Expedition Overland - Tacoma

Yup a lot of blah blah blah and not enough dirty muddy truck porn!!!

 

The first episode I think gives a good idea as to how much planning goes into the trip and arts the stage for the emotional toll these long trips have on families.

The second episode really was about them meeting someone they thought was really cool and having some fun learning better Baja driving skills.

Nothing very exciting for a viewer. But hopefully the third episode fixes that.

 

Even if every episode was Clay squatting over a hollow log and dropping a deuce, I'd watch it, because what other off road / travel / 4WD show is there right now?

 

There's another one on YouTube I found last night... but I got bored REALLY fast on their Season 1 Episode 1. They apparently have over landing vehicles but all they seem to do is highlight local groups. I could be wrong though. Just didn't make it further than 4-5 minutes through their first episode.

Mountain State Overland
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFf8PTHJTZwtMWLfFkAkS4w

 

Mountain state overland I believe is a TW member.

I've watched several of the videos while waiting on family to get ready. Episode 4 has some good offroad action. I think they are just starting out. I'm going to keep an eye on their progress to see how they grow.

 

That's cool! I love their channel and videos.

 

I'll have to try another video. That first one just lost me very quickly.

 

I'm thinking the 3rd episode they will jump into some overlanding and tearing shit up.lol I bet ty randomly shows up with a Machete trying to chop down a cactus.

 

Ep 3 Spoiler alert.

So after the gloomy foreshadowing end of episode 2, a couple of them were a little sick from eating bad food.

I've begun fast forwarding through Clay's monologues. The episode was 25% him throwing up, 25% him acting like a guided scuba dive was a life and death experience where his training took over. Am I being too hard on him? Maybe. I wish it was a little more legit with less melodrama. I swear the guy takes a fire tinder kit with him for a trip to the mall.

More sights. Less insight.

 

completely agree... I love the show idea, but all the life lessons and bullshit are exhausting.

 

The XO guys/gals rock! Their first series was a big reason why I got a Taco.

Correct. The rack is an Eezi Awn K9. Those that recognize the name know they are the gold standard of overland rack systems.

I've actually been in contact with Paul May of Equipt Expedition Outfitters about this kit (US distributor for Eezi Awn). The Tacoma kit is FRESH off the presses and should be added to their website any day now (you can order by phone now). Kit includes the platform 1250x1400mm, 6x feet, 2x 1400mm rails contour matched to the roof channels of the tacoma (bolts to factory mounting points). Price is $1050 w/ free shipping.

Here are some more pictures:

 

Damn, guess I called that correctly.

I agree that Clay's incessant need to soliloquy is fucking annoying.

 

This season's episode 3 was really all about being sick and going scuba-diving. There was literally no driving at all.

 

I knew I wasn't the only one. If Clay was a true adventurer he would ride from Prudo Bay Alaska to South America on a motorcycle. Like these two girls did.
http://youtu.be/VV9CvtDf-mo
I do like the overly dramatic shows and the production quality is awesome. They should adventure more and advertise less
End rant

 

Hey guys, Kurt here from the show... and a longtime TacomaWorld member too!

Hope to "fill in some blanks" on the trip and answer any questions you might have as well. Let me first clarify my role in the Central America Expedition, I was in charge of logistics and language. I've spent a fair bit of time in CenAm and thus I gladly took on the logistics role. I don't operate cameras (worth a crap), I can't cook (I can barely feed myself) and I'm not involved in any aspect of the shows production. I see each episode for the first time when it lands on YouTube. I hope you guys don't mind me quoting some comments and answering some questions or clarifying things. If you have a question, ask away... I'd be happy to answer to the best of my abilities.

 

Clay is far from a trust-funder, in fact he put his personal finances on the line to cover this season just as he has with the previous seasons. If/when the sponsors signed on and mailed checks... he started to recoup. He's a quirky dude, but so am I so we get along great!

The trailer just wasn't going to be workable for CenAm, tight streets, ferry crossings, security, etc... all made it an easy decision (imo). The "fat ass cruiser" on the other hand would have been right at home in CenAm and is in fact a popular choice for Cen/South America voyages. My personal fat ass 100 Series (Death Start) will be headed to South America this fall. The 4Runners did have a particular edge... they are brand new, killer suspension and stout drivetrain... plus I dig the look1 I wouldn't hesitate to drive either around the globe.

Thanks for the support and keep watching, I know it will only get better as the season progresses.

Toyota employee? That is the head of TRD, the guy that literally made superchargers and e-lockers a reality for the US market. Beyond that he is a very accomplished Baja racer including a 1st in Class in the Toyota corporate Tundra last year. Let's give him a bit of credit It's funny, comments on another forum wished we had spent more time "talking truck" with Ted and Ivan.

Awesome, I'll pass that along if you don't mind.

Guys, that is overlanding. It isn't about getting in the vehicle and driving 16 hours a day... it's about soaking up the culture, the experiences, the people and activities around you. The word "overlanding" has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people. For some it is anything that isn't rock-crawling, and for others it is anything that includes an off-road trailer. Many "overlanders" spend months just trekking the Baja penninsula portion, staying posted up at a particular camp for days or weeks. We tried to find a cross-section of movement and action while allowing time to capture the trip (filming) all while sticking to a per-defined schedule. We had deadlines (flights, ferries, activities you'll see in later episodes), I feel we did the best we could with the time we had. I would have loved some more dirt time in Baja too, then again I think the dirt there is boring unless we're doing 75+ mph on the dust trail of a Trophy Truck

That is a neat trip. Have you done that route? I'd personally love to do it on 2-wheels some day.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond Kurt. I'm not knocking the guy at all. I just hoped for other content. It was more of a behind-the-scenes Baja or TRD racing kind of thing. I want to watch you guys get those rigs stuck and have to problem solve, but maybe this season is more open road driving and sightseeing. My favourite episode was when you guys were stuck in the snow here in BC.

 

Hey me too! There was actually a fair bit of off-road travel in Baja that didn't make the episode. They have a story to tell and I supposed sometimes you can't tell the A to B story if you concentrate on such a small segment rather than the bigger picture? Hell I don't know, exactly why I run the GPS not the camera

New episode tomorrow, crossing into mainland MX. Spoiler, no way to cross mainland MX without a grip of pavement. Hopefully the adventures along the way make up for the tarmack buzz kill. Appreciate you commenting & watching, let me know what you think of tomorrow's episode.

 

Fwiw, I started an Expedition Overland thread in the trip report section, figured others might enjoy the show and I've been updating similar threads on various forums... spaced off putting one here. New thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ntrail-america-2015-season-on-youtube.384500/

 

Expedition Overland is awesome! Loved every episode up until the new season and was really inspired after watching the Alaska series. I completely agree with most comments about the new season though. The Baja thing is cool and all but stretching it out through a couple episodes and talking so much about it shouldn't have been in the series. And there was no need too show Clay vomiting every few seconds in the 3rd episode. Seems there was most likely just a lack of good content. The terrain was just simply boring which isn't there fault. I have a feeling things will get interesting soon though.