Hey Oren! Have you seen our latest route addition-- the Vancouver Grand Island Loop? We even added a number of alternative routes for getting way off the beaten path. I'm making plans for a two week trip sometime in early to mid-summer.
***New Member Introductions***
- Thread starter OTG Ben
- Start date
Hi I’m Rosa. I currently live to go on adventures with my 2 dogs. Semi retired, reside in Korea town (los Angeles), just changed my vehicle (Lexus GX 550 over trail plus) and ready to hit the trails. We look forward to OTG event(s) that works for us (schedule & location). #ktownsupdogs
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XC_Niner
Trail Grom
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2024
- Messages
- 1
Hey guys new to the gang! Names Roy! Looking to have my own trip this month from 15th to the 18th. Still not sure if ima Airbnb and explore trails in the surrounding area or camp my entire trip. This would be my first cold weather trip so im still weighing out pros and cons. Thinking of hitting the Shasta BDT… anyway glad to be here and god bless!
Welcome Roy! Funny you mention cold weather camping. I don't mind sleeping in my pop top in cold weather, but sometimes I'm doing work in the back or having my morning coffee or tea inside the camper. I've been thinking about installing a permanent propex (propane) heater that comes with a thermostat as I'd like to do a lot more cold camping, but with a bit more comfort!
Hi, I’m John, located in Santa Cruz, CA. I just got the family (wife and three young kids) started with weekend camping this summer, and we’re looking forward to some off grid adventures starting in the spring. The lost coast trail seems to be a good start, so I’m hoping to connect with an organized trip. We pull an OffGridTrailer (Pando 2.0) with my Tundra (stock 4x4) to have enough space to accommodate a family of five.
Awesome, that’s good to hear. What are your thoughts on pulling a teardrop trailer on the trip? I know there’s at least one section I’ll need to skip, but curious if it’s generally manageable. Here’s a link to the latest model, I have the previous iteration https://offgridtrailers.com/pages/p...h8gVQt8CzEN9LinWuqV9TkpMFStx4y94J_QRYuQpyCGen
@Johndis
You should be fine. The section I'd skip is down to Windy Point. You could pull the trailer all the way to the fenceline, but I probably woudn't take it down to the viewpoint at Windypoint. Also, there is a steep section going up to Saddle Mountain. If your vehicle doesn't have a lot of torque, it could struggle to get up the at grade. And just be prepared for a lot of bumps traveling Usal Road from Usal beach to 4 corners.
You should be fine. The section I'd skip is down to Windy Point. You could pull the trailer all the way to the fenceline, but I probably woudn't take it down to the viewpoint at Windypoint. Also, there is a steep section going up to Saddle Mountain. If your vehicle doesn't have a lot of torque, it could struggle to get up the at grade. And just be prepared for a lot of bumps traveling Usal Road from Usal beach to 4 corners.
millerve-496
Trail Grom
Hey guys, my name's Mike. I live in Park City, UT, with my Blue Heeler, Ozzie. I got hooked on the overland thing in 2011 on 2 wheels, riding a BMW R1200GS. In 2016, I switched to 4 wheels so Ozzie could join me. I've had a 4Runner, a Tacoma and now a '21 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. I've done the continental divide from Albuquerque NM to Helena MT, the CO backcountry discovery route (BDR), the NorCal BDR (Mammoth to the OR border), WA BDR, ID BDR (my fave), NM BDR and AZ BDR, as well as most of the UT BDR and OR BDR. Wyoming BDR is next in 2025. All of these are 90% dirt and 100% awesome. I hope to connect with OTG folks for the first time in 2025. Seems like a great group. Cheers!
barber1291
Trail Grom
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2024
- Messages
- 2
Good Day OTG Team,
Thanks for creating such an awesome platform for starters! My name is Tony and I'm based out of West Palm Beach, Fl. I am currently building up a 2013 Jeep JKU in preparation to start my journeys west in March of next year. I am moving up from ATVs and Side by sides and have spent many miles on the Hatfield McCoy trail systems in WV and want to start to venture further out. I will be needing advice on how to get from the East Coast to Moab, UT for a wedding by Apl 25th using as little hardball as possible. So any and all advice is welcome! Thanks in advance for any help.
Hey Tony,
Welcome to OTG! I'd recommend creating a separate thread in our Trip Planning forum describing your trip from FL to UT. The more info you can provide, the better
drachirb53
Trail Grom
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2022
- Messages
- 1
Hello Everyone!
I signed up some time ago but never got around to writing my intro so here goes...
My name is Richard and am retired and living in Big Pine in the Owens Valley....doesn't get any better! I grew up in La Habra and was living in Trabuco Canyon but after a divorce moved to my happy place. When I'm not hiking, fishing or shooting landscapes I occasionally work part time as a backup for the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (now Sierra Forever) and fill in at Manzanar, Eastern Sierra Visitor's Center in Lone Pine as well as the Schulman Grove visitors center.
I drive an F150 4X4 short bed crew cab with a Four Wheel Camper Project M which is a new addition. I'm also a member of the Bishop 4x4 Club and have done some extensive exploring in the valley, although much was prior to the FWC camper. Currently building out the interior to be more sustainable as I'm heading off on the Alcan Highway next year to visit family in Soldatna, Alaska.
Looking forward to joining up on some trips!
Richard
I signed up some time ago but never got around to writing my intro so here goes...
My name is Richard and am retired and living in Big Pine in the Owens Valley....doesn't get any better! I grew up in La Habra and was living in Trabuco Canyon but after a divorce moved to my happy place. When I'm not hiking, fishing or shooting landscapes I occasionally work part time as a backup for the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (now Sierra Forever) and fill in at Manzanar, Eastern Sierra Visitor's Center in Lone Pine as well as the Schulman Grove visitors center.
I drive an F150 4X4 short bed crew cab with a Four Wheel Camper Project M which is a new addition. I'm also a member of the Bishop 4x4 Club and have done some extensive exploring in the valley, although much was prior to the FWC camper. Currently building out the interior to be more sustainable as I'm heading off on the Alcan Highway next year to visit family in Soldatna, Alaska.
Looking forward to joining up on some trips!
Richard
cjoneswalker
Trail Grom
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2024
- Messages
- 1
Hey Gand. New here from Nampa, ID. I purchased my first off road vehicle in 2021. It is a jeep gladiator which I then quickly stumbled onto overlanding, and built my rig from there with absolutely no experience or knowledge at all. About a year ago I started a facebook page here called 208 Overlanders. It's quickly grown to over five hundred people. Last year, me and the admins put together several trips for people to join us. We quickly realized that it's a lot of work and a lot of planning and going into new places makes it difficult when you don't know where you're going or where to camp and what are the sites to see while you're in the area. So back in may or june, I stumbled on too overland trail guides and was blown away. In late June, I took our first trip. Using the info from your site and we did Hell's Canyon. The information was absolutely amazing, and we all had a great time. This year we will do the california redwoods trip using this site. The routes look awesome and all the waypoints along the way are such great information to have. Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will do at least three trips from overland trail guides this year.
Welcome to the OTG family and glad you enjoyed the Hells Canyon track! It would be amazing if you shared a few words and photos in the Trip Reports section. The Redwood Coast track exploed in popularity after we published the video route guide for it. It's a super fun and easy soft roading adventure that goes through some of the most beautiful landscapes and coastlines that northern California has to offer. Just be sure to read the camping information details in the route guide, as you'll want to secure reservations well in advance if you plan staying around the Redwood NP and/or Prairie Creek Redwoods vicinity (my go to spot out that way is Gold Bluffs Beach). If you're up to have folks join you, I can help with setting up an event on the site-- there's definitely a lot of demand on this route
Kent Price
Trail Grom
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2024
- Messages
- 1
I live in Tobaccoville, NC, just north of Winston Salem, NC. Most people in NC haven't heard of Tobaccoville either. I have a 2014 Trail Edition 4 runner that is built for two main things, Overlanding and trailering. I trailer my AWD 95 Eagle Talon that I Auto-x and a 4x8' dump trailer that I use for all kinds of purposes around our property and helping others with landscaping projects.
Hence my 4 Runner is purpose built for the two objectives above which includes in the build; Total Chaos Long Travel Expedition 2" kit, King compression adjustable shocks & 600 lb coil overs, secondary King triple by-pass shocks in the front all 4 shocks with reservoirs. In the rear Fox DSC's w/ reservoirs from a Ford Super Duty front shock set up, 700 lbs Dobinson LT coils, both front and rear shocks tuned by Accutune for Overlanding and Trailering with a modified Dual Sport Tune. Full C4 and LFD skids, LFD roof rack, Backwoods hybrid front and rear bumpers. Magnson supercharger with URD Spec U exhaust, Injen CAI. I run larger Dobinson Trailing arms and springs in the rear, a Super Pro 24MM rear sway bar with a front delete. Full sound deadening and insulation to quiet my 34" and 35" tires and to support great tunes powered by my Sony Head 8100 Head Unit, 400 watt amp, replacement of all of my stock speakers with a Kicker bundle package +++++++++++++ Favorite navigational aid is my Garmin Overland Tread.
I really enjoy Overlanding with my GSP Alle who is always with me!!! Two recent trips are what I typically do since I am semi-retired. I am so blessed to have the time to be able to do these long journeys across America. Most recent trip was a three-leg journey, Pony Express Trail, Idaho BDR and Pacific Crest Overland Trail, 9800 miles in 32 days. Thanks to OTG for the files on PET and PCOT. Trip prior to that was Transamerica Trail 9100 miles over 31 days. I really enjoy being very very remote, off the beaten path, just Alle, me and Mother Earth. My truck is labeled, "TERRA" in honor of mother earth.
Two pieces of advice/learning for anyone a bit earlier into their Overlanding experiences and I am constantly continuing to learn. Build your rig as you want to have it built. I value on the street performance a lot since I Auto-X and living in NC I tend to have to drive long distances to start my overlanding journeys. And I trailer a lot, so road stability is critical. I think a lot of people thought I was nuts setting up a traditional slalom course to test my stock suspension first, then my mid travel Radflo set up next and most recently testing my new Total Chaos/King/Fox Frankenstein set up that includes a much larger rear sway bar and no front bar. It's all about verifiable performance and data for me. I can run a traditional 60" slalom course now 1 mph hour faster as compared with my bone stock original suspension with 31" tires vs. now my 35" tires with a ~ 3" lift, almost 1200 lbs more weight than stock. Results are 5 mph faster than with no sway bars, 3 mph faster with front only no rear and, 2 mph faster with stock suspension but rear bar only. My articulation has benefited in gaining 2" more of total travel in travel with my Radflo mid travel set up and just shy of 3" in my TC Expedition Long Travel set up with my rear SuperPro sway bar on firm as compared with the front sway bar only and no rear. And importantly I gained a lot more front travel compared to the rear. Of my 26" of total travel front and rear that I now have, 39% comes from the front IFS, 61% from the rear. With both bars off the ratio was 28% front travel and 72% rear. With both bars on it was Front 22% to Rear 78%, Front Sway bar only and no Rear was 17% and 83%.) In my case I did lose a little of total articulation by having the larger SuperPro rear sway bar on compared with no sway bars but no sway bars was not a viable driving experience for me with far too much movement and much more limited control of the vehicle at any type of speed on the road, (I only lost just under 1" of total travel compared to both sway bars off .... all of it from the rear where we have lots more travel anyway with the solid axle). As mentioned, I gained significant front IFS articulation gains which is important for those of us with IFS rigs for a better-balanced off-road experience. Inspiration and shout out to Kai - the #s guy on all things Toyota/Lexus @ Tinkerer's Adventure.
Second piece of advice is test, learn, document and then do more testing, learning, documenting - constant learning cycle using numbers. It gets you to be far better prepared then under prepared. I overly prepare due to the nature of my long solo journeys, traveling just with my GSP. I've tried a lot of different things to make my rig as full proof as possible for how I use it. Then I am overly prepared probably to a fault when I Overland. I have 5 full Wolf Front Runner boxes of tools, spares, fluids for the vehicle. Lots of redundancies on mapping using the Garmin as the main navigation, for all the states I travel I carry paper Delorme Atlas's, Google/Apple on and offline. Numerous redundancies on communications with Inreach, Midland, amplifying my cell signal with WeBoost, Midland GMRS Walkie Talkies, Find My in Apple. Numerous extraction redundancies - traction boards, Warn Winch, chain saw, Deadman Anchor Kit V2, large duffle bag of multiple extraction ropes, shovels, shackles, bridle extraction rope. Extra gas and water if needed, food, etc.
And then stuff still happens that you have to immerse yourself in the moment and embrace it. As I've aged it's become a lot easier to just embrace challenges in the moment versus stressing on them which I definitely did when I was younger. To Ben's question in the introduction, for one of my next trips I have to go back to complete the PCOT. I plan to go back this spring to complete the PCOT starting from about Central CA south to the Mexico border. This last trip earlier this fall, the last leg which was the PCOT, I had in total 11 different minor to medium things go array on the vehicle. I decided to give TERRA a break and not complete the PCOT as I still had 3K miles in highway driving to get back to NC. Best to get home in one piece.
Thanks Ben for putting together such a great service for the Overlanding community.
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Hey @Kent Price welcome to OTG!!
That is quite the intro. Perhaps you can share some of your adventures in our Trip Reports section. I'd love to hear more about your time explroing the TAT, PNX, and PCOR! If you enjoyed the PNX, I'd recommend checking out the Great Basin Heritage Trail or Great American Outback Trail. We just wrapped up the GBHT last month, and it was quite the adventure-- 2100 miles over the course of 13 days! The first video should be up on your YT channel in the next couple of days. There are a lot of hidden gems out in the Great Basin that most folks overlook
That is quite the intro. Perhaps you can share some of your adventures in our Trip Reports section. I'd love to hear more about your time explroing the TAT, PNX, and PCOR! If you enjoyed the PNX, I'd recommend checking out the Great Basin Heritage Trail or Great American Outback Trail. We just wrapped up the GBHT last month, and it was quite the adventure-- 2100 miles over the course of 13 days! The first video should be up on your YT channel in the next couple of days. There are a lot of hidden gems out in the Great Basin that most folks overlook