What is Overlanding?

Think of overland travel as blending a road trip with backpacking: traveling that is as much about the journey as it is the destination, and for which the traveler is wholly self-sufficient and capable of overcoming all expected, reasonable challenges that may arise while exploring remote backcountry areas. A variety of vehicles can be used to support overland travel including dual-sport motorcycles, unmodified all-wheel drive vehicles, 4WD “adventure” vans, trucks, SUVs, and even modified, medium-duty platforms. Trucks and SUVs are typically most popular as they provide ample capacity, capability, and comfort. However, any vehicle, with a few basic modifications and thoughtful loading, will serve travelers well, whether tackling long miles on the highway or bumpy ones in the backcountry. And regardless of the tool for exploration, overlanding is about camaraderie and responsible exploration of the areas traveled to.

OutdoorX4 Magazine’s focus has been to bring the vehicle-based community, which includes overlanding, together with outdoor recreationalists including hikers, mountain bikers, rock climbers, those who enjoy paddling and virtually everything else most of us enjoy while being outdoors. We refer to this as vehicle-based adventure travel where the vehicle is a tool to explore and through our editorial, we hope to inspire and engage you to step out your front door and experience the world around you.