So You Want to Start Overlanding...

[Jay&Shonna]

Forge Overland submitted an Article on the main site!

So You Want to Start Overlanding...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text="What to Consider Before Hitting the Road Less Traveled"...

Continue reading the Original Blog Post.

 

[Correus]

There are several good books out there as well.

The two main books are:

'Vehicle-dependant Expedition Guide' by Tom Sheppard and

'The Essential Guide to Overland Travel in the United States and Canada' by TeriAnn Wakeman

Another one is 'Working in the Wild: Land Rover's Manual for Africa'. Don't let the title put you off. Basically, if you can travel 'vehicle-dependant' in Africa you can do the same just about anywhere.

 

[Jennifer Langille]

This article was spot-on informative Will! My favorite section "Lockers before Lights." Personally, the video helped the brain wrap around what' going on inside that "pumpkin" under my Jeep, which is currently leaking a little and feeling far more informed ahead of going into the shop. Thank you!

 

[MOAK]

This is a good baseline read for the beginner. Then, pick up a few books on the matter as Correus has mentioned. The author doesn't mention it, so I would also advise a beginner to be wary of target marketing campaigns aimed directly at you in an attempt to sell you their latest gizmology. Stay focused on making your vehicle reliable and capable with stringent preventative maintenance and by using time tested and proven aftermarket products. Learn everything you can about your rig, then learn to make basic repairs on your own. Most of the time, older is better as it is possible to make basic repairs in the field.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Us old guys had to figure it out the hard way.

Here, hold my beer...…..

 

[Correus]

Us old guys had to figure it out the hard way.

Here, hold my beer...…..

I'm always amazed at those who figured it all out before the age of the internet and social media. ;-)

I think my favorite point in the historical timeline of "overlanding" is the period roughly between 1890 and 1960.

I just finished reading an article called "The end of the road for overland adventures?". Sadly it did point out that the age of true "overlanding" is about gone. The fact that so many boarders are closed; or the political upheavals in countries make it too dangerous; fuel expenses; parts; insurance have made it almost impossible for the common everyday person to do it.

While many on here say "any form of vehicle dependent travel/camping is overlanding" regardless of amount of time and distance is; the fact of the matter is that "true" overlanding involves long distances covered over long spans of time. As an example, the "First Overland - London to Singapore" expedition in 1955; it took 7 months and 12,000 miles to make the trip.

This type of overlanding just isn't possible for the vast amount of "overlanders" out there. This type of overlanding seems to be the purview of a very, very small percentage of people today.

Just my 2¢....

 

[MOAK]

I'm always amazed at those who figured it all out before the age of the internet and social media. ;-)

I think my favorite point in the historical timeline of "overlanding" is the period roughly between 1890 and 1960.

I just finished reading an article called "The end of the road for overland adventures?". Sadly it did point out that the age of true "overlanding" is about gone. The fact that so many boarders are closed; or the political upheavals in countries make it too dangerous; fuel expenses; parts; insurance have made it almost impossible for the common everyday person to do it.

While many on here say "any form of vehicle dependent travel/camping is overlanding" regardless of amount of time and distance is; the fact of the matter is that "true" overlanding involves long distances covered over long spans of time. As an example, the "First Overland - London to Singapore" expedition in 1955; it took 7 months and 12,000 miles to make the trip.

This type of overlanding just isn't possible for the vast amount of "overlanders" out there. This type of overlanding seems to be the purview of a very, very small percentage of people today.

Just my 2¢....

I'm still trying to figure out/find a drivable route up to the Hudson Bay, hang a sharp left and end up in Alaska..

 

[Correus]

I'm still trying to figure out/find a drivable route up to the Hudson Bay, hang a sharp left and end up in Alaska..

Why does this route sound familiar?

 

[Jim SoG]

Great read. I would suggest the beginner also learn to drive correctly on and off road, simple things like turn off the o/d when pulling a trailer or in 4wd. Where to place your tires with rocks and such....Can take a class, bu to save money, hook up with fellow OBer's and ask for help, I have never seen a bunch like OB who dont go out of their way to help or ensure your having a great time.....ASk!

 

[jpongrass]

Us old guys had to figure it out the hard way.

Here, hold my beer...…..

I'm always amazed at those who figured it all out before the age of the internet and social media. ;-)

I think my favorite point in the historical timeline of "overlanding" is the period roughly between 1890 and 1960.

I just finished reading an article called "The end of the road for overland adventures?". Sadly it did point out that the age of true "overlanding" is about gone. The fact that so many boarders are closed; or the political upheavals in countries make it too dangerous; fuel expenses; parts; insurance have made it almost impossible for the common everyday person to do it.

While many on here say "any form of vehicle dependent travel/camping is overlanding" regardless of amount of time and distance is; the fact of the matter is that "true" overlanding involves long distances covered over long spans of time. As an example, the "First Overland - London to Singapore" expedition in 1955; it took 7 months and 12,000 miles to make the trip.

This type of overlanding just isn't possible for the vast amount of "overlanders" out there. This type of overlanding seems to be the purview of a very, very small percentage of people today.

Just my 2¢....

I never gave it much thought about "overloading" until I migrated to Australia in 1972 with my wife and three sons. I worked for a year but my wife wanted to move back to the US. So I thought it would be nice to go the long way back. I bought a VW Kombi, ridged it out to sleep five and purchased a small six foot box trailer and loaded it all I figured we would need for the overland trek around Australia. Well, we did 29000 miles, not kilometers over a 10 month period. The cost for that incredible learning and teaching journey was only $3500. There would be know way in the world to do an overland trek like that today.

I now own a 2017 Jeep Wrangler JKU. We love it! We have traveled to Colorado twice in the last year and have traversed most of the trails within the Alpine Loop. We are considering an overland trek to Alaska next summer, from Katy, Texas.

I really enjoy the articles in Overland Bound!

 

[Wanderlost]

Great article!

 

[Kirk Kinnell]

Nice write up, helps with us newbies!!!

 

[MOAK]

Great read. I would suggest the beginner also learn to drive correctly on and off road, simple things like turn off the o/d when pulling a trailer or in 4wd. Where to place your tires with rocks and such....Can take a class, bu to save money, hook up with fellow OBer's and ask for help, I have never seen a bunch like OB who dont go out of their way to help or ensure your having a great time.....ASk!

OK,, I give up, I'm puzzled. Why turn the Overdrive off when pulling a trailer? I like getting 14-15mpg on my way west. It downshifts all by itself at the proper time to maintain the RPMs in th peak power band and I downshift manually to control downhill speeds. With a stick shift of course, the driver must do this manually, which I did for over 45 years. I was very stubborn about switching to an automatic but have since changed my mind. Change my mind. :)

 

[Jim SoG]

OK,, I give up, I'm puzzled. Why turn the Overdrive off when pulling a trailer? I like getting 14-15mpg on my way west. It downshifts all by itself at the proper time to maintain the RPMs in th peak power band and I downshift manually to control downhill speeds. With a stick shift of course, the driver must do this manually, which I did for over 45 years. I was very stubborn about switching to an automatic but have since changed my mind. Change my mind. :)

To each his own on overdrive but I think most vehicles can get damaged by using the OD while towing.....I would see what the book says.....

Jim

 

[a4rmando]

Great article and video for us beginners. Thank You!

 

[MOAK]

To each his own on overdrive but I think most vehicles can get damaged by using the OD while towing.....I would see what the book says.....

Jim

OK, haven't heard back from you on this one. You stated some really good things about a new drivers mastering/learning new skill sets when on or off pavement. I agree completely. I spent the better part of 2 or 3 years "learning" how to drive off pavement. That proverbial learning curve gets pretty sharp when it begins to affect your wallet because of breaking things. That was 40 plus years ago and we had to figure it all out on our own. Fortunately, on and off pavement I was a quick learner and eventually became a "safe driver" instructor for a major corporation. In a manual shift automobile it doesnt' matter what gear you are in as long as it is in the "sweet spot". With gasoline engines that sweet spot is somewhere between 1800 and 2400 RPMs depending upon the engine specifications. A comfortable cruising speed say 65mph is a good way to find the center of that sweet spot. With modern diesel engines that sweet spot is between 1400 and 1600 RPMs. A good driver will manually downshift before the engine begins to bog down in order to keep the engine RPMs in the sweet spot. The ideal scenario is to operate the engine at the lowest RPMs possible in order to do the job. A gasoline engine is operated correctly in the same manner except of course the RPMs must be maintained at a higher level. Diesels are much more torquier at much lower RPMs, but the goal remains the same for both. Efficiency. An automatic transmission does all the thinking and all the work for you, except when it may be better to manually downshift an automatic to control speed while on a decent instead of using the brakes. If one is crossing the great plains one figures out pretty quickly how to mimic the behavior of an automatic transmission. 5th gear/(overdrive) on the descents and flats, and dropping to 4th gear to pull the ascents. As stated, it is all aboout keeping the RPMs of the engine in the sweet spot.. Thank you Jim and have a Merry Christmas !!

 

[Olyller]

[emoji1474]

 

[Jim SoG]

OK, haven't heard back from you on this one. You stated some really good things about a new drivers mastering/learning new skill sets when on or off pavement. I agree completely. I spent the better part of 2 or 3 years "learning" how to drive off pavement. That proverbial learning curve gets pretty sharp when it begins to affect your wallet because of breaking things. That was 40 plus years ago and we had to figure it all out on our own. Fortunately, on and off pavement I was a quick learner and eventually became a "safe driver" instructor for a major corporation. In a manual shift automobile it doesnt' matter what gear you are in as long as it is in the "sweet spot". With gasoline engines that sweet spot is somewhere between 1800 and 2400 RPMs depending upon the engine specifications. A comfortable cruising speed say 65mph is a good way to find the center of that sweet spot. With modern diesel engines that sweet spot is between 1400 and 1600 RPMs. A good driver will manually downshift before the engine begins to bog down in order to keep the engine RPMs in the sweet spot. The ideal scenario is to operate the engine at the lowest RPMs possible in order to do the job. A gasoline engine is operated correctly in the same manner except of course the RPMs must be maintained at a higher level. Diesels are much more torquier at much lower RPMs, but the goal remains the same for both. Efficiency. An automatic transmission does all the thinking and all the work for you, except when it may be better to manually downshift an automatic to control speed while on a decent instead of using the brakes. If one is crossing the great plains one figures out pretty quickly how to mimic the behavior of an automatic transmission. 5th gear/(overdrive) on the descents and flats, and dropping to 4th gear to pull the ascents. As stated, it is all aboout keeping the RPMs of the engine in the sweet spot.. Thank you Jim and have a Merry Christmas !!

Agree about the RPM's for sure....All I know is ruined a Ram p/u tranny towing a not real heavy trailer a few hundred miles, dealer said it was towing with OD on.......Merry Christmas!

 

[MOAK]

Agree about the RPM's for sure....All I know is ruined a Ram p/u tranny towing a not real heavy trailer a few hundred miles, dealer said it was towing with OD on.......Merry Christmas!

well then, thank you, one more reason I have discovered to justify my dislike of big three vehicles. BTW,,, a stealership told you that to get out of a warranty repair.. And the big three wonders why sales are down,, way down..