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Four-by-four Driving, third edition
Poor Tom Sheppard. Every time he’s sure he’s revised his seminal Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide and the more tightly focused Four-by-four Driving for the last time, existing stocks run out and a...
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The Audience Phenomenon
I was chatting with someone after one of my tool kit demonstrations at the 2013 Overland Expo, and he asked if I ever experienced the “audience phenomenon.” After he explained I laughed and said I...
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A proper camp breakfast
GSI Pinnacle griddle on the Snow Peak large Pack and Carry Fireplace with bridge attachment. Hickory-smoked bacon sizzles on a griddle. The fat pools, spreads, and infuses eggs scambling in butter...
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The analog iPhone
Ready for the bio-apocalypse: a steel-framed handgun and the amazing Pocket Ref In the speculative-fiction novel Directive 51, author John Barnes postulates an alarmingly plausible near-future in which...
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A versatile storage box: the Wolf Pack
A pair of Wolf Packs holds tools for a Defender 110 in Tanzania.I have yet to meet the perfect overlanding cargo box. Pelican cases are nearly perfect when contents absolutely, positively must be kept...
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New VDEG imminent . . .
I just received this cryptic note from an unnamed source somewhere in the U.K.: "Desert Winds Publishing (i.e. Tom Sheppard) is pleased (relieved) to announce to its patient, faithful customers and...
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Accessible wonders
Many years ago, while on an assignment for Outside magazine, I was graced with the incomparable experience of viewing Victoria Falls for the first time by walking up to the edge of the drop on...
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The blue vinyl table is dead!
A few years ago on a long road trip, Roseann and I opted for convenience over our usual preference for solitude, and stopped for the night in a developed campground: picnic tables, barbecues, flat...
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Tire review: Big Block Adventure
by Bret Tkacs, for Adventure Motorcycle Magazine In early 2012, Kenda released the Big Block Adventure tire to compete in the emerging big-bike knobby market. ADVMoto put a set of Big Blocks to the...
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Friction . . .
Have you ever tried to slide a cardboard box full of books or other weighty contents across a floor? Did you notice that the box was difficult to get moving, but that once sliding it became easier to...
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The amazing ClampTite
I know, I know—I’m starting to sound like Ron Popeil. But it’s been some time since I used a tool as cunning as this little device, which can do everything from replacing a broken hose clamp on a fuel...
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Schuberth C3 helmet: 12 months and 10,000 miles review
by Carla King, CarlaKing.com My last helmet squeezed my jawbone, giving me a headache after about an hour. The previous one pressed on my left temple. Another rattled, another fell forward over my...
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Firepower: how to make stovetop pizza and créme brûlée in camp
by Roseann Hanson (co-director, Overland Expo; camp cook; and pyro) In camp, one achieves happiness through superior firepower. And the best source of firepower, hands-down, is the Snow Peak GigaPower...
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Outdoor Retailer 2013
This was tucked in a far back corner of the main hall. I didn't ask. For anyone remotely interested in outdoor gear, the annual Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an exciting event,...
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JATAC gets an outdoor kitchen
by Roseann Hanson (co-director, Overland Expo) There's a lot I love about having a stove, sink, and fridge inside a truck camper—all-weather cooking, protection from mosquitoes, and the convenience of...
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Oil change: A simple job . . .
. . . unless you don't get the (separate) O-ring gasket lined up properly on the canister filter cartridge on your 300D. The O-ring is at the top of the filter housing, so I didn't realize it wasn't...
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The physics of tires and lifts
The JATAC with Four Wheel Camper mounted; LT235/85 R16 BFG All-Terrain tires, Boss air bags on stock rear springs, Icon shocks at all four corners. At the Overland Expo this May, Roseann gave a...
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Tire pressure
The load index 109, on the right, is used with the load range to calculate optimum pressure. A reader, Christian, sent in this comment to my recent post The physics of tires and lifts: I have a...
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A proper knife
The knife was almost certainly mankind’s first manufactured tool into which we put not just craftsmanship, but artistry. First (after poking around that funny black monolith) we simply grabbed handy...
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Irreducible perfection: Vulture Safety Loops
Last year, during a crossing one of Egypt’s great sand seas, I wanted to get some video footage of the Land Cruisers from a camera mounted on the hood and, if possible, the side of the truck. I had a...
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