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One of our favorite things about some of our clients is that they just love the Jeep lifestyle. They like putting the top down, taking the doors off that open-air, outdoor experience. here at AxleBoy OffRoad, we'll work with many different styles of clients. Whether that's the jeep lifestyle client that's put the top down, take the doors off, go for a cruise on a sunny day. Maybe heading up to Utah, doing some four-wheeling, one out in Moab, maybe rooftop tent to go on the back roads and get tha

We were just looking through all of our old emails and articles and realized we hadn't done a featured routes article in quite some time. And just because it may be cold, dark, and snowy in your locale, there's plenty of places to explore during the winter months! . In Search of Solitude? Overlanding and outdoor recreation in general has absolutely exploded since Covid hit 5 years ago. And those once hidden gems seem to have been discovered by the weekend warriors. But, if you know where to...Vi

Traversing the rugged topography of the Ontario Highlands, the Bush Chicken is a 730-mile loop composed of 60% gravel and 40% pavement. This guide details the track from the dense forests of Haliburton to the Ottawa Valley, highlighting key discovery points and surface conditions. Prepare for a mix of scenic backroads and technical terrain through this diverse geological province.View the full article

There's a particular flavor of sanctimonious bullshit that's infected the overlanding community, and honestly, I'm tired of pretending it's not ridiculous. You know the type - the adventure purists who've appointed themselves the Supreme Court of What Counts , complete with arbitrary rules, minimum requirements, and a smugness that could fuel a small power grid. According to these self-appointed judges, your week-long backcountry trip through the Rockies doesn't qualify. Your carefully...View th

The Verdict Up Front:   If you're tired of trash bags sliding down your spare or disintegrating after a season or two, the Blacksmith Camping 4WD Wheel Bag justifies its premium price. It's not flawless, but the Australian poly-cotton fabric and sleeve design solve the two most frustrating problems with wheel-mounted trash bags. Blacksmith Camping wheel bags are made from Aussie poly-cotton in their Adelaide workshop. Who Is Blacksmith Camping? Blacksmith Camping probably isn't on your radar...

The Verdict Up Front:   If you're tired of trash bags sliding down your spare or disintegrating after a season or two, the Blacksmith Camping 4WD Wheel Bag justifies its premium price. It's not flawless, but the Australian poly-cotton fabric and sleeve design solve the two most frustrating problems with wheel-mounted trash bags. Blacksmith Camping wheel bags are made from Aussie poly-cotton in their Adelaide workshop. Who Is Blacksmith Camping? Blacksmith Camping probably isn't on your radar...

Join the Trail Ambassador Program and turn your passion for overlanding into unforgettable adventures.View the full article

There are changes coming to East Coast Overland Adventures. We are currently in the process of re-designating the company from a for-profit LLC into a 501 non-profit. This will not affect the frontside of things here at ECOA. Our core mission isn’t changing, and we will continue to focus on education, but we are going […]View the full article

They say, “the third time’s the charm.” The first time in 2022 a larger group of volunteers under the leadership of Scott Ammerman (then the local Regional Coordinator for Tread Lightly!) put a big dent in the pile of trash that had been dumped over the hillside off Tank Hollow Road. The second time, earlier […]View the full article

Tons of Usable Surface, Sleeper System & Clutch Storage Capacity ADGU designs every system specifically for each make and model. Everything they engineer is tailored to the exact trim. The... The post Air Down Gear UP Drawer System Review 6th Gen Toyota 4Runner appeared first on Trail4R.com - 5th Gen 4Runner Mods. View the full article

There are a small handful of events I would bend over backwards to attend. At the top of that list, tied for first place with the Virginia Rooftop Tent Rally, is Adventure X Fest. For the sixth year in a row I managed to make it down for the event and, as usual, it did […]View the full article

For the last three years the team at Mountain State Overland has worked in conjunction with Tread Lightly! to do a service project in Monongahela National Forest prior to their annual Adventure X Fest event. Since 2023 AXFest has been held at the Experience Learning outdoor education facility on the backside of Spruce Knob along […]View the full article

Ram’s powerhouse pickup is back, and it’s busting into the New Year with some new upgrades and plenty of horsepower. Just shy of a year ago, the Ram TRX was discontinued, but thankfully, its absence was extended, and later this year, this beast will be back on Ram lots nationwide. The TRX has gained some performance bumps with 777 horsepower produced by the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 versus the 702 of the original version. We got behind the wheel of the OG TRX, and with 75 fewer horsepower,

Each year I have the privilege of being invited by the Toledo Jeep Festival to set up an “Off-Road and Overland Skills Area” showcasing a mix of overland vehicles as well as a number of off-road and overland themed workshops. I usually end up on the main stage as well. This has been going on […]View the full article

Ram’s powerhouse pickup is back, and it’s busting into the New Year with some new upgrades and plenty of horsepower. Just shy of a year ago, the Ram TRX was discontinued, but thankfully, its absence was extended, and later this year, this beast will be back on Ram lots nationwide. The TRX has gained some performance bumps with 777 horsepower produced by the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 versus the 702 of the original version. We got behind the wheel of the OG TRX, and with 75 fewer horsepower,

It’s no secret that I am, was, and shall always be a “Jeep Guy.” As outlined in Season 2, Episode 2 of the Echoes of Adventure podcast, the LS LJ is my 8th Jeep. Since then I’ve added the ’06 LJ “stock+” build, which is the 10th Jeep I’ve owned (so far). In the family […]View the full article

Imagine waking up to the sound of zippers unzipping on rooftop tents as the sun rises over the OC Fair & Event Center. The air is already buzzing with anticipation. You open your tent, step out onto the cool grass, and are immediately greeted by a camping neighbor brewing coffee on a tailgate. “Morning! Heading to Overland Essentials later?” they ask, offering a spare mug. This isn’t just a parking lot; it’s a pop-up village of adventurers, dreamers, and global travelers. Camping at

In our previous articles on vehicle electrical systems we talked a lot about the OEM components and some basic upgrades dealing with adding things like lights and associated switches. This article series is going to focus on auxiliary electrical systems, their components, and ultimately designing and installing an auxiliary electrical system into your vehicle — […]View the full article

Tire Fitment, On & Off-Road Performance Improvements & More We have been running the Perry Parts Gen 2 rear bump stops on our 2025 (6th Gen) Toyota 4Runner for the... The post Perry Parts Gen 2 Rear Bump Stops For 6th Gen 4Runner: 7 Month Review, Tested On Rubicon appeared first on Trail4R.com - 5th Gen 4Runner Mods. View the full article

If you’ve been paying attention to the last few blog articles, you’ve seen a footer at the end of each article talking about the 2025 ECOA Patron Support Team. Yes! The ECOA Patron Support Team is back for 2025 and the foreseeable future. In the past we made use of external platforms like GoFundMe in […]View the full article

For decades, birders, hunters, naturalists, and explorers have had two ways to magnify what we want to observe more closely. Binoculars are convenient to carry and provide moderate magnification, generally between seven and ten power—any more and they become increasingly difficult to hold steady. When more power is needed for distant objects or extremely detailed views of nearer things—a maddeningly difficult-to-identify Empidonax flycatcher, for example—we use a spotting scope, which provides s

As a former student of linguistics, and someone who reads as much as he writes, alliteration has always been one of my favorite literary tropes. Alliteration is when the first letter of each word in a sentence or phrase is the same. So in the case of this article’s subtitle, “Collaboration, Cooperation, and Compromise” is […]View the full article

The largest overlanding event in the world will be coming back to California in just a few months. Join overlanders from all over the world in Costa Mesa, California to get educated, equipped, and inspired to continue your overlanding adventures. Over the next few weeks, we’ll have more news about the deals you can expect, educational opportunities, the special events happening throughout the weekend, and much more. In the meantime, we wanted to share the exciting list of sponsors, e

While first in chronological order, the Pinnacle Creek project was the last one added to my list. This was a project I only had cursory knowledge of having been put in motion a few years ago. I heard it was finally happening during the West Virginia Motorsports and Adventure Travel Day event at the West […]View the full article

AEV’s system-engineered builds have long set the bar for serious adventure vehicles, and now Ford owners finally get their turn. The new AEV FXL marks the brand’s first step onto the Ford Super Duty platform, delivering a turn-key expedition build that adds capability and confidence without compromising the Super Duty’s workhorse DNA. What makes the AEV FXL different isn’t just its size; it’s the way the system works together. AEV engineers built a suite of components that communicate as

Lessons learned from a decade of rental experience When you send fully equipped vehicles into Colorado’s backcountry week after week, you learn what works — and what doesn’t — faster than just about anyone. This year, we’ve taken a close look at the ongoing overlanding gear evolution and how those changes affect what actually works in a real-world rental environment.  Every season brings a new wave of innovations in overlanding gear, but running a rental fleet means you don’t have the luxury of

AEV’s system-engineered builds have long set the bar for serious adventure vehicles, and now Ford owners finally get their turn. The new AEV FXL marks the brand’s first step onto the Ford Super Duty platform, delivering a turn-key expedition build that adds capability and confidence without compromising the Super Duty’s workhorse DNA. What makes the AEV FXL different isn’t just its size; it’s the way the system works together. AEV engineers built a suite of components that communicate as

Is Overlanding Really in Decline? If you’ve been paying attention to the outdoor community lately, you may have noticed a theme: videos asking “Is overlanding dead?” social media posts about unused rooftop tents gathering dust, and even some overland-related businesses closing their doors. Here at Peak Overland, we’ve also seen a quieter summer than usual. It raises the question — is overlanding really in decline, or is something else happening? The Bigger Picture: Travel Industry Trends To

Another year, another Tokyo Auto Salon, and another batch of cool vehicles that we can’t get in the States. Sigh. Even though the chances of these excellent pint-sized rigs from Suzuki ever appearing in the US are slim to none, we couldn’t help but geek out on these builds. Each is themed around an outdoor pursuit, and the concepts do a great job of proving that you don’t need a huge rig to enjoy the great outdoors. Photo by Suzuki Photo by Suzuki The star of the show has t

When a Quick U-Turn Became a Costly Lesson Last August, one of our flagship rigs — a V8-powered Jeep Wrangler 392 — rolled during a guest trip. The driver attempted a quick U-turn on a narrow mountain trail. It didn’t take much: a sharp cut of the wheel, a bit of off-camber terrain, while in 4 low range, and the Jeep tipped. The damage was extensive enough that repairs weren’t completed until early May of this year. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. But it was a wake-up call — for us and f