Overland Journal

Feature Vehicle :: Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ73 ( Reece ) 🗺️

The Land Cruiser he chose, a medium wheelbase HZJ73 model, had a basic setup with top-down access bins for storage and no interior living space. They made some urgent repairs, added a roof tent, and deemed it sufficient. They spent a winter in the UK modifying the newly acquired Land Cruisers before shipping them to the USA in March 2016. Little did they know that their expedition would stretch nearly three years. The vehicle remained largely stock, with Reece opting not to make significant mechanical changes. He has been satisfied with the Land Cruiser’s factory performance, given its legendary reliability, but Reece has still encountered his fair share of breakdowns and failures due to the demanding terrain he has traveled. From transmission and transfer case issues on the Pan-American Highway to blown seals, failing wiper motors, and recurring rear hub explosions, the 30-year-old Cruiser has put Reece’s mechanical skills to the test. Along the way across the Americas, they made extensive modifications to enhance the performance of Reece’s vehicle, but he knew that, eventually, a radical transformation was in order. With the Land Cruiser returned to the UK, it was evident that it was time to ditch the faithful old rooftop tent and create an internal living space with all the associated challenges and advantages.

Details linked in our profile & stories

| Overland Journal Summer 2025 📔 | by Graeme Robert Bell ✍️| Interior photos by 📸

Land Cruisers of the Drug War 🇧🇴

My team was assigned to a Bolivia Anti-Narcotics Police (UMOPAR) base camp at Chimore in Chapare, Bolivia, known as El In****no Verde (the Green Hell). We also worked with a Green Beret A-Team who was already at the camp. Chimore was where most of the coca was grown and processed into a paste. In addition to the locals growing and processing the coca, there were many Colombian buyers and their sicarios (hitmen). The Bolivian government declared this area a “red zone” due to the narco activity and associated violence. 

| Overland Journal Spring 2022 📔 | by Michael Perez ✍️

An Afghan Endeavor 🇦🇫 :: Exposing risk and reliability across an emerging overland route. 

Coming here meant shouldering the responsibility of an unlikely worst-case scenario. However, it was evident over the course of our passage that despite the visual input of the austere landscape, it was not the moon. The Afghan people provided ample support and hospitality anytime we found ourselves in need, which was more often than not thanks to the rigors of the road. And the authorities, although intimidating, posed no threat to us. I’d love to report that all the subsequent checkpoints we cleared after Kabul were thanks to our freshly printed permits, but more than once, I watched in trepidation as they were scrutinized while being held upside-down. An unpredictable code of conduct was as common as the inconsistent regulations for women. On occasion, the officers were thrilled to learn one of us was female, even extending a handshake to Kira. But other times, there was utter disgust at her heinous infraction—wearing pants and riding a motorcycle. 

| Overland Journal Gear 2026 📔 | by Brendon Hak ( Brendon Hak ) ✍️ | Photos by Kira Hak ( Kira Hak ) 📸 | aka Kira & Brendon Hak 🇨🇦

Get a Dream 🗺️
 
Here is something to think about. If you feel stuck living in a place you don’t like so you can work at a job you hate, remember that you are the only one who can change this. Consider these words of wisdom from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” Don’t get caught up in overpreparing. The essence of adventure is not knowing how it’s going to come out. My advice to you is this: get a dream, they’re free! Focus on it like a laser beam. Buy a copy of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Study it carefully and follow the directions. Send us a postcard when you get there.

| Overland Journal Spring 2017 📔 | by Gary Wescott ( The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. / Gary Wescott )

Feature Vehicle :: Refuge II Jeep Camper ( Dan Grec ) 🗺️

Mad scientists, the Bermuda Triangle, and quicksand. According to Disney movies and cartoons, a person exploring the globe will inevitably have to deal with these from time to time, like it or not. In my personal experience, that has not been the case. Until recently, that is.

Thanks to my online presence, I receive a lot of random emails, both good and bad. One in particular stood out thanks to the attached CAD rendering. Michael Fuchs ( Michael Fuchs ), whom I didn’t know at all, was toying with the idea of building a custom Jeep camper. He wanted to hear my thoughts on exploring the world with a modern Jeep Wrangler and wondered whether it was a good idea.

I can’t lie, he had me at “Jeep camper.” Little did I know that one simple email would lead to almost three years of planning, logistics, fabrication, and long nights, with the end result being much more than I ever thought possible.

| Overland Journal Spring 2026 📔 | by Dan Grec ( Dan Grec ) & Michael Fuchs ( Michael Fuchs ) ✍️📸

Four friends burrow into Botswana’s hinterland in search of the Lost City of the Kalahari 🧭🇧🇼

The Lost City of the Kalahari has since figured in the imaginings of many who have wandered about the wastes of the Kalahari, or Kgalagadi as it is now known, searching for the stone walls, courtyards, and terraces first reported by Farini. Lost cities, tombs, and treasures were usually discovered by chance, or by explorers after years of research, deciphering hieroglyphics, and digging, said Wonsok. He proposed they go in search of the place. Bros was ideally suited for the job—he had been a mineral prospector and studied archaeology at university.  

| Overland Journal Fall 2020 📔 | by Roger Gaisford ✍️ |

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| Overland Journal FALL 2026 📔 |

FEATURES:

- Analog Nomads: Navigating Travel in the Digital Age, Brendon Hak ( Kira & Brendon Hak 🇨🇦 )
Off the Map: Paper Maps are Essential Tools for Overlanding, Luisa Bell ( Luisa Bell )
The Grand Pursuit: Crossing Three Continents to Realize a Dream, Scott Brady
Soggy in Sota: The Art of Decompression via a Midwestern Reset, Chris Cordes ( Chris Cordes )
Budaklı Beckons: Finding Humility and Resilience in Türkiye’s Wild Places, Lucy Pinnell
Keeping it Clean: Wringing the Friction From Camp Laundry, Brittany Highland ( Brittany Highland )
Gateway to Hell: The Startling Paradox of East Java’s Gunung Ijen, Maria Zehentner
Turning Over a New Leaf: Fall is Colorado’s Best Season, Winston Ross ( Winston Ross )

Details linked in our profile & stories 📎

1966 Land Rover Series 2a Marshall Ambulance ( Sir Shackleton )

Sean used his mechanical engineering background and extensive travel experience to outfit Shack for overland travel. He already owned a 2010 Defender 110, which he purchased new while living in Germany. Not only was it his daily driver until he began traveling in Shack, but he also used the 110 to travel extensively throughout nearly every country in Europe and Baja California, Mexico. From all that experience, Sean and his partner, Alicia, knew what they needed for long-term overland travel.

Sean admires the look of the early Series 2a, including the inset headlights, doors, and capping. So as much as was practical, he sought to retain the 1966 Series aesthetic on the outside of the vehicle, down to the limestone roof and another legendary Land Rover color, marine blue.

| Overland Journal Spring 2025 📔 | by Brittany Highland ( Brittany Highland ) | Photography by Sean Walker and Alicia Shull ✍️📸 |

Indonesia by Amphibious Jeep 🗺️

A propeller at the rear and a rudder connected to the steering wheel by steel cable made the vehicle seaworthy, while drive shafts running to all four wheels allowed the Schreiders to eventually leave Jakarta, breathing in the scent of frangipani and chilis cooking in coconut oil as they passed nearby fishing villages. The 15-foot Tortuga II was equipped with a dual-cooling system for sea travel, a calibrated compass, and a chart table for navigation. The enclosed galley featured an alcohol stove and tiny sink with water piped from a 10-gallon tank in the bow. Cabinets held enough tinned food for two months off-grid, and fuel tanks carried enough gasoline for 150 miles at sea or 270 miles on land. The Standard Vacuum Oil Company arranged for 300 additional gallons of gasoline and motor oil to be delivered by prahu, a traditional Indonesian sailboat, to the main islands along their route.

| Overland Journal Fall 2023 📔 | by Ashley Giordano ( Ashley Giordano ) ✍️ |

Feature Vehicle :: 2024 Toyota 79-Series Land Cruiser 🗺️ 

There were two options for us: a Troop Carrier or a truck. While a Troop Carrier had long been a fantasy of ours, living in one full-time did not seem realistic. A few traits were crucial, and interior space was among them.

By coincidence, we stumbled upon The Original Tommy Campers , an Australian business that has been building its own campers on the East Coast since 2015. Their tag line, “Born overlanding,” resonated with us immediately. It’s a slide-on, fully customizable camper that doesn’t look like one, built out of a 3-millimeter-thick aluminum shell with the same values as a 70 Series (simplicity being one), with the sweet surprise being the comparably massive interior space. While the kitchen area is still outside, which we absolutely preferred, this camper has a space inside where we can sit, work, and even use our own toilet in inclement weather.

After visiting their showroom on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast (the place we call our permanent home), we were sold. The possibilities were endless, and the list of options kept us awake for weeks, but to get started, we needed a truck capable of carrying 900 kilograms (fully loaded). We picked up a demo GXL dual-cab 79 Series from a Toyota dealership in Cairns, 2,000 kilometers from home, with the right specs and in the right color, and promptly ordered a custom Tommy Campers S6X for the back.

| Overland Journal Summer 2026 📔 | by
By Sam Sterckx ( Sam & Wim ) ✍️ |