What got you into Overland?

[Maverick9110E]

Like the title says. Why did you or are you gething into everything overland? What drives you to spend the money on the vehicles and gear? Overlanding is different things to different people but I'm curious to her some stories from folks on what got them into it and why they do it?

I myself am just getting started and just have a stock vehicle for now but am about to pull the trigger on some mods. To me it seems like it will be about getting out there and exploring new places and experiencing the outdoors for places I couldn't go before. Possibly being able to get the family into it and have some less expensive vacations then the $150 a night hotel rooms and $100+ a day food bills is a draw as well.

 

[TheAdventureIndex]

Like the title says. Why did you or are you gething into everything overland? What drives you to spend the money on the vehicles and gear? Overlanding is different things to different people but I'm curious to her some stories from folks on what got them into it and why they do it?

I myself am just getting started and just have a stock vehicle for now but am about to pull the trigger on some mods. To me it seems like it will be about getting out there and exploring new places and experiencing the outdoors for places I couldn't go before. Possibly being able to get the family into it and have some less expensive vacations then the $150 a night hotel rooms and $100+ a day food bills is a draw as well.

I completely agree. It started in college with the desire to travel without the funds available. That mixing with being a "car guy" led to overlanding.
I've always loved the outdoors. But being able to be comfortable yet still explore with a vehicle is a win-win.

It's also a good way to get people who have never camped into the idea of it. The comfort of a vehicle "in case something goes wrong" calms some peoples nerves.

 

[JimmyPresley]

For me it's the ability to mix it up and either go for solitude or socializing. I enjoy times of just me and the dog. Other times it's really great to sit around with a group and enjoy the company.

A side benefit is meeting a lot of new great people as well.

 

[Polaris Overland]

Many years ago whilst going to work offshore drilling I flew in a helicopter over the Skeleton coast in Namibia and swore I would come back one day to drive it. Last year in May we did exactly that spending 2 weeks driving and camping in Namibia.
Also having spent many years working in Africa, specifically West Africa, Nigeria, Angola etc and only seeing the worst side I wanted to see more of the real Africa.
So I bought my Land Rover about 10 years ago and have prepared it and done shorter trips.
Our first big trip, Turkey and Europe for 12 months starts in April.
After that if all goes as planned Africa is on the horizon.

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[JimmyPresley]

I also wonder if there is a portion of it that is genetic. When I was a kid my parents rented a cabin on the lake a couple of times for a summer family trip. My grandfather was invited and did join us. Although there was room in the cabin he would bring his cot. He would sleep outside on the porch or on a nice spot with a breeze. I thought it odd at the time. Now I completely understand and would be tempted to do the same. Maybe even further away from all the family. :)

 

[hidesertwheelin]

I've always liked camping and I've always liked 4 wheeling, so I combined the two. Now I get to share with my family.

 

[VDawg1115]

I've always liked camping and I've always liked 4 wheeling, so I combined the two. Now I get to share with my family.

What @hidesertwheelin said!!!!

 

[[DO]Ron]

Still need to start I guess.. but whats fueling the desire is pretty much @Michael and @Corrie I think xD Been following OB on YouTube for ages now.. Just came across it watching other 4x4 vids and always kept following.

 

[Michael]

Awesome!

M

 

[Big E]

My family not being very wealthy always traveled by camping out of a car or van. I just kept going that way. I am glad my wife bought into the idea and we love to travel in the same manner. The 4x4 just gets us into places we either could not before, or at least with out stuck and broken parts.

 

[Corrie]

Two of the best summers of my life were spent driving around CA, NV, AZ, NM, TX, CO, UT, MT, WA and OR in my 2005 Ford Focus. I spent 6 weeks living on a hacienda above the Brazos River in Mineral Wells, TX. I camped by myself in Glacier National Park. I found a little oasis in the hills above Ashland, OR and spent a week writing and soaking in hot springs. I drove my car onto the ferry in Seattle and spent days trickling back down the coast of WA. I had everything I needed in my little 3 door hatch back, and Life. Was. GOOD. (I'm giddy just thinking about it.)

When I met Michael and he started to tell me about overlanding and vehicle dependent travel, I was all, "YOU HAD ME AT VEHICLE."

And then he took me off-road for the first time, and I was like, "OHMYGOD, THIS IS GENIUS."

The rest, as they say, is sweet sweet history. :)

 

[boehml]

I was always into camping. We went a lot as kids, but never anything super crazy because we weren't very wealthy. When I got into hiking 3 seasons ago I needed a vehicle that could take me to the trail heads in my local area. Most of these trail heads required a high clearance vehicle, so I looked into Xterra's, Jeeps, FJ's and the like. I finally settled on a 2014 JKU Sport (click on my sig for the build thread).

Soon after I bought my Jeep I found this weird and wonderful world of "Jeepers" online, they were all modifying their vehicles like crazy. I had no idea it was quite so popular. Then I stumbled across a Wayalife video, they were doing the Rubicon trail and it was awesome! Following that discovery I went on some local off road trails with my stock JKU and soon after realized I needed some additional mods to avoid bashing my rig up. I got into modifying and wrenching my own vehicle, and doing local trails on the weekends. It was great, but it always felt off... I couldn't wrap my head around driving around the woods only to go back home at the end of the day, I wanted to explore more and go further. Finally I discovered the concept of Overlanding with Andrew St Pierre White and Expedition Overland, I was hooked. Soon after I came across this community via an instagram post, the rest is history.

 

[theick]

I did a lot of flying in airplanes as a kid. Most of that was flying around the Southwest and I spent a lot of time staring out the window at all the dirt roads and wondering where they went. Now I'm an adult and spend a lot of time looking at Google Earth wondering where the dirt roads go.

I just like to explore and look around.

 

[Corrie]

I did a lot of flying in airplanes as a kid. Most of that was flying around the Southwest and I spent a lot of time staring out the window at all the dirt roads and wondering where they went. Now I'm an adult and spend a lot of time looking at Google Earth wondering where the dirt roads go.

I just like to explore and look around.

re: Google Earth - I so do that too. Obsessed.

 

[VDawg1115]

This Is such a great thread! All smiles reading everyone's comments. So much positivity it really speaks to what this community is all about. Loving it!

 

[3ilnouri]

Well for me my older brother seeing him read 4wheelr at the age of 5, at age seven he keeps sending pic to the family of him studying abroad with his TJ traveling. When he got back telling me stories of how he fix it up. By the time I got my license I read more Offroading magazine than my books got into fixing my Fj cruiser and putting my gear in it for camping every other weekend. So I was into overlanding and I didnt know it.

This was a few weeks back in AZ Zulfi, KSA



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[pl626]

I grew up camping with my parents first, then HS pals, then college buds. I remember all the Coleman gear my parents had, including this huge 4 person canvas tent. That was stored in our basement and was musty as heck. I really appreciate my Oz RV4 compared to that old Coleman, but I digress...
I guess growing up in Michigan, the Great Lake State, getting out and exploring is s just "normal" life...then again, it's been a few decades since I was a kid in Michigan, hopefully, that Overlanding spirit is still the norm...


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[RealMcCoy]

I was blessed with parents who like to travel by car/van. Before I was 18 I have been to 42 states. All by a car. We didn't do any dirt road driving but I still got to see much of the US. My wife and I have been together since high school. I used to take my parents camping gear and go camping with my girlfriend (now wife). After we got married we didn't have much money or dependable cars but some how we always went on a weeks vacation. Some times we would fly others we would drive. Over the past 15 years we have been blessed with more time and more money. We got the chance to travel all over the US and different parts of Europe. Today we have found ourselves wanting to see more of the US but not the part most people see. This year we are going to explore North Maine Woods. Hopefully next year we will end up out west somewhere.

 

[ASNOBODY]

Fresh air, beautiful views and and Mother Nature in all her wonderful glory. Simple as that. Using a vehicle obviously enables you to do and see more so there ya go… 2 + 2 = 4 and 4 x 4 = Freedom *makes screaming eagle sound*

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that not only travelled a lot but has friends and relatives around the globe. The one unifying theme and familiar source of comfort when leaving friends and known places was, and still is, the great outdoors. I'm fascinated with geology too, and how and why things evolve in different ways in every corner of the Earth. These things, and a great interest in remote areas where humans have (or have not) survived and thrived for thousands of years despite great adversity or geological roadblocks really spurred my interest. It's just FUN! :)

 

[oklndovrlnd]

I've been into vehicles/ working on them/ building them since very early in life. My passion was with German cars for nearly the last 20 years and has been my profession for the last 10. As my flame has dwindled a bit with racing/ building cars in general I began exploring so much via bicycle and it is freedom and basic and wonderful. Out of this spawned my desire to go further and see more and a newfound interest/ obsession with vehicles I havent been so familiar with in the past, as I was very strictly motorsport/ European car based. I'm most happy when out exploring and seeing new wonderful things that dont involve much of anything other than the trip, the destination and the adventure in-between.

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