Has overlanding become elitist ?

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Bravo. Well put.

Seems to me that's what Moses said when he came back from the mountains with an arm load of Tablets call the ten commandments.

 

[MidOH]

I don't have a heart. Carved it out and buried it in the Caribbean.

Put an ARB pump in it's place. In hindsight, I should have chosen a more reliable pump. But it's all I had at the time, except for some Maxtrax and a Pepsi can stove.

 

[Tahoe.Adventures]

I have had and continue to have MANY different hobbies, almost too many my wife says. In every industry/hobby/scene there will be people who make it seem like you have to the best of the best to enjoy said hobby/lifestyle. There will always be someone with something better than you, just like anything in life. But if you are happy, what does it matter?

To the OP, don't let it get to you. Literally just get out and explore (safely). I have an uncommon "overlanding" rig myself. A Chevy Tahoe. 2wd at that. I took it to Baja literally the weekend after I bought it, bone stock. It did perfectly fine. I have had it for a few years and didn't even upgrade the shocks for a couple of years, didn't need to. As long as you can safely get to where you want to go and back, just go.

Bottom line, Michael and Corrie have created a great community, with like minded people. I have met some awesome people and some have become good friends. Don't let the few bad apples ruin it. There will always be people who judge, doesn't matter where you are or what your doing.

Cheers!
- Rick

 

[AnInterestingLifeOverland]

Most of the stuff we buy is just in case... I quit that shitt. I only pack what I will use tomorrow. I wonder why I keep the winch.

I'm currently building up an old Land Rover 110 for a year long expedetion in Africa. Guess what is NOT going on the front bumper?? That's right, no winch. They are not really common there in the overland crowd. Why, you ask? When you are driving your home, you don't put it in situations where you get that stuck. And if you do, somebody will help you (as you would help them, of course) or you get it out yourself. It's amazing what you can do with a Hi-lift jack, a shovel, a pair of mattracks (I use the cheap chinese ones), a little elbow grease, and some time.

 

[old_man]

old_man, your skills are outstanding. I want to compliment you on your build. Even with your skills it is obvious you have a lot of money in your rig in just the materials, and the tools you used to build your rig. Thanks for sharing your info.

What you have to remember is that you don't get that many tools or learn how to use them overnight. Many of the tools I built my self and I have been working at it for 50 years. I am an migrant aerospace engineer. I travel around the world working on projects and am far from home and my toys. I make it a game to see absolutely how cheap I can live and I take the extra and slowly save up for parts and tools. I design and dream. I scour sources and auctions and slowly buy what I need while away so when I get home I can disappear into my shop and have all the parts ready to use. I pisses off the wife after I have been gone for months, to not devote every minute to her. Well, so is life.

You rarely have time and money at the same time. This is my lifelong solution.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

What you have to remember is that you don't get that many tools or learn how to use them overnight. Many of the tools I built my self and I have been working at it for 50 years. I am an migrant aerospace engineer. I travel around the world working on projects and am far from home and my toys. I make it a game to see absolutely how cheap I can live and I take the extra and slowly save up for parts and tools. I design and dream. I scour sources and auctions and slowly buy what I need while away so when I get home I can disappear into my shop and have all the parts ready to use. I pisses off the wife after I have been gone for months, to not devote every minute to her. Well, so is life.

You rarely have time and money at the same time. This is my lifelong solution.

old_man, I can relate more than you might think. I'm older than you and have traveled your road for most all of my 84 years. I had to raise six kids and take care of my wife for many years before I had time for myself. I am a building designer, somewhat retired with my finger still in the pot. I too have tools and parts that takes a lifetime to collect. My wife use to say when I was away from the house she didn't worry about where I was, she knew I was in my jewelry store (junk yard) shopping for a car parts. I spent what time I had building and racing cars in those days, so I know what it takes to build from scratch and the skills one acquires over time. That's why I can appreciate what you have done with your rig, knowing the dedication it takes to achieve a goal. I'm trying for my last time to achieve a goal of building a dream where I can escape.
I may not make it this time because my body is giving up the ship one day at a time. When old our minds don't know it, only the body tells us to stop. Lanlubber

 

[Roam_CO85]

This thread pretty much sums up my view on offroading. I have been doing what everybody calls overlanding for 50 years. I have done it in everything from a 62 Ford farm truck to a 73 Chevy Van I put a fiberglass top on and built the insides for camping. My wife and I covered the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada, traveling to a location and backpacking to take photos professionally. After the kids came along, the long trips cut back and the wife bought me a 85 Jeep Cherokee which I proceeded to turn into a rock crawler. I did virtually every train in Colorado over the next 30 years. Most times I left the city girl wife home and just slept in the back of the Jeep. I never had much money and designed and built virtually everything on my rig myself. I found I enjoyed building almost as much as exploring.

As we got older the wife demanded more creature comforts. We went to a tent, and then I started looking for a project. I am an engineer and fabricator so I decided to design a offroad trailer for what we needed. The wife demanded a comfortable place to sleep, off the ground and heated. That got me thinking about a modified teardrop design for extreme offroad situations. I never dipped into our budget, always doing odd jobs, buying/selling, and horsetrading to cover the expenses as I went. My tow vehicle became my rockcrawler. I spent 20 years slowly building it and it is way overkill for what is needed, but built on a very tight budget. The trailer was designed and fabricated from scratch over a 4 year period when I was mostly working 2000 miles away from home and my shop. I would plan, and made it a game to find the absolute best way to do everything, putting a ton of thought into every item, then being patient and shopping for the parts as funds became available. I did not scrimp on quality, only on cost. I designed it with the mind that someday I might want to manufacture them, so I optimized everything. Even at that, with all the features and capabilities, I calculated I have almost $5000 in materials. I even fabricated the leveling jacks on all 4 corners and the airbag suspension. Pretty much the only off the shelf items I bought were the doors. They cost almost $400 each, but they were worth it.

I say all of this because I didn't just go out and drop $25k on an offroad teardrop with half the capability and a $60k Jeep. I took years of experience in the outback and slowly upgraded when I found a need or a better way to do things. My wife keeps hounding me to buy a new vehicle but I say why. I have exactly the vehicle I want, exactly the way I want it. I like it to look nice, but that is for me, not for the guy in the mall parking lot next to me. Where I go there is rarely anybody around to see and that is the way I like it.

Think this is how it should be done! You get guys that go out and drop huge money on things and have the greatest newest stuff out there. Good for them if it works for them. I like building my own stuff as well. It gives you more pride that you didnt go out and buy it. I know for my self. It helps me find reliability in equipment. If something breaks I know what it takes to fix it. The new stuff is really hard these days to fix your self. Growing up we always had cheap old vehicles and taking it to a shop wasnt a option so fixing things our selves was always a huge part of owning those types of vehicles. What you had needed to be taken care so itll last longer! You dont have to buy it built. Building it is half the game. I find tinkering and testing things out help expand into the next project. Do alot of research before i pull triggers on things.


I saw @old_man headed down the road 2 weeks ago. His jeep and trailer are nice!





The mall crawlers always make me shake my head! Saw a jeep the other day that had three light bars stacked on a bumper mount. Three light bars stacked on the roof rack on top of each other and tire rack had two? Three inch lift 35 inch tires. Polished major big time!

 

[old_man]

old_man, I can relate more than you might think. I'm older than you and have traveled your road for most all of my 84 years. I had to raise six kids and take care of my wife for many years before I had time for myself. I am a building designer, somewhat retired with my finger still in the pot. I too have tools and parts that takes a lifetime to collect. My wife use to say when I was away from the house she didn't worry about where I was, she knew I was in my jewelry store (junk yard) shopping for a car parts. I spent what time I had building and racing cars in those days, so I know what it takes to build from scratch and the skills one acquires over time. That's why I can appreciate what you have done with your rig, knowing the dedication it takes to achieve a goal. I'm trying for my last time to achieve a goal of building a dream where I can escape.
I may not make it this time because my body is giving up the ship one day at a time. When old our minds don't know it, only the body tells us to stop. Lanlubber

I know about the body thing and getting old. I am a lot like my rig. I have had 16 ortho surgeries and a couple of cancer surgeries. Getting ready to do a drive train overhaul for Christmas and get a couple of new knees.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Think this is how it should be done! You get guys that go out and drop huge money on things and have the greatest newest stuff out there. Good for them if it works for them. I like building my own stuff as well. It gives you more pride that you didnt go out and buy it. I know for my self. It helps me find reliability in equipment. If something breaks I know what it takes to fix it. The new stuff is really hard these days to fix your self. Growing up we always had cheap old vehicles and taking it to a shop wasnt a option so fixing things our selves was always a huge part of owning those types of vehicles. What you had needed to be taken care so itll last longer! You dont have to buy it built. Building it is half the game. I find tinkering and testing things out help expand into the next project. Do alot of research before i pull triggers on things.


I saw @old_man headed down the road 2 weeks ago. His jeep and trailer are nice!





The mall crawlers always make me shake my head! Saw a jeep the other day that had three light bars stacked on a bumper mount. Three light bars stacked on the roof rack on top of each other and tire rack had two? Three inch lift 35 inch tires. Polished major big time!

Awww, he was just getting his rig ready for the parade. He needs those lite bars for hunting frogs !

I know about the body thing and getting old. I am a lot like my rig. I have had 16 ortho surgeries and a couple of cancer surgeries. Getting ready to do a drive train overhaul for Christmas and get a couple of new knees.

I hate hearing about your tragic ailments. One or two would be bad enough for me. Your one tough dude my friend !
I can call myself lucky since I have been blessed with mostly good health most of my life. All my ailments have been from injuries , two broken necks, one crushed lumbar vertebrae, and four years ago I survived a T bone car wreck that should have ended my life but I came out with only two broken ribs, a punctured left lung and a separated shoulder that's still separated. Funny how we think we are bad off until we hear another mans woes, then we're glad we have only ours to worry about and they seem less severe. Good luck on the knee operations, I will pray you get through it okay and with good results. Lanlubber Jiim

 

[Anak]

Think this is how it should be done! You get guys that go out and drop huge money on things and have the greatest newest stuff out there. Good for them if it works for them. I like building my own stuff as well. It gives you more pride that you didnt go out and buy it. I know for my self. It helps me find reliability in equipment. If something breaks I know what it takes to fix it. The new stuff is really hard these days to fix your self.

This is indeed how it should be done.

Read either Kon Tiki or Brendan's Voyage (both great overland reads by the way--they will put what we call "overlanding" into some real perspective) and you will gain an appreciation for the old ways of doing things and the resilience which comes with such means and materials.

 

[old_man]

Awww, he was just getting his rig ready for the parade. He needs those lite bars for hunting frogs !


I hate hearing about your tragic ailments. One or two would be bad enough for me. Your one tough dude my friend !
I can call myself lucky since I have been blessed with mostly good health most of my life. All my ailments have been from injuries , two broken necks, one crushed lumbar vertebrae, and four years ago I survived a T bone car wreck that should have ended my life but I came out with only two broken ribs, a punctured left lung and a separated shoulder that's still separated. Funny how we think we are bad off until we hear another mans woes, then we're glad we have only ours to worry about and they seem less severe. Good luck on the knee operations, I will pray you get through it okay and with good results. Lanlubber Jiim

My surgeries were due to stupidity in being an adrenaline junky and accidents. They never kept me from doing things, they made it to where I could do stupid things again. My wife of 44 years says I never bothered to grow up. I have also broken my neck twice and have 4 fused vertebrae.

 

[Scout]

Go a bit further up the mountain. The poseurs disappear. It's easy to see who walks the walk, and who just spilled a quadratec catalog on their jeep. Not that enthusiastic newbs aren't a bad thing. Got to start somewhere, but you don't need to bolt 1000 pounds of cash to your truck for this. Start with less, and build your gear as you gain experience.

Remember expo east? Everyone got stuck in 3'' of mud. Not a set of tire chains to be seen anywhere.

Yes.. I still find Expo an interesting scenario on what people feel they need and end up in situations like what happened..

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

My surgeries were due to stupidity in being an adrenaline junky and accidents. They never kept me from doing things, they made it to where I could do stupid things again. My wife of 44 years says I never bothered to grow up. I have also broken my neck twice and have 4 fused vertebrae.

I looked at your build tread on the jeep. All very impressive and progressive. I think I might call you a friendly stubborn kind of guy. You just never gave up on that jeep. We could be good friends I would bet. You remind me of me. I wish my LRD2 was as simple to work on as your Jeep looks to be. I'd give anything to be 20 years younger so that I could do what you have done with your rig. Tally ho my diligent friend, hope to see you one day and do a little tale swapping.
Lanlubber Jim

 

[FishinCrzy]

LOL! I remember getting mistaken for Jed Clampett's rig in the past. You go with what you got! I still tend to take more stuff than I need but I'd rather have it and not need it. I'm working up to extended off-grid excursions. Looking at things from a weight vs. need standpoint.

 

[old_man]

LOL! I remember getting mistaken for Jed Clampett's rig in the past. You go with what you got! I still tend to take more stuff than I need but I'd rather have it and not need it. I'm working up to extended off-grid excursions. Looking at things from a weight vs. need standpoint.

I thought it was Pa Kettle

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

LOL! I remember getting mistaken for Jed Clampett's rig in the past. You go with what you got! I still tend to take more stuff than I need but I'd rather have it and not need it. I'm working up to extended off-grid excursions. Looking at things from a weight vs. need standpoint.

Exactly, when I go, I want to stay out as long as possible. I have been concentrating on my electrical needs for the past month and think I have everything I need now for very long extended stays. I have the solar set up and batteries with all the hardware needed. I have an old 1976 Scamp 13' trailer that looks like something the dogs brought in. It will do the job adequately with the 3 way stove, two way electrical system and propane water heater. Hell I may never come back if I can ever get my s - - - together !

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Yes.. I still find Expo an interesting scenario on what people feel they need and end up in situations like what happened..

Finally found some people here that think more like I do when it comes to useless and expensive equipment that is seldom needed. I have never been without tire chains since after I first got stuck my first time. I'm still buying "stuff" but only what I know I need when I'm in the boonies all alone.

 

[RescueRangers]

This has to be at least the tenth time I have seen this discussion on this forum so far, almost as many times as "What is Overlanding". I almost have to laugh. I stop at the gas station or while at work I have to listen to people cop an attitude because I have a nicer vehicle than them or they perceive I have more fun then them. Then I hang around with other Jeepers and hear "that's not a real Jeep because . . ." (you fill in the blank with what ever you like because I have heard just about all of them, right down to color). I think what gets me the most is listening to other overlanders pull the same "you're not a real Overlander because . . .". The long and short of it is, in each case its one person trying to tear the other person down because they perceive the other is better or has better stuff than themself. Its simple jealousy. Yes, I have a very capable Jeep. I have a total of $60,000 invested in it. Why? Because that is what my wife and I want, and we worked our fricken asses off to get it. Everyone seems to forget that part, no one gave it to us just like no one gave stuff to most of the other Overlanders out there. They worked for it. Am I an elitist? I don't really care. To me, an Overlander is someone who takes what they have, makes the best of it, and does what brings the most enjoyment while improving them self. If you worked to get what you have, be proud of it instead of making excuses. Being proud of it means not trying to put others down because they have better stuff. See what they have, how they have set up their rig, find the things that will make your life better, then go work for it. Ok, you may have an old Dodge pickup but if it works for you, own it. As far as the Overlanding part. To each his own. I don't consider camping out in the woods in the same spot for a week to be Overlanding but I don't go around trying to tell people they are not Overlanders because they don't comply with my Overland style. You have your way of Overlanding, leave it at that. Ok, so you aren't a global traveler. Are you retired? Do you have a kid or kids? Do you need that job to get better gear? What is the issue, you are just like the other 90% of Overlanders out there. No, I am not going to doing any global travel but I can certainly learn a few things from these people. I don't want to imply I sit around watching Youtube and develop a fan obsession for "Youtube Stars", there aren't many out there on Youtube who I have any respect for. I mean, I haven't seen too many on there that have quit their job and sold everything to travel the world on an old bike. I don't recall any on their who stopped their travels across Africa to work for a week or two in order to have enough money to continue their travels. These are the people I respect, the people who have very little, worked their ass off for it, and made it happen. The people I respect are hard to find out about because they rather spend their time traveling and meeting new and different people than hanging out on Youtube trying to be famous. Saying people are elitist doesn't make you a better Overlander, or person, and those you are calling that don't really care. So, why not focus your time on bettering yourself instead of trying to tear others down.

 

[FishinCrzy]

Exactly, when I go, I want to stay out as long as possible. I have been concentrating on my electrical needs for the past month and think I have everything I need now for very long extended stays. I have the solar set up and batteries with all the hardware needed. I have an old 1976 Scamp 13' trailer that looks like something the dogs brought in. It will do the job adequately with the 3 way stove, two way electrical system and propane water heater. Hell I may never come back if I can ever get my s - - - together !

I started looking at campers, and I may get one at some point, but I could get in a RTT much cheaper with NO taxes. Plus I can pull a boat if need be. The heat of the summer is a little problematic. I was up near 6000 ft. yesterday in N.C. and it was nearly heaven. Soon as I get officially retired (been retired for about three years, just haven't told anyone) I'm spending my summers somewhere cooler than here! Hmmm? Wonder if I could build my own, or refurbish without the tax issue? Have to check that angle. I did acquire a small generator, some solar panels and a LI battery so things are now doable. The only problem around here is lack of dispersed camping opportunity. There is some but not the huge amount of public land like out west. As long as there are fish to chase I can survive!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

This has to be at least the tenth time I have seen this discussion on this forum so far, almost as many times as "What is Overlanding". I almost have to laugh. I stop at the gas station or while at work I have to listen to people cop an attitude because I have a nicer vehicle than them or they perceive I have more fun then them. Then I hang around with other Jeepers and hear "that's not a real Jeep because . . ." (you fill in the blank with what ever you like because I have heard just about all of them, right down to color). I think what gets me the most is listening to other overlanders pull the same "you're not a real Overlander because . . .". The long and short of it is, in each case its one person trying to tear the other person down because they perceive the other is better or has better stuff than themself. Its simple jealousy. Yes, I have a very capable Jeep. I have a total of $60,000 invested in it. Why? Because that is what my wife and I want, and we worked our fricken asses off to get it. Everyone seems to forget that part, no one gave it to us just like no one gave stuff to most of the other Overlanders out there. They worked for it. Am I an elitist? I don't really care. To me, an Overlander is someone who takes what they have, makes the best of it, and does what brings the most enjoyment while improving them self. If you worked to get what you have, be proud of it instead of making excuses. Being proud of it means not trying to put others down because they have better stuff. See what they have, how they have set up their rig, find the things that will make your life better, then go work for it. Ok, you may have an old Dodge pickup but if it works for you, own it. As far as the Overlanding part. To each his own. I don't consider camping out in the woods in the same spot for a week to be Overlanding but I don't go around trying to tell people they are not Overlanders because they don't comply with my Overland style. You have your way of Overlanding, leave it at that. Ok, so you aren't a global traveler. Are you retired? Do you have a kid or kids? Do you need that job to get better gear? What is the issue, you are just like the other 90% of Overlanders out there. No, I am not going to doing any global travel but I can certainly learn a few things from these people. I don't want to imply I sit around watching Youtube and develop a fan obsession for "Youtube Stars", there aren't many out there on Youtube who I have any respect for. I mean, I haven't seen too many on there that have quit their job and sold everything to travel the world on an old bike. I don't recall any on their who stopped their travels across Africa to work for a week or two in order to have enough money to continue their travels. These are the people I respect, the people who have very little, worked their ass off for it, and made it happen. The people I respect are hard to find out about because they rather spend their time traveling and meeting new and different people than hanging out on Youtube trying to be famous. Saying people are elitist doesn't make you a better Overlander, or person, and those you are calling that don't really care. So, why not focus your time on bettering yourself instead of trying to tear others down.

I DONT THINK YOU WILL GET ANY ARGUEMENTS AGAINST YOUR OPINION. I HAVENT READ ANY POST THAT DOWN GRADES ANYONE FOR WHAT THEY DO OR DONT HAVE IN THE WAY OF EQUIPMENT HERE IN OB BUT I COULD BE MISTAKEN, I DONT READ ALL OF THREADS IN THE FORUMS. I FOLLLOW ABOUT 5-6 AND I LIKE THE SUBJECTS OF DISCUSSION. I'M GLAD YOU GOT THIS OFF YOUR CHEST, SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE ABOUT HAD IT WITH SOMEONE.
LANLUBBER