Planning Your First Overland Trips

Find Other People

If you’re just starting out, one of the best ways to learn and grow is by going on group trips with people that are more experienced than you! Having other people around as you air-down for the first time and tackle your first obstacles will help you learn and gain more confidence in your abilities.

If you’re like me when I was just starting out, you may not already be surrounded by people who can show you the ropes. One big way to find people is online communities, there’s vehicle specific forums like toyota-4runner.org, which has sub-forums for clubs all around the country where you’ll find posts about group trips, trail reports, and generally just meet some other folks in your area.

Another option to meet people is through meetups and events. There’s obviously big opportunities at places like Overland Expo, but you might also find smaller events like a Saturday morning cars and coffee at one of your local 4x4 shops. I keep an eye out for these by searching on social media and google. Look for your local clubs that will often be organizing these events. It could be vehicle specific, like the land rover club or 4runner club of your area, or it could just be a location specific off-roading club.

My final tip here is to take a closer look at the cars around you in parking lots. The maxtrax and roof-top tents and jerry cans are practically smoke signals for meeting like-minded people. Now don’t be creepy about it, but you may be able to seize an opportunity to say hi, exchange contact information, and set the stage for a future group trip.

Plan Your Trip

There’s a ton of great resources that we’ll talk about, but the biggest one I use is Gaia GPS. I’ve got the app on my phone and Ipad, and have the website bookmarked on my computer. That way if I’m scrolling through Instagram, or watching some YouTube videos, if I see a place I’d love to explore in the future I can take a note of it, search for the general location, and drop a pin for future reference. These pins, along with the notes app on my phone, all serve as my inspiration list.

The second biggest resource I use is trail guides. I love the FunTreks trail guides (like this one!), and would suggest searching for something similar to this for your area if you’re just starting out. There’s also some great websites like trailsoffroad.com and alltrails.com for researching what is available in different locations.

Pack Your Gear

Here’s the thing, you really don’t need very much to get out and do some overlanding. But common sense rules apply here. Over the years, I’ve created a packing list of the camping gear I like to bring to make the trip comfortable for me. You should also constantly be refining your kit. Watch what works for others, figure out what works, and what doesn’t, for you. Gearing up for adventure is all about finding what works for you without breaking the bank!

Prepare Your Vehicle

This is more than just packing it up. Overlanding is all about your vehicle. It needs to be able to not just get you out to these remote destinations, but also back home at the end of the trip. Do a quick pre-trip vehicle inspection to make sure you’re setting off on the right foot. Start it up, any signs of struggle from your battery? Any warning lights on the dash? Now give it a walk around, are your lights and blinkers functional? How do the tires look? Any noticeable leaks underneath?

Use your common sense here, and if you’re in doubt about your vehicles ability to safely get you out there and back, better to postpone the trip until next weekend to give you a chance to replace those bald tires or that radiator that just wont hold coolant anymore.

Ben StinnettMay 10, 2020