The Random Dose of FUNNY Thread

Optimistic Paranoid said:
American Overlanding: Extensive travel/camping on public lands. Usually via four wheel drive. Usually involving a truck camper, rooftop tent, or off road trailer.
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I find this to be true, as our public lands are the envy of the world. Just look at the numbers of Europeans travelling our fair country in their "caravans" and such.

Optimistic Paranoid said:
Real Overlanding: Like American Overlanding but involving extensive foreign travel outside the US, Canada, and Baja Mexico.
(To quote a line from an old Goldie Hawn movie:"I've never been out of the country, except for Canada, and that doesn't count because it's, like, attached.")
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As someone who has eaten dirt on several continents, I strongly disagree.

To say that "real overlanding" requires crossing international borders, outside of North America, makes no sense to me and is a simplistic way of marginalizing the breadth and scope of what is available in the VAST and diverse regions and countries that make up this continent.

By this rationale, I could spend the rest of my days exploring North America and my travels would never be considered "real" overlanding.

But I'd be real if I put my Jeep in a container and took it to Europe where I'd likely have to pay to camp as I crossed tiny countries in a day on that urbanized, manicured, paved road continent.

Or am I only real if I take it to Africa or Australia?

That's just silly.

:coffee
 
Virus? What virus?

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Dave said:
To say that "real overlanding" requires crossing international borders, outside of North America, makes no sense to me and is a simplistic way of marginalizing the breadth and scope of what is available in the VAST and diverse regions and countries that make up this continent.
:coffee
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I should have put quotes around the word "real" in my original post.

I do think we need to differentiate between domestic and international overlanding, though. In one sense, they are not at all the same thing. I would say the people who do them have different GOALS.

The people who overland domestically are looking for an adventure plus are anxious to see all the vast beauty our continent has to offer.

The people who overland internationally would claim that they are interested in adventure and witnessing the world's beauty, PLUS the desire to experience the many different cultures of the countries they visit.

Now, whether or not somebody who spends three days driving THROUGH a foreign country actually experiences that country's culture is debatable at best. I suspect a large part of international overlanding may be driven by the desire to get social media street cred.

But then, I'm starting to believe that social media street cred is becoming the driving force for a LOT of what people do . . .
 
Optimistic Paranoid said:
The people who overland domestically are looking for an adventure plus are anxious to see all the vast beauty our continent has to offer.

The people who overland internationally would claim that they are interested in adventure and witnessing the world's beauty, PLUS the desire to experience the many different cultures of the countries they visit.
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That claim of being distinct because of the desire to experience different cultures isn't unique. I could say I've experienced Tex-Mex by eating at a Chipotle in MD but that's a lie. I can and have experienced different cultures when traveling through the US. If the qualifier is this is only experiencing cultures outside your native country then Australians doing the Canning Stock Route are not doing "real overlanding". So that's a nope/fail for that definition.
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Instalanding: Is there no gas station, convenience store, or a McDonald's in sight? Have you packed lots of camping gear? Do you think you might use the camping gear someday? If you've answered "yes" to two out of three and you've posted a pic to social media of your "rig" you're Instalanding.
 
I always talk about my wife. I have people ask me does you wife know you talk about her behind her back? I said NO! So don't be Facebooking her I could be in a lot of trouble!
 
Greg said:
That claim of being distinct because of the desire to experience different cultures isn't unique. I could say I've experienced Tex-Mex by eating at a Chipotle in MD but that's a lie. I can and have experienced different cultures when traveling through the US. If the qualifier is this is only experiencing cultures outside your native country then Australians doing the Canning Stock Route are not doing "real overlanding". So that's a nope/fail for that definition.
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That's 1180 miles...no way in hell I could reasonably carry enough fuel to make that trip...I suppose a couple of 55 gallon drums in the bed of the truck would do it.
 
bob91yj said:
That's 1180 miles...no way in hell I could reasonably carry enough fuel to make that trip...I suppose a couple of 55 gallon drums in the bed of the truck would do it.
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Talked with AT Overland at Desert Rendezvous (enamored with the camper and forgot to exchange names). Based on an average of 14 mpg their 4 Wheel Camper regular cab Ram truck has a range of about 1100 miles. Given my obsession with range I've been toying with the Ram site building a chassis regular cab 3500 turbo diesel with a 52 & 22 gal tanks.
 
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I've got an aftermarket 45 gallon tank (replaced stock 26 gallon) in my Dmax, off pavement I calculate at 10MPG...I'd have to carry another 75 gallons to be in a "comfort zone" to make that trip. For what I currently use the truck for, 45 gallons has been adequate.
 
For hauling more fuel the 30 gallon drums are easier to handle. I used to get fuel for my work truck that way, usually 5 drums at a time. The bulk oil outfit gave away or sold cheap 30 gallon drums that had various oils in them. A farm hand pump, or gravity feed the hose and nozzle, which will screw into the smaller bung plug hole, and you are in business.

So is it more legit for foreigners to come to the states to overland adventure, but not for Americans to to adventure here? :)
 
Greg said:
That claim of being distinct because of the desire to experience different cultures isn't unique. I could say I've experienced Tex-Mex by eating at a Chipotle in MD but that's a lie. I can and have experienced different cultures when traveling through the US. If the qualifier is this is only experiencing cultures outside your native country then Australians doing the Canning Stock Route are not doing "real overlanding". So that's a nope/fail for that definition.
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Now I want to try that one. If I took the camper off and shipped my Dodge, which has a 62 gallon diesel tank, I could carry enough spare fuel in the bed to make the trip. At a reasonable speed I can get 17-18 mpg. A couple of drums of fuel could put me over the top depending on efficiency on the trail. Not going to happen but it’s fun to dream.
 
Optimistic Paranoid said:
Am I the only one who sees the obvious here? Leave the camper on your truck and pull a trailer with the extra fuel.
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I'm thinking more along the lines of the in-bed transfer tanks I used to use to fuel landscaping equipment (and occasionally the truck). You could do a drawer system in the back half of the bed with a deck that covers the lower part of the tank and keep a majority of the cargo volume. The one I used was bolted on a flatbed.
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So I was wondering if I could reach DRV in a non-stop trip. That Ram I was messing with plus one of these gets you 174 gal of diesel supplied to the engine. A range of about 2,400 miles. :lol

 
Optimistic Paranoid said:
The people who overland domestically are looking for an adventure plus are anxious to see all the vast beauty our continent has to offer.
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Optimistic Paranoid said:
The people who overland internationally would claim that they are interested in adventure and witnessing the world's beauty, PLUS the desire to experience the many different cultures of the countries they visit.
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But aren't these two highlighted parts the same thing? I think they are.

As far as cultures, I guarantee you a road trip from CA to NC to WI to TX is going to show you some WIDE shifts in culture, dialect, and cuisine. Seattle to New Orleans to Chicago to Bangor Maine gets the same result. There are many different cultures right here in the USA.

Call it overland, camping or old school road trippin'. Call it vanlife, boondocking or plain old car camping. It's the same the world over and we're all doing it within our limited means of money, time off, and... fuel range ;)
 
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