Overland DREAMING fun

[tedlovesjeeps71]

How does overlanding compare with glamping?

Depends on attitude. Some folks overland just as a hobby/way of life. Some folks do it with what they got. Some folks are better off financially and can afford nicer gear or fancier stuff. There are some who like to brag about the crazy built rig or rub their $4k roof tent in your face... yet can't change their own tire. Glamping can be humorous or insulting depending on attitude and context.


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[Nikkormat]

Last guy I talked to with a RTT had never used it...

[REDONE]

Quite a few of the guys in Rocky Mountain overland have them. I personally don't think they're worth the coin, but those guys tend to buy stuff based on experience first and then cool factor second. I can imagine that if I repeatedly had trouble finding a good spot to pitch the tent I might look into one. As of now I much prefer a bigger tent without a 7' drop to the ground. Whether I wake up at 3am to pee or 7am to start the day, I don't want a rickitty ladder to be the first thing I have to deal with.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Last guy I talked to with a RTT had never used it...

Me? Lol!
I think mine is jinxed. I bought it from a guy on expo portal who never used it. I dragged it to Germany with me and tried to mount it to my Scrambler. Lotta work for nothing. I didn't like the set up so scraped it.

Then tried the XJ. Again, not happy.

Tried it on my little speed trap trailer which wasn't too bad...

I've spent far to much effort trying to get it where I liked it and hate that I have exactly zero nights sleeping in it. Life is funny that way. Hopefully I can get my current life turned around so I don't have to sell everything, including this tent, but I'm not quite there yet. I can say I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. The big lesson however is that you don't "need" a RTT (or much of the other gear) to have fun and go camping/exploring. You just need to get out and do it. I'm guilty of not making that happen much myself but hopefully that is changing too.


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[shimniok]

Yeah no coin for RTT here even if the oof rack space were available.

My 2 man, 2 pole dome tent does fine.
Failing that, I learned that the back seat of an FSJ is doable even for a 6' guy like me. Don't ask m.

I think there is a lot of spendy stuff that looks cool and is all the rage but probably is rarely needed. Sand ladders come to mind.

It is fun to go minimal and channel macguyver.


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[Tatsadasayago]

A very interesting thread...not sure how I missed it.
Back in 2005 I set out from my place northeast of Reno to do some Overland/Expedition to the Mexico border in my 53 M38A1.
Besides every conceivable repair part, tons of food n water...and RUM, I also had a VHF/UHF FM Amateur radio as well as an ICOM 706 Mk II G HF-UHF transceiver and a High Sierra screwdriver antler. Good thing I did as I got out near Berlin, NV and had a major engine failure. The old Chevy 292 block cracked and spewed it's coolant all over the dry lake leaving me well over a hundred miles from anywhere.
I could not raise an VHF or UHF repeaters during the day so I got on the 40m band and called the Noontime Group on 7.268 Mhz. After an RWI-Radio Wire Interface (Radio to Telephone/AutoPatch) session with my brother courtesy of a Reno operator, I had my rescue team on site within 8 hours. I seriously believe that without my Ham rig, it may have been the end of me.
Sadly, Ole Brownie passed away that trip, but it was a solo-adventure I would repeat.

This is a photo of my 40-20m inverted Vee antenna at my property the morning of my departure from Palomino Valley, NV on my Mexico Border Adventure.

[EDIT] I had the 706 on a foldup picnic table when the wind came up and blew it over sending the radio and tuner onto the rocky ground. It was a warning that I didn't heed HEHEHE!

[Lumpskie]

[EDIT] I had the 706 on a foldup picnic table when the wind came up and blew it over sending the radio and tuner onto the rocky ground. It was a warning that I didn't heed HEHEHE!

Yet another awesome Tatsadasayago story! ... and I have the same picnic table setup...

[Lumpskie]

On the subject of RTTs. I'll be the odd man out. I really liked the setup. It was really comfortable to sleep in, big enough for two adults and a baby (who takes up more space than an adult!) and it allowed me to pack everything that I wanted to pack in the car, with everything still being accessible. I payed $200 for mine and sold it for $300 before the move.

Here's how packed we were for a 3 or 4 day trip. There was still plenty of room for our dog to hang out in the back.


Plus we brought a bunch of extra gear to help my friend cut down trees on his land... and we brought a pop up shelter for a separate "home base" as well:


Overall, the only complaints were that my cheap tent had a cheap ladder. So, I strapped my little giant to the top and used that instead. Also, my wife wasn't a huge fan of sleeping that high in the air. In Colorado, sleeping off the ground isn't necessary in a lot of places (it was in our case because of our encounters with the local cougar) but out here in the northeast (or any place with ticks) it would be a HUGE advantage.


After saying all that, would I buy a new, expensive and fancy RTT setup. I don't know... But, for where we were in life and what we were doing for exploring in CO, I really liked it.