since this thread seems to be getting popular again, I shall toss in my 2 not so shiny, old, copper coins.
The politics has nothing to do with whether or not elitism is a part of overlnding. While I agree with a number of the comments I saw, overlanding has all types with the full political spectrum represented among our ranks.
Realistically, it is not elitist... but there is a LOT of "Keeping up with the Jones' playing a factor, which combined with inflation makes it easy to end up with a HIGH DOLLAR rig where as 10-20 years ago, a similar truck could of been built for a whole lot less. A decrease in DIY culture has further contributed to that increase in perceived cost of entry. But as a community, it does not seem to me like I am seeing any snobbery (other than perhaps jeep and toyota owners laughing about the subaru owners because 4x4 can go places AWD can not (I especially hear it coming out of the rockys, but I hear it everywhere. THIS I see as a problem that overlanders need to work to correct. Sure most of them are what one might call weekenders, but they are vehicular campers with a love of outdoor recreation just the same as the rest of us)). The ever increasing cost of aftermarket parts does not help, but that falls under inflation... once upon a time I took a van that I had only a few thousand invested in camping on back country roads (read washed out fire roads and the like) I wished it was 4x4 so I could take it deeper into the trails, but it would of had a high center of gravity... still I had 32" tires and frequently did mud and water crossings that where up to the running boards to get me to camp sites in the middle of nowhere. 25-30 years later, a set of 255/85r16 tires will cost as much as I bought that van for.
There IS a li'l "gear elitism" but it is more a keeping up with the jones' thing... "oh Steve has a COOL Prinsu rack... I have to have one now"... "oh dave got a nice roof top tent I want one" another part of it is what we picture in our head for an overland camp, which is in large part inspired by austrailian overlanders with their ARB bumpers, and roof top tents. But in truth that is not a requirement of overlanding... YES it is nice gear, but it is not necessary (unless you are in an area where being off the ground will protect you from dangerous wildlife) granted I do want to run a set of 255/85/16 tires (I can not remember who brought them up in a thread here, but thank you... ye made a convert of me) with 3" lift, a full set of skid plates, front and rear steel bumpers (with a winch up front, and a spare tire carrier in back) nerf bars, and a contractors rack (I don't need no fancy pants prinsu rack (sorry prinsu guys, it IS a good rack, but a might pricier than need be)) even with just that and a few LED lights, I am looking at over $12,000 in gear and I have not even started getting into other associated costs.
I COULD save a fair bit of money taking a pile of metal to my local tech school and letting their welding program build a LOT of my parts. If I did my calculations right I could do my rock sliders/running boards for around $350 for the set instead of close to $1000 it will cost me. I calculated around $600 for a front bumper (with a beefy brush guard that would make any aussie roo bar proud) BUT I am not giving up my BDS sensors and I only know ONE company that has a successful rear BDS compatible bumper (Apogee) and my own personal bit of gear snobbery is that I WANT related parts to be from the same company so I am getting ALL my skids from RCI (as soon as the budget permits), my bumpers and nerf bars from apogee (when all 3 items become available (they are still developing the tire carrier for the bumper and the rock sliders) and all my lights from Baja Designs (I wanted KC, but the bumper is designed to work with BD and I just do not want to mix and match the brands))
But I am building my truck the way I want because I want it to have certain gear. I will also be doing DIY RTT (designed specifically to work with the contractor style cargo rack I am getting then modifying, or getting my local welding class to build for me) and field kitchen from scratch... I do not feel that anyone else is "not a real overlander" if they do not have at least as much or some specific brand of gear as me... and I am going to spend WAY too much on this hobby, which I do not encourage anyone else to do. I think there will always be brand loyalty among owners... everyone will say "the stuff I got is the best" but I do not think that is elitism unless some ******* tells you "if you do not have this, you are not an overlander" and if they do tell you that, I do not care how famous they are... they are not an overlander, they are a poser pretending to be an overlander for the youtube and instagram likes :)
when someone has a fancy rig, ask yourself "do I NEED that part, or would it just be cool to have"" and if you do decide you need it ask "do I need the fancy pants name brand, or can I use a similar lower cost part, or can me and my buddies make a part that will do the same job?" if you do not NEED the part ask yourself "Is this something I WANT?" and if so reask the second question "do I NEED the fancy part, or is there another option that will give me the same results?" and if someone knocks your decisions, refer to the last statement in my previous paragraph again. :)
