By Richard Tew
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
“Overlanding” is a camping lifestyle which was born out of necessity but has evolved into a fun way of exploring the outdoors in style.
According to Motor Trend, Overlanding began as a means of survival during its roots in 1900’s Australia when travel routes traversing the notoriously vast and uninhabited land of the outback required the ability to pack one vehicle with enough supplies for the trip into uncharted territory.
Over the decades, the business of converting vans, large four-wheel-drive trucks and sport utility vehicles has grown in certain off-road circles. As more and more off-road vehicles came with both more room and more after-market capability, the number of people participating in the activity grew.
Some of the more popular vehicles for this type of conversion are the four door Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner, vans like the Mercedes Sprinter and the Ford Transit style vans to mention just a few. Older SUVs like the Lexus LX460 and LX570 and Jeep Cherokee are popular choices as well.
There’s a bumper crop of businesses who will sell DIY customers roof-mounted tents which can be attached to roof racks on trucks and SUVs. Generators and solar panels, along with heavy duty car batteries which help make “roughing it” outdoors not so rough. Suspension lift kits and larger tires help both weekend warriors and seasoned off-road enthusiasts alike go further and further down the path less-traveled all the while supporting the extra heft these customized vehicles carry.
There’s a mentality to the activity of over-landing. Most people involved with the activity would consider themselves the self-reliant explorer type with an interest in discovering what’s out there beyond the horizon that’s yet-to-be-discovered.
Some Overlanding van conversions include full build outs of the cargo section of the van body, and can rival well-equipped RVs and travel trailers. Of course there is a price to pay for these highly customized, go anywhere people haulers.
If this nomadic, wanderlust-fueled lifestyle sounds appealing, be prepared to drop some serious money on equipment to make it possible. Roof top tents can start around $1,000 (and up), add in a few thousand dollars for a generator, set of solar panels, heavy duty batteries, wiring and converters. Add in other needed accouterments and a person could say bye bye to $10k pretty quickly.
But, for those interested in Overlanding, the cost of the investment in their vehicle is a small price to pay for the ability to embark on adventures the average truck, van, SUV (or driver) couldn’t possibly manage.
To learn more about Overlanding, www.overlandexpo.com is a great resource.
