- In the last 10 years, there has been a steady increase
in people taking their SUV or crossover off road
to see remote locations, to camp and sightsee.
This is all just so they have something interesting
to post on their Instagram.
I'm kidding.
This activity is called overlanding,
and its popularity has been growing rapidly,
especially, in the United States.
Events, such as Overland Expo in Arizona feature
a ton of classes, alongside an actual trade show,
with an off-roading focus.
Just around 10 years ago,
there were only around 900 attendees.
Fast forward to 2019, there are over 22,000.
For many car nerds, this isn't really breaking news.
But a lot of people are loading up their cars,
driving to a national park,
and dabbling in a little off-roading.
There's a lot more to unpack here than you might expect.
Where'd this sudden popularity come from?
What happens when social media makes nature super popular?
And with more people suddenly interested in the outdoors,
is that affecting our environment?
(upbeat music)
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Now, let's get back into it.
It's important to clarify to people
what overlanding really is.
It commonly gets confused with rock crawling,
where the primary goal is to conquer
as much difficult terrain as possible.
Many people might imagine a modified Jeep,
tackling some tough terrain.
However, overlanding is really about exploration,
and less about conquering that terrain itself.
Can the roads and trails be rough
or technically challenging?
Yes, but there are a means to an end, not the goal itself.
A typical overlanding journey can last anywhere
from a weekend to a few months,
depending on your expedition.
It's essentially an off-road vehicle, outfitted
for self-reliant long distance travel.
Nowadays, car camping is an activity
that is commonly associated with overlanding.
On short trips, all you might need
is some basic camping equipment,
and a small amount of food to last a day or two.
The long trips, however, can be extremely taxing,
if you're not properly prepared.
Channels like Expedition Overlanding do a good job
of documenting what extremely long trips
that last weeks can be like.
They've gone on several trips that can sometimes span
across multiple countries.
For those trips, they use some serious off-roaders
with a lot of specialized equipment.
But this shouldn't discourage you.
In the words of overlanding YouTuber, Ben Stinnett,
"the best vehicle for overlanding
"is the one you already have."
Even crossovers, or two-wheel drive
can participate in many places.
Plus you don't need to be a young, fit person
to go overlanding.
In fact, it can be a family adventure,
allowing people of all ages, regardless of fitness level,
to participate.
This wide range of enthusiasts allows for overlanding
to have its own market for products.
And let me tell you there's a lot of them.
But before we get there, we need to know the why.
Why is overlanding, suddenly, so popular now?
It feels like the hobby just came out of nowhere.
But if you've been paying it attention
to auto industry trends, this was inevitable.
The first reason for overlanding's rise is obvious,
and it's simply because more people are buying SUV's.
According to a New York Time's article,
from May of last year,
SUV's made up over 47% of all car sales in the US,
compared to just 22% from sedans.
And by 2025, they estimate that the light truck market,
which includes SUV's, trucks, and vans,
will make up a staggering 78% of all sales.
It's undeniable that SUV's are the most popular segment
in the automotive industry.
And you can see that trend from every automaker.
For example, in 1999, BMW offered only one SUV.
Now, BMW offers seven different SUVs and crossovers,
and that's not even including their M variants.
We even talked about how Ford isn't gonna make cars anymore,
on an episode of "Wheel House" from few years ago.
They're just gonna focus on trucks and SUV's.
This is the thing.
As you can see this trend isn't new.
In fact, it's getting bigger, and not just with crossovers,
but with traditional SUVs as well.
The Toyota 4Runner has been around,
since the early '80s, but sales peaked in 2018,
with 139,000 units sold.
Compare that to just 46,000 units, eight years earlier.
The 4Runner perfectly embodies
what overlanders tend to look for.
A great off-roader, that is also very comfortable, reliable,
and a spacious daily driver.
This success is also being seen in the Jeep Wrangler.
And even Ford is rejoining the fray,
by rebooting the Bronco and bringing it back in their lineup
with two variants available,
those being a traditional SUV and a smaller crossover.
People are even going to the used market
to snatch up old SUV's for overlanding.
All this demand for SUV's has created a bigger pool
of people that can get into the hobby,
in the same way that muscle car owners,
of the '60s and '70s took their cars to the drag strip,
and how people with sports cars
might take them to the track.
SUV owners wanna have fun with their daily driver too,
and overlanding is probably the most fun you can have
with an SUV.
The next factor in overlanding's rise in popularity
is the internet.
Wireless devices are everywhere now, in your pocket,
in your car, on your lap, even on your dog.
This huge improvement in wireless connectivity
has made it easier and safer to travel
to more desolate areas,
without having to worry about getting stuck
and not being able to contact people.
This has been especially true amidst the current pandemic,
the sudden increase of people working from home,
in combination with the fact
that no one is allowed to pursue normal social activities,
like going to bars or movie theaters,
have pushed many people to embrace the outdoors more.
People have their SUV's,
and majority of them have a wireless device,
and they've been stuck at home and can't socialize,
because of this quarantine.
Overlanding, now, looks like a pretty convenient way
to get a much needed change of scenery,
without too much investment.
Even I've been considering buying something
I can camp out of.
I'm very tired of my apartment.
If you have a Crosstrek, let me know in the comments
how much you like it.
Overlanding was already gaining popularity,
but now it has exploded during the COVID pandemic.
Plus, having a bunch of people post
their new adventure-based hobby on social media
has also had an impact in overlanding's rise in popularity.
Anyone on social media has probably seen at least one photo
of someone camping in a national park somewhere,
it's like clockwork.
It's not uncommon to find an overlanding post,
consisting of an SUV at a campsite,
with some mind-blowing scenery
in the background on Instagram.
Not gonna lie, those photos are pretty awesome.
I'm not saying that people dump a bunch of money
into their rigs, and go on their trips
to get a few picks for the gram.
But shots like these definitely helped spread the gospel,
and make the lifestyle something people aspire to achieve,
and the cycle repeats all over again with someone else.
However, if you look closely at some of those photos,
you can see that those SUV's
have been pretty, heavily modified.
And I mean heavily modified.
(upbeat music)
Overlanding companies have benefited immensely
from recent technological improvements.
But the most popular advancement by far
would be the rooftop tent.
This accessory alone has been the star
in the overlanding community.
It takes a little time to install on your car,
and almost no time to set it up,
when you reach your campsite.
In addition to the quick install and setup,
its location means that it can be set up in some places,
where a normal tent can't be,
because they require stakes to be placed in the ground.
But that convenience is just the beginning.
If you're willing to spend the extra money,
the comfort and luxury becomes
the rooftop tent's star feature.
People, you can buy a rooftop tent,
with a memory foam mattress, LED interior lighting,
plug-in points to charge your phone,
and it also uses solar panels to charge them.
Nicer than my apartment.
These things are simply amazing.
And I haven't even talked about the ones
that have awnings built into them.
But rooftop tents aren't the only improvements
that have been made.
New refrigerators and kitchen setups have been developed,
and have been designed to fit
into fancy metal drawer systems.
And those drawers can be specifically designed
for your make and model of your car.
If you think you need more visibility at night,
there are tons of fancy plug and play LED light bars,
with switches designed to fit into blink panels in your car.
Even getting stuck isn't as much of a disaster
as it used to be.
There are portable compressors that can be installed
in your engine bay, if you need to air down
or fill up your tires.
If you need traction in slippery conditions,
there are affordable and portable tracks,
that you can buy to help you get unstuck.
The list goes on and on.
All these accessories for overlanding make it easier
for long time enthusiast.
But simultaneously allow people uncomfortable
with the harsher surroundings of a canyon or forest
to feel at ease.
People can even convert Ford transit vans
or Mercedes sprinters into purpose-built overlanding rigs,
that can be a home away from home.
Overlanding can be a cheap or very, very expensive hobby.
There is an issue, however.
I know everything I've talked up to this point
has been pretty positive and it should be.
But remember at the beginning of the episode,
when I mentioned the difference in goals
between rock crawling and overlanding?
Well, that difference applies to the vehicle as well.
Rock crawlers are specifically designed
to take on tough off-road challenges, and that's it.
Overlanders are equipped to handle some challenges,
but there's a limit.
That limit is very important,
because rock crawlers already have a high center of gravity.
Now, look at an overlanding rig,
which has a tent and other camping gear,
usually attached to the roof.
This makes an already high center of gravity vehicle
even higher.
Now, hopefully you can see why it's problematic,
when some amateur takes their overlanding rig
on a tough trail.
Experienced overlanders, usually, exercise extreme caution,
and park employees definitely warn people
of how dangerous some areas are for cars.
But there will always be some guy out there
who thinks he or she can handle it,
which leads them to slipping off the trail,
and rolling their car, and pretty much destroying it.
And without park officials
or law enforcement stopping inexperienced drivers
or unauthorized vehicles from getting on these trails,
people are gonna continue to get into accidents.
(car crashing)
Remember how I was talking
about how great the internet is, a few minutes ago?
Well, that turns out to be a double-edged sword.
Social media has made popular landmarks super popular now.
And as a result, national parks and forests
have had to adjust for the sudden increase in traffic.
You see so many people are constantly trying to find
that next viral Instagram pic, and because of this,
they're forcing themselves off the pre-built walkways
and trails in order to find new angles.
This behavior causes a lot of damage
to the surrounding plant life,
and actually takes a long time to recover from.
Even worse, is when people litter in these places,
causing even more damage to the ecosystem.
Food waste, for example, attracts wildlife
and erodes their natural instincts to avoid humans.
It can also take common items,
like plastic bags and aluminum cans,
up to 100 years to decompose.
Also, think about how much longer it takes
for a crashed Jeep to decompose on the side of a hill,
if it doesn't get recovered.
And it gets even weirder than that.
Remember last year
with the whole monolith nonsense out in Utah?
Well, according to the Bureau of Land Management,
visitor's quote, parked on vegetation
and left behind human waste.
Ew.
As well as parked their cars off a dirt in some sage brush,
the red landscape was scarred by criss-crossing tire tracks,
and what could be a piece of toilet paper,
sticking out of ground?
Not cool.
The monolith stayed there,
until a group of people took it upon themselves
to go out there and remove it.
People were not thinking clear enough
about how their actions affected their surroundings,
when going outdoors.
Littering is a big enough problem
for our national parks and forests.
They don't need more to deal with.
Now, the problems I've just laid out
are just from people walking around.
Now, imagine how much more damage occurs,
when an overlanding rig decides to go off the beaten path.
The damage would go up exponentially.
SUVs and trucks are permitted to drive
through national forest and parks, on designated trails,
designed to minimize the damage brought upon by travelers.
The US Department of Agriculture reported
on an incident at the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest,
at Buck Lake Campground, where a meadow near the campground
was torn up by vehicles.
Where there was green grass,
there are now mud pits and tire tracks.
That kinda damage is basically permanent,
due to how much heavier and more powerful off-road vehicles
are compared to a group of people walking around.
The irony of people damaging nature,
while on a trip to appreciate nature,
sounds like a bad joke.
But instead it's an unfortunate reality.
However, the overlanding community
has not been completely unaware
of careless people's actions.
In fact, people have made attempts to help limit it.
Yes, there are people who go out in the parklands,
and damage them carelessly.
But there are just as many people in overlanding
that are environmentally conscious, and are active
in tryna get others to be as well.
With some basic research online,
you'll find a bunch of online articles, informing people
on how to limit their environmental impacts,
and how to be more mindful when driving through parklands.
These kinds of guides do a great job,
not only limiting the damage caused to parklands,
but also teach people useful tips on how to be
a more skilled and environmentally friendly driver.
I will link some, down in the description,
if you're interested.
The rise of overlanding has been a sudden,
yet welcome addition to many people's lives.
It's wonderful that people are willingly taking their SUV,
with a couple of off-road accessories, and going out
and exploring remote locations in their free time.
I truly love that.
However, nobody wants people to get hurt,
and people should be honest with themselves
about what their limits are when off-roading
over difficult terrain.
Also, pick up your trash and stay on the designated paths.
It's not that hard!
The national parks and forests don't put those trails
and rules in place just because they're lazy.
They're tryna protect the local ecosystems.
So, get out there, enjoy nature,
take pictures of yourself with your rig, post them up,
I think that's awesome, but make sure to do so respectively.
Thanks for watching this episode.
I was not kidding about the Crosstrek.
I've been looking at them.
Let me know in the comments, if you like yours,
or if there's a better vehicle.
Check out Donut on all social media at Donut Media.
We post behind the scenes stuff sometimes.
Follow me @nolanjsykes as well.
Be kind, to take care of each other.
See you next time.