What is overlanding? It’s basically a cool word for driving your vehicle off road and over obstacles but your destination is find an ultimate disbursed camping spot to eat and drink. There is no one size fits all when picking out a vehicle for overlanding. In fact, I started in my 1998 Honda CRV. Granted its AWD system is very weak and it had 90whp, but it was reliable and parts were dirt cheap. Here are some helpful tips to help you chose the right rig for overlanding.

Budget

In a perfect world, my dream vehicle is a 4Runner but this was not in my budget. I ended up purchasing its little cousin, the Rav4. I needed something I could daily drive with good fuel economy, roomy, reliable and in my budget. How much do you want to spend? You can buy a $5,000 vehicle and stick $7,000 into fixing it, upgrading tires/wheels/suspension/accessories or you can buy something new out of the box under warranty for $45,000+ these days

I’ve seen all sorts of vehicles on the trail, even a Prius. Yes, a Prius on steroids. You can be as creative or as original as you want, there is no right or wrong vehicle to choose. You just have one goal, make it from point A to point B off road.

Parts Availability and Reliability

There is a reason you see so many Jeeps, Toyotas and Subarus on the trails. People tend to pick a vehicle that has plenty of parts support for when things break, aftermarket upgrades and something that’s reliable off the beaten path. Not to mention, something that is universal. Something you road trip to your trail, roam around the forest for some time, then drive it back home. Camper vans and full-sized trucks are not out of the picture, but reason you don’t see them as often out in the boonies is they are just too large. Some of these trails get thin, some trails are eroded, some trails have brush/rocks making things narrow. It all depends on your destination in mind, you can always modify your rig to get you exactly where you want to go.

Accessories

The coolest part about building a vehicle capable of taking on the trails, is adding accessories. Sure, you can buy a new Jeep Wrangler out of the box and take it off road. It will still be fun, but I guarantee you will be adding your own taste of accessories. I will use my Rav4 for this example as well. Since my factory roof rack is not capable of holding a rooftop tent, I opted to keep the stock rails and just add a basket as a new rack and tent is not in budget. Instead of spending money on adding a rooftop tent, I opted to install larger all terrain tires and a lift making my experience far better than the stock set up.

There is an UNLIMITED amount of vehicle add on accessories for off road use. There are awnings, roof top tents, solar panels, roof racks, carriers, lights, winches, bumpers, lift kits, air compressors the list goes on. You want to have a pull-out kitchen? You can. What about a pop-up heated shower? Sure thing. You want to fit your mountain bike on your spare tire carrier? We can make that happen. So, if you are an accessory add on lover, pick a vehicle that can support your needs.

Cargo Space

Do you plan to sleep in the vehicle? Haul a trailer? Have a tent? How much stuff do you want to haul around? Will you be traveling alone? Do you have a small cooler or a big fridge? Cargo space is important. When looking for a vehicle, there really is no harm in asking to lay down in it to make sure you fit. Often times if you question “is this the right rig for me?” you can find on google that someone has already attempted to use that vehicle for overlanding and will share their experiences. You can also join Facebook groups such as Overlanding USA and Off-Road/Overland Beginners. These pages are very active and chances are you question has already been answered, so be sure to use the search bar.

How Far Do You Want To Go?

Will you be satisfied using a fire road and camping off public land or do you want to crawl on rocks on the off-road trails? This all depends on what kind of adventure you are seeking. You can find epic spots that require average ground clearance and 2wd. But, if you are like myself after one trip out and wanting more, I needed a vehicle equipped to do more. I scraped my bumper countless amounts of times and had water plunging through my door jams before I finally installed a small lift that made a big difference. I needed AWD and clearance for what I seek, but if you have no interest in venturing too far off the beaten path, your stock Kia Soul will do just fine finding a nice camping spot.

The Most Popular Overlanding Vehicles in the US

If asking yourself these questions still leaves you pondering what vehicle to purchase, here is a list of some of the most popular picks in the US.

Cars are far less popular but with modifications I’ve seen Honda Elements to Toyota Priuses on the trails. Anything is possible with a little bit of time, money and imagination.

Get outdoors, have fun and leave no trace 🙂

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