Is the Overlanding community killing itself

[MazeVX]

Short answer, yes. Put a sticker on camping gear and multiply the price by 10 et voila "Overland item"

 

[SoCoRuss]

I'm really loving this discussion. I see a few with the same general idea. I get personal choices, not an issue with me. But Hyping that you MUST HAVE the most expensive will turn newbies away. Those folks who don't really do any general 4 wheeling or atving, weren't raised in the country and don't understand about how getting back into the wood or deserts is easy and not expensive and think they really cant do this overlanding thing without that gear so they just move on.

I too like one of the above commenters have been on the end of the click crews that say you must have what they have or you are somehow lowly and unknowing.

My oldest son is getting into overlanding and I'm struggling to get him to hold back on immeadiately getting gear and upgrades until he figures out his own Style and how he wants to do this. That takes time and experience. Have a friend who used to have a tricked out Jeep Rubicon. Spent $15K on top of the jeep cost tricking it out. they went out a few times and after about 18 months sold it for a TRD Tacoma and now they go out a lot. The wife really didnt feel comfortable riding on road and the places they went to justify the jeep monster he built, and he finally admitted the same. Now they are going to some of the places we like and are much happier with the style they are comfortable using now.

 

[ZombieCat]

I like all the hoopla. Do I buy it all? no. Does it all have a place and a market? Yes.
The excitement drives innovation and technology development which, as in most markets, drives a higher bang for your lower buck (relatively speaking of course). I don't hate on companies charging a premium for their R&D (i.e. MaxTrax, AEV, ARB & OME, Warn, Toyota, Jeep, CVT Tents, GooseGear, etc.). As an R&D Engineer, creativity, design, analyses, and testing cost a lot of money!

Here are a few cool innovations:
Toilet paper tablets/coins (really, it’s not a joke…)
Alien Loops (I have the knock off brand)
Laundry detergent sheets (contain no plastics, next on my list to try)

 

[Soapy]

Camping for 6 decades I am naturally drawn to the old ways of doing things and enjoying reliving the good old days. I am also glad that new people are reconnecting with nature and learning what most of us have always known. Nature rejuvenates us all. ONe of my favorite songs is 3 Dog Nights OUt in the COuntry. One thing that I will never do is have a propane camp fire. I like the smell and sound of a real wood fire. If regulations say I have to have a propane camp fire, not cooking fire, I will skip that fake part of modern camping and overlanding.

 

[Marty_d3f81b]

It's all marketing. It has it's up sides and down sides.

I agree that basically anything to do with "overlanding" is priced out the roof and that's only because people are willing tonpay for it because it's popular. Like most hobbies these days it's less about actually doing it and more about telling people you don't and posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram about it ( I'll admit from time to time I am victim of this myself).
The up side to the hobby having more attention placed on it is that there are more companies making more products available for the hobby. Some good, some bad, some cheaper, some outrageously priced. Some of these products leave me scratching my head asking "who buys this crap?" Other products make setting up camp easier, faster, and more comfortable which is nice when you like out of your vehicle for any longer than a week.
The down side to all the attention on the hobby is that it can draw the wrong crowd. The kind of people that dive in head first, buy a bunch of gear they don't need and tear up public land and post pictures showing how "cool" they are. The kind of people that get trails closed and then just move on to the next popular thing.
I've seen a ton of this over my years in the offroad community and some people just don't learn.
Also there is a bit of elitism in the Overland community (as well as any offroad community) and most that have a heavily built vehicle look down on a nearly stock vehicle assuming that they are new into the hobby and that they must not know what they are doing, however there are some that have been doing it for longer than the term "overland" has been thrown around that look at the heavily built vehicles and see them as mall crawlers even though they may have been building the vehicle to suit their needs for years.
So basically.... I'm not really sure if the trend is dying, or if maybe it's "resetting" because like everything it has its ups and downs and the Overland thing has been "up" for quite a while now.

Agreed, I have been Camping/Overlanding longer than most of these people have been alive. I don’t have a tricked out rig but I do have 69+ years of experience and observation. My family camped at Big Bend, CA with me from the time I was born. All 4 generations. No rigs. Just tents and a fire pit.

 

[FishFam_logs]

I see it both way I guess.
Popularity is driving desire. Desire cost money. Companies can blindly raise prices when people have desire and money. This effects the entire market driving some people away simple because they can’t afford it. Some here say do your own thing but unfortunately the effect is felt through the entire community. Case and point, the essential need for a vehicle in overlanding. Good luck finding a quality vehicle at a reasonable price these days. Gone are the days of finding a 3rd gen under $10k with less than 250k miles. Want a Jeep? A “cheap” JK cost you $20k.
It’s trickled throughout the entire line of products. Tents, bedding, cooking, vehicle mods… Prices have crept at a significant rate, hard to justify sometimes. Days of excess do certainly feel limited and overlanding is a luxury (excess) for most people. People either adapt, hello Walmart! Or sell it off, hello used goodies.
Overlanding, similarly Off-roading, will not die, ever. But the days of YouTube, IG and online influencers is dying. Selling $300 recovery straps because they have their name on it, $600 stoves that work no better than a $80 Colman, $180 shovels, etc. Smart people are realizing, at least after a few trips, “I don’t need a $1400 RTT, diesel heater, 3000Ah Jackery, and a $1000 drone to enjoy a weekend”.

Sorry venting. I see it all the time in the off-road community. If you don’t show up with 1tons and 40” you just ain’t trying these days apparently.

Not my money, off the soap box.

 

[Dilldog]

I would largely agree. However I will say that just as much as being gear and mod focused will alienate members, so too will being hard on or attacking those who do have the means and desire to get all the gear. I'm not trying to sound too "participation trophy" but there is a place for everyone in this community.

I will say that I share in the belief that we are seeing a bit of a fad though, and like everything else in life, the "scene kids" will disappear once the "summer" is over...

 

[DintDobbs]

Those are interesting points, and I am by no means contradicting them - by this - my opinion:

I am thankful we, the people in the U.S.A., live in a Free Market Capitalism society that allows the constitutional freedom of prosperity through hard work under the law of supply and demand rather than a central government, regulation of the production, labor, and the marketplace. It is everyone's freedom of choice whether they need the products, services, or supplies associated with our interests. Do I have some of these? Yes, I do. Do I need any of these? No, I don't. I procure what I want by free will and critically discern what I don't need based on my life experience. The fact that there are options to the minimalist and extreme are opportunities I am grateful to have now, having grown up with very little in creature comforts and luxuries. I commend those who prosper in this marketplace and thank God I live in this free society to choose what I want or need.

Waóhola,
Akicita

This. End of discussion.

Nobody is making it any more expensive than you want to spend. If you want good quality products, you pay good quality prices. If you want gimmicky products, you pay gimmicky prices!

I paid $2000 for my toy truck (before mods) and got my tow rig for the cost of getting it running and registered. I don't even own a tent. The most specialized piece of equipment I have is an off-brand Hi-Lift style utility jack, which everybody with a truck should get if they don't have one - no easier way to get a fat truck off the ground to change a tire or whatever. Go buy one. Now.

Or use whatever jack your truck came with, but don't come griping to me about how inconvenient it is, carrying a stack of 2x4's around everywhere.

The fact is that each of us is tasked with the responsibility of determining which gear is desirable to us, and further tasked with affording it, if we want it. The hobby (or lifestyle!) is only as expensive as you make it. You just have to play your hand at the right opportunity.

 

[KonzaLander]

Folks are simply swayed by the Youtube infomercials that are marketed as entertainment. It's also important to remember that the people making these infomercials are getting paid to do it, so take anything and everything they say with a grain of salt. I managed to avoid buying a George Forman grill and Bowflex in the 90's... and will probably not be convinced I need a $600 stove or a fancy battery charger to go camping in the 20's.

 

[OTH Overland]

Folks are simply swayed by the Youtube infomercials that are marketed as entertainment. It's also important to remember that the people making these infomercials are getting paid to do it, so take anything and everything they say with a grain of salt. I managed to avoid buying a George Forman grill and Bowflex in the 90's... and will probably not be convinced I need a $600 stove or a fancy battery charger to go camping in the 20's.

After I got divorced, I purchased one of those George Forman grills and a crockpot ..lol Cooked a whole lot of burgers and dogs on the Forman for me and the kids.. turned out to be a good investment. Of course it has not been used in the past 20 years as Michelle makes care to see that I am fed with proper food:) She was cleaning out the cupboards last week and it just found a new home via the Facebook free section. actually not a bad purchase. Now the Nordic Track machine not so much, became one expensive coat hanger taking up space in the corner.

 

[OTH Overland]

Thank you for the post. I agree with most of this so ill keep my reply short, other members have done a great job replying.

The most important thing about all of this, is to "do your own thing". Use the info received from all the so called influencer experts on YouTube and digest it so it works for your decision, by no means is this sport the worst when it comes to excessive marketing. Just use the info to your advantage and if you see the cool shovel with forks on the front, just know that product started with shovel at Home Depot and it was marketed as the best thing ever with a cool name.
One last thing, I love the remark about the $145 axe, they are really cool looking with a beautiful wood handle and very good steal, but what you really need to think about is "does all that make it that much better or must have". I would say no, on our rig we cary a standard 6lb fiberglass handle axe that wont break when used for more than chopping. The flip to that is sometimes you need to pay more for quality that will last a long time. We tend to be a throw away society and just get rid of the old and get what we are told is the best.

Good luck with all your gear, rig and trip decisions, the best thing to do is your homework and get out and explore let the trail will tell you what you need.

Back in the seventies we opted for the used aluminum topper rather than spending huge money on an Alaskan Camper, it worked for us at the time not sure thats the case now, we are more into affordable comfort ;-)

Just my 10 cents (and that doesn't go very far anymore)

Love the old photos, I think a lot of us car camped out of the old square body trucks with a canopy, never occurred to us that there might be places it was not supposed to go. That and oversize tires, lockers and airing down just never entered the equation, you just went for it, and if you did not make it, your buddy would jerk you out with a logging chain because you could not afford a winch. Now posting a picture of a Jeep with its hood up is just going to perpetuate the rumor that they always break down .... lol, I prefer to think that its just laying in wait for its next victim

 

[KonzaLander]

After I got divorced, I purchased one of those George Forman grills and a crockpot ..lol Cooked a whole lot of burgers and dogs on the Forman for me and the kids.. turned out to be a good investment. Of course it has not been used in the past 20 years as Michelle makes care to see that I am fed with proper food:) She was cleaning out the cupboards last week and it just found a new home via the Facebook free section. actually not a bad purchase. Now the Nordic Track machine not so much, became one expensive coat hanger taking up space in the corner.

And that is exactly why the 'overland community' should not insult or degrade others who choose to buy certain products for themselves and vise versa. That George Forman 'lean, mean, fat burning machine' grill was very useful for you and I speculate it made life a bit easier during a difficult time. Meanwhile, it wasn't something that I needed.

 

[grubworm]

the only thing that can "kill" a community is itself...if not, then it aint much of a community...

the wife and i travel a good bit and do what we want for the most part, just like most do on here. a stranger somewhere selling overpriced gear has ZERO effect on me. this thread is making it sound like i would buy a jeep or pickup, get it home, watch a youtube video and IMMEDIATELY dismantle my truck and go take out a loan and do a lot of crazy and unecessary shit just because i saw a video? who actually does that?
i went online to look up a crepe recipe and was hit by advertisements for a $400 blender and all sorts of cooking gear. after seeing that, did i collapse on the floor and then get up and go to the bank and take out a loan to buy all that before i even tried the recipe? sounds pretty far fetched to me. everyone is bombarded with advertisements constantly. so according to this thread...if im driving on the highway and see a billboard, i am compelled to buy what its advertising and then complain that billboards are killing the driving experience? if i can ignore my ex-wife buzzing in my ear for 4 hours straight on the interstate, im pretty sure i can ignore an advertisement that only lasts seconds.

everybody is "new" to everything at some point in their life and i really dont know of anyone that goes to the extremes cited on here. i also dont see a group of folk hanging out at the end of my driveway not allowing me to leave until i made a bunch of mods to my vehicle. if anything is killing anything, it would be people killing their own joy by over-reacting to stuff that doesnt matter. the OB store sells stuff...is anyone demanding i buy it? i really cant see how anyone is forced to buy something (other than things like insurance which is an enforceable law)

if people are so easily influenced by what "bad" people are doing...why arent they as easily influenced by what the GOOD people are doing???

all i know is that the only person that can "kill" my enjoyment and fun outdoors would be me and ONLY me

 

[NMBruce]

Maybe, I like my lifted 4x4 Tacoma and my trailer. Many times the trailer has been a necessity to me to make a trip, especially if I have others with me. I like having a fridge and not trying to get ice to keep my food. At 65 I find it much easy to climb up into my RTT and sleeping on a 3” mattress than to crawl in or out of a tent. My Warn winch has saved me a few times. I have been camping since the 80’s and like a little more comfortable camp site, so if I am giving in, so be it, I am enjoying it.

 

[DintDobbs]

I think some of the fellas here are missing the point. Perhaps @SoCoRuss could have better addressed the issue by challenging the competitiveness of the community's opposing factions, the "simple" versus the "complex" overlanders.

The simple guys hate on the complex guys, saying we can get the job done in half the time with half the tools. We think taking the back 2 rows out of your SUV to replace with storage drawers adds unnecessary weight. These are competitive in the mechanical sense.

The complex guys hate on the simple guys, calling us lightweights for not having RTT's and camping trailers and because our trucks aren't equipped to live out of for a month or longer. They dab on us when we stop at Arby's for a burger, because they have whole kitchens on board. These are competitive in the financial sense.

The "overlanding community" is a large collective that entails a great deal of differing views and interests. It's hardly able to be unified under a single umbrella when the only thing in common is vehicle-reliant travel. Methodology invariably enters the discussion. My way is better than yours.

If two opposing football teams play against each other in the Super Bowl, are their fans not allowed to have disagreements as to which team is their favorite? Everybody comes together for the friendly rivalry (read: brutal hostility) that is playing the same game, in different team colors. You enjoy the sport, your way.

P. S. I don't like football. You might not like sports at all. Apply it as it applies.

 

[DaJudge]

Saying that the vloggers with very expensive rigs are killing the overlanding community is a bit of a stretch. Maybe some are put off, but that would be out of being to lazy to actually do research. I love music and I like a nice sounding system, however I can't spend 20K on a DAC. That doesn't stop me from getting the best I can afford and enjoying it.
The same goes for "overlanding", "car camping", or whatever you want to call it. For 18 years I have used a Cherokee XJ. It doesn't ride as nice as a Landcruiser, and it is certainly smaller, I don't have a rooftop tent, a National Luna fridge, or a Goose Gear platform ( there is nothing wrong with any of these things), but it is reliable, holds my camping gear, and goes wherever I point it. I do have an Edgestar fridge that I have had for 12 years, over that time it has certainly paid for itself since Ice is $5.00+ a bag.
I believe most people are more interested in figuring how they can get to the places the vloggers go, than they are about needing all the gear. I have never felt pressured by what others have or that I couldn't go somewhere if I didn't have a 100K rig.

 

[surfnturf]

I've been "Overlanding" long before it was called "Overlanding". We used to call it "Camping", "Offroading", "Jeeping" or whatever. My wife and I were broke most of our early years of raising our daughters as we were building our business, and the outdoor experience made us amazingly rich with experiences. Wouldn't trade it for anything! We had just as much fun then (38 years ago) with our old 1984 CJ (which I still have) as with my 1968 Bronco (still have) and now my 2022 Rubicon. We've had every iteration of camping gear ranging from Backbacks, Tents, Tent Trailer, Class C RV , Truck Camper, Class A RV, and Overland Trailer. All have them have been equally as fun as the other.. regardless of the price tag or the make and model. This is America and we do have the freedom to chose. Capitalism is designed for competition and competition is how products improve. Doesn't mean that old school is not as good... It's just different. If it was good back then... it's still good now. I say if you wan to go simple.. go simple!! If you love your gear and can afford it... go for it! What ever you do, just get out there and have fun enjoying the outdoors!!

 

[SoCoRuss]

Yes, maybe killing wasn't the correct wording. I struggled with the right word for a while. Reducing, restricting didn't seem right to me. Oh well, The point was and is probably best for newbies. Help them into the hobby but dont push them into bankruptcy at the start. This hobby is expensive enough without the sides adding to it and getting clickish. Its the same way I'm working with my son, start slow and figure out what you want and will work for you. Dont go full Gucci designer until you decide on "YOUR" style. For the experienced folks, dont look down on newbies and the choices they make for themselves. Give advice not opinions..

As a side point for @surfnturf, wow a 68 Bronco and a CJ? Man I'm jealous. I had them also and I wish I still had both from when I was a kid. Sold the Bronco to a friend I was stationed with just before my 1st overseas tour, what a mistake. The 76 CJ went a few years later when I returned. Was deployed so much didnt really have a chance to use it. Had great times and great memories with them though.

 

[DintDobbs]

In any case, the fact is that if you're going to look at any community, there is going to be divisions about who is doing it right and who is doing it wrong, and the vast majority of these divisions will be over matters of opinion.

The actual overlanding community is not doing itself any harm by recommending overpriced (in whose opinion?) specialty products. The harm comes from prospective members getting hung up on the preparation and neglecting the participation. That's their decision.

The community's loudest and proudest members always tend to be the "Stop Having Fun" guys. Their opinions will always be better than yours. If you think that I am talking about you, don't worry, because somebody, somewhere, thinks he is better than you, because you don't have a rock crawler AND a sand rail, both with fridges, showers, and rooftop tents. And somebody else thinks he is better than him, because he doesn't need all that.

Gonna dip from this thread, nice chat but there's no end - just play your way and dab on the haters.

 

[surfnturf]

Yes, maybe killing wasn't the correct wording. I struggled with the right word for a while. Reducing, restricting didn't seem right to me. Oh well, The point was and is probably best for newbies. Help them into the hobby but dont push them into bankruptcy at the start. This hobby is expensive enough without the sides adding to it and getting clickish. Its the same way I'm working with my son, start slow and figure out what you want and will work for you. Dont go full Gucci designer until you decide on "YOUR" style. For the experienced folks, dont look down on newbies and the choices they make for themselves. Give advice not opinions..

As a side point for @surfnturf, wow a 68 Bronco and a CJ? Man I'm jealous. I had them also and I wish I still had both from when I was a kid. Sold the Bronco to a friend I was stationed with just before my 1st overseas tour, what a mistake. The 76 CJ went a few years later when I returned. Was deployed so much didnt really have a chance to use it. Had great times and great memories with them though.

o
The CJ is mixture of my original 85 my wife and I bought new when we got married and an 84. The bronco is all 68 and I've owned it for 12 years. If you're ever in California and looking for someone to show you some trails... look me up! We've got a lot of great trails nearby and great camping!