- What's goin' on guys?
Fuller here with Custom Offsets, "Custom Offsets TV"
on the YouTube and today we're going to be talking
about arguably the most tossed around word
at the 2019 SEMA show and no, we're not talking
about the MK5 Supra.
We're gonna save that one for Fitment Industries.
(motor revs and crackles)
So today, we're talking long travel suspension systems,
off-road bumpers and of course, rooftop tents
to find out what's the hype with overlanding?
Play intro sequence.
(upbeat rock music)
Here at Custom Offsets, we live and breathe custom trucks,
but typically you're gonna see us building these
mall crawlers with massive wheels and skinny tires
and that's what tons of people know us and our website for,
but what you might not know is that some of us still
do enjoy a nice trip off the pavement and with some
of the new suspension companies that we've just added
to the website, we're stoked to be able to help you guys,
not only on your show truck builds, but also
on these off-road builds.
So, jumping into it, what exactly is overlanding?
Well, by definition, overlanding is a self-guided
adventure to remote destinations where the journey itself
is the primary goal.
You can think of it like a road trip, but minus the road.
While overlanding is still a relatively new buzzword,
the idea of overlanding has been around for generations.
The term itself seems to have originated in Australia
and was often used to describe driving cattle
long distances across the outback.
While the overlanders of today may not be pushing cattle,
there's no shortage of adventure.
Around the 1950s, companies like Mercedes-Benz
began producing off-road capable 4-wheel drive SUV type
vehicles, enabling the average consumer to begin
taking their adventures off the pavement
and into the back country.
As the 4-wheel drives gained popularity, companies
like Jeep, Toyota, Land Rover and Nissan also got on board
by bringing to market these
off-road capable vehicles.
By the late 90s, you could easily buy an overland
worthy vehicle from just about any manufacturer
on the market, but it wasn't until more recently
that overlanding became the cool, hip and new thing to do.
While technically both involve driving off-road,
it's important to note that overlanding and off-roading
can be two very different things.
While the off-road crews tend to spend their days
climbing rocks, scaling near vertical rawls or...
Rawls, I said rawls.
(beeps)
Vertical walls or sending it through the mud,
overlanding is more so about the journey.
There's also different types of overlanders.
Many primarily spend their time on the forestry trails
or gravel roads, sightseeing and traveling from campsite
to campsite, while being completely self-sufficient,
sometimes for weeks and even months at a time.
All of the gear and supplies required for the excursion
are going to be kept onboard the vehicle and what you
carry in, you carry out.
Some people get a bit more serious and try to reach
the most remote areas for some of the best camping
you can experience and that involves a lot more
than just driving down a gravel road,
but we all start somewhere.
While overlanding has been a relatively well-known
topic, it wasn't until the mid to late 2010s
that it really began to take off.
People began building Tacomas, Four Runners, Titans,
Jeeps and even the occasional Ford Ranger
for these back country adventures.
Often times these builds would be outfitted
with rooftop tents, cargo storage for all the tools you want
and a function over form wheel and tire set-up.
Common wheels like the Method NV are typically paired
with larger sidewall tires to allow the driver
to cover some of the harsher terrain without causing
damage to the wheel itself.
By far, the most popular choices I see are the Falken
Wildpeak AT3Ws and Wrangler Duratracs,
when it comes to tires.
And then as far as suspension goes for the serious guys,
you'll never find a standard spacer lift.
It is surprising though, how capable a vehicle can be
with some of the lift kits offered right on the site.
Fox Coilovers, Dirt Logic coilovers, even Bilstein
lift struts allow you to have a smoother ride
and stuff some larger wheels and tires underneath the truck.
Now, if you wanna add in a little bit of speed,
you're gonna wanna step up to long travel suspension.
As the decade progressed, overlanding continued
to increase in popularity as people began
building these rigs.
They also realized that hey, these things look
pretty neat and we should probably show them off
so other people can see how neat they are also.
And that's, I mean, rightfully so.
Beginning in 2016, overlanding began to show up
at SEMA and it made waves.
Very rapidly, the overlanding craze swept the show truck
scene and by 2019 it even had it's own exhibit at SEMA.
Manufacturers all over the world were producing tents,
cargo racks, bike carriers and even whole travel trailers
designed for the more rugged terrain that overlanding
has to offer.
Wheel brands that historically only offered show wheels
began to offer more closed spoke design wheels
that mimic the true off-road style wheels
and the thin sidewall tires were being replaced
with a thicker sidewall, often in a mud terrain
or hybrid tire configuration.
New innovations in wheel design led to companies
like Method introducing a new Bead Grip technology,
which basically allows you to run similar tire pressures
to a true bead lock, while still being street legal.
Overlanding is more than just driving around
off the pavement, it's all about the journey,
the places you go, the people you meet and the obstacles
that you'll conquer.
There's just something about getting to a remote
campsite that no one or very few people have ever been to.
Some of the best conversations I've had in my entire life
have been around a fire, eating some marginally acceptable
freeze-dried meals next to a glass calm lake
under the stars.
Even if you don't live in the pacific northwest,
there's bound to be some awesome stuff to explore
in your state.
I mean, just a couple of hours away from us in Michigan,
there's an abandoned rocket launch site
that was used by NASA.
There's miles and miles of forest service roads,
amazing views of Lake Superior and a campsite
where you can park your rig inches from the lake
and even a cabin built just for people who can find it.
It literally says on the door that if you're able
to get to it, you're able to use it.
So what do you think about overlanding?
Tell us down in the comments below and if you're trying
to be like this Tacoma behind us,
check us out at CustomOffsets.com.
Peace.