Overlanding is the hottest thing in the 4×4 market, and it is easy to see why. Unlike hardcore rockcrawling, you can go out overlanding for the weekend and still drive your vehicle to work on Monday morning without being worried about a broken axle shaft or smashed sheetmetal. Plus the entire family can come along, as overland routes often include hiking trails, fishing, geocaching, ghost towns, and more. While you can dip your toe into the overland community with a stock truck, there are a few products that you will want to have in order to make the trip more enjoyable for the entire family.
Top Five Overlanding Items You Need
At its core overlanding is about getting off the pavement and exploring, so you won’t be surprised to learn that many of the necessities are the same basic items we recommend for other types of off-road adventures. These items often become even more important in overlanding though because unlike rock crawling in Moab, you might be overlanding in remote areas where it might take days before you see another vehicle who can tug you out if you get stuck or take you into town for spare parts.
1) Tire Deflators
On the pavement we recommend running high inflation pressures in your tires to maximize fuel mileage and prevent the tire carcass from overheating at high speeds. On the trail though, there are advantages to lowering your tire pressure. This will allow the tire to conform to the terrain and provide a smoother ride and increased traction. There are a variety of tire deflators on the market. Some simply depress the valve core, others can be set to turn off at a preset pressure, and others remove the valve core to air down quickly. Regardless of how they function, tire deflators are a valuable tool for overlanding.
Smittybilt’s Rapid Air Deflator (RAD) operates by threading on to your valve stem and then removing the valve core from the stem and capturing it inside the brass housing. This makes it incredibly fast, and you never have to worry about losing the valve core. This tool will give you the precise air pressure you need utilizing a calibrated dial with one psi increments. With an easy to read 0-60 psi 2-inch diameter gauge, Smittybilt’s RAD takes the guesswork out of airing down.
2) Air Compressor
If you air down your tires for the trail, you will need to air them up once you return to the pavement. You can feed quarters into an air compressor at the gas station, but that gets old in a hurry. There are a variety of ways to add onboard air, including belt-driven compressors that replace your A/C compressor, CO2 tanks, and electric air compressors. Electric compressors are the most common, they can be hard-mounted in the vehicle or portable to transfer from rig to rig. In addition to airing up your tires, onboard air can also be used to power air lockers, inflate mattresses and float tubes, and blow off the dust when you get to camp.
ARB’s portable air compressor mounts to your battery with alligator clips, allowing you to easily move it from vehicle to vehicle. The portable kit with a one-gallon air tank and inflation accessories in a durable and convenient carry case. ARB’s twin air compressors are constructed of lightweight, high-strength engineering grade materials and incorporate quality components for quiet operation and extended durability.
3) Shovel
A shovel is a valuable tool, both on the trail and in camp. On the trail a shovel can aid in recovery, allowing you to dig out of the sand, snow, or mud. We have even jacked our stuck vehicle in the air and used our shovel to fill the holes under our tires, raising the differentials enough to allow us to continue forward progress. In camp, a shovel can be useful to build a fire pit, smother a fire with dirt, or dig a latrine. Bringing a fullsize shovel is an option, but like many overlanding components there is a balance between bulky, fullsize components that offer functionality and smaller, compact items that take up minimal space.
Smittybilt’s Recovery Utility Tool (RUT) is a fully functional collapsible military-style shovel. This modern rendition of the “e-tool” has an easy grip and light handle with a carbon steel blade that is heat treated and features double serrated edges for easy digging or cutting. The heavy-duty black powder coated body is 23-1/4-inches when open and folds down to a mere 9-inches when closed, allowing it to be stowed easily.
4) Recovery Boards
Perhaps there is no product more associated with overlanding than the ubiquitous traction board. Designed for when you find yourself stuck off the beaten track without any help in sight, traction boards allow you to get you out of trouble when traction is lost in even the toughest of conditions; whether it be in sand, mud, or snow. You don’t need another vehicle to use them like with a strap, or a tree to anchor to such as with a winch. You can also use your traction boards as makeshift shovels during recovery and can even use them to level out your vehicle when you arrive at camp to ensure a good night sleep in your roof top tent.
TRED recovery boards are manufactured in Australia from the highest quality materials, allow them to handle intense levels of torque, flex, and weight. With a designated shovel feature, hex grip nodules, and aggressive ramp entry teeth, they allow you to explore with confidence. The traction boards nest together to maximize space savings and are available in a variety of colors.
5) Camping Chair
Overlanding is as much about the destination as it is about the journey. When you get to camp it is nice to relax, take in the sites, or sit around the campfire with friends. We have sat on storage boxes, but that gets old in a hurry. A comfortable chair is worth its weight in gold in camp. They vary from minimalist backpacking chairs that don’t take up much room in your vehicle but aren’t that comfortable, to lounges that can hold two people and have foot rests and tables built in.
Smittybilt’s camping chair is constructed from a lightweight aluminum frame and durable cordura fabric. It features a fold up table with an integrated coffee cup holder and removable, insulated cooler bag with padded grab handle. Padded armrests, seat base, and back rest ensure comfort after a long day on the trail.
Top Five Overland Items You Want
Once you have all of the practical, economical items for overlanding, the priority often shifts to items that make your stay in the backcountry more comfortable. You can get by sleeping on a tarp and eating cold pizza for a day or two, but if you bring your family beyond that creature comforts make the difference between a memorable trip for the right reasons and for the wrong reasons.
1) Freezer/Fridge
Freezer/fridges are not inexpensive, but they are certainly a good value. They provide you with the opportunity to spend more days out in the backcountry without the need for ice. And no ice not only means the end to soggy sandwiches, it also means more room inside the cooler for all of your food and drinks. Quality freezer/fridges include features like battery protection to keep from killing the starting battery in your vehicle, digital displays to dial in your desired temperature, and both 12V and 110V plugs.
Don’t want to get rid of ice entirely? The Dometic CFX3 55IM has an ice maker and silicone ice trays and while still providing a storage capacity of 53 liters, enough to fit 83 cans. The heavy-duty yet lightweight ExoFrame construction has fender frame protected edges and strong aluminum alloy carry handles, while the powerful VMSO3 compressor cooling technology efficiently refrigerates and deep-freezes to 7 F.
2) Roof Top Tent
Roof top tents (RTTs) rival traction boards in their association with overlanding. They allow you to sleep up off the ground out of the mud and dirt and away from predators. Most RTTs also include their own bedding and have enough room for your sleeping bags and pillows, freeing up spacing inside of your vehicle. If you roll into camp late at night, you also don’t have to worry about inflating a mattress or finding a place to set up your tent, simply fold out the roof top tent and drift off to sleep. RTTs are available in either traditional soft styles (like the Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander tent) or hardshell (like the Smittybilt hardshell tent), with hard shell tents generally being more expensive but also easier to deploy and pack up. Tents can also be combined with awnings or annexes for even more usefulness in camp.
Smittybilt’s Gen2 Overlander tent uses 600d heavy-duty rip stop polyester material for a waterproof and polyurethane-impregnated top wrapped around anodized aluminum tent poles. The lightweight, waterproof 420d oxford rainfly adds an additional layer of protection, and the memory foam mattress ensures a great night sleep. When not in use, the heavy-duty 1040gsm, 2000d PVC cover protects your tent from mud and dust on the trail.
3) Camp Kitchen
Some people like to eat very simply in camp, subsisting on freeze-dried meals and snacks. Others prefer a more refined dining experience though; we have even seen people who cook more involved meals on the trail than they do at home! A good camp kitchen will include a sturdy table, cutting board, cutlery, spices, and of course a stove to cook it all up on. Camp Chef has a variety of cooking options from lightweight and compact backpacking stoves all the way up to standalone two burner propane stoves and griddles to outdoor ovens to make pizza and brownies in camp.
The durable, versatile Camp Chef Explorer Two-Burner cooking system packs enough power in its 30,000 BTU burners to boil water and cook your food in a hurry. Portability is no problem with the removable legs, and a three-sided windscreen makes outdoor cooking easy. Being one of Camp Chef’s 14″ cooking systems, the Explorer is very versatile and can be equipped with many different Camp Chef accessories, from the Professional Grill Box to the Italia Artisan Pizza Oven.
4) Communications
Being able to unplug from the day-to-day and get away from wifi and cell service is definitely part of the appeal of going overlanding. And it is relaxing… right up to the point when you are lost or break something. When that happens, you want all the forms of communications you can get your hands on. Satellite phones and products like the Garmin InReach are helpful, albeit expensive, options when you are in the middle of nowhere. GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) two-way radios such as those offered by Rugged Radios are great ways to keep in contact with your friends on the trail. A HAM radio license is required to legally operate these radios, but the test is straightforward and can typically be passed with a day of preparation.
Rugged Radio’s Jeep kit has everything you need for communications on the trail, including a 45-watt GMRS radio, coax cable, antenna, mounting bracket, and even a handheld radio for your spotter! Works with all GMRS and FRS radios operating on the same channels, including Rugged GMR45, GMR25, and GMR2. Also works with all GMRS radios from other manufacturers including Motorola, Midland, Uniden, and many more.
5) Outdoor Shower
The one thing that drives us back to civilization more than any other is the desire for running water, particularly if we are dry camping in the desert. If you are in the mountains and it is warm enough to take a dip in a lake or a stream, a shower might not seem like a big deal. Spend a week in the desert though and you will have a different opinion, as will everyone down wind of you. WaterPort makes a variety of pressurized water solutions from their compact and affordable two-gallon GoSpout up to the mammoth eight-gallon Weekender to fit any size family on any length of trip.
The WaterPort Weekender is ideal for on-the-go showers, cleaning and rinsing equipment, and any time you need pressurized water. Take it camping, fishing, to the beach, or anywhere your life meets the great outdoors! With an eight-gallon capacity, you never have to worry about running out of water during your shower. Plus, the black plastic construction is durable and absorbs UV rays to warm up your water before you shower.
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