Beginner's Guide to Overlanding
Welcome to the Beginner's Guide To Overlanding. We hope this compilation of important information will help you begin your journey into frequent overland travel. These introductory lessons and recommendations will give you a basic overview of essential concepts you'll need to grasp for successful off-road adventure travel. Some things to note:
- This guide is not vehicle specific. If your vehicle is off-road capable these videos and recommendations will apply to you.
- Your overlanding vehicle and it's setup can be as simple or complicated as you want. Your setup will change and grow over time as your needs shift. Set a budget and make a plan for acquiring your gear over time.
- This information is meant to be foundational - but not necessarily comprehensive. Once you go through this series you will have a basic grasp of core overlanding concepts, essential gear needed, and how to start on some simple off-road trips. As you get more serious about overland travel we recommend you participate in workshops and get more in-depth training from professional trainers such as: 7P Overland, Overland Experts, or other similar services.
What is Overlanding?
Overlanding is vehicle-based adventure travel (off-road and on road) with a focus on self-reliance, resilience, and enjoyment of the journey. It's not so much about where you are going - it's about how you get there. It sounds cliche' but it's true: the journey is the destination. While the basic practice of overlanding is fairly agreed upon, a more nuanced understanding is up for debate. Check out this interview featuring five different perspectives on the question "What does overlanding mean to you?
Vehicle Organization | Part 1
HOW TO KIT FOR ANY TRIP
In this video series intro, we’ll give a summary of how to kit your vehicle for any overland trip. Then in subsequent videos we will give more detail on each type of overland trip and how we plan our gear and organize for each.
Vehicle Organization | Part 2
IN REACH OF THE DRIVER
In PART 2 we focus on the immediate, or 'Access Point One' of your vehicle. These are areas in the vehicle which are within arms' reach of the driver. We've narrowed this category to include some basic items for safety, navigation, first aid, and comfort.
Vehicle Organization | Part 3
GEAR FOR EASY ACCESS
In PART 3 of the series we'll be looking at the next area of access for kitting your off-road vehicle. These are the storage areas for gear that needs to be close — but not within immediate reach — of the driver and front passenger.
Overland Navigation & Route Planning
In these videos we explore some digital and physical resources, how to budget your time and money, and more - all to help you with trip navigation and route planning. We also feature an additional video on how to find places to go overlanding.
Budgeting and More
We go step-by-step through the planning process for a short weekend overlanding trip. Using the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route as an example, we discuss calculating fuel mileage, finding campsites, budgeting for food, and what the overall budget would be for a trip like this.
Digital Map Resources
In this video we explore some digital map resources to help you with overland trip navigation and route planning. If you've been looking for a comprehensive intro to using digital maps for overland trip planning and route navigation don't miss it!
Physical Map Resources
Never underestimate the importance of having analog, physical maps at hand. In this video, we walk through part of a series on Trip Navigation Resources. Learn how to use various kinds of paper maps in tandem for trip planning and overland navigation.
