out mods, watching the weight and performance as they go. Some have a following and some don't.
As what has been stated earlier is that do what you can with what you have. I sure am, and there is no way I could ever justify or would be willing to deal with the debt of a new toyota, now if you donated one to me would I take it? damn rights I would.
I drove across Australia in a bog stock 90 Pajero... so you dont need expensive gear, you need good gear
On route to Birdsville QLD before cutting across to perth via all dirt roads:
