Notice the subtle color
Backcountry Trip to Utah Sells the Wife on Overlanding
Forum trip report
VOTD: Ray Mears – Desert Survival
Via West County Explorers: Here’s an informative video on 4×4-based desert survival, including tips and tricks for sand driving. It also tells the tales of others that have been trapped in the desert and made it out alive, and others that weren’t so lucky. Thanks for the tip, Greg!
Spotted: Australian Dad’s Mini 70-Series Build
Adorable off-roading
The Library: The Poker Bride
West County Explorers
La Aduana: 2-Door Wrangler, Built Discovery, and Monster Chevy Silverado
You have choices
VOTD: Russian Ice Buggy
Via West County Explorers Club: Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a Russian ice buggy with a trick up it’s sleeve.
La Aduana: RHD Toyota FJ45 Troopy, Ground-up Restoration
Looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.
How to Build a Canvas Canoe, Jon’s Bushcraft
West County Explorers Club
One of Two Restored FJ40s Sells for Nearly $60k at Auction
Worth it.
Camel Trophy Sulawesi
This is one of my favorite Camel Trophy videos. It takes place in 1988 on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi. It also shows a bit of the driver training in England. Great footage.
See the rest of the videos after the jump.
How We Prep for a Trip
A new year brings new adventures. As you go about planning your trips, I thought you might like to see how we prep for ours. If you have any trip prep tips to share, please add a comment. Thanks.
La Aduana: German VW Vanagon Ambulance
Great for any Emergency
Scratch-Off Wall Map
(Not a scratch and sniff)
Winch Trick
Via West County Explorers Club: This looks like a great trick for winching a truck that’s pinned against a tree or rock.
In a nutshell, here’s how it works. Turn the front wheels toward the object you’re pinned against. Take the slack out of the winch cable. Put the truck in reverse. It will pull against the cable and crab sideways away from the obstacle.
In the video, the guy reverses while winching forward, which I imagine only works in slippery conditions.
Has anyone tried this?Two Wrench Leverage Trick
Via West County Explorers Club: Here’s a great trick for getting extra leverage out of your wrenches. Uploaded by YouTube user, WheeliePete.
La Aduana: Time-portal Subaru Brat from 1986
Flashback
Vintage Offroad: Early-70s Grand Wagoneer Dealer Promo
via West County Explorers Club: Here’s a dealer commercial for the 1973 Grand Wagoneer. Things were definitely simpler then. The narrator enthusiastically states that the rear seat is standard, not an optional extra.
It’s funny to look back at the history of the SUV. On this full-time 4-wheel-drive system, the lock-out for the center differential was in the glove box!
La Aduana: Cummins-Powered Land Rover Series IIA 109
via West County Explorers Club: This looks like quite a nice rarity, a fully restored 1971 Land Rover Series IIA 109, that’s been re-powered with an intercooled Cummins 4BT turbo diesel engine. In addition to the roof rack, it’s fitted with a custom bumper, 8,000-lb Warn winch, and dual fuel tanks. From the sound of…
Dirt: The Off-Road Movie
via West County Explorers Club: If you’re in the mood for a smorgasbord of vintage, off-road action, check out this 70s-era documentary called Dirt. It covers just about everything from swam buggies to desert racing, and features a RV-ing grampa for a narrator.