All You Need to Know to Start Your Overlanding Adventure

Written by Michaela Jackson

Whether you are already knowledgeable about the overlanding world or just getting started, you likely already have a passion for the outdoors and a longing to get out there, travel, and see the wonders our planet has to offer. From sightseeing the natural beauty to traversing the most famous cities in America, overlanding is one of the most popular and beloved ways to travel. There are many reasons for this, but it is always best to start at the beginning, where overlanding as a lifestyle began.

Overlanding’s Rich Roots

It is well known in the overlanding community that its humble beginnings originate in the wild Australian Outback. It refers to the herding of livestock over great distances to open new grazing grounds or simplytransport the livestock. Eventually a rough road called a stockroute was opened in Australia back between 1906 and 1910. This road was 1500 km overland and is still in use to this day by overlanding travelers. Soon after the establishment of this first stockroute, many more were constructed in Australia and credited to a man named Len Beadell. These roads were crucial in “opening isolated desert areas (some 2.5 million squarekilometers) of central Australia from 1947 to 1963”. Over 6000 km of roads were credited to Beadell during this time.

When four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles popped into the scene, they made it possible for many more people to take long trips wandering along wild paths, like those in Australia, all over the world. This activity became the modern “overlanding”, which refers to travelling and exploration in vehicles across long distances.

Within the past 40 years, the production of vehicles that are capable of, or specialized for, overlanding has exploded along with the desires of people to explore and experience things they never otherwise could. Sports and competitions surrounding overlanding grew as the community did, and many people even travel in overlanding caravans for a shared experience, traveling with people who have the same interest in nature and exploration.

Today, several vehicle manufacturers have produced specialized overlanding vehicles that have become staples in the overlanding world. Companies like Jeep, Toyota, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and more produce vans and other models that are designed for long-distance travel like that which is popular in overlanding. Below are some examples of the most famous models for overlanding enthusiasts (source, source):

• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Toyota Hilux
• Toyota Tacoma
• Toyota 4Runner
• Chevrolet High Top Van
• Volkswagen High Top Van
• Mercedes Sprinter Van
• Jeep Wrangler
• Jeep CJ-8
• Jeep Gladiator
• Ford Alpha Van

These models, and more, are very suitable for overlanding travel and can often be customized with a variety of overlanding gear, accessories and more to make the ideal vehicle for the owners. These modded vehicles are shown off at Overland Expo events across America, which are events sponsored by Overland Expo to celebrate the community and lifestyle that surrounds overlanding.

Why is Overlanding So Popular?

Humans have a natural inclination for wanderlust and the new experiences that come with traveling. Overlanding fulfils the need to explore, human curiosity, and provides memories like no other whether you travel solo or with your friends and family.

The idea of living life traveling, free from commitment to any one place, appeals to a great many people. In a study by OnePoll, reported on by Forbes, shows that 85% of the Americans surveyed “expressed a desire to travel … saying they like to experience new things, and nearly 60% saying they have a list of places in mind they’d like to see”. This survey also demonstrated that over three-quarters of Americans surveyed expressed that they want to travel more than they do currently. So, if you are one of these Americans, know that you are not alone.

However, many constraints stop people from traveling freely in a form such as overlanding. Perhaps the problem is finances, or simply fear of taking on such a different lifestyle than the norm. This article will prove why you have nothing to fear, and that overlanding is way more financially stable and less costly than you might believe.

The idea behind overlanding is self-sufficient freedom to travel, wherever and whenever you want. This means that anything you truly need to survive you take with you in your vehicle. Included in these needs is a safe place to sleep, food, water, and clothes. Going minimal like this does not mean you have to forfeit all luxuries by any means. With advances in technology, vehicles can be outfitted with enough power to keep several electronic devices running and can provide Wi-Fi capabilities if that is what you need to work. Today, overlanding is more accessible to everyone than ever before, all it takes is a little leap of faith to get you going.

Because overlanding is so self-sufficient, you do not have to worry about costs such as hotel rooms, fast food, and other typical traveling costs. This means you will have a lot more money to put towards activities that will enrich your overlanding experience like camping, sightseeing and admission to historical and significant sites like national parks and museums.

Half the fun of overlanding is discovering new places and experiences available wherever you decide to go. There are many overlanding routes that are popular in America today that provide some of the best ways to traverse the country and have been used by other travelers for a long time. Roads like the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina and the Rubicon Trail in California, would be great places to start your USA adventure (source).

Safety is One of the Most Important Parts of Overlanding

One of people’s chief concerns about traveling for long periods of time is safety both on and off the road. Increased time spent driving means increased risk of accidents. This also means you may often be subject to driving in heavy weather or in the dark of night, and these situations may be unavoidable. There are several ways to help prepare for safety hazards like these, and we will go over some of those below with safety tips.

Safety Tip #1: Pack a toolkit that can get you out of a pinch.

A risk of the road that everyone will eventually be subject to is some sort of breakdown, malfunction, or tire blowout. Essential must-haves for overlanding vehicles include a flashlight, a first aid kit, jumper cables, tire tools like pressure gauges and inflators or patching kits, an emergency tool kit, and a tow strap or chain for if you get stuck in a tight spot or mud. This last one is particularly important if you wish to truly overland on rough terrain and trails that could easily cause your vehicle to become stuck.

Safety Tip #2: Insurance is essential.

Although everyone knows it is already illegal to drive on American roads without some kind of car insurance, this insurance becomes all the more important whenever you are spending an extended period of time in your vehicle, traveling to places that you might not have any connections in. You are living, breathing, sleeping and everything in your overlanding vehicle, and any damages to it is a huge risk not only to your trip but to your finances as well (overlanding cars can be expensive, especially custom).

In the event of an accident of some kind, you want to be ready for anything, even the totaling of your precious overlanding vehicle. Insurance will cover you and even your loved ones in the event of bodily damage, vehicle damage, and damage to other vehicles. When you live primarily in your vehicle for any period of time, it is important to get the best insurance to protect you and whoever you bring.

Safety Tip #3: Equip your vehicle with a Thermal Driving Camera.

With a thermal driving camera you can see way beyond your headlights scoop at night and detect road hazards automatically. Speedir, offers affordable thermal dash cameras for added safety on highways, which overlanding vehicles will spend a lot of time on, and on off-road trails, which overlanding vehicles also will spend a lot of time on. To learn more about the importance of thermal dash cameras, check out this article from Speedir.

Safety Tip #4: Equip your vehicle with better lighting.

If there is one tip that you should heed it is this – the more visible you are on the road, the less likely you are to get in an accident. Many vehicles, overlanding or not, are ill equipped in the lighting department. Traditional bulbs provide insufficient light on a dark road and work even worse in bad weather. It is extremely common to load up your overlanding vehicle with better lights, especially considering the roads you might be traversing could be dangerous in the daytime, let alone in the dark.

Overlanding vehicles need LED lights, whether replacing your headlights, installing an overhead lightbar, or both. The increased visibility on the road will help other cars know where you are in the dark and help you see farther and better in low visibility conditions like darkness, cloudy nights, and rainstorms.

Although it may seem like an investment, it does not have to be financially straining. OZ-USA will provide you with all your LED lighting needs that you can install yourself, guaranteeing you are safer when you travel long distances in your overlanding vehicle.

OZ-USA and LED Lights for Your Overlanding Needs

If you are looking to increase your safety on the roads, or when traveling rough terrain like when you go overlanding, look no further than OZ-USA. This American-based brand is a popular provider of top-notch lighting for all types of vehicles, and their bright LED headlight upgrades will help illuminate the road for you, so you do not have to avoid driving at night. Additionally, they offer other kinds of lights such as laser lights or lightbars that are too bright to operate on a normal road legally, but perfect for overlanding in rugged, off-grid terrain. The added safety these lights provide when overlanding is invaluable because you will be spending significant time off-road.

The lights they provide are so popular because they are easy to self-install, often just plugging in and requiring no wire stripping, but also because they are so high definition and add both aesthetic and safety features to your overlanding vehicle. They are also almost exclusively LEDs, which are brighter and more energy-efficient than any other lights.

Since you are interested in overlanding, you may also be interested in their scene lights that you can mount on your vehicle to illuminate a campsite, or their interior lights to provide sufficient in-vehicle light if you are staying in your car overnight. These lights use very little power, which makes them perfect for overlanding vehicles with limited battery capacity.

To learn more about OZ-USA, their outstanding lights, and light bars, and how to get yours today, visit their website oz-usa.com or contact them for details and questions. The number you can call for OZ-USA is 619-618-0444