Overlanding is Out of Control - But We Can Fix It

In this week's episode of the podcast, I'm going to talk a bit about how people, regardless of their budget for buying rigs or gear, are out of control and actively discouraging people from wanting to join the hobby of overlanding. This isn't an indictment or a scolding, but rather a discussion of how it's happening, some of the ways that we're allowing it to happen, and ultimately, how I think we can come together to fix it.
Check out the full episode and drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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[@mattherring3196]

Uni-Strut bed rack for the win. I used left over 1x1 square tube and angle iron for the supports and some 4 ft 2 x 1/8 flat bar with bolts to tie the supports together along the length of the bed. A can of chassis or farm paint to coat the supports and T-nuts in the factory bed rails to mount it up. Then added some neoprene pads under the supports to protect the top of the bed panels.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Nice! I love unistrut so much. There's a ton of cool stuff you can do with it.

[@WheretoNextOverland]

Well said! Ultimately, the most important thing is people getting out and (responsibly) enjoying the incredible public land we've got in this country. Whether you do it in a stock Prius or a million dollar EarthRoamer should be secondary to just .... getting .... out. In regards to KZbinrs with insane builds .... I think what people need to understand is that those same people, almost without exception, started with a pretty bare-bones vehicle and bare-bones gear. Over time, as the hobby became a lifestyle and possibly even a full time job, they upgraded until they reached where they're at now. Life lesson (for more than just overlanding): Emulate the trajectory, NOT the end result.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Great points. Agreed!

[@dickvankoughnett2331]

For me it is not other overlanders/campers that are critical of what I do . Its friends and family . I am 70 years old and on pension . My answer to them is this . First this is my hobby. Second I pay my own way. And last, I am hurting nobody . Don't die with wishes and dreams . Die with achievements and memories . Thanks

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Love it!

[@carnagejlu]

A simple philosophy that’s applicable to most of life. To each their own.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Agreed. Kind of crazy where we've come as a society to tell everyone they're wrong about everything we don't agree with, haha. I just want to go camping! :D

[@midnightadventureswa]

Good afternoon Jason you pointed out a good topic and we have all noticed with Overlanding expos and everything getting so popular there that some of the gear has gone up extensively crazy prices. If you don’t do your shopping, you end up overpaying for gear or doing impulse buying, but you’re right Overlanding should be about getting out there exploring meeting people telling stories And that’s it and showing our rigs. We don’t need to badmouth any buddy about their set up. Everybody has their own opinion on how they want to set up their rigs and then honestly people change their rigs a lot with the seasons and the train in the areas they go. And when I go with a group of people, I always like to keep it small where it doesn’t get overwhelming. Thanks for sharing.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Good points!

[@macarthurpark7303]

I've been thinking about this a lot since I'm starting to really "build out my rig" and I just want it to be my dedicated camper. I have a rtt because I like being off the ground but I just want to be able to bring all my stuff with me. I'm not really interested in hardcore off roading. 1. Because I live in the north east and 2. That just opens a whole can of worms for me to sink money into for something I'm just not that interested in doing anyway. I just want it to be moderately capable (which the frontier definitely is) and go exploring 😅

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Sounds like you’re in good shape!

[@pm_davidjones]

The sentiment in this video can be said about SO many things. Swap out the word "overlanding" with "photography" or "woodworking" or any other hobbyist activity and it still applies. I have recently come to be more interested in camping related activities in an odd way. I had been taking Disaster Preparedness/Response classes to join our local emergency response team, and something dawned on me in the middle of class one day. Being prepared for a tornado, fire, nearby train derailment which forces you to evacuate, etc. sounded a lot like being ready to go camping on 5 minutes notice. When looking at building my kit I started to fall victim to Gear Acquisition Syndrome (or GAS). I had to pump the breaks and ask myself... what problem does this solve, how likely is this problem to happen, and do I really need to get it at REI or will something from Harbor Freight do the job? Do I NEED a Thule 20 cubic foot rooftop box, or will a few Plano toolboxes be plenty to hold what I need? I thought a good idea would be to go to some campgrounds and ask some folks what they actually use and why. I'm looking forward to learning more about camping / car camping / overlanding for both the knowledge in case of a sudden need for it, and hopefully also for the pure enjoyment of it. I will surely be keeping an eye on this channel.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Good points! I’ve started to fall down the rabbit hole of prepping and I agree there are a lot of similarities. Not necessarily expecting nuclear holocaust but simply being prepared in case you became stuck while Offroad or if my neighborhood lost power, do I have enough to get through a week or two in order to wait it out or to get back to civilization? Definitely more coming along those lines in the future.

[@jimandvalstravelchannel]

I got into overlanding when I began going to Overland Expo back when it was just beginning in the mid-2000's. I traveled by motorcycle back then. As time went along, I bought a new Tacoma and we began looking at getting a trailer with a roof-top tent, such as a Turtleback Trailer. Now that my wife and I are retiring, and going to full-time travel around the world, we have transitioned to a larger truck (F550) and have a new Kingstar Cruzr camper ordered for it. We will travel in it in North America. overseas, we will rent various types of vehicles. But the most important thing to us regarding overlanding, is meeting people and experiencing new places. I wish we could do the tent thing, but as you get older, you tend to begin needing a little more luxury things, like a toilet, lack of need to climb up and down ladders at night to go to the bathroom. We love to see all types of travelers and the gear different people utilize. New friends and family. We can all learn from each other. Love your videos. See you at the Moore Expo next month.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Can't wait to see that setup. Sounds like quite the beast. And agreed. I'm 43 and I'm even starting to not love the whole ladder thing, haha. Meeting people and talking to people about this passion is what makes it so fun, I think. See you at MOORE!

[@hunterkurdziel2843]

To many people don’t mind there own business

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Ha, true.

[@mikemcmahon67]

Not to mention a general inability to recognize adults get to make their OWN decisions and other people’s opinions may or may not be relevant or even desired 😎

[@Humandriver5280]

Nisstech went out of business a few months ago. Aftermarket support just got tougher. Getting away from Renault is the only thing that will save Nissan. I think Nisstech got spooked when they saw few new 4wd products on the horizon.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Could be. But then there are other manufacturers that seem more excited about the 3rd gen frontier (like Victory or CBI) and with the sales going pretty well, I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to see new entries into the aftermarket.

[@billhoffmann9160]

A lot of good points. I find my biggest problem is seeing all the new and greatest gear that I like but don't need because what I have now works fine. Any then I'm going to MOORE, might have you hold my wallet until I leave.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Ha! You can trust me. I'll return it with most of the money you gave it to me with, :D.

[@stevebratten6592]

Hey Fletch, are you coming to MOORE?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yep! I'll be there as a Storyteller up front again!

[@Sandy_Seats]

Like any fad (if you remember mountain biking in the 90s) it will get crazy, then level out in the future as the real ones get weeded out from the faddies

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yep, I think you're right.

[@coobyraccoon]

Tribalism shows it's face at every level of our society.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

True

[@WhistlepigOverland]

I’m going to sound rude and I’m not trying to to be but how many times is this going to get brought up. This happens with every hobby. I started with a ground tent 4 years ago and now I’m using an off-road trailer you buy what you can afford and what works for you. All you need is food water shelter. Everything else is up to the user

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

The fact that you started with "I'm going to sound rude but I'm not trying to be" means you aren't being rude, :D. It's true this happens with every hobby. Not sure why it seems so vicious in Overlanding at the moment, but it's definitely problematic. You're right that everyone should just chill though, haha.

[@NorthologyAdventures]

So sad that people can't stay in their own lane and mind their own damn business. Do what makes you happy. Stop caring what other people think. The end.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Can't say it any better. Miss you friend!

[@NorthologyAdventures]

@@AllThingsOverlanding see you in a few weeks!!!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@NorthologyAdventures Oh yeah! Can’t wait!

[@dickinaroundoutdoors8609]

I am glad I am an old man and seem to be pretty immune to all of the noise around the community. I am not immune from my own opinions for sure but long ago learned to keep them to myself unless I can be construction. With that said it sounds like a lot of it has to do with the nonsense around what is Overlanding and who gets to tell themselves that what they do is clearly the Real Overlanding. How about we all call it camping again and just move on, but perhaps we are beyond that. Just an addition to the gear/payload conversation don't forget it includes the people in the car as well as any modifications you have made such as winch, steel bumpers, etc. I think a lot of folks forget to add themselves in the calculation and if you are built like me, it definitely means you need to pack a lighter kitchen kit! Hahah. And please don't base your view of what a real overlander is by IG or KZbin and compare yourself to that image. People traveled all over the world in much harsher conditions and terrain in 1950s Land Rovers with much less gear than the average YT overlander sports today. And as a YT overlander I can be just as guilty, but I try hard not to go down that path.

[@digitalperson108]

The terms “overlanding” and calling your truck a “rig”. Is frankly hilarious to me. 99.9999% are car camping plain and simple. But then, we need cool terms for everything today to make it fresh and drive and industry.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yep, best just to ignore most of it, haha. Good point on the occupants contributing to payload. Definitely something most people don't think about!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Ahh, the gatekeeping that I was referencing in the video. I figured there'd be some comments like this. I think you're right that part of it is capitalism driving "new" markets to sell products, for sure. But, does it really matter what someone calls something that you think should be called something similar? I guess my point is that if someone calls their vehicle a "rig" does it really matter? Enough to come online and try to tell them all that they're wrong? Are they causing themselves or anyone else harm by calling their "car camping" setup a "rig?" Guess it just doesn't much matter to me what people say as long as they're enjoying themselves and getting out and exploring.

[@digitalperson108]

@@AllThingsOverlanding Not saying that they are wrong or causing harm. Both terms, like so many we see all over this SM landscape feel more about “branding” than anything else. Trying to sound more impressive and “serious”, is what I get a chuckle out of. As you are of course aware, SM is as much about opinions as anything else. My opinion is, it is funny. Good, informative product info on your channel. Thanks for that.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yeah, I get that. I guess there probably are some people who call their vehicle "rigs" with the intention of being impressive. I kind of feel like, I've just heard it so much that it's more of an unconscious thing you pick up the more time you spend digesting "Overlanding" content so to me it doesn't really bother me anymore. Appreciate it!@@digitalperson108