What is your dream overland vehicle?

[Specter]

Forget what you drive or what you can afford, what would your dream overland vehicle be and why?

Attached is mine. Old school. Classy. Most of all, it’s a classic Toyota. It would serve me well on the trail and, as importantly, I’d love sitting back with a cold one and just looking at it after washing it down in my driveway.

 

[MidOH]

But flat black with a white cab:

 

[MidOH]

Needs some paint:

 

[Roam_CO85]

Probably a 3/4 ton 1977 chevy pickup. 400 four bolt motor few inches of lift good tires. Simple yet extremely capable for off grid living. Could rebuilt the whole motor in a autozone parking lot really anything could be on the rig. No computer to trip out if any electrical attack issues. I feel that alot of wear and tare on light duty parts & chassis wear quicker. The 3/4 ton 1 ton axles suspension tend to wear really well with extreme abuse. Plus all the room you need to carry everything on extended trips.

 

[Specter]

Probably a 3/4 ton 1977 chevy pickup. 400 four bolt motor few inches of lift good tires. Simple yet extremely capable for off grid living. Could rebuilt the whole motor in a autozone parking lot really anything could be on the rig. No computer to trip out if any electrical attack issues. I feel that alot of wear and tare on light duty parts & chassis wear quicker. The 3/4 ton 1 ton axles suspension tend to wear really well with extreme abuse. Plus all the room you need to carry everything on extended trips.

You’re right. It’ll run forever and repairs are easy. Nice pick.

 

[Pretzel]

If money and practicality are no object... I'd have to say a Unimog with portal axles. Rear would be boxed in for storage of whatever the hell I want for the voyage, but I'd still probably want to sleep outside in a hammock or tent.

I'd take that thing around the world.

 

[CTO1Mike]

F250 or Ram 2500, 4x4, Patriot Campers Off Road bed with 3/4 canopy, 12K winch up front and in back, 270 awning, plus other lights and gadgets.

 

[Specter]

If money and practicality are no object... I'd have to say a Unimog with portal axles. Rear would be boxed in for storage of whatever the hell I want for the voyage, but I'd still probably want to sleep outside in a hammock or tent.

I'd take that thing around the world.

You could definitely go for the long haul in one of those.

 

[Specter]

Perfect for the wide trails where you live.

 

[Buckaroo]

THIS :-) Volvo laplander

 

[Specter]

View attachment 119076 THIS :-) Volvo laplander

I’ve never even seen one of those before...but that’s awesome. Very cool choice!

 

[Buckaroo]

I’ve never even seen one of those before...but that’s awesome. Very cool choice!

built for the swedish army and can still be bought at military auctions in sweden, spares are very much available.

 

[Specter]

built for the swedish army and can still be bought at military auctions in sweden, spares are very much available.

It’s very unique. I was just checking them out online and while it is t what I would choose, I can certainly see the draw. It there is ever a zombie apocalypse, I think you’d be good to go. Haha.

 

[natematos]

Volvo laplander

These, and their bigger siblings are so cool. But I was parked next to one at an event and not only didi it dwarf my already large can (dimensionally bigger than an HJ80), but as I was complaining about my top speed of 65mph the owner smirked and told me his was in the 55 range.

 

[Specter]

These, and their bigger siblings are so cool. But I was parked next to one at an event and not only didi it dwarf my already large can (dimensionally bigger than an HJ80), but as I was complaining about my top speed of 65mph the owner smirked and told me his was in the 55 range.

View attachment 119078

That’s crazy.

 

[KonzaLander]

This would do everything I could possibly ask for:

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

“Dream” depends on the trip. For a ‘dream’ do-it-all, generalist Overland vehicle:




Simple, reliable, cheap, and parts a’plenty. Take all the money you save and spend it on an around-the-world adventure.

However, sometimes it’s nice to go more than 90 KPH on the highways. So, while I think the above is a good general answer, for me specifically it’d be my Tiger, but with a Safari fuel tank to give me a bit more range. Currently I sit around 300 kms with my stock tank; the Safari tank gives me 500 KMS. Bring along 2.5 gallons in a can, and there are no roads I can’t explore. The tiger is what I own, but if I didn’t, I’d still argue for it’s inclusion in the ”Dream” overland vehicle category. It’s very comfortable on road, and very capable off road — a bit better in the rough stuff than the big BMWs made famous by Evan and Charlie. Plus, the ‘older’ Tigers are very simple to fix with minimal electronics. Way more than the KLR, but not as many as the modern ADV bikes with cruise control, electronic throttles, Etc. These are reliable systems these days, but hard to repair in remote/lonely places without dealer support. I know for a fact that the Tiger of my vintage (2011) can be repaired with JB weld and hope, which is what you want in a robust adventure platform.




If we are speaking specifically of 4x4s then a Jeep J8 in “Troopy” configuration would be a great overlander, but failing that, I’d go with the Land Cruiser troopy. In the North American market, I think it’s hard to beat GM’s quadruplets on paper and in practice for a lot of overlanding trips, so that’s what I own!



Jeep’s legendary 4x4, but with upgraded brakes, axles, frame, suspension, and without a lot of the electronic gizmos and gadgets endemic to a modern car. However, it’s military only (though AEV allegedly got a few of ‘em to resell for $$)



Can’t beat the Troopy. Books have been written on good it is, so I won’t re-hash here.




And our Canyon, with Dog Tax. Doesn’t look like much now but once we are finished building it, the approache angles will be substantially better. This truck right now is 100% stock save for the rack/RTT over the bed. And to be clear, I’m not just posting this because it’s mine — it actually is a ‘dream’ Overlander in a lot of ways, and it’s specs put it near the front of the pack of what is available today (specifically meaning available new at dealerships) for off-road adventure travel. I could have substituted this photo with one of the AEV/Chevrolet Bison, which might be more in “Dream Rig” category, but the DNA in the Bison and the Canyon is the same and so they have a similar capability when tailored for the user.

 

[Specter]

This would do everything I could possibly ask for:

View attachment 119081

Yea, I’d say that’s pretty decked out.

 

[Specter]

“Dream” depends on the trip. For a ‘dream’ do-it-all, generalist Overland vehicle:

View attachment 119079


Simple, reliable, cheap, and parts a’plenty. Take all the money you save and spend it on an around-the-world adventure.

However, sometimes it’s nice to go more than 90 KPH on the highways. So, while I think the above is a good general answer, for me specifically it’d be my Tiger, but with a Safari fuel tank to give me a bit more range. Currently I sit around 300 kms with my stock tank; the Safari tank gives me 500 KMS. Bring along 2.5 gallons in a can, and there are no roads I can’t explore. The tiger is what I own, but if I didn’t, I’d still argue for it’s inclusion in the ”Dream” overland vehicle category. It’s very comfortable on road, and very capable off road — a bit better in the rough stuff than the big BMWs made famous by Evan and Charlie. Plus, the ‘older’ Tigers are very simple to fix with minimal electronics. Way more than the KLR, but not as many as the modern ADV bikes with cruise control, electronic throttles, Etc. These are reliable systems these days, but hard to repair in remote/lonely places without dealer support. I know for a fact that the Tiger of my vintage (2011) can be repaired with JB weld and hope, which is what you want in a robust adventure platform.

View attachment 119080


If we are speaking specifically of 4x4s then a Jeep J8 in “Troopy” configuration would be a great overlander, but failing that, I’d go with the Land Cruiser troopy. In the North American market, I think it’s hard to beat GM’s quadruplets on paper and in practice for a lot of overlanding trips, so that’s what I own!

View attachment 119082

Jeep’s legendary 4x4, but with upgraded brakes, axles, frame, suspension, and without a lot of the electronic gizmos and gadgets endemic to a modern car. However, it’s military only (though AEV allegedly got a few of ‘em to resell for $$)

View attachment 119083

Can’t beat the Troopy. Books have been written on good it is, so I won’t re-hash here.


View attachment 119085

And our Canyon, with Dog Tax. Doesn’t look like much now but once we are finished building it, the approache angles will be substantially better. This truck right now is 100% stock save for the rack/RTT over the bed. And to be clear, I’m not just posting this because it’s mine — it actually is a ‘dream’ Overlander in a lot of ways, and it’s specs put it near the front of the pack of what is available today for off-road adventure travel. I could have substituted this photo with one of the AEV/Chevrolet Bison, which might be more in “Dream Rig” category, but the DNA in the Bison and the Canyon is the same and so they have a similar capability when tailored for the user.

A bike makes a lot of sense, but it’s not for me. I grew up with two enduro bikes and loved them, but for whatever reason I just can’t get past the dangers of getting to the trail on one. With people more distracted than ever while they drive the risk just doesn’t seem worth it. That said, they are an adventure in and of themselves on and off the road.

 

[tjZ06]

I think my answer would be different every day of the week you ask me, and depending on where I as intending to go. It's fun to dream and kick around different ideas though.

On the "semi-realistic" side of things, I think it'd be either a JL Unlimited or JT (Gladiator), starting life as a non-Rubicon. If money isn't a concern, it'd be Moab in the JL, or an Overland in the Gladiator. Either one I'd want in the new 3rd gen EcoDiesel when it's released. Why not a Rubicon? Well, I'd be putting a pair of really nice aftermarket D60s, or maybe D60/80 under it and 40-42" tires with the absolute minimal lift possible (big tires, low COG, tons of flex). I think the Gladiator would actually be my choice in this scenario since I could do a bed-rack and not have my RTT 5 miles above ground and I'd use the bed space for a giant fridge/freezer on a slide-out, reserve fuel, a water system, etc. Then I'd ditch the rear seats and build-out some really neat storage. I have some ideas in my head of what it'd look like, but again not giving money a second thought I'd work with a high-end cabinet builder and really try to do some innovative stuff. Obviously all the usual stuff like armor, lighting, etc. would get done. As I've witnessed in many other threads most would call 40" tires "overkill" or even "stupid" for Overlanding... but when I live about 2hrs from the Rubicon and a zillion other trails (some more difficult than the Rubicon) it's what I'd do. And yes, I'm aware you can make the Rubicon in a stock JLR on stock tires. But hey, if I'm spending "dream money" I'd go big.

On the fully insane side of things, I think I'd get an Earth Roamer. You're paying a lot extra just for the name, but hey a nice used one can be had for just over a half-million: https://earthroamer.com/pre-owned-190/ This would only be my route if somehow I fell into Bill Gates money and this was not going to be my ONLY rig. They're super bad-a and obviously very capable... but still they're too big/heavy for certain things I'd want to do. So I'd have this and a cool JL build or something.

In more of a "what would I build" scenario, I'd have to build something off a 'mog. I'd have to put a LOT more thought into it to decide things like wheelbase and such, but I think I'd want something overall smaller than the Earth Roamer, but that offers similar cabin space/tank sizes/etc. I'd also want a more modern motor in it and the ability to cruise down the freeway at 70 MPH without any issues. This is a route I still imagine doing "someday" when I have the time/space/money for a multi-year build, maybe as a retirement project, but then I'd prob be too old to really enjoy it by the time it was done.

Another "semi-realistic" would be building off of a '19 RAM 2500. The easy choice would be a Power Wagon, but I'd want a diesel so I'd probably start with a "regular" 2500. Much like what I'd actually build, how I'd build a RAM 2500 would surely change day to day too. There would be upsides and downsides to the various cab and wheelbase options. Some days I think I'd get a regular cab, then have an all-AL "tray" (aka bed) built for it. Something similar to:

Now, I'd have my tray a bit more built out with storage, fuel/water tanks, and a rack with RTT. But the "basic" version would be kind of like that. I'd want to run the AEV suspension that moves the front axle forward, allowing 40"s with very little lift (something like 2" IIRC) but AFAIK it's not available yet for the '19+. I'm sure AEV will get to making a 2019+ offering though, and I'd do a little tweaking to get a 42" under it. Since I wouldn't be starting with a Power Wagon I'd be adding lockers (and re-gearing) the axles, along with some trussing. I'd want an aftermarket fuel tank in the 50+ gallon range under the truck (like the 60 gallon I run on my '11 D'max) with custom armor for it, along with the fuel storage I'd build into the "tray" (perhaps having a separate stank for some gasoline to help friends out on longer trips). Other days I think I'd use a Quad or Megacab to have most of my storage inside the cab, then a much smaller tray for the dirty stuff.

Then, there are days where I think I'd just LS-swap my WJ, do a nice full-width D44 pair for it, get it on a 35-37" tire, armor it up, and run it!

-TJ