Expedition Overland??

I’ve tried to watch the series but I just can’t get into it. Seems like a lot of fire roads, long stretches of “scenery porn”... and a lot of glamping. I was hoping there would be more technical/difficult trails, really pushing the limits of the rigs.. even some moderately difficult wheeling is not present. I just can’t find any parts of the videos that are all that interesting. It seems like each scene is drawn out and the narration contains useless or ambiguous information. Maybe it’s just me.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very cool the types of things they do, places they go. But I find my eyes glossing over after watching for 1 minute. It just doesn’t hold my attention.

Has anyone else watched? What do you think?

 

I really like it. Wife and kids like it too. The little history facts and such as they go keep it interesting to me.

I get bored with simple trail riding videos.

 

The Mountain State Overland videos aren't bad either. Season 3 seems better than their earlier stuff but I don't know why exactly.

 

I think I was hoping it would be in the format they have it, but with a little more emphasis on the wheeling. It seems more centered around the logistics, which I know is a HUGE part of their trips, but it's not as interesting to the viewer... or at least me.

 

I really enjoyed the first season, but that might just be because I'm biased towards my own state.. Every subsequent season has been lacking something... They have some early videos that focused more on the the wheeling aspect I liked as well. I think as they rack up the sponsors it turns into more of an advertisement...

 

First and foremost, thanks for watching!

I get that it's not for everyone but we aim to entertain as many as possible.

I've got a season 3 thread going here fwiw:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ca-2017-debuts-10-27-17.514851/#post-16342887

 

I really enjoy the videos. I'll be honest, their videos are a huge reason I bought a Tacoma and convinced by friends when they were looking to trade their grand Cherokee to get a 4runner.

You don't build a overlanding rig to do difficult hardcore wheeling. It is not suitable for that. You build one in my mind to travel and see places most do not ever see or experience those places in a way most do not experience.

Me personally I have a TJ that is moderately built and has done some pretty good trails in Moab among other places but while it does difficult rock crawling trails well it isn't good at other things. When I stumbled across XOs videos I realized the overlanding type stuff is what I enjoy. I love the camping in cool spots and seeing awesome places as much as if not more than the crawling I do in the Jeep so I bought a Tacoma so I can have a rig to do both.

 

Thanks for watching!

 

I agree to some extent. The earlier seasons really seemed like more of an adventure. Truly getting out to places people have not been or where very few people have been. I think the problem I have with this season is so far almost all if not all the driving has been on roads that are normal routes for commerce and fairly well maintained or at least well travelled.

Not trying to bash on you guys. I still enjoy watching and it is a dream of mine to do the pan american highway but it seems like this season isn't really "overlanding" it is more just a really really cool road trip.

Anyways, you've sucked me in now so I'll keep watching and I'll still enjoy it but just in a different way.

 

Out of curiosity, what is your definition of "overlanding"

Is driving the length of the Panamerican Highway overlanding in your opinion?


Somewhere in the recent years the definition of overlanding took a massive morph. Where as it simply used to be along these lines:

"Overlanding describes self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal. Typically, but not exclusively, accommodated by mechanized off-highway capable transport (from bicycles to trucks) where the principal form of lodging is camping; often lasting for extended lengths of time (months to years) and often spanning international boundaries. While expedition is defined as a journey with a purpose, overlanding sees the journey as the purpose."
Source: http://www.overlandjournal.com/overlanding/what_is_overlanding/

Fast forward to recent and it seems overlanding is anything from a day trip to the mountains or a global adventure, and for some the day trip to the mountains is more overlanding so long as there is an off-road component and the global journey "isn't really overlanding"... this right from your thoughts. Do realize one can drive the ENTIRE Panamerican Highway in a Porsche, so by the "must have offroad" definition we can rule out the Panamerican Hwy as an overland route. With that reasoning one can rule out the popular White Rim Trail in Moab (been done in cars) the Silk Road in Asia and perhaps even the Hells Revenge Trail no? All have been done with a car.

 

That's a great point. I think the definition has changed drastically in recent years and going back 5 years I had never even heard the term. I thought of it as "car camping" for the most part.

To me the first sentence of that definition is spot on but I think there need to be a few qualifiers to help define things like "remote destination". Living in Colorado and Washington, I find that to truly get to what I consider a "remote destination" I need to go down paths that other people either cannot or are not willing to go to. That generally means rough fire roads or off road trails that lower vehicles can't travel down and then drive as far as I can on them. For someone living in Alaska I am sure "remote destination" is drastically different because there are fewer people and more undeveloped land. Basically, there are too many people here.

When thinking about my desire to drive the panamerican highway the term "overlanding" has never come to mind. Maybe parts of it would fall under the definition but overall I would, personally, not define the whole trip as an overland trip and I think that is tied to the "remote destination" aspect of things. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the majority of the route travelled regularly by large trucks transporting goods? To me, unless you get well off that route, it isn't really "remote". Cool as hell but not remote.

For the other trails you mentioned, I think you are getting tied up in what can be done vs. what is generally done. The guys on Top Gear emphasize this well when they take vehicles like a Z3 across the Syrain desert or a Mustang across a beach in Argentina. Can it be done? Apparently. Is it the norm? No. It isn't about the vehicle, it is about the location you get to and how many other people are traveling the route.

Tying it back to your series, your trips to Alaska really emphasize the "remote" aspect of things. How many days did you spend sawing out a wagon trail??? This most recent series seems to be on more developed paths which is why I struggle with the "remote" aspect of things. I think of remote as out of the way and your travels in Alaska seem much more out of the way than this part of the panamerican highway.

Honestly, I have never though about the definition of "overlanding" until now so my logic is probably seriously flawed. I hope my other post didn't come off as bashing what you guys are doing. You are going cool places and using an awesome medium to share your experiences and inspire people to get outside, explore, and see new places. That is awesome and what it is all about.

Also, based on the last sentence of the overland definition isn't Expedition Overland an oxymoron??? Sorry, had to throw that in.

Keep doing what you guys are doing. I'm off to drink beer.

 

You thought someone driving the length of the PanAmerican was car camping?

 

Before I heard the term "overlanding" I would define most sleeping in a tent in a place you drove to as "car camping". That wasn't in reference to the panamerican highway.

 

The definition of Overlanding 1000% has NOT changed!

 

I really enjoyed the South America season. I've been following XO since their days with the 1st gen Tacoma and 100 Series and their newer stuff is definitely much more sponsor driven, which seems to rub people the wrong way. I say good for them for finding a way to get paid to overland up and down the Americas in kick ass Toyotas.

If you like more "off-roading" focused videos, check out Ronny Dahl's YouTube channel. He's out of Western Australia and his trip episode videos feature a nice balance of technical driving, sweet Aussie Outback shots, and how-to. He and his 70 Series are downright bad ass.

 

I've watched them all. I enjoy them because everything else on tv sucks. I'd like to see more difficult stuff, but that's not their reason behind what they do, they do it to see the world, to see most places that none of us here will probably get to experience. Overall I like how much better the editing has gotten from the first season and how their budget has definitely increased in quality. Good for those guys, keep up the work.

 

I've watched and rewatched all the Episodes/Seasons. Return to the Mackenzie is my favorite. Before they got huge, and were just a bunch guys & girls doing what they love.