What keeps you from overlanding more?

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Mr E

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NOTHING!!!!
I actually did it, booked a UK tour, and took a two day trip.

I didn't need anything bolted to the land Rover outside of what it came with, i don't need to hide in the shed thinking of excuses....
Went out, 2 days with Dad, met like minded people and spent two days away from anywhere - as much as is allowed in the UK!

Got a trip booked for March, April, June and a Pyrenees trip in oct

Feels good to be out!​
 

Flipper

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Waiting for better half to retire, which will be this Sept. It will be too late in the season to start this year but next spring its the “Bucket List Tour” Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, N&S Dakota, Montana! 3 months! Planning and making reservations for the National Parks now!
 
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ArkansasDon

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Launch Member

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my business, keep me down quite a bite. I have a business in the firearm industry (not sales of firearms). I had some health issues in the beginning of 2017 that caused me re-think how I haven't been spending the time with my wife & what I've been missing like fly fishing, turkey hunting, bowfishing, trapping, & hunting: locally or out of state & other outdoor activities. It's been over 14 years since the wife & I had our last actual vacation. I am 58 yrs old & my wife is in her 60's & felt it is important to for us to start having quality of time together & not let my business dictate my personal time.
This business has restricted me from the passion we both enjoy in the outdoors. For almost a year I've been pondering on this move, that is when I started my build project Overland Camping Trailer & finished a month ago. We both feel the hours I put into my business & the lack of time Sally & I missed now we can start enjoying time with each other & the things that means the most to us like our free time we need & the activities that circle around our lives together: camping, fishing & hunting.
No I am NOT closing the doors of my business, I'm just increasing my personal time which "I" feel I rightfully deserved. I've added some new equipment in the shop already & will be adding more new products to only raise the bar for the highest quality firearm finishes I can offer. But my time in the shop will be Tues-Thurs 8am to 5pm not like it was before Mon.-Fri 6am to 6pm.
 
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redman333

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327
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
Some people that I’ve met that travel full time pay off their house and rent it out. Also some run a blog about how they overland either full time or on long trips. Theirs sites out there that can teach you how to run a blog successfully. You don’t have to have it make all your money just a portion of it. Also pay as much debt off as possibly so your not having to pay this while your not working. Even if you paid off everything but your house. You can do Airbnb on your house while your gone to pay the mortgage.

All I’m saying is there are ways to do it.


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redman333

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We do pretty good with it. We try to get out and camp one weekend a month to a place that’s within two hours away. Then plan two larger week long trips for the year. I’ve noticed that when we take trips during the month it makes it easier to go more. Lately though we haven’t gotten out. I’d say the last few months. Though we have planned to not go for the next 6months though and have a large trip planned for later this year. As I type this we are at the hospital waiting on baby #2 to get here with a 2 yr old at daycare right now. We also have some house renovations we are going to take care of. After that’s done we are getting back to the once a month schedule.


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Eric Neal

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Now? Not much other than weekends and holidays.

I know, that probably sounds odd or backwards to many - but we find that going out during the week vs the weekend is so much more enjoyable. Loads less traffic going to, returning from, and while we're out on the trails we mostly have any trail, camp spot, or hiking trail to ourselves. So I assume most of you "get the picture" we're not "people" people. We love nature... the smells, the sounds, the feel (subtle temp changes, shifts in the breeze, bird calls, bees buzzing, spider webs, caterpillars, butterflies, and flowers).

I retired almost 3 years ago, my bride retired just over 1 year ago so we are now able to be spontaneous and (like we were and did when we were first dating and before kids) fluid. As you can probably guess already we pretty much disdain being surrounded by crowds - we already live in a large city so "escape" is our goal not being "social".

I've enjoyed reading this entire thread and am so thankful for all the responses especially the very thoughtful ones about duty to family (important to us also) and responsibility for work and income... Prior to having kids we were always in the woods either climbing with friends or out on the trail backpacking, or in a canoe or kayaks on a river system somewhere camping on a sandbar or island. I'm so fortunate that my wife is a biologist and avid outdoors person so we've always gone into the forests in one fashion or another at least once but usually twice per month. After kids came we just took them along but often shortened the trips somewhat due to new packing requirements (diapers, dirty diapers, baby food...) and the fact that they got tired and grouchy.

As they aged the girls (2 daughters) loved hikes but wanted to take their friends - however most of the time the parents of those childhood friends didn't want to or "couldn't" go "camping"!! So weekend day hikes became the plan-of-action but usually more like once/month.

Now both girls are on their own and we're back to our own schedule and plans - surprisingly to me and very often the girls want to meet up and go with us on our camping trips into the woods, or more recently into the deserts of AZ and CA. Now THAT is so special as a parent! That they remember so many good times in the forests, on rivers (canoeing) while camping, campfires, even sometimes going to and camping on the beach etc. They almost always bring a friend, boyfriend, etc. and what was, at least for me, so neat was that I could pass-down my older packs, sleeping pads, sleeping bags and tents to them - and they still get used!!! Both girls go camping on their own even when we're not in the picture. We never "made them" go along - if they wanted to "bail" we would allow them to spend the night with friends, as long as we had talked to the other parents - since back then there weren't cell phones and the other parents had to assume all responsibility even if there was an illness or injury since we were completely out of touch.

So all you folks putting in the hard work of WORK and KIDS... be assured that it does come back to you as an option. We did retire early BTW since we saw many of our friends either wait for later retirement then get a serious life threatening illness, injury, or just die unexpectedly. So as was said by one poster earlier, live now... Don't put it off, find a way to make it work so that your life isn't always a burden and challenge.

Use what you've got, it will never be perfect anyway regardless of how many mods you make. Do, and enjoy, what is within your skillset and, as often as you can, push your comfort z0ne just a bit to build more confidence and skills for new adventures.
 

HappyOurOverlanding

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Verdi Nevada
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Now? Not much other than weekends and holidays.

I know, that probably sounds odd or backwards to many - but we find that going out during the week vs the weekend is so much more enjoyable. Loads less traffic going to, returning from, and while we're out on the trails we mostly have any trail, camp spot, or hiking trail to ourselves. So I assume most of you "get the picture" we're not "people" people. We love nature... the smells, the sounds, the feel (subtle temp changes, shifts in the breeze, bird calls, bees buzzing, spider webs, caterpillars, butterflies, and flowers).

I retired almost 3 years ago, my bride retired just over 1 year ago so we are now able to be spontaneous and (like we were and did when we were first dating and before kids) fluid. As you can probably guess already we pretty much disdain being surrounded by crowds - we already live in a large city so "escape" is our goal not being "social".

I've enjoyed reading this entire thread and am so thankful for all the responses especially the very thoughtful ones about duty to family (important to us also) and responsibility for work and income... Prior to having kids we were always in the woods either climbing with friends or out on the trail backpacking, or in a canoe or kayaks on a river system somewhere camping on a sandbar or island. I'm so fortunate that my wife is a biologist and avid outdoors person so we've always gone into the forests in one fashion or another at least once but usually twice per month. After kids came we just took them along but often shortened the trips somewhat due to new packing requirements (diapers, dirty diapers, baby food...) and the fact that they got tired and grouchy.

As they aged the girls (2 daughters) loved hikes but wanted to take their friends - however most of the time the parents of those childhood friends didn't want to or "couldn't" go "camping"!! So weekend day hikes became the plan-of-action but usually more like once/month.

Now both girls are on their own and we're back to our own schedule and plans - surprisingly to me and very often the girls want to meet up and go with us on our camping trips into the woods, or more recently into the deserts of AZ and CA. Now THAT is so special as a parent! That they remember so many good times in the forests, on rivers (canoeing) while camping, campfires, even sometimes going to and camping on the beach etc. They almost always bring a friend, boyfriend, etc. and what was, at least for me, so neat was that I could pass-down my older packs, sleeping pads, sleeping bags and tents to them - and they still get used!!! Both girls go camping on their own even when we're not in the picture. We never "made them" go along - if they wanted to "bail" we would allow them to spend the night with friends, as long as we had talked to the other parents - since back then there weren't cell phones and the other parents had to assume all responsibility even if there was an illness or injury since we were completely out of touch.

So all you folks putting in the hard work of WORK and KIDS... be assured that it does come back to you as an option. We did retire early BTW since we saw many of our friends either wait for later retirement then get a serious life threatening illness, injury, or just die unexpectedly. So as was said by one poster earlier, live now... Don't put it off, find a way to make it work so that your life isn't always a burden and challenge.

Use what you've got, it will never be perfect anyway regardless of how many mods you make. Do, and enjoy, what is within your skillset and, as often as you can, push your comfort z0ne just a bit to build more confidence and skills for new adventures.
My wife and I retired early also and took up Overlanding. It's a great option for the retired adventurous folk. :sunglasses:
 
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Michael Kinnett

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Where I live. I'm smack dab in the middle of Indiana and my idea of overlanding isn't available within 4 hours drive. There's no "public" land here that allows vehicles and dispersed camping, hell we barely have any hiking trails. If I lived somewhere I could get away on shorter trips, I would be every other weekend and sometimes weekly.
 
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MOAK

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It used to be time, even with 22 days of vacation, but now that I am retired I have all the time in the world, so right now, due to deductibles being so high for health insurance, money is the reason we aren't getting out this year. Next year beginning in Dec, we will start hitting the road again. In the meantime we do have a few local places to explore, GW & J NF, State forests all over Pa, and hopefuly up into the Adirondack region.
 

MOAK

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Wherever we park it will be home !!
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Where I live. I'm smack dab in the middle of Indiana and my idea of overlanding isn't available within 4 hours drive. There's no "public" land here that allows vehicles and dispersed camping, hell we barely have any hiking trails. If I lived somewhere I could get away on shorter trips, I would be every other weekend and sometimes weekly.
I feel your pain, I was born and raised on a flat farm in Ohio. Thankfully Teddy Roosevelt, with the influence of John Muir saw the wisdom in keeping much of the west wild..
 

David C Gibbs

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Waiting for better half to retire, which will be this Sept. It will be too late in the season to start this year but next spring its the “Bucket List Tour” Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, N&S Dakota, Montana! 3 months! Planning and making reservations for the National Parks now!
Flipper,
Some of the National Parks just plain shut down, no visitor services, no food, etc. This happened to us at Glacier NP in Montana. There is a lot to do within Idaho, but based on our roads, you have to travel into other states to get there. It's faster for drive from Boise to Spokane, going through Oregon to Washington. However then you miss McCall, the Seven Devils Mountains, Whitebird Grade, the drop down into the Clearwater drainage. It's faster to travel Glacier via the Freeways, and again then you miss the Selway-Lochsa rivers, Lolo Pass, Missoula. Some mapping tools by-pass Missoula altogether. To get a great view of Yellowstone & the Tetons, plan on 5 to 7 days, just for that area.
DCG
 
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Flipper

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Flipper,
Some of the National Parks just plain shut down, no visitor services, no food, etc. This happened to us at Glacier NP in Montana. There is a lot to do within Idaho, but based on our roads, you have to travel into other states to get there. It's faster for drive from Boise to Spokane, going through Oregon to Washington. However then you miss McCall, the Seven Devils Mountains, Whitebird Grade, the drop down into the Clearwater drainage. It's faster to travel Glacier via the Freeways, and again then you miss the Selway-Lochsa rivers, Lolo Pass, Missoula. Some mapping tools by-pass Missoula altogether. To get a great view of Yellowstone & the Tetons, plan on 5 to 7 days, just for that area.
DCG
Thanks for the info!
 
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old_man

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The usual, when I have the time, I don't have the money. When I have the money, I don't have the time.
I've been around a long time and I have an answer to this problem. When I don't have time, I normally have a few bucks, so I plan and I slowly but consistently buy what I will need, that way I have the parts on hand when available time comes up (with no cash).

I am stuck on a contract in Rochester NY for the next year. I have been working 70+ hours a week. I have my rig pretty much finished and I am adding the icing to the trailer. I am paying off every bill I owe along with my house. That way when I am between contracts, I can afford to actually take time to go and do.
 
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SubeeBen

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Credit card bills from the Jeep & trailer, not to mention there’s only 24 hours in a day.
 
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T-88

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It used to be time, even with 22 days of vacation, but now that I am retired I have all the time in the world, so right now, due to deductibles being so high for health insurance, money is the reason we aren't getting out this year. Next year beginning in Dec, we will start hitting the road again. In the meantime we do have a few local places to explore, GW & J NF, State forests all over Pa, and hopefuly up into the Adirondack region.
That would awsome! Start local, there is more than we realize!!!

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FJRedRecon

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Nowhere to do it around here... at least not legally (I’ve had cops called on me before and they never do anything about it anyways). Also, lack of money and being busy with nursing school keeps me from getting out more... OH, and also a lack of people to do it with.


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