Has Overlanding Become Trendy?

[RescueRangers]

. . . i feel like it's a buzzword that explains a more responsible way to wheel and explore.if it teaches some guy that likes to "mud" to see another way..then maybe it won't be a trend..it could be a movement.we gotta use the momentum to go forward,. . . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I generally agree. However, I don't have a lot of faith in that. One guy comes to mind, he talked about his trip to Mexico and how he left his stickers all over. That is not Tread Lightly or Leave No Trace. I think it would take a concerned effort to get people like this to understand Overlanding is not about leaving your mark but what you take away from your trip. The long an short of it, those that worry about leaving their mark or having a title, aren't really part of it to start with.

 

[Justin Forrest]

There will always be folks who want the top of the line everything for that one time they will actually use it. It's like that in every aspect of life. I bought my first Ducati from one of those types of people. The upside is you can find great deals on "used" gear because someone is always upgrading to the next new best thing. Keep focused on what's important to you. Buy what fits your needs and fuck the rest. I build a lot of stuff for my self and my friends rigs. I laugh when people try to tell me it's not as good as blank because I built it. They usually shut up when I tell them it's made from better quality materials for a fraction of the price.

 

[Truck mechanic]

In my mind there is no question it has become trendy. But it is what it is. I grew up traveling with my folks and sister in a 72 f100 with a cap and a sleeping platform. I learned to love the out doors, seeing new places and meeting new people. I started doing it on my own when I was about 20, bought a brand new 84 Ranger. Lifted it ( not cause it needed it, but because I liked the look). put a cap on and I was off. The thing about being trendy, is all the gear and ideas that come with it. When I had the Ranger, all my gear was in the bed, everything got unloaded so I could get in and sleep. So now with draws, racks and stuff like that it just makes it easyer to get out there. So it isn't a bad thing. As long as your getting out there and doing what we all love isn't that all that matters?

 

[RescueRangers]

Lifting your vehicle because it looks good is totally fine, that goes back to the early days of the automobile. Putting a winch on your vehicle just in case or draws to make it easier is all part of doing what makes you happy or supports your style of Overlanding. I think the issue we are getting at with "trending" is the people who try to pass judgement over others, as in "I am more of an Overlander than you". True, there will always be these types of people in any group but its the fact that they are becoming more and more common brings up the question of trendy. To me, the top of the pyramid are the global Overlanders on multiple year expeditions but I have just as much respect for the regional Overlander in a Honda Civic. To me, that is the whole issue, the lack of support and respect for the people just starting out, fighting a limited budget, restricted by work and family schedules, or the lack of confidence to take it to the next level. Who is to say I am not an Overlander because I don't have a F-350 with four tons of crap in it. Does it make someone an Overlander because they do? Having Overlanding become more popular is a good thing because there is more support from the aftermarket but it also brings in people who want to be a part of it only because it is popular, and that isn't always a good thing.

Without getting too long winded, my wife and I have been doing this for several years before we learned about Overlanding. Learning about Overlanding has allowed us to refine what we do and see there is more we can do. Being able to talk with others in Overlanding has allowed us to learn more about what we are capable of doing. But the moral is this is what we enjoy and no one is going to tell us we are wrong.

 

[Vincent Keith]

For me, the difference between car camping and overlanding is neither large nor particularly significant: overlanding is car camping outside the designated spot. I don't think the distinction should matter to anyone but me, and if your idea of overlanding doesn't involve camping, who am I to say your doing it wrong? On any given trip I'm likely to use what ever serves my needs, that might include a hotel or a parking lot. Some things have a right way and a wrong way, I'm pretty sure overlanding isn't one of them -- except maybe leaving your trash for someone else to pick up.

Overlanding really is following your own path.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Glenn]

I am hard pressed to think of something that is NOT trendy these days !

 

[OB-4144]

This is something I've been thinking about lately and I was curious to get the input of fellow OB members since this feels more like a genuine group of overland enthusiasts instead of the "trendy" folks I'm talking about in this post.

I've noticed overland is becoming more and more mainstream, what used to be car camping and exploration has now become something huge with a much larger market, which is both a blessing and a curse. With more interest in the hobby comes more ideas, more stories, more aftermarket support, and hopefully a greater awareness of the outdoors and why they are important. However, with the good also come the bad, those who are looking down upon others because they can't (or don't want to) afford top of the line gear, those who destroy lands by doing "hold my beer and watch this" kind of antics, and those who are just all around jerks making the community look bad.

I almost feel like there's a large subset of people now who are merely doing this because it has become the in thing to do and have developed this holier than thou attitude towards others. To illustrate this point, over the past couple of days I've had various conversations on other forums about my truck and it's latest modification, a CBI bumper, and a whole slew of other overland related discussions. When I posted about my truck I was immediately called out for not having a winch, getting a bumper made of aluminium, and not buying an ARB, which made me a little confused. I have no need for a winch, to me it's an extra cost and weight that won't get used. Aluminium bumpers are significantly lighter and easier on the suspension components since they're about 100lbs lighter. An while I really like ARB bumpers, CBI is located 3 hours north of me and being able to support a smaller company and save on shipping seemed like a win-win for me.

I've also been called out for not having a RTT, something that I personally don't believe is worth the cost when I have a perfectly good ground tent and 6ft truck bed with a topper for if the weather gets unpleasant. I get that some people love them, and I'm all for people putting them on their rig, I'm sure they find immense value in having them. Same goes with a fridge, an awning, a massive drawer system, etc.

I also hear a lot is "oh you have light bars but no locker, must be a mall crawler". I personally see no need for a locker, I understand their usefulness and I'm sure many people do actually need them, but I haven't encountered many places where I even need 4WD, let alone a locker. I've always been under the impression that you should use what you got until it's not suited for what you're doing anymore then upgrade.

So this has lead me to believe that overlanding is becoming "trendy" and there's more and more people out there just buying gear for the sake of buying it and never actually using it except to assert some sort of "I am better than you" presence or win imaginary internet points, which I believe goes against the spirit of overlanding in general. To me overlanding is about running what you got, exploring the country, accumulating stories, and mostly just having fun whether you're in a clapped out Ford truck from the 80's held together with chewing gum or a full on expo fitted Land Rover that could probably make the Darien Gap look like child's play.

And this is also why I think Overland Bound is so great, it shows me that there are plenty of people still out there to have fun and don't care what you drive, where you drive it to, or how much gear you have. There are plenty of rigs on here that people obviously put a lot of time, money, and effort into to get them to where they are, however I've never seen anybody talking down to anyone else because they don't have the latest and greatest and it seems like everyone is always willing to lend a hand or at least lend some knowledge.

So I leave you with this, do you think overland has become trendy and do you think it's impacting the community negatively? I'm genuinely curious to see if it's just the folks I talk to, or if this is part of a larger issue brewing in the overland community as a whole.

Your on point, it was eventually going to happen. Doomsday preppers, bug out vehicles, people being nomadic in all types of vehicles..we never had a name for it, I go about as far as my 99 stock burb will take me. I could get a all out vehicle, gifted wrapped in high end equipment.. but I may never use it to its full potential..I haven't seen any negatively about my stock burb ..

Sent from my SCH-I545 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Bk6418]

This is something I've been thinking about lately and I was curious to get the input of fellow OB members since this feels more like a genuine group of overland enthusiasts instead of the "trendy" folks I'm talking about in this post.

I've noticed overland is becoming more and more mainstream, what used to be car camping and exploration has now become something huge with a much larger market, which is both a blessing and a curse. With more interest in the hobby comes more ideas, more stories, more aftermarket support, and hopefully a greater awareness of the outdoors and why they are important. However, with the good also come the bad, those who are looking down upon others because they can't (or don't want to) afford top of the line gear, those who destroy lands by doing "hold my beer and watch this" kind of antics, and those who are just all around jerks making the community look bad.

I almost feel like there's a large subset of people now who are merely doing this because it has become the in thing to do and have developed this holier than thou attitude towards others. To illustrate this point, over the past couple of days I've had various conversations on other forums about my truck and it's latest modification, a CBI bumper, and a whole slew of other overland related discussions. When I posted about my truck I was immediately called out for not having a winch, getting a bumper made of aluminium, and not buying an ARB, which made me a little confused. I have no need for a winch, to me it's an extra cost and weight that won't get used. Aluminium bumpers are significantly lighter and easier on the suspension components since they're about 100lbs lighter. An while I really like ARB bumpers, CBI is located 3 hours north of me and being able to support a smaller company and save on shipping seemed like a win-win for me.

I've also been called out for not having a RTT, something that I personally don't believe is worth the cost when I have a perfectly good ground tent and 6ft truck bed with a topper for if the weather gets unpleasant. I get that some people love them, and I'm all for people putting them on their rig, I'm sure they find immense value in having them. Same goes with a fridge, an awning, a massive drawer system, etc.

I also hear a lot is "oh you have light bars but no locker, must be a mall crawler". I personally see no need for a locker, I understand their usefulness and I'm sure many people do actually need them, but I haven't encountered many places where I even need 4WD, let alone a locker. I've always been under the impression that you should use what you got until it's not suited for what you're doing anymore then upgrade.

So this has lead me to believe that overlanding is becoming "trendy" and there's more and more people out there just buying gear for the sake of buying it and never actually using it except to assert some sort of "I am better than you" presence or win imaginary internet points, which I believe goes against the spirit of overlanding in general. To me overlanding is about running what you got, exploring the country, accumulating stories, and mostly just having fun whether you're in a clapped out Ford truck from the 80's held together with chewing gum or a full on expo fitted Land Rover that could probably make the Darien Gap look like child's play.

And this is also why I think Overland Bound is so great, it shows me that there are plenty of people still out there to have fun and don't care what you drive, where you drive it to, or how much gear you have. There are plenty of rigs on here that people obviously put a lot of time, money, and effort into to get them to where they are, however I've never seen anybody talking down to anyone else because they don't have the latest and greatest and it seems like everyone is always willing to lend a hand or at least lend some knowledge.

So I leave you with this, do you think overland has become trendy and do you think it's impacting the community negatively? I'm genuinely curious to see if it's just the folks I talk to, or if this is part of a larger issue brewing in the overland community as a whole.

I am a new member and first and foremost I believe strongly in holding people accountable. Having said that I would hope that the moderators and the founding members as yourself would coach people with these attitudes. I would suggest turning to the founding principles and quoting these to the people making these comments "Respectfully" of course.

People with this mentality have lost sight of these principles and need to be reminded. Only overtime of getting the same response from people like yourself and the others in this thread will they get the message. We are building and sustaining a cultural mindset; anyone can go mudding, toss beer cans in the woods, and set up a tent. The responsibility is on us to respect the trail, pick up the trash and teach others.

I would not worry to much on this, if we hold to the principles we will weed these people out. In extreme circumstances, take pictures, screen shots, inform moderators, pull their badge.

 

[Joey D]

I am a new member and first and foremost I believe strongly in holding people accountable. Having said that I would hope that the moderators and the founding members as yourself would coach people with these attitudes. I would suggest turning to the founding principles and quoting these to the people making these comments "Respectfully" of course.

People with this mentality have lost sight of these principles and need to be reminded. Only overtime of getting the same response from people like yourself and the others in this thread will they get the message. We are building and sustaining a cultural mindset; anyone can go mudding, toss beer cans in the woods, and set up a tent. The responsibility is on us to respect the trail, pick up the trash and teach others.

I would not worry to much on this, if we hold to the principles we will weed these people out. In extreme circumstances, take pictures, screen shots, inform moderators, pull their badge.

I haven't actually seen the behavior I'm talking about on this site though, it seems like Overland Bound attracts like-minded members who just want to explore the world and have an adventure no matter what they drive. Looking at the Rigs section of the site shows a pretty good diversity of things, heck one guy has even built a pretty capable Toyota RAV4.

 

[Mike W]

It all goes back to embarrassing diversity of vehicles, styles, and people. If you have the attitude of being curious about another persons viewpoints and journey, then it can be very interesting and fun. I am pretty impressed that the general attitudes on this forum have stayed true since the early days. The messaging and mission as stated by Michael is the main reason IMO. He is very clear on what this place is about.

 

[RescueRangers]

We are building and sustaining a cultural mindset . . .

If you look at the history of Overlanding or Adventure Travel, its been around from the advent of the automobile. In Ken Burns book "The National Parks" he talks about a couple who visited every National Park in the teens through the 1930's. I read an article about two women who drove motorcycles cross country in 1916 (and got arrested several times for wearing pants). I know of several stories of people traveling the globe from the 1950's through the 1970's. There are tons of stories out there of people Overlanding long before Overlanding had a name. They didn't do it to be someone, they just did it to do it. That is the root of Overlanding. Its great doing things with other people but in reality Overlanding is a personal adventure.

The trending problem centers on certain people not understanding that point. In the teens and twenties they were called Car Campers. During the twenties people started calling them things like gypsies. By the 1930's they got the negative name of Tin Can Tourist, because of the tin cans often found at camp grounds after they had moved on. In the teens people tied tarps onto their touring car and used coleman type stoves. The majority of roads in the country we would call class 6 or 7 trails today. By the 1930's their were a lot of paved roads and the RV industry was kicking off. As it got more popular what these people were called got more negative. In the 1950's these adventurous people went their own way, leaving the RV crowd behind. Today, we are moving into that area of travel and the judgemental views are catching up just like the car campers. We will always have the insecure people who have to bring down the people they respect so they can feel equal to them. The problem is, as personal thing, no matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you are doing what you want, you are right and equal. The solution, as pointed out previously, is to make it clear that negative attitudes is not the Overland way.

In fact, if you are a true Overlander or Car Camper, hearing someone did a great adventure in a less than capable vehicle with minimal equipment should be grounds for praise, not ridicule.

 

[TXpedition]

It was trendy back in the day too... Now it's historical.

 

[Lassen]

Has overlanding become trendy? I think so, likely more people say they do it than actually do. Not to take away from the movement, there are a ton of people who actually get out on the road, or as the emblem on my car says "Outfit & Explore." I don't want to say that there are those that get carried away with stuff, just because they might have something I don't. A drawer system for example. While not for me, there are a lot of people that swear by them. AWESOME!

But, bottom line is, whether trendy or not, I've enjoyed for as long as I can remember and will do this for as long as I am physically able to do it!


Sent from my iPad using Overland Bound Talk

 

[Wanderer351]

YES....which happened to 4x4 rock crawling back in early 2000....and that
gave us better products
gave us more vendors
flooded the market with those parts when folks quit doing it.
refined the technology because people funded the stuff that worked.
and DIE HARD people stayed in even when the economy took a dive.

TRENDY makes folks pay attention..gets companies behind that movement..improves the quality of the movement (look at RC planes from the 90s till today..same with those who actually climb recrationally (mountains))

its a good thing...it puts people in the parks..and social attention to preserving the parks to be USED not just preserved in a jar....which puts goverment and local monies into the parks...which rebuilds local economys..


BRING ON THE TREND-FOLLOWERS....I need some cheap barely used good second hand gear!

 

[Dominic OB0158]

Has Overlanding Become Trendy?

When I look back over my life...my dad had us overlanding before I could even define the term. You see, my dad would always pack us boys (I have two brothers) up in his old van and head out to the New Jersey Pine Barrens where we would explore, camp, learn to cut wood, build fires, swim in rivers, canoe, pick wild blue berries and even play with snakes. To this day we all love the out doors due to my dads love of the same. My dad had the coolest truck in the neighborhood. However it was not a 4x4...yet that didn't matter to my dad...he went everywhere with that truck. With all our camping gear in the back...us boys sitting on the floor...it was an adventure. We had home made wood instruments and would sing together. The van had no windows...so we where always looking forward...It almost felt as if we where driving the truck with my dad...always excited to see where would end up. So to answer the question has overlanding become trendy...the answer maybe yes...yet for those of us who love the outdoors it is part of our core to the day we die.

Here is a picture of the type of rig my dad had which gave you us real memories, the love of being outdoors seeking adventure and the deep rooted need to be out exploring. OB# 0158

 

[Arizona Overland]

I think the first thing you have to do is figure out what overlanding is. What are its roots? Where did it start? I know what this forums definition of overloading is, and I think that is fine. Other places might have a different definition. Thats fine also. I have my own definition.
So the question is, is it trendy? Well, what makes something trendy? I decided to start overlanding, and I didn't even know it was a "thing". I didn't even know it was called overlanding. I wanted to build a 4 wheel drive vehicle so on my days off I could hit the desert and/or mountains and just drive for a day and make camp far far away from everyone else and come back the next day. I wanted to do this because I am tired of being around people. Im tired of traffic. So I started looking at trucks and SUVs till I came across the truck I wanted. When I joined TW and started checking youtube I found this thing called "overlanding" and the light bulb went off. "Thats what I am wanting to do"
So thats what Im doing. Is that trendy? I don't think so because I was going to do it before I knew what it was.
But what if you're getting into it because you want to hang out with people and party and it turns into a social form of recreation. I think those are the trendy people. They do something for awhile because it is the "in" thing to do. They did it with Harleys, they did it with NASCAR racing, they did it with classic hotrods and muscle cars, They are doing it with the quads and razor type vehicles, they did it with beards, and now it sounds like they are doing it with overlanding. Don't worry, they will move on to something else. I think the big thing is to be able to differentiate from the kit that is strictly a fashion statement and that which is actually good kit. The "trendy" status will bring some very good innovation into overlanding. But it will also bring garbage.
I will say, I don't think the trendy folks will get more than a little way off the paved road with their built up mall crawlers, so if you are looking for silence and solitude, I think it is still going to be fairly easy to find.
Course I could be totally wrong.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I am hard pressed to think of something that is NOT trendy these days !

I'm not trendy....

 

[No Known Boundaries]

To answer the actual question: yes, it has become trendy. Is that a bad thing? Not really, in my opinion. As others have noted, this community and these forums especially are about outreach and support. If someone's looking to get into vehicle adventuring, I'd love to help 'em do so and ride along with. My athletic pursuits are all but in the rearview mirror, and competition shooting has fallen by the wayside over the last year or two. Overlanding is my main passion and hobby at this point, so I'm more than happy to help grow the lifestyle.

But the term "overlanding" is subject to so much ambiguity that it was only a matter of time before elitism and marginalization took place. My advice would be to ignore these people and let them burn their vitriol out away from you. If someone's judging your loadout or rig, who cares? Are you getting out there seeing the things you want to see? If so, the background noise is irrelevant.

 

[TnK1]

I think the question isn't if this is a new trend, but the solution to the question of why is overland trending and we see a trend in that people are tired of the cities and want to escape. Overland is just the vehicle of choice!! (pun intended)


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