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37 Articles

Worth Having Mr. Langan, I wanted to congratulate you on the well-done article in the Overland Journal issue that came yesterday [Gear issue]. It was the type of article [ground tents] that makes the Journal worth having, and I’m proud to know the author. I hope they give you the opportunity to do more like it. Mike Hiscox 2007 Jeep Wrangler, Rubicon-based expedition motorhome Borderline Pathetic I’m sorry to say that I will not be renewing my subscription. Your magazine has gone from possibly the best publication in the world to just another overpriced magazine with a bunch of filler wrapped around one or two good articles. The last five issues have been borderline pathetic. Every person I know reads your magazine and every single one of them agrees it’s going downhill fast (started right around…

Pablo Rey Pablo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved to Spain in 1992, where he enjoyed an extraordinary life…but just on weekends. In 1999, during a trip thru Africa, he committed never to buy a return ticket again. Shortly after, he moved into a 1991 Mitsubishi L300 4WD with Anna Callau, his adventure partner. The goal: overland during four years thru Africa, America and Asia while making as many turns as possible. After 50 countries and 11 years, they’re still on the road—it seems they have succeeded. Pablo is an “ex” creative ad writer, “ex” illegal immigrant, and a master of getting into trouble in faraway places. His web page, www.viajeros4x4x4.com has become a source for Hispanic travelers and overlanders. His latest book, Around the World in 10 Years:…

If not for all of you, only the Wall Street mega corporations could afford to start new magazines. This Spring issue marks my two-year anniversary as Editor-in-Chief. In my opinion, founding editor Jonathan Hanson did an outstanding job in developing the voice of the magazine and guiding it towards what it is today. His were tough boots to fill, and I had my reservations on whether you, our subscribers, would accept the new guy. Since that time we’ve added new sections like Living Legends, Adventure Reads, and Inspiration, and started bringing you select new-vehicle offerings. As I write this, Publisher Scott Brady is in Texas driving the 2014 diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee. This year we’ll be adding another new section, a subscriber-generated resource guide on North American overland treks you can…

The Modern Explorer

Overland Journal’ first project vehicle was a 1995 Land Rover Discovery I, a vehicle that has been well used and loved since this publication’s inception. Like many Land Rover owners, I believed the Golden Age of the brand ended when the last 2004 Discovery II was sold in North America. The newer models had independent front and rear suspensions and an even greater dependence on computer-controlled systems—electronics were never one of Land Rover’s strengths. I had resolved to keep my Discovery I functioning as long as possible, at least until the ROW Defenders could be imported under the 25-year rule. I was resigned that the legacy of Land Rover was all that remained. As time passed, even the most ardent of Land Rover purists began to see the performance and reliability…

The Modern Explorer

NEWS FROM THE TRADE

GrangerFX Scenic Western USA Map $10 Unless I count my two recent iPhones, I’ve owned exactly one GPS; an archaic, battery-eating Garmin 12. However, while doing the Avon tire review for this issue, where I covered a number of off-pavement tracks through the Sierra Nevada, I let my Scenic Map Western USA (an iPhone app) be my sole guide. It offers self-contained vector data (no need for connectivity), can be viewed 3D or 2D, and combines elements from the USGS, U.S. Census Bureau, and Open Street Map. It can also record and play back GPX tracks, and zoom in for the smallest details. GrangerFX also offers Scenic Map for the Central and Eastern U.S., Alaska, and the Grand Canyon. Scenic Map is versatile, works as advertised, and I’m a fan. (JL)…

NEWS FROM THE TRADE

The rounded-profile Avons allowed the rider to dive into turns with a smooth, seamless transition from the center to the outer edges. Avon’s answer to the question “What tire should I put on my big adventure bike?” is the Distanzia. Tires for quarter-ton motos have a tough job: they must provide excellent grip and good wear on pavement, while offering decent traction on virtually every other surface. This class of tire is typically called an 80/20 or 90/10 tire, describing the amount of on-and off-pavement travel for which they’re designed. My test route included lots of familiar, fast, twisty back roads in the Sierra Nevada, California, as well as several miles of dirt roads on which I’d never traveled. My baseline psi, on my old GS, was BMW’s light-load recommendation: 32 psi…

Schuberth C3 World and SRC-System ™ $749 / $399

For more than 70 years, the name Schuberth has been synonymous with innovation, quality, and uncompromising attention to detail. For more than 70 years, the name Schuberth has been synonymous with innovation, quality, and uncompromising attention to detail. It has earned a spot in the rarified air of the world’s most advanced helmet manufacturers. Inventor of the integrated sun visor in 1984, and the modular helmet a decade later, Schuberth once again sets new standards with the C3 World. Released in 2008, the C3 is best described with superlatives. It’s the lightest, smallest, quietest, and most aerodynamic modular helmet available. Schuberth is the only helmet manufacturer in the industry with their own wind tunnel, which explains why the C3 has such unrivaled aerodynamic and aero-acoustic qualities. Modular helmets are frequently cursed with…

Schuberth C3 World and SRC-System ™ $749 / $399

Bram van Hoek and Anouk Zwinkels

Around the world in 80 days? Nah, that sounded too rushed for Dutch couple Anouk Zwinkels and Bram van Hoek—687 days seemed a better time frame. Friends and family members admired their courage to venture out into the world of overland travel, but not everyone supported their plan. When Bram resigned from his job, his boss told him he was committing career suicide, and everyone considered them crazy to include Iran in the itinerary. In spite of what people said, Anouk and Bram set off. “We chose overlanding since it gave us the opportunity to go places no tourist buses ever stop,” Anouk says. Departing Europe, they steered their Land Rover Defender southeast to Turkey, then through Iran and the Stans before venturing into Russia and Mongolia. From South Korea they shipped…

Bram van Hoek and Anouk Zwinkels

Patricia and Loren Lee Upton

Success does not always come easy. The more daunting the task and the greater the challenge, the sweeter the victory. It was not until the fourth attempt (1985-1987), one that is recorded in the 1992 Guinness Book of Records, that 76-year-old Idaho resident Loren Lee Upton, along with his wife Patricia, succeeded in making an all-land crossing of the Darien Gap by vehicle. It took them 714 days to cover the swampy, 125-mile jungle between Panama and Colombia. Patricia, who joined Loren´s expedition in Panama, said, “There have been several vehicle expeditions through the Gap. However, all have traveled anywhere from 20 to 200 plus miles via the river systems. We crossed a river, but never traveled up or down a river in order to avoid a difficult area.” From Colombia, their…

Patricia and Loren Lee Upton

Pablo Rey and Anna Callau

Most people define a traveler as somebody who sees the world and eventually returns home. But what if the world became your home? Pablo Rey, of Argentina, and Anna Callau, of Spain, have been on the road for 13 years, and their “home” is a Mitsubishi Delica/L300 4WD van, affectionately named The Cockroach. Pablo defines his previous existence as “a workaholic advertising writer.” “Then, my brain made CRUNCHHH, between other weird noises, and we decided to leave.” Departing their base in Spain, they turned south, through the Middle East, and to the southern tip of Africa. The Cockroach hitched a ride to Argentina atop a fishing vessel, where they spent the past seven years en route to Alaska. During that time Pablo had an epiphany: People in the West care too…

Pablo Rey and Anna Callau

Engineering student Mary Wilcox, 24, will soon have only one close friend, her motorcycle. This August she will set off on a solo road trip on her 2006 BMW F650GS, from Vancouver, Canada, to Ushuaia, Argentina. The year-long journey will cover roughly 18,000 miles, mainly on the Pan-American Highway, but occasionally on back roads and single-track routes. Mary, who is from Phoenix, AZ, got the motorcycle travel bug when she did an internship in Togo, West Africa. “That internship fundamentally changed my life,” Mary says. She was delirious with malaria, yet found herself still able to appreciate “life in its most striking and raw form.” She met “amazing people to whom a motorcycle is [a] tool of empowerment capable of supporting livelihoods, transporting families, and traversing thousands of miles through stunning…

Rallye Aídes des Gazelles

Rallye Aídes des Gazelles, an all-female endurance rally created by Dominique Serra in 1990 as a response to the male-dominated world of motorsports, will be launching its 23rd rally in March as this issue goes to print. While Overland Journal does not usually feature 4WD events, the Gazelles Rallye is an exception. Why? Heart of Gazelles, the partnering non-profit organization, as well as participating teams from around the world, extend their resources to female-based aid projects throughout Morocco. In the past decade, efforts have included medical aid, support to schools and orphanages, and sustainability guidance for local villages. American desert racer Emily Miller and extreme skiing champion Wendy Fisher spearheaded U.S. efforts in 2009. With five all-female teams competing in 2013, it marks the largest U.S. representation to date. Canada has…

Rallye Aídes des Gazelles

Bucket List: Ride Australia…Check

If riding the Australian Outback, which spans almost 3,000 miles from the South Pacific to the Indian Ocean, has been on your bucket list, an E ticket ride with the Australasian Safari Adventure Tour might be in order. The Australasian Safari, referred to as the “Dakar Down Under” due to its duration, distances covered, and grueling pace, is an eight-day endurance race through the Western Australian Outback. As an Adventure Tour participant, you don’t get a time card, but you will be dodging “skip-pies” (kangaroos) on many of the special stages. This is not your average laid-back tag-along tour, coasting from one coffee house to the next. If it rains, you will be muddy. If it doesn’t, you’ll enjoy copious amounts of Australia’s famous bull dust. In coastal sand dunes, you’ll…

Bucket List: Ride Australia…Check

Surf and Turf in Ecuador

Imagine leaving the Andean 16th-century UNESCO World Heritage city of Quito on a fully equipped dual-sport motorcycle and riding down the western slopes of the Andes, crossing through the rainforest and arriving at the Pacific Ocean for a day of surfing. It´s a three-day getaway hard to top, and you don’t have to ride 8,000 miles down the Pan-American to do it. This self-guided motorcycling and surfing adventure is the latest addition to the buffet of bike tours offered by Quito-based Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental. Riders cross the equator and weave down through cloud forests on roads filled with hair-raising curves and splendid vistas. The destination is the small coastal town of Canoa; a top surfing spot with no rocks, no riptides, and an abandoned, uncrowded beach break. At Betty Surf…

Surf and Turf in Ecuador

Long Beach International Motorcycle Show

For folks interested in anything and everything having to do with motorcycles, the Progressive International Motorcycle Show is the place to be. It shouldn’t be difficult to fit it into your agenda, as over a dozen are held across North America annually. Open to the public, they are a superb place to ogle the latest two- and three-wheeled forms of transportation. From sport bikes to dirt bikes, everything is displayed in an intimate and walkable setting. Of course, our focus was on dual-sport adventure bikes, and there were many fine examples. Big news for adventure riders was BMW’s display of the partially water-cooled R1200GS. With the Paralever swingarm now on the left, the exhaust on the right, a more durable wet-clutch, and water-cooling, the new R1200GS has received the most dramatic…

Long Beach International Motorcycle Show

Smugglers’ Pass

A chilled, moist air circled about my face, the only part exposed from within the Gore-Tex outer bag of my three-part military sleep system. The moonless sky displayed vast constellations that I was regretfully ill equipped to identify without the aid of an iPad app. To the west were the distant snowy peaks of the Andorran Pyrenees, now barely visible in this unpolluted sky. To the south, a faint hint of light rose from a cluster of dwellings a mile down the valley that separated our camp from the only civilization we had seen all day. From inside the tipi, the murmur of my comrades had long subsided and I felt privileged to be witnessing the brittle silence of a crisp, spring night, broken only occasionally by the gentle rustle of…

Smugglers’ Pass

And now I lay me down to sleep…or possibly to toss, turn, grumble, and groan, hoping that fatigue will eventually win out over discomfort and deliver me to the dreamy reprieve of REM sleep. If you travel long enough, or even just once, a restless night’s sleep will eventually find you. With long days on the trail, travelers become weary and the only remedy is a proper rest. Should lumpy or frozen ground conspire to keep you counting sheep all night, chances are that as morning arrives it will take far more than strong coffee to get you going. Central to a good sleep are basic comforts: shelter to keep you dry, insulation to keep you warm, and unless you have something in common with the Bed of Nails performer…

Therm-a-Rest MondoKing XXL $189

Pros: • Well insulated• Excellent warranty• Extremely comfortable Cons: • Slow and laborious to deflate• Large packed size For the past 35 years, Therm-a-Rest branded pads have been a staple of the backcountry. For 2013, the MondoKing XXL pushes their legacy ever forward and raises the bar ever higher. Boasting a plump 4 inches of thickness, it is remarkably comfortable. At 80 inches long and 31 inches wide, it’s half the width of a queen-sized bed. As the name would imply, this pad is indeed mondo. Because the MondoKing XXL is foam-filled, it qualifies as a self-inflating pad. Simply roll out the pad and open the two threaded valves. As the foam expands, it draws air in. Like all self-inflating pads it will need to be topped off with a few breaths to achieve your…

Therm-a-Rest MondoKing XXL $189

Exped MegaMat 10 LXW $218

Pros: • Very comfortable• Excellent quality• Easy to inflate• Easily slips into stuff sack Cons: • Deflation slow and laborious• You won’t want to get out of bed• Cost We can skip to the chase and confidently declare the Exped MegaMat 10 LXW as the most comfortable sleeping pad we’ve ever tested. It’s almost unfair to call it a pad, as it sleeps like a proper bed. Each of our testers, who didn’t just lay down on it, but rather melted onto it in a puddle of blissful relaxation, reacted the same to the MegaMat. Almost every first response was, “oh, yeah, this is nice.” It’s a marvel of sleep engineering with several creative elements working together to create the ultimate in luxurious comfort. At the center of the MegaMat is 4 inches of open-cell…

Exped MegaMat 10 LXW $218

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Dream $199 (Mini-pump $40)

Pros: • Excellent option for warm climates• Small packed size• Excellent warranty• Quick to inflate and deflate Cons: • Slightly noisy when shifting around• Clumsy pump sack• Cost (with Mini-pump) We have featured NeoAir pads in previous issues of Overland Journal and have always been impressed with how such a small package can produce a comfortable night’s sleep. The Dream goes one step further, wrapping the already-comfortable NeoAir pad in a luxurious microfleece pillow-top cover and an additional inch of open-cell foam. The end result is a 4-inch modular pad system that not only packs small, but can be deconstructed to meet changing needs. If you’re headed off on a motorcycle or bicycle trip where space is a premium, simply slide the inner NeoAir pad out from the pillow top. The result is a…

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Dream $199 (Mini-pump $40)

Jack’s Plastic Welding Paco Grande $270

Pros: • Unparalleled durability• Easy inflation• Excellent warranty Cons: • Slightly stiff sleeping surface• A little crinkly sounding• Cost River rafters and overlanders have much in common. Among those things are an appreciation for camp comfort and a desire for durable, if not bomb-proof equipment. With that, we present to you a favorite of the rafting world and the brick house of sleeping pads, the Paco Grande. To say a Paco pad is heavy duty is a gross understatement. These pads double as rafts, sleds, and often get beaten and bounced around the confines of a white water raft for years on end. Overlanders are beginning to see the allure of the Paco Grande as a dependable solution for extended adventures to far off destinations where equipment failures are best minimized. Made in Aztec, New…

Jack’s Plastic Welding Paco Grande $270

NEMO Equipment Cosmo Insulated $170 (Pillow Top $99)

Pros: • Very versatile• Built-in foot pump• Great in warm or cold climates• Small packed size Cons: • Cost (with Pillow Top) The other modular system in this review, the Cosmo Insulated pad with optional Pillow Top, has long been a favorite of the Overland Journal team. From Baja to Siberia, Cosmo pads have proven reliable and comfortable in the most extreme conditions. The Cosmo Insulated pad is a perfect cold weather pad, as it features a thin layer of synthetic insulation designed to protect the sleeper from convective cold air within the pad. Frozen ground or snow is no problem for the Cosmo. The optional Pillow Top takes an already sublime sleeping experience and makes it even better. The 1-inch layer of perforated open-cell foam beneath a microsuede cover creates a breathable and…

NEMO Equipment Cosmo Insulated $170 (Pillow Top $99)

Big Agnes Q-Core $139

Pros: • Comfortable quilted baffles• Oversized outer baffles• Excellent value Cons: • Stuff sack is small and delicate• No pump included New in 2012, the Q-Core is the latest variation in the highly successful inflatable pad lineup from Big Agnes of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The most noticeable feature of the Q-Core is the unique quilting of the baffles. Traditionally, Big Agnes pads have been constructed with longitudinal baffles running the length of the pad. Some argue this construction creates instability in the pad as the sleeper shifts from side to side. The quilted baffling does wonders to reduce that wobbly feeling. The outer baffles of the Q-Core are oversized, augmenting stability; it’s not easy to roll off this pad. The edges of the pad are well defined, the center is nice and comfortable, and…

Big Agnes Q-Core $139

NEMO Equipment Tuo Standard $99

Pros: • Two-chamber system• Very well insulated• Excellent value• Cost Cons: • Smaller sleeping area• Thinner than other pads in the test What’s better than one foam-filled pad? Tuo foam-filled pads stuck together. As we have come to expect from NEMO Equipment, the Tuo Standard is another solution from outside the box. It’s literally a pair of pads bonded one on top of the other, each section with its own valve. This provides a couple of unique advantages. Most obviously, it creates a backup in the event of a mid-sleep puncture. It also allows the lower section to be highly inflated to reduce the protrusion of lumps, rocks, roots, and other surface irregularities. The upper section can then be lightly inflated to create a softer primary surface. Lastly, because the Tuo Standard has a…

NEMO Equipment Tuo Standard $99

Klymit Inertia XL $129

Pros: • Compact size• Super lightweight• Impressive comfort for its size• Cost Cons: • Reduced insulation value• Might be too thin for some sleepers One look at the Inertia XL is all it takes to know that Klymit is working within a different set of design criteria: It’s not immediately obvious that this is even a sleeping pad. Central to the design of the Inertia XL is the idea to take any excess pad material and literally cut it out. If it looks unrecognizable as a sleeping pad when inflated, you have to see it packed away in its stuff sack. A shade over 1 pound in total weight, the packed size of the Inertia XL is just about the size of your favorite bottle of beer. It’s astoundingly small…pocket sized. For a bicycle…

Klymit Inertia XL $129

During the course of this review, it became increasingly obvious there is no one-pad-fits-all choice. But there are perfect pads for individual needs. There is no question which of the pads we tested was the most comfortable. That honor, as well as the Editor’s Choice Award, goes to the Exped MegaMat 10 LXW. If you can accommodate the bulk, and don’t mind the extra time to inflate and deflate it, there is no better sleeping experience. The most versatile and full-featured system in the test was clearly the Cosmo Insulated with optional Pillow Top. Being able to use just the pad without the Pillow Top when space limitations are a concern earned high marks. The built-in foot pump is an added bonus. Capable of keeping you cool in summer and warm…

Two Wheels to Adventure

Poison arrows, shrunken heads, brothels, and 20,000 miles on a BMW R60. Danny Liska was the everyman’s motorcycle adventurer: a man from humble beginnings, driven by a thirst for the unknown and the exotic. He is an inspiration for every small-town boy who has ever watched a motorcycle roar past his bedroom window and longed to take off for faraway lands. In 1959, at age 30, Danny Liska left his hometown in Nebraska on a BMW R60, becoming the first person to ride a motorcycle the length of the Americas. In the style of a true purist, he went first to Arctic Circle City (then the most northerly road-accessible town in Alaska) to begin his epic journey. Two years and 65,000 miles later he arrived in Ushuaia, at the tip of Argentina,…

Two Wheels to Adventure

Under the Star-Sprinkled Sky

“I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. . . it is enough that I am surrounded by beauty.” – Everett Ruess“There is a splendid freedom in solitude, and after all, it is for solitude that I go to the mountains and deserts, not for companionship. In solitude I can bare my soul to the mountains unabashed. I can work or think, act or recline at my whim, and nothing stands between me and the wild.” – Everett Ruess Of all the places I have traveled on this planet, Southern Utah holds the greatest personal connection. Any appeal of sketchy…

Under the Star-Sprinkled Sky

No Batteries Needed

Preparing for an emergency is probably the most popular oxymoron term in use today. How do you prepare for a sudden, unexpected occurrence requiring immediate attention or action? Preparation can build confidence, or make you realize you’re just not ready to set out into the unknown; the unacceptable alternative is clinging to the safety and comfort of your recliner and remote control. Once food, water, and shelter are addressed, a reliable light source and communications system can make survival almost pleasant. After all, how are you going to read that survival manual in the dark? While the SCR-578 Gibson Girl (Classic Kit, 2013 Gear issue)—the shapely and beloved emergency transmitter of WWII flyboys—was designed with catastrophe in mind, today’s technology allows emergency equipment to be used daily, rising to the emergency…

No Batteries Needed

The Jeep Grand Cherokee… Diesel

The reality that we can now buy a full-size SUV that gets 28 mpg, has a 7,400-pound towing capacity, low range, variable-height air suspension, locking differentials, and 11.3-inches of ground clearance really gets the heart racing. For vehicle-based exploration, a small-displacement turbo-diesel is the powertrain of choice. While the rumble of a high-horsepower gasoline V8 can be intoxicating, the diesel rules the roost. The question is why? Spending less money on fuel is the first thing that comes to mind. In reality, particularly when loaded down and lumbering along on a remote backcountry byway, this is one of the least important attributes. Range, the ability to traverse greater distances without burdening your vehicle with the weight of a dozen extra jerry cans, is the primary benefit. We also benefit from improved…

The Jeep Grand Cherokee… Diesel

OVERLAND CONSERVATION

1 Start Your Own Project Stevie and Tree, founders of sprinterlife.com set off to Latin America to explore a world that was “different, unfamiliar, and even uncomfortable” while volunteering their time, energy, and skills. Along the way they had a beautiful baby girl, Soleil, and founded Huanchaco In Action (HIA) in Peru. HIA’s charter is to bring people together to develop community-based solutions for community problems. To date, they’ve created an affordable school, environmental initiatives, and an organic market. Stevie says, “For overlanders that want to make a difference, they can partner with an existing community organization such as PEACEmexico.org or dogoodasyougo.org. However, if you have the time, we suggest living in a town for a while to figure out how you can help that community help itself.” To get involved,…

OVERLAND CONSERVATION

Allergic Reactions

It is difficult to predict who will have a drug reaction, and one should think twice before taking a new medication for the first time when in a remote wilderness setting. Few disorders encompass such a wide presentation and severity of symptoms as allergic reactions. Most overland travelers will either experience allergic symptoms of their own, or travel in the company of someone who does. Food allergies, allergic rhinitis, drug allergies, Toxicodendron (poison ivy/oak) dermatitis, and life-threatening anaphylaxis are a few of the more important allergic reactions that wilderness explorers may encounter. Thus, a basic understanding of the pathophysiology, symptoms, and treatment of each should be acquired by at least one expedition member. Pathophysiology The body’s immune system serves to protect it from foreign invaders such as bacteria. An allergic reaction occurs when…

Allergic Reactions

Field Welding 101

It was a warm June afternoon, 1993. A few friends and I were en route to the 1860’s Gold Rush ruins of Summit City along the shores of Meadow Lake, California. Rather than taking the graded dirt road, we’d opted to traverse the Fordyce Creek Trail, one that rivals the celebrated Rubicon in technical nature. It was early in the season and we’d had to cut and winch a number of downed trees from the route. I’d just respooled my winch cable, loaded my gear, and turned the key. As I pulled back onto the trail, I heard a faint tink from the front end. My first thought was, “Hmmm, that was odd.” At the same moment my steering went limp, freely spinning from full-lock to lock. A quick inspection…

Field Welding 101

Attempt 1 On my first attempt, using 6013 rod, my weld was predictably bad. Note the bubbling nature and slag inclusions (inconsistent and shaky hands), numerous holes (caused by dillydallying in one place for too long), and copious amounts of splatter (fluctuations in the distance between the welding rod and the work). Also note that the holes are burned through the upper piece of metal (as well as scorch marks), indicating my rod was at to low of an angle. Even penetration was marginal at best. Attempt 6 After some practice I was getting better control of feeding the rod evenly, motion and speed, and keeping an eye on the pool. I was still slightly off on my angle; note the bulging nature on the lower edge of the weld. This weld has…

Cast Iron Baked Bread

The first time I made bread over the campfire I felt like I was reliving an episode of Little House on the Prairie: men in suspenders, women in frilled aprons, all gathering around the fire for a hearty meal and the latest pioneer gossip. Admittedly, my sarong couldn’t pose as an apron and my friends lacked suspenders, but we did have a delicious meal and some gossip after a day on the San Juan River, Utah. Stale bread is a real downer; even the most preservative-packed loaf will taste like sand after just a few days in the backcountry. Fresh bread can lift an entire meal or quiet that craving for an after-supper sweet. The idea of preparing your own can ring bells of your grandmother hovering around the stove while…

Cast Iron Baked Bread

The durable nature of the pot, combined with its ability to feed a camp crew with a variety of foods from stews to flat breads, made it central to daily life wherever it traveled. As afternoon surrenders to twilight, the crackle of a campfire counts out the rhythms of an evening in the backcountry. While shadowed figures fade in and out of the flickering light, the quiet hiss of the fire is abruptly punctuated by a piercing “clang.” It’s an unnatural sound, yet familiar to campsites spanning centuries: the sound of a heavy cast iron lid glancing off a Dutch oven. A subtle announcement of what is to come…not an official call to dinner, but it serves that purpose all the same. The Dutch oven is a stalwart fixture of camp life.…

It is a place where personal decisions dictate your freedom to roam, where your actions can reap great rewards…or cost you your life. Few travelers know of Mana Pools, one of the most spectacular national parks in all of Africa. At first glance, it appears to be just another patch of protected bush land, scarred by seasonal flooding, then sprinkled with every species of wildlife. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, but boasts no outstanding geological features. It’s not located inside a silent volcano like Ngorongoro; it doesn’t have facilities for wildlife observation found in Etosha; nor the endlessly sweeping plains of Masai Mara or the Serengeti, where the epic migration draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. Nope: Mana Pools National Park, lying south of the Zambian…

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Thermik Magazin Magazine (Digital) Subscription May 1st, 2025 Issue

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Smart Auto 智動化 Magazine (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2025 Issue

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Overland Journal (Digital) Subscription July 10th, 2024 Issue

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Avengers: Endgame - The Official Movie Special Magazine (Digital) Subscription April 26th, 2019 Issue

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