Essential Gear Guide for Overlanding Adventure

Overlanding is a great and highly entertaining hobby for people who love off-roading and spending time outdoors. The main differences between off-roading and overlanding include the time spent doing each activity and the gear required.

Overlanding is about the journey, whereas off-roading is about overcoming obstacles in short, relatively controlled trails. Now that we’ve answered the question of what is overlanding, we can move on to more details.

The common thing about off-roading and overlanding is that both activities require a capable 4x4 vehicle. Both activities also require some specific equipment. 

The overlanding gear plays a significant role in having a successful overlanding trip. Good overlanding gear will last long and take as little space as possible.

This article will cover the essential gear guide for overlanding adventures and much more.

• Multipurpose items
• Tried and tested by enthusiasts
• Well researched

Not all overlanding gear is made the same. There are a couple of factors that make overlanding gear good, and worth getting.

Overlanding requires the use of a lot of gear and equipment that can take up a lot of space. One of the first things you should know about overlanding gear is that it takes up a lot of space. This is why you should always aim for multipurpose gear. 

You’ll need all the space you can get especially if you’re going on a longer overlanding trip.

Great overlanding gear isn’t often found advertised on social media by influencers. Although some of these items might be good, there are better, and more affordable options. To find good overlanding gear, it’s required to do some research and find genuine opinions from like-minded enthusiasts. This way, you’ll find tried and tested gear and equipment from people who used this equipment more than once. 

Finding great overlanding gear, especially if you’re new to the hobby, takes time. You shouldn’t rush into buying gear you’re not familiar with. 

Start by getting the essentials and work your way up as you start covering more advanced trails. This will prevent you from overspending on gear and equipment you don’t need. It will also allow you to upgrade your gear collection as you gain more experience in overlanding.

• Ability to connect with nature
• Off-road driving
• Getting away from the busy streets
• Self-sufficiency
• Overlanding brings together a large community
• Ability to modify and customize a vehicle

Overlanding isn’t something that gained popularity overnight. Overlanding, as an off-road activity, started almost a hundred years ago. It became more popular as vehicles became more powerful and more capable of covering off-road terrain. As overlanding became popular, various manufacturers started getting into building equipment to make these activities more enjoyable.

The reason why overlanding became so popular is the possibility to connect with nature and enjoy the off-road challenges. Aside from enjoying nature and all its charm, overlanding allows people to remove themselves from the busy city life. For some, the possibility of getting away from the busy city life and technology means freedom from everyday stress. 

Aside from leaving the city and enjoying off-road driving, overlanding allows people to lean on themselves by being self-sufficient. This doesn’t just give bragging rights to the person doing it. It can be one of the most important skills one should have.

Like any other hobby, overlanding gathers a large community of like-minded people. Not only will overlanding provide fun and excitement, but it will also help you meet other people. Like-minded enthusiasts gladly share their experiences and can easily become some of your closest friends.

Many more aspects made overlanding very popular. For those who enjoy working on their cars, overlanding allows them to modify and customize their vehicle. Modifications can be done on the outside but on the inside too.

• Social media
• Online overlanding gear shops
• Overlanding exhibitions

With millions of people using social media, it's one of the most common places to find different types of overlanding equipment. The problem with buying overlanding gear from social media is that it’s usually overhyped in terms of quality or capability. 

A safer way to find good overlanding gear is to join an overlanding community online and visit overlanding exhibitions. Here you’ll get to see how the gear works and what it’s capable of. Buying gear you get to see in action first is the best way to go. You’ll have first-hand experience in how it works and how it can help you in your next overlanding adventure.

When you join an overlanding club, you’ll likely find brands that offer certain discounts to the members. This is a great thing as some of the overlanding equipment isn’t very cheap. 

• Safety gear
• Recovery gear
• Camping gear

Even before you go on your first overlanding trip, there are a lot of things you need to do to prepare. One of the things that you should do every time before an overlanding adventure is to make an overland gear list. This will help you pack everything you need, and not find yourself in a remote location without essential gear.

There are three categories of essential overlanding gear, and each of the categories includes a few items. 

Safety gear and equipment are the most important category. Anyone going on an overlanding trip should pay special attention to packing everything required when it comes to safety.

A quality first aid kit is one of the most essential things that should be on every overland gear list. Although overlanding isn’t a dangerous hobby, people do get injured. A first aid kit with all the necessary items won’t only allow you to continue your adventure. In some cases, it can help save a life.

Another essential piece of equipment is a satellite beacon. Given that overlanding occurs in remote locations, it’s important to have the equipment to reach help quickly. 

A portable power station doesn’t directly affect safety, but it will provide power to other essential equipment that might. A high-quality unit is recommended for any type of overlanding trip.

A paper road atlas should be a part of your overland gear list. This is just in case some of your navigation devices stop working. This is the safest way to have a sense of location in case your phone or GPS navigation stops working. 

Fuel cans in the form of a RotopaX gasoline pack, are essential in any overland gear list. Having a few extra gallons of fuel will allow you to cover more ground without heading to the gas station. Additional fuel is a necessity because a vehicle crawling over rugged terrain uses more fuel than usual. If you find yourself in a remote spot without any fuel in the tank, you’ll be grateful you brought extra.

GPS navigation is as important as having a paper road atlas as it provides information on your exact location. It will help you navigate remote locations, but it will also help you get help quickly with exact coordinates.

Water filtration is pretty much self-explanatory. No matter how much water you bring, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. Water might get used, or even contaminated in nature.

A fire extinguisher is also a highly recommended piece of essential overland gear as you never know what might happen. Having a fire extinguisher will help you contain a forest fire, or save your equipment in case your vehicle catches fire.

Recovery gear is as important as safety gear, and it’s essential in every overland camping gear list. Recovery gear helps drivers get their vehicles free from getting stuck. It also helps drivers overcome certain obstacles on the road that the vehicle isn’t capable of overcoming without help.

A spare tire, deflator kit, and air compressor should be the first things you put on your overland camping gear list. Simply modifying the tire pressure can help you get more traction. Different pressure setups are used for different types of terrain. To replace a flat tire, you’ll also find a hi-lift jack extremely useful.

Every overlanding community will agree that a high-quality winch and a warm medium-duty winch accessory kit are essentials. A winch with all the necessary accessories can be the only thing to get your vehicle unstuck. 

Other recovery gear won’t directly affect your vehicle’s capability, but it will help you clear the path. Other recovery gear includes shovels, traction boards, hatchets, a two-way radio, an off-road map app, and a personal locator beacon.

The last category in the overland gear list is camping equipment. Even if you bring food that doesn’t require preparation, you’ll still need a place to sleep. Some vehicles are good enough for a night or two of sleep. If you plan on going on a real overlanding adventure, you’ll need tents.

Hard shell roof top tents are the best option because they provide shelter from the elements but also from insects and animals that might wander around. 

For advanced adventurers, there’s also the possibility of getting off-road camping trailers. These add significantly more room for supplies and provide better shelter and more comfortable sleeping. They are also very expensive, but worth the price.

Having the best awning for overlanding can also make your adventure more comfortable. They’re especially useful if you go overlanding during the rainy season. An awning will protect you from rain and the Sun, and it will allow you to enjoy nature fully.

Aside from shelter and cover, you’ll also need cooking and refrigerating equipment. As we’ve mentioned, overlanding is all about exploration and the journey itself. 

This means that you’ll spend more time in remote locations. Because you’ll spend a lot of time in the wilderness, you’ll need to preserve the food you brought. You’ll also need to prepare it on location.

Aside from the Ignik 2 in 1 propane heater stove and cooler, you’ll need a solar generator, too. A solar generator is recommended if you want to save fuel and avoid the possibility of having an empty battery.

Lastly, you’ll need some light sources. A portable shower would be a great idea, too!

• Heavy-duty winch
• Power source
• Offroading jack

Any gear or equipment that can help in making overlanding trips easier and more comfortable can be helpful. Whether it’s essential or not depends on many factors.

Basic beginner overlanding trails usually don’t include difficult off-road terrain. Having a powerful winch isn’t necessary, however, it might be useful. Even if your vehicle overcomes every obstacle, that doesn’t mean that every vehicle from your group will be able to. You might come across certain obstacles such as logs that you’ll be able to move only with a winch.

Having a power source would also be very helpful. You’ll save the vehicle’s battery, and help power some other gear and equipment while the vehicle isn’t running. A power source can help power communication devices or an air compressor that can help in overcoming different types of off-road terrain.

Lastly, you’ll need a vehicle jack in case you need to replace a wheel or do a repair. It might be difficult and unsafe to jack up a car on uneven terrain. This is why it’s recommended to have an offroading jack in your overland camping gear list.

If you’re new to overlanding, it’s recommended to start with the easiest trails. Basic trails require only basic overlanding gear and equipment. As you gain experience in more difficult trails, you can upgrade your overlanding list of essential gear and equipment.

The great thing about overlanding is that you can start slowly. Explore nature and challenge your skills. Once you start improving, you can always upgrade your gear, and modify your vehicle for more difficult trails. The more you spend time in nature, the more you’ll want to improve your gear. Naturally, you’ll visit more difficult trails that will challenge you, but also provide you with unforgettable memories.