For me it was definitely the animals...
What got you started overlanding/offroading?
- Thread starter Jeff Swain
- Start date
Enthusiast III
The camping portion started when I was a kid. From tents to a trailer, my dad had us "Up North" quite a bit. Then canoe/camping trips with some coworkers kept the spark alive. In my 20's and early 30's I had a couple of XJ's and liked being able to go anywhere with them, from unplowed winter roads to northern Michigan trails (we called it "two tracking" back then). About two years ago I needed to replace my DD Impala and decided I wanted that "go anywhere" ability again. When I began researching used 4WD's I discovered OB and a few other Overlanding websites and forums and it struck a chord. I purchased a 4th Gen. 4Runner and have been slowly upgrading it.
Advocate II
This is a good thread.
I'm going to expand more on this later, but for now I'll say that camping was always a thing in our family. My grandfather had a 1973 Ford F100 with a camper shell on it that he had setup not unlike a modern overlanding rig. We travelled all over Texas, Louisiana and sometimes Mississippi in that thing. Usually if more of the family came, he borrowed a pop up trailer from family members that we used at whatever camp ground or camp site we ended up in.
Once I joined the military, all of this love of the outdoors was further cemented as was vehicle dependent overlanding. I've been an Airborne Infantryman my entire career, 22 years except for one of my tours, a year where I was in the Stan that was all long range patrols via HUMVEE all over that country. From our FOB at 8000 MSL up to 15,000MSL literally the entirety of RC East, with what we could carry in the trucks. Of course some things were different, if we were truly screwed we could always call for airdrop of supplies, or helicopter resupply, but then, they could always say NO too.
BL - I was hooked. As soon as I got back I bought my Land Cruiser, and we've been neck deep since.
I'm going to expand more on this later, but for now I'll say that camping was always a thing in our family. My grandfather had a 1973 Ford F100 with a camper shell on it that he had setup not unlike a modern overlanding rig. We travelled all over Texas, Louisiana and sometimes Mississippi in that thing. Usually if more of the family came, he borrowed a pop up trailer from family members that we used at whatever camp ground or camp site we ended up in.
Once I joined the military, all of this love of the outdoors was further cemented as was vehicle dependent overlanding. I've been an Airborne Infantryman my entire career, 22 years except for one of my tours, a year where I was in the Stan that was all long range patrols via HUMVEE all over that country. From our FOB at 8000 MSL up to 15,000MSL literally the entirety of RC East, with what we could carry in the trucks. Of course some things were different, if we were truly screwed we could always call for airdrop of supplies, or helicopter resupply, but then, they could always say NO too.
BL - I was hooked. As soon as I got back I bought my Land Cruiser, and we've been neck deep since.
Living in Colorado Springs in the early 90s you can't not go to the mountains...pardon the double negative.
