Overlanding 101- Joey Slayton

Overlanding 101 Planning

When it comes to camping or overlanding, different people value different things. This varies greatly when it comes to planning a trip. Some people love to be spontaneous and have no plan. Just “fly by the seat of our pants” is part of the excitement that some want. Not knowing where to lay our heads is a great way to get the true feel of this vagabond style of living. We have done that. It does give you a rush when it comes down to just a few hours of daylight and your search for that place to land becomes priority. Others cannot and will not live that way. It would drive them crazy to have to deal with the unknown. Months before departure they are glued to the maps laid out on the table. Months before they set out on their adventure they have sought out and downloaded every mapping app available for planning routes, stops and camping spots, all the way down to places to stop and eat. Others are between the two previously mentioned. They are somewhere in the middle of the planning spectrum in love with both worlds. They have a general plan for a route for the trip, but are open to making changes as the days will come. The attitude of “we can always come back” is in their minds and always part of the plan. I am not sure in which category you fit, but at some point, you will want to check out certain places, check off places on your bucket list, or just point your rig in some direction and go, and that might require some form of planning. Let us take a look at the resources that we have available to us that will help this make it easier on us to get this done.

Paper Maps and Books

Some of us old school people love maps. We love the National Geographic maps that have detailed images, routes and trails highlighted for ease of use. We love the fact that they have all of the national forests, national parks and other places available so that we can see where we are going at any point in time and do not have to rely on any electronic device that may or may not work wherever we are. No matter where in the world you go, you can find a map showing where each road will lead you. You can also stop by any of the national forest ranger stations all over the United States and pick up a paper map. There has been legislation passed that as long as there are regulations on forest roads and inside national forests, maps must be provided to the public. Although I feel that there is a move to make all of these maps electronic in the near future, they are available free of charge if available.

Books are becoming a more prevalent way of planning and also include detailed maps as well as GPS locations and coordinates, trail ratings, pictures and more to give you a better idea of what you are getting into when you enter a certain area. These books are usually only for certain popular areas of the United States, but if you are planning to venture here, these books are well worth the price you will pay for them. Funtreks (www.funtreks.com) is a great source if you are heading out west to Arizona, Colorado, Utah and California. Their books are very detailed and useful when determining places and trail of interest, level of difficulty that you want to try, and everything in a general area. We love these books and use them every time we plan a trip out west. The Colorado Trails Guidebooks also are a great source of information when you are planning on exploring the multitude of trails there. They are invaluable when you have extra time and want to detour off and explore places you have never been. There are other guidebooks and trail books available out there for purchase. Just do an internet search and a vast number of resources will be spring forth. Just make sure you plan enough ahead of time to receive them before you leave.

Apps

It is exciting to see the quality of mapping and planning apps available out there for purchase. There are so many options that there is something for everyone. Gaia maps is probably the most popular app for tracking, planning and discovering new areas. They offer a great app for all devices and also provide a website whereby everything you save is uploaded and stored for future use. You can create layers and set up your map to look like what you want and see what you want, which is great if you are looking for certain terrain, roads or satellite imagery. It seems like it is limitless to what you can do on this app. You can share what you save with others you choose and always return if you want to do a route multiple time. The cost is around $20 a year and

Another app that I use is the Avenza Map app. It is very different from Gaia maps in that you can download PDF format maps and see where you are on a certain paper map. This is extremely helpful in that you can download all of the MVUM maps from all of the national forests all across the United States and have them readily available on your personal device. You pull that map up wherever you are and it will pinpoint on that paper map where you are. This is incredibly helpful in that those MVUM maps are the most accurate and up-todate when it comes to open and closed trails, private and public lands and other things. The app is free and the maps are free but in order to get the GPS tracking on the app it costs around $20 a year.

Other apps such as onX Offroad, OverlandBound One, TrailView, and Offroad Trail Guide provide lots of great information as well as tracking all over the United States. Trails Offroad also offers an app and website with waypoints and videos so that you have a better idea and understanding of the terrain and trail difficulty.

Budget

Budget plays a huge part in planning. Whether you are spontaneously taking off or have planned months for this adventure, how much you have saved will determine how far you can go and how long you can stay. Make sure to factor in all of the areas in which you will need funds for your trip. Park fees, camping fees, gas and food will be your major expenses. Make sure to check out the gas prices where you are traveling as well, as they tend to be much higher in certain areas than others. Also, consider items that you might need to purchase while on the trip. Will you be gone so long that you will need to restock on food? Will you need more water than what you can carry? Will you need to refill your propane tanks? It also does not hurt to have some reserve set back in case of flat tires or unforeseen repairs that might happen from mishaps on the trails. I always try to take an extra credit card to have for “just in case” times. An immediate need might require immediate funds that you may not have at your disposal. Fortunately, we can have credit and pay it off later. Just remember to pay it off later.

Getting your Rig and Gear Ready

This is the final step in the planning stage of your adventure. This will happen just before you set out on your journey. It does not matter whether your travel vehicle is a dedicated overland vehicle or your daily driver, you will need to go through your items and pack according to where you are going. For instance, are there fire bans? Will you be able to cook with charcoal? If so, you can take your grill. Will you be able to have a campfire? If so, you will need to take fire-starting supplies. If not, then you will need to make other plans for heat and cooking. If you cannot have charcoal or a campfire, you will not be able to grill or use Dutch ovens. More propane will be required and plans may need to be made if you are taking a large canister or more green bottles. If you cannot have a campfire and it will be cold, you might want to take or purchase a portable propane fire pit. Will gasoline be readily available or will you need to take a Rotopax or Jerry cans such as those made by Wavian USA to carry extra? What about water? Sleeping arrangements should be considered, so make sure you have everything you need for that. Dry food storage and how it will be carried is a huge consideration. Do you have a refrigerator or will you need to find places to buy ice every few days? There are so many factors to consider when you will be traveling out into the unknown. You do not want to forget items and have to travel way out of your way to find a place to replace what you forgot. A checklist would be very helpful in this area and should be considered.

I cannot cover all there is to cover in this area of planning before a trip. There is no all-inclusive paper written or podcast that could possibly include every variation of trip out there. It would be impossible to include everything for everyone but what we can do is lay out some ground rules or guidelines to get you started. Every time you get a new trip or adventure under your belt, you will get better. You will know what you need to take. You will forget less things. You will always be making changes to your setup, your gear and your list of items to take and to leave home. Think about what you thought you had to have and then never used. Leave it at home next time. Make room for other things or just make room. Think about how you can organize better. You can ask others for advice and see what they do. It may be good for you or you may have some new way that someone else has not thought of before. It is trial and error. Just make sure you are as prepared as possible before you pull out of the driveway.

Joey Slayton

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Adventures of the Brofessor

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