What keeps you from overlanding more?

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adventure_is_necessary

Rocky Mountain Region Local Expert Kansas
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Time and money like everyone else, but I think for me, it's the fact that the destinations close by are not as appealing as ones with mountains and better trails. I have a ton of gravel/dirt roads around me that hinder everyone from using, and most lead to some spectacular views. I have a few state/county lakes with camping ground around that are desirable places to stay overnight. now especially, the weather hinders any trips as it's consistently between 0 and 15 degrees during the daytime. My rig is not the best at holding in heat just yet and my gear is only good to around freezing. More time and money to do the necessary upgrades will allow for more winter travel.
 

jordan04gx

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This post gave me a lot to think about.

For those of you with very little time, money, or both, but are keeping a good attitude about it...I commend you, and your stories have helped me to better appreciate any opportunities I might have.

For those of you that were candid enough to speak about the guilt that comes on when doing anything that is not directly for the family or children, making it difficult to enjoy any independent activities, just know that you are not alone and that many good parents struggle with this guilt. Mothers and fathers alike. I struggle with it, as does my wife. If I go kayak fishing for 3 hours, the first hour is usually just spent getting over the hump of that guilt.

The post also left me pondering some sensitive questions that I've been grappling with for a while (long before reading this post):

1. I wonder how many folks use their "overland" rig building activities as a mask/excuse for never being able/willing to actually get out there and adventure in the outdoors. (e.g. "I'd love to come but...I have to finish my XYZ project on the rig"). Where the rig becomes a symbol of their dying dream to be adventurous, and is part of their identity, but is not exactly facilitating the dream. I know this is a touchy subject. I doubt anybody in this situation would see it as such, or be willing to talk about it candidly.

2. I wonder how many folks these days never go on outdoor adventures because they fear not having the support of their partners. I'm not judging (I've been in that boat too), but I personally know at least 5-6 men in my circle of friends that reassert how much they want to go fishing or camping whenever we bump into each other at a social/community function, but when they are invited (even for small things like a couple hours of fishing) state that they have to "check with their significant other" and then quickly decline. When I have friends that I know -sincerely want- to go outdoors, but never do, that really makes me disheartened (for them, for myself, for society in general). Those of you that have supportive partners, or better, partners that adventure with you...take a moment to realize how fortunate you are!
 

Angel Sterling

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Money, tight budget, and weather!
Yeah that's right.. weather. It really depends here in Canada. One day in the winter it's -5 Celsius and sunshine, the next its -32 Celsius and 15cm of snow.
But the change of weather makes it an interesting challenge.
 

Doug2003

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This post gave me a lot to think about.

For those of you with very little time, money, or both, but are keeping a good attitude about it...I commend you, and your stories have helped me to better appreciate any opportunities I might have.

For those of you that were candid enough to speak about the guilt that comes on when doing anything that is not directly for the family or children, making it difficult to enjoy any independent activities, just know that you are not alone and that many good parents struggle with this guilt. Mothers and fathers alike. I struggle with it, as does my wife. If I go kayak fishing for 3 hours, the first hour is usually just spent getting over the hump of that guilt.

The post also left me pondering some sensitive questions that I've been grappling with for a while (long before reading this post):

1. I wonder how many folks use their "overland" rig building activities as a mask/excuse for never being able/willing to actually get out there and adventure in the outdoors. (e.g. "I'd love to come but...I have to finish my XYZ project on the rig"). Where the rig becomes a symbol of their dying dream to be adventurous, and is part of their identity, but is not exactly facilitating the dream. I know this is a touchy subject. I doubt anybody in this situation would see it as such, or be willing to talk about it candidly.

2. I wonder how many folks these days never go on outdoor adventures because they fear not having the support of their partners. I'm not judging (I've been in that boat too), but I personally know at least 5-6 men in my circle of friends that reassert how much they want to go fishing or camping whenever we bump into each other at a social/community function, but when they are invited (even for small things like a couple hours of fishing) state that they have to "check with their significant other" and then quickly decline. When I have friends that I know -sincerely want- to go outdoors, but never do, that really makes me disheartened (for them, for myself, for society in general). Those of you that have supportive partners, or better, partners that adventure with you...take a moment to realize how fortunate you are!
Can't agree more.
 

Mr E

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,135
U.K.
This post gave me a lot to think about.

For those of you with very little time, money, or both, but are keeping a good attitude about it...I commend you, and your stories have helped me to better appreciate any opportunities I might have.

For those of you that were candid enough to speak about the guilt that comes on when doing anything that is not directly for the family or children, making it difficult to enjoy any independent activities, just know that you are not alone and that many good parents struggle with this guilt. Mothers and fathers alike. I struggle with it, as does my wife. If I go kayak fishing for 3 hours, the first hour is usually just spent getting over the hump of that guilt.

The post also left me pondering some sensitive questions that I've been grappling with for a while (long before reading this post):

1. I wonder how many folks use their "overland" rig building activities as a mask/excuse for never being able/willing to actually get out there and adventure in the outdoors. (e.g. "I'd love to come but...I have to finish my XYZ project on the rig"). Where the rig becomes a symbol of their dying dream to be adventurous, and is part of their identity, but is not exactly facilitating the dream. I know this is a touchy subject. I doubt anybody in this situation would see it as such, or be willing to talk about it candidly.

2. I wonder how many folks these days never go on outdoor adventures because they fear not having the support of their partners. I'm not judging (I've been in that boat too), but I personally know at least 5-6 men in my circle of friends that reassert how much they want to go fishing or camping whenever we bump into each other at a social/community function, but when they are invited (even for small things like a couple hours of fishing) state that they have to "check with their significant other" and then quickly decline. When I have friends that I know -sincerely want- to go outdoors, but never do, that really makes me disheartened (for them, for myself, for society in general). Those of you that have supportive partners, or better, partners that adventure with you...take a moment to realize how fortunate you are!
I’m precisely point 1, it used to be id jump in the landy or on the bike and go, not caring where.
Now I always think I can’t go because the bike or landy needs something to help it perform better on the journey.
I built a rally bike to race, and as soon as it was ready I bottled the idea and sold it.

Think a lot of mine is I have to win, a race I need to be Uber fit win it, or I won’t enter.
I have a huge longing to go get lost again but I walkways talk myself out of it!!

So this year to change that I’ve paid for trips with companies to lead the journey, and I’m tight, if I’ve paid I’m going!!!
 
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jordan04gx

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I’m precisely point 1, it used to be id jump in the landy or on the bike and go, not caring where.
Now I always think I can’t go because the bike or landy needs something to help it perform better on the journey.
I built a rally bike to race, and as soon as it was ready I bottled the idea and sold it.

Think a lot of mine is I have to win, a race I need to be Uber fit win it, or I won’t enter.
I have a huge longing to go get lost again but I walkways talk myself out of it!!

So this year to change that I’ve paid for trips with companies to lead the journey, and I’m tight, if I’ve paid I’m going!!!
Thanks for being willing to discuss it. Perhaps it will help someone in the same situation.
 

TOMB

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Pretty much family, out of town a lot for work. I need to spend time with my wife. Kids are grown, but wife watches grandson every day after school. Not fair to her. If it wasn’t for that I would be out every chance I got.


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atIOIYIOI

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Work, and Winter. I'm not a winter person, and I'm stuck in a country that has winter everywhere. We can't escape it. All summer I'm working on projects, and try to squeeze in a few weekends of adventure, and think "this winter I'll get X done.." But then winter comes and it's so nasty outside that I have a very hard time motivating myself to go do it. I have too many projects, and never seem to get them done.

That said, I've recently come up with a plan. When I say I, I mean we. In 5 years time, we plan on hitting the road. Hopefully permanently, but keeping a home base to come back to whenever we choose. There is too much out in this world to not explore it. Work gets in the way, and I plan on changing that.

Life shouldnt get in the way. The way, should get into the life.
 

jordan04gx

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Work, and Winter. I'm not a winter person, and I'm stuck in a country that has winter everywhere. We can't escape it. All summer I'm working on projects, and try to squeeze in a few weekends of adventure, and think "this winter I'll get X done.." But then winter comes and it's so nasty outside that I have a very hard time motivating myself to go do it. I have too many projects, and never seem to get them done.

That said, I've recently come up with a plan. When I say I, I mean we. In 5 years time, we plan on hitting the road. Hopefully permanently, but keeping a home base to come back to whenever we choose. There is too much out in this world to not explore it. Work gets in the way, and I plan on changing that.

Life shouldnt get in the way. The way, should get into the life.
That's a good attitude. I live in an area where winter is brutal and long as well. Both in terms of temperatures, lack of sunlight, and the amount of snow. I used to have a hard time getting motivated, and it would drag on and on. 2 years ago I finally decided that I wouldn't stop getting outdoors during the winter. Now I kayak/fish until the ice comes in. Then I ice fish until the ice melts. Next year I am going to camp through the winter as well. I have a number of small state forests nearby that sit basically empty all winter long except for a few cross-country skiers, and hikers. The winters go by much much faster now.
 
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TerryD

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I've almost been caught in the builders trap. My issue was the limited amount of time and money I have being spread over multiple projects. I've been eliminating the projects that don't fit with my long term goals and focusing on getting things done on my Xterra.

I'm amassing parts for when the weather breaks inn the spring and then I'll have a weekend thrash session to lift and armor it and do some maintenance that it needs to be ready for the summer. I have 4 trips I want to make this year and I'm determined to get at least three of them done.
 
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maxfederle89

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I have to agree. Time and money are the root causes of me not going places. And right now the weather as well. It's been dipping bellow zero in the Midwest this winter and I'm not about that.

However, I don't feel I fall into the builder category. My rig has a lift and tires. I have plenty of camping gear and a shovel! I'd be perfectly happy going out with what I have now.

A big issue I have, and it keeps me from doing smaller adventures, is I don't have anywhere to go that isn't 3 hrs away at least. Or an upwards of 9+ hrs for the places I really want to go. I've been trying to scope out places to at least drive in my area but it's mostly just city and farmland for miles around. I do have an area I need to try but no more. I wish the local Jeep club would make an offroad park so we offroader people could at least have somewhere to drive....

Another hindrance is scheduling. Taking enough time off work for both my wife and I to go on a big trip is difficult. More so with her work because I am on my way to owning my own business.

And then time. There are a lot of things to split our time between and hobbies tend to get pushed aside as the more important things come up. My big hope though is when we go to visit my folks we can incorporate fun overlanding types of things into the trip. They live in a rural area that has places I've never gotten to explore on the way there. No reason we can't pack up the Jeep with the camping gear and do the Overland thing on the way there and back. Especially since the drive is so long anyway it's nice to break it up.

I think this is a very productive topic. I liked reading what other people deal with. We're all in this together. And we can take heart that there's adventure to be had, we just have to make time to become wild. And sometimes the more spontaneous the trip, the more memorable it will be.

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robrtsmtn

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As I mentioned before, most of the time it's an issue of having money and time coincide. While I don't get hung in the "just let me add one more accessory" type thing, my overlanding outfit is around 25 years old and I spend more time just replacing worn out or broken parts which keep me from spending time out. I know, I should update, but I am still around 5k into a vehicle that will climb something that scares me, and is a comfortable run around town jeep.
 

JzzR83

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Work! I only get 1 weekend off each month and my wife works Sundays. Three young children with activities does not leave much time. This summer we have promised each other to get out camping/exploring more.
 
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RedSheep

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Time/Money but not in the usual sense, yes building a rig take time and resource but slowly that all comes together if you make it a priority and I can easily do "weekends" or a few week trips (and have for years - it the normal career/vacation cycle)...

My issue is I have gotten to the point I soooo want to do longer multi-month grand-adventure type trips and those I am caught in limbo where if I quit work to do so I will obviously have the time but not the money and working well I could possibly save some and scrap up the cash for a one time month long trip ever 3 or 4 years ... but in the long run to make it a true lifestyle no job = no rig, no insurance, no house, no family, no food, no anything else.

so baring a big lotto win or finding a way to make over-landing a profitable and self sustaining career with out first needing to spending a decade plus "working at it and growing it" ... (in which case I honestly might as well just stay where I am at and wait for retirement in 12 years, then go do it) ...

all leaves me stuck in dreamland, leaves me making do with the small tastes of exploration and excitement that I can squeeze out of normal life when and where I can
 
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Ripley1046

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Well I'm new to overlanding, having only really discovered the term a few months ago, but I have been car camping and outdoorsing in general for at least the last 5 years and in some facets since I was a kid. We are planning on doing a lot more travel in the future now that I have the wife and kid indoctrinated. We all love to roam and be outdoors.

The big problem lies in too many expensive hobbies, and a lack of willingness (on my part) to work a job I hate going to that would make better money. I manage a music store, and am a sound tech for various bands and theatrical productions. I love my jobs, but summers are nuts and none of it pays that well. I've never really been worried about the cost of the rig, I have 2 cars that in their stock form actually perform pretty well for most of the stuff we want to do. I plan on adding some lights and a few other small upgrades, but until I have the cash to build a dedicated overlanding rig, they have to be daily drivers too, and I drive 60+ miles a day.

So yeah, time and money like most have said here. I'm pretty good at finding ways to do things on the cheap, and actually find some happiness in that challenge. I know I'll probably never have a lot of money, or a job I can take off for weeks at a time, but it makes me appreciate the time I get in the wild that much more. I have a real and permanent struggle between the dreamer in me, and the realist. Neither wants to let go. Most of the time that makes me optimistic but grounded, and I can take that.

There's an idea I picked up from watching Roadkill that sticks with me pretty good, and I think everyone could use more. Don't worry about making it perfect, just make it run, then go out and use it. They apply this to muscle cars and the like, but I think it works for most things (overlanding rigs included). Use what you have, enjoy it, and don't get caught up in waiting for that next mod or upgrade.

The other big thing keeping me from getting out more is geography. There isn't a lot in WI for off roading or back woods camping. There is some, and I'm slowly finding the spots, but it's not like we can take a weekend trip to a national forest or go get lost in the mountains.
 
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Road

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Yeah, many of the responses seem to say people are allowing things to keep them from going out more. I say grab some gear, get in your vehicle, and go, man.

Live out of your vehicle for a few days, urban or rural or back country. It's all part of traveling and getting somewhere. Find out what your limitations are, what you need more of, what you'd like less of, and how to do it all more to your liking.

Waiting for just the right circumstances means you're going to be waiting longer and doing a lot less than others who are getting out there now with what they have. Take your kids with you. Take a day off from work on one of the three day weekends so you have four days to explore. Save a few pesos out of each check and put it aside just for a road trip, even if its just for overnight. Drink a six pack or two less and put that money aside. Get a job that includes traveling to different places. I did that for eight years and drove around the country constantly living out of a van, with no home or apt, camping and exploring all over the place.

I agree too with @Ripley1046 above, in what he says he picked up from Roadkill. Don't worry about making your rig, or chuckbox, or trailer, or whatever else the best it can be before you get moving. Camping and 'overlanding' is about getting out there and using what you have to the best of its ability, learning along the way. Doesn't mean you have to climb rocks or ford deep-assed creeks, or get muddy as all get-out. I actually avoid most of that. Nor does it mean you have to have the slickest looking rig with overland bling (jacks and shovels and extraction/recovery stuff) hanging all over it for others to see. That'll eat a hole in your budget quicker than anything.

I know people who have worked really hard at getting things just right before they go out, building platforms, attaching stuff, then find out it doesn't work at all the way they want, or that they actually don't like living outside so much without the conveniences of home. It's a big part of why you see so much gear for sale that's hardly used. Get out and explore, man.

I understand responsibilities and how they can hinder adventure and exploration. I've gone bonkers sometimes for longer periods than I like, not being able to get out there and wander because I'm taking care of a little one or an elder who can't quite get out anymore. That's when you plan the next big journey. That's when you make little steps in doing things you can afford. That's when you set aside little bits here and there.

Instead of concentrating on what keeps you from getting out there more, perhaps re-phrasing it more positively and concentrating on what you're doing TO get out there more will help make it happen sooner.

Before you know it, you'll be packing up for an overnight somewhere. Then for a weekend or longer trip.

See you out there somewhere, someday!
 
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canadianoverlanders

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Deployments, physio & other therapy, awaiting on my discharge in June.....yaaaa!
Even full time military when I took leave we were gone overlanding or if all we have is a weekend we go 4x4’ing over night with some camping.
Just get out and enjoy the world.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. I’m lucky, I have a second chance at life, don’t piss it away, most people don’t get that second chance.
 
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