Well. We just wrapped our most ambitious endeavor, with 3 nights in Bridger-Teton and then 2 nights at a campground just outside of Yellowstone (first time and probably the last time on that)

The good...I got the heater to work, and it works.

Sweet mercy, does it work.....so, what now...that it works so outstandingly well?

Had my Bluetooth connected and I brought the console unit into the tent...it still ran hot enough to burn us out of the tent.What strategies do you have for managing the temp on yours?

Hcalory TB2+ unit, if that matters.

UPDATE:

Appreciate the good suggestions. We were already doing a lot of this. We had a window open, and we ALWAYS have our top roof vents open.

I guess I was not clear enough. We have gear, we have sleeping bags, we have hot nalgene babies, we even have an electric blanket. We can survive and we have, multiple times, just fine...

I was and remain open to suggestions, on maintaining a moderate ambient temperature in the tent, and doing so by managing my diesel heater. That's it.

Duratracs are worn out on my rig. I see there's a new version. I see there's new versions of all kinds of tires now. I can't keep up with all the changes.

I have an 01 access cab Tundra. The majority of my driving is on pavement, however, I do off-road, as well. Mostly fire roads. I don't get gnarly though. No rock crawling or otherwise. I tow a boat fairly often, as well, if that matters.

Duratracs have been my go to, but they're more tire than I really need. They get loud when they get worn which is annoying. I feel like they cost me some mpgs. They're E load rated. Idk if I need it. I know fuckall about tires tbh.

Please help me decide which tire to go with.

Seems like when I was looking last year Patagonia AT Pros looked like a decent option but they were fairly new and not much feedback on them.

Help!

Looking to buy a vehicle to build out into a overland/off-road rig. I’m kinda at a fork in the road and maybe the answer is obvious but I just can’t make the decision.

I’m torn between an og Land Rover defender 110 (not the junk modern ones) or a new 4Runner trd off road. I know it’s a 30 year difference but I’m trying to figure out the pros/cons for each considering they’re about the same price.

I’ve been thinking that the Land Rover has been tried and true for at least 40 years and since it’s older it should be easier to work on at home, plus it’s a 300tdi engine paired with a locker and from what I’ve heard a great manual transmission

Where as the Toyota I’d have a harder time working on it myself but every shop around me could work on it very early as well as much better parts availability

I might be trying to compare apples to oranges here but maybe someone in here could give me some guidance

It’s not mounted yet. Just made some brackets and taped them up there to see how it would look. The curve of the board matches the roof so perfectly. But, I just can’t figure out if I like it.

And could you have got out of your predicament without them?

Hey y'all!

I've been camping for a number of years and have done trailers, ground tents and in vehicle sleeping setups. I've been interested in the Gazelle Hub T3's for a while and I'm wondering whomst here uses them and what your thoughts are? Are they worth it? Is the setup easy enough to justify buying one if I already have a pretty solid 2P ground tent?

I'm currently using a Marmot Tungsten 2p tent and it's great. It's well made, is great at keeping weather out and sets up relatively easily. It's a little small height wise obviously but it is a domed tent so it's not terrible. Just thinking for camping out of my truck that it would be kinda nice to have a little bit larger space to be inside of, especially if it's raining or something.

I don't have any pictures of my tent setup because I actually don't take very many pictures when I'm out. Occasionally I'll remember to snap something cool but in general, I don't really feel the need to have my phone out much when I'm out and about lol.

Thanks y'all!

We are looking at selling out old landrover defender hardtop with icarus roof conversion and moving to a off road trailer/caravan being towed by a 1ton pickup. Initially we were looking at a teardrop however even the biggest teardrops have very small equipment like water tanks, fridges and electrical meaning you will need to keep a backup of this equipment in the rear of the pick and we are looking at a hitch and go. At a expo recently we can across a infanta4x4 enkulu1 offroad caravan and as hell bent as i am to not own a caravan this thing checks all the boxes with regards to being quick to set up and to carry all our equipment while only weighing 950kg dry and being fairly small. Any advice on moving to a trailer/caravan from a camper?

For the ground tenters out there:
If you happen to leave to go to other places but plan to return to the area . How do you feel secure enough about your expensive gear to leave it? I am struggling with that like I wanna go hike this mtn trail we are camped near but I’m terrified some rando will roll up and snag my stuff? Or go drive to a trail and have fun but return later in the evening and I’m scared someone snatches our stuff . Idk am I being unreasonable? Any thoughts feelings tips whatever you got .

ram 1500 weighing about 3 tons. looking for a winch for solo recoveries when stuck, a bumper winch is ideal but so expensive. how safe is this alternative?

Follow up to https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/s/ei2Tg9kwWf

Looks much better now, gonna touch it up if it ends up fading again

I'm getting a Tacoma soon and can't wait to get all the good overlanding goodies for it. I want to get a tent that goes on top of a bed rack (I don't want a tent that utilizes the bed, so the bed can be used for storage). However, many of these rooftop tents seem a little... vertically challenged, especially when it comes to positions where a partner might have their head elevated and having fun.

Is this the most important thing about camping? No, but also yes! I love my lady, simple as that.

I'm looking mainly for recommendations based on personal experience, but open to good finds. I'm not a fan of tents that are wider than the car while packed, and I'm looking for hybrid or hardshell ones. I know the dimensions are available online for many, but it's hard to know by calculation vs real life, where my head might end up brushing the tent edge while reminding my partner how much I love her.

I know it's a funny topic, but no joking! I'm just looking for a great tent!

I’ve watched a couple videos, read some articles, and am having a hard time discerning which type of jack is best to have for moderately spicy, but not insane, overlanding.

Is it all just personal preference or is there any actual best option?? Thanks

I picked up this stock LC100 in January and have slowly been turning it into my main 4x4 SAR rig. I’m curious what everyone else’s gear setup looks like, whether you keep everything in the back, mount gear up top, or use some type of drawer system.

Right now, all of my required equipment is stored in two Pelican cases in the back, along with two go bags. I’ve found that setup works better for me than a permanent drawer system because I can easily transfer everything between the Land Cruiser and the Rivian.

That flexibility came in handy about three weeks ago when we were transporting firefighters and their equipment to the top of a hill. I was able to pull the Pelican cases out and leave them at base, which freed up enough room to carry four firefighters along with ropes, medical gear, and the rest of their equipment.

I’ve been with Pierce County 4x4 Search & Rescue for just over a year now and have already been on around 20 missions. It has been an eye-opening experience, and I’m always looking for ways to improve the setup and make the vehicle more useful in the field.

Since buying the LC I've added

ARB Bumper
Warn winch
Baja Design LP6
Baja Design lightbar (which I should be coverting to amber soon)
Victory 4x4 roof rack
Falken Wildpeak AT4w
New brakes to include rotors and calipers
OME/Ironman suspension (OME shocks were out of stock so went with Ironman)
Kenwood double din with Garmin maps
Diode Dynamics D Switch
Anytone VHF radio for comms. (Should be getting a GME soon too)
Pro Eagle jack (in the Rivian at the moment)

I need to get a rear tire carrier and replace my spare with a proper one due to wanting to do a larger spare gas tank.

Any suggestions is appreciated.

I’ve always been told not to leave food in your car, cook where you sleep etc etc so what do you guys do with pop campers in bear country?? Especially with drawer systems that hold your stove, food etc and you’re sleeping in a pop with a mesh/fabric lining up top?

What am I missing? I have a Viair portable compressor that works fine. Granted I am not airing up and down regularly but I use it enough that it never leaves my GX. I have another 4WD that I was considering buying an onboard air kit but the price differential is insane. Why not buy a $200ish compressor and wire it in? I am not trying to start a debate or argument, I am genuinely curious.

Edit: Thanks for all the replies. My question was not portable versus OBA. My question is why not mount. $200 compressor under my back seat, wire to the battery and add a switch. So instead of $1000 OBA, I have $250 OBA.

I’m putting together my camping gear and realized my kitchen setup is basically random pots and pans thrown into a tote. It works, but it’s heavy, takes up way too much space, and cleaning everything afterward is a pain.

I’m thinking it’s finally time to buy a proper camping cookware set, but there are so many choices that I can’t tell what’s actually worth it. I mostly camp on weekends and cook pretty simple meals like eggs, pasta, chili, burgers, or coffee in the morning, so I don’t need anything fancy. I just want something that packs down well, heats evenly, and doesn’t have food sticking to it after every meal.

If you’ve found a cookware set you genuinely like, what made you choose it? Has it held up after a lot of trips, and is there anything you wish you knew before buying? I’d also love to hear if there are any sets that looked great at first but ended up being disappointing in real use.

Edit: After going through the suggestions, I found this comparison of camping cookware for different types of trips and it actually helped narrow things down. I hadn’t really considered how different the ideal setup is for car camping vs backpacking, especially when it comes to weight, material, and cleanup.

Title. Just looking for the best solution for our 2 pups. We've been increasing the amount of time spent at the beach/in the wild and our cars are paying the price. (Even with all-weather mats) What have you found that works best? What doesn't? TIA!

Light to moderate trails and camping. Currently lifted 3” on 35s

This is a pic of my current setup. I have no issues getting anywhere. Recently I've gotten into dirtbikes and want to be able to bring 2 full size bikes with me. For those of you that utilize trailers, how has it been?? I'm thinking it would be better to put dirtbikes in the bed and then use the trailer and build it out for the RTT and some extra storage. Any thoughts, feedback, or alternatives?

**Edit: when I say trailer I'm meaning a regular trailer for hauling, not full on toy hauler. Sorry for the confusion.

Hey all,

This is my first post here, so I apologize if I’m doing anything incorrectly, hopefully this doesn’t break the rule about using available resources first and vehicle comparisons.

I’ve been wanting a truck for a while but never felt enough motivation to take the leap. In the next year I’ll be getting rid of my aging sedan and have finally decided to make the jump. Shortly after, my family and I went glamping with some friends and their kids who brought campers. Now my wife wants a camper, further justifying getting a truck. THEN, I found out about overlanding and I’m totally hooked. Here’s my conundrum: deciding which of the following two trucks I should go with. I’ve already probably drained a full lake to cool the data center chatGPT has been using in our conversations, along with loads of articles found on good, however, none this specific and I want to find actual user feedback.

The trucks are the 2023-2024 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and the 2019-2022 Chevy Colorado Z71 4WD V6/2020-2022 GMC Canyon AT4 V6.

What I need:

-Comfortably tow a 5,000lb GVWR camper(separate from overlanding; the glamping and overlanding would never overlap)
-Solid reliability
-Good off-roading capabilities(doesn’t necessarily need to be right out of the box, but there’s good potential with a few parts)
-Maintenance that doesn’t break the bank(coming from owning a BMW the last 5 years, I’m kind of over it)
-Takes 87 octane(again, sick of paying for 93 octane)
-Will comfortably fit my son’s forward facing car seat in the back
-Plentiful aftermarket for beginner overlanding build, until I get the hang of it and potentially invest more
-Will last 5-6 years without major repairs/fixes needed(ie transmission or differential rebuild, etc)
-Good for daily driving, primarily highway mileage

Pretty sure that’s basically everything I’m looking for in a truck. If I remember anything else, I’ll add it. I’d appreciate any feedback or advice y’all are willing to offer. Fire away!

I'm planning a few longer camping trips and thinking about bringing my Yozma in10 motorcycle. Once camp is set up, I could use it to explore nearby side roads, ride back to a water source, or check out legal OHV areas. Most rides would only be 5–15 miles, but that’s still farther than I want to walk.

The motor is smaller than a full-size dirt bike and the battery comes out, so a hitch carrier seems workable. It would still affect departure angle and rear hatch access, though. Charging is the bigger question. If one or two rides use most of the battery, it may be dead weight for the rest of the trip.

A regular e-bike would be easier to load, but it should handle rough dirt better, and I already own it. Anyone bring a small e-moto on multi-day trips? Did it get enough use to justify the space, and how did you keep it charged?

I added this awning to my car last year and it faded pretty badly. Is there anything I can do to restore it or is it too far gone? I tried a few products I had but they didn’t seem to do much. If not then maybe plasti dip?

It's funny how your gear priorities change over time.

When I first got into overlanding, I was always looking for the next cool gadget. Now I'd rather have gear that's simple and reliable. Good coffee, a comfortable chair, and a fridge that keeps food cold. That's enough for me.

What's one piece of gear you thought was essential but hardly ever use now?

After a lifetime of tent camping I’ve become more interested in car camping/overlanding. One big issue I have with tent camping is campfire smoke getting into the tent. I’m asthmatic and this poses health issues. Campfires aside, sometimes air quality is just not great outside and for sleeping I’m wondering how to mitigate this.

Has anyone tried taping an air filter over windows? I’m not sure how the air flow would be for doing something like this. If anyone has any thoughts or experiences trying to keep air quality good inside a vehicle it would be much appreciated!