What is the best piece of advice you can give a new overlander?

[A Duffield]

This has been our first year Overlanding. We have been on several trips this summer and learn something new every time. What are some things you have learned and continue to incorporate in your overlanding adventures?

 

[Matang]

First, get rock sliders, great tires, roof or ground tent, camping supplies, shower and enclosure, recovery gear including a winch, fuel and water cans, off-road apps and maps. Of course spend $110k on a Jeep Gladiator,

 

[grubworm]

leave the kids at home

 

[reaver]

My biggest advice I can give is learn the capabilities and limitations of your vehicle in it's stock form. If you're new to this, I guarantee that your vehicle, even stock, is more capable that you are.

We ground tented for years in a very packed 2003 Xterra before getting a rooftop tent and trailer. You don't know what you need until you've been doing this for a bit.

That's it. Get out with what you have, and have fun. Most important thing is to be safe. If you're not comfortable going down a road, there's absolutely no shame in turning around.

 

[A Duffield]

First, get rock sliders, great tires, roof or ground tent, camping supplies, shower and enclosure, recovery gear including a winch, fuel and water cans, off-road apps and maps. Of course spend $110k on a Jeep Gladiator,

I have the rock sliders, ground tent, camping supplies, enclosure, recovery gear, including the winch, tools, fuel and water cans, off-road apps, and maps. Great tires are next on the list. But I have to say you lost me at the Jeep Gladiator. I absolutely love, love my FJ Cruiser.

 

[A Duffield]

leave the kids at home

Kids are out of the house, but I do bring the dogs. They absolutely love going camping.

 

[A Duffield]

My biggest advice I can give is learn the capabilities and limitations of your vehicle in it's stock form. If you're new to this, I guarantee that your vehicle, even stock, is more capable that you are.

We ground tented for years in a very packed 2003 Xterra before getting a rooftop tent and trailer. You don't know what you need until you've been doing this for a bit.

That's it. Get out with what you have, and have fun. Most important thing is to be safe. If you're not comfortable going down a road, there's absolutely no shame in turning around.

I know my rig is capable. Been practicing with weekend runs around my area. My husband has been doing most of the driving, but that in part is because he is more comfortable being in control rather than my being capable. We both know it is important that we both can get us out in any emergency.

 

[reaver]

I know my rig is capable. Been practicing with weekend runs around my area. My husband has been doing most of the driving, but that in part is because he is more comfortable being in control rather than my being capable. We both know it is important that we both can get us out in any emergency.

This is very important. My wife knows how to operate everything in the X, and drive it. She's also planning on doing some of the driving on the bdr in a few weeks as well. She's also wheeled it without me in the vehicle (we drove separate vehicles on several trips).

 

[roots66]

First, get rock sliders, great tires, roof or ground tent, camping supplies, shower and enclosure, recovery gear including a winch, fuel and water cans, off-road apps and maps. Of course spend $110k on a Jeep Gladiator,

Don't forget to have a drone, Trasharoo and YT channel. These are required to be a real overlander.

 

[roots66]

Actually, do not overthink it. Know your, and your rig's, limits and stay within them. Get your preferred gear and test it out several times in the back yard (during the day, at 3am, while raining, etc),, then go to a local park and spend the night. Take notes on every outing and learn what you do and do not need.

 

[smritte]

What areas have you been to? I see your up by Sacramento.
Most of the forest areas up that way are fine. The harder trails have what's called gate keepers. If its difficult, stop. They just get worse.
Once it cools down, you have vast deserts to explore and very little will be difficult with your rig/skill level. If you go real remote without another vehicle, some kind of satellite system like the InReach or similar. Make sure you keep up on vehicle maintenance. Things wear out faster when you off road.
If its a new area, watch some U-Tube videos of the route. Learn how to use a good Nav system and enjoy.

Most of the issues here are soft sand. Traction boards FTW.

I've been exploring Calif and the surrounding area for decades. There's still things I haven't seen. Just have fun.

 

[Renegade]

This has been our first year Overlanding. We have been on several trips this summer and learn something new every time. What are some things you have learned and continue to incorporate in your overlanding adventures?

It is a mindset, not an equipment race.

 

[tjZ06]

1. The "Best Overland Vehicle" is the one you have. Just get out there and learn what you can, and cannot do with what you have. First this will get you out enjoying it, second it will inform your decision *if* you should choose to upgrade vehicles.
2. Get some sort of Satellite communication device. I run a Garmin inReach, but it doesn't matter what brand it is so long as it is reliable and has appropriate backing for SoS situations.
3. Make sure you pack sufficient food, water and clothing to survive wherever your going for 2-3 times as long as you should reasonably expect a rescue effort to take should you need to use the sat device.

Of course, I promptly ignore my own #1 bit of advice and over-build my vehicles, but that's just part of the fun for me.

-TJ

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Food and water. Good tires. Tow/recovery strap. Lithium self starter (NOCO) Hardcopy maps of the area or good GPs. Patience. Practice things during the day and closer to home a number of times before practicing at night or farther away. The things you need will begin to present themselves.

 

[Woutert]

My biggest advice I can give is learn the capabilities and limitations of your vehicle in it's stock form. If you're new to this, I guarantee that your vehicle, even stock, is more capable that you are.

We ground tented for years in a very packed 2003 Xterra before getting a rooftop tent and trailer. You don't know what you need until you've been doing this for a bit.

That's it. Get out with what you have, and have fun. Most important thing is to be safe. If you're not comfortable going down a road, there's absolutely no shame in turning around.

Are you saying indirect that the a rooftop tent and trailer are a big plus in your experience?

 

[genocache]

Hi Anne, Any relation to Mary Duffield who used to teach in Santa Cruz?

I think my best advice to a newbie would be; learn how to use a map and compass and do not rely on electronics.

As far as the whole bigger tires, lockers, rocksliders debate, leave them to the rock crawling crowd. One can go plenty of places without needing them, far from the maddening crowds. That said they can come in handy when needed as does a winch.

 

[A Duffield]

First, get rock sliders, great tires, roof or ground tent, camping supplies, shower and enclosure, recovery gear including a winch, fuel and water cans, off-road apps and maps. Of course spend $110k on a Jeep Gladiator,

Don't forget to have a drone, Trasharoo and YT channel. These are required to be a real overlander.

Have the Trasharoo. The drone might be helpful when checking out a trail. As for the YT channel. Too much work.

 

[A Duffield]

Actually, do not overthink it. Know your, and your rig's, limits and stay within them. Get your preferred gear and test it out several times in the back yard (during the day, at 3am, while raining, etc),, then go to a local park and spend the night. Take notes on every outing and learn what you do and do not need.

I should do mor testing of my gear first. Our first trip out we had not set up our tent in a long time. It was definitively a challenge. We have also learned that we each have assigned tasks. That makes it go much smoother.

 

[A Duffield]

What areas have you been to? I see your up by Sacramento.
Most of the forest areas up that way are fine. The harder trails have what's called gate keepers. If its difficult, stop. They just get worse.
Once it cools down, you have vast deserts to explore and very little will be difficult with your rig/skill level. If you go real remote without another vehicle, some kind of satellite system like the InReach or similar. Make sure you keep up on vehicle maintenance. Things wear out faster when you off road.
If its a new area, watch some U-Tube videos of the route. Learn how to use a good Nav system and enjoy.

Most of the issues here are soft sand. Traction boards FTW.

I've been exploring Calif and the surrounding area for decades. There's still things I haven't seen. Just have fun.

Great advise. Just got an Garment I reach 2. Have not been out much alone except close to home.
We did the Lost Coast, A trail in Northern Nevada from Sparks to Virginia City, Mendocino National Forest, Nd Stanislaus National Forest.

We are trying to understand the trail ratings and watching as many YouTube videos in the area.

 

[reaver]

Are you saying indirect that the a rooftop tent and trailer are a big plus in your experience?

Not necessarily. There are definitely down sides to a RTT. Like, closing it if it's on your vehicle, and your vehicle is quite tall...

And the fact that if it's on your vehicle, every time you want to go exploring, you have to pack up your bed. Initially, I wasn't going to out one on the Xterra, but I got the second one as a warranty replacement for the first one, which I was ablt to fix.

As for the trailer, there's so many different ways to go. We opted to do an enclosed cargo hauler with a RTT on top. This has worked very well so far, and I'm constantly tweaking and improving it. We also opted to build our own, using a pre-existing frame. Having never built a trailer before, there was definitely a learning curve, but having the capacity to hit the road for two weeks would be very difficult for us without it.

There's also the cost and weight factors to consider.