r/overlanding

For those that have a vehicle mounted awning which side do you have it mounted on? What was the deciding factor for you? I'm planning on buy a 180 degree awning and a shower enclosure and I'm not sure which to put on which side of the rig.

Thinking about getting a ‘21 supercab with the 2.7l and locking rear diff. I like that I can have the bigger bed to set it up either as a sleeper or have more room for a tonneau and tent. I need to use it as a daily driver too. Won’t be our main family rig but I’ll still have my 2 boys in the back. One still a car seat. The other isn’t. I’d like to maybe do a seat delete on the passenger side. My question is pretty wide.

Have y’all seen these be effective rigs. Are there any good examples of extended cab builds? Any recommendations or input from y’all would be awesome.

My goal is to have something I can do Big Bend, the alpine loop, maybe some easy Utah routes, etc.

Not sure if this is the place to ask, or the appropriate flair, but here goes.

I have an 05 Tacoma TRD off road short bed. Recently installed a Leitner ACS forged, 2 GearPods (mid size ones) HydrPod for a rack system. Then I put on a Topoak Galaxy Pro RTT, with the 270 awning.

My question stems from a camping trip a few months back (before this new gear). I had my tail gate down with bed extender. With a cooler of food/drink, and a full 5 gallon water container. When I would go over a speed bumps in a parking lot my rear suspension felt like it was bottoming out-wasn’t even going fast.

The question; because of the new added weight should I get new suspension all the way around? Add a leaf or two in the back? Any advice is appreciated.

Ran into someone that worked in this field today and I thought this kind of work is perfect for an overlander.

I might need a career switch…

Hey everyone,

I’m considering buying a new Dacia Duster 4x4 (2026) and wanted to get some opinions from people with real overlanding experience.

I’m not into hardcore off-roading (no rock crawling, deep mud, or dunes). What I’m aiming for is more of a light overlanding / touring setup.

Planned use:

• Road trips across Portugal and Spain (mountain areas, national parks, etc.)
• Occasional trips to Morocco (mostly gravel roads and hard-packed sand, no soft dunes)
• Traveling with my girlfriend and a dog
• Camping along the way (mix of campsites and some wild camping where allowed)

What I’m looking for:

• Reliability (I don’t want a project car)
• Comfort on long drives
• Enough off-road capability for dirt roads, snow, and light sand
• Good fuel economy and range
• A simple, practical setup (not overbuilt)

Planned setup (keeping it minimal):

• All-terrain tires
• Roof rack + rooftop tent (or possibly sleeping inside, still deciding)
• Awning
• Simple storage in the rear
• Portable fridge + power station

I was originally considering older 4x4s like a Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD, but I’d prefer something newer, more reliable, and more comfortable for long distances.

From what I’ve seen, the new Duster seems like a good balance:

• Lightweight
• AWD system with terrain modes
• Good ground clearance
• Modern comfort and tech

My questions:

• Is the Duster 4x4 actually a good platform for this type of overlanding?
• Has anyone here used one for similar trips (Spain/Morocco)?
• What limitations should I realistically expect?
• Would you choose something else in the same price range?

Appreciate any feedback, especially from people who’ve done longer trips with similar setups.

Thanks!

Over the last 10 years I’ve been taking solo trips—figuring out what actually makes them worth it vs a waste of time.

Not just where to go… but how to structure the days so they actually hit.

Stuff like when to push vs when to slow down, how to avoid burning a whole day on a bad route, or how to pivot when things go sideways.

One trip I had everything planned out and ended up completely scrapping it halfway through and flying into Vegas same day just to keep it alive. That ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip.

That kind of thing doesn’t show up in typical itineraries—but it’s the difference between a trip feeling average vs unforgettable.

I’ve started turning that into something repeatable—what I’m calling Solo Protocol.

The idea isn’t to replicate my exact trips, but to build routes that adapt to how different people actually travel—more intense, more laid back, more photo-focused, whatever.

I’m thinking about starting with a Southwest version and offering some light tailoring based on how someone likes to travel.

Curious—anyone here into that kind of thing?

I’m looking for a new truck cap with living space and sleeping functionality. Currently I have a decided system and an ARE cap and we use a trifold mattress when we’re sleeping it the truck.

I’m looking for a camper with more living space functionality with a better sleeping set up. The issue I see with a lot of hard shell style campers is that they’re so committed to a great living space that the truck bed utility goes out the window without removing the camper entirely. I recognize jacks are an option, but I’d prefer a permanent setup.

The moonlander x fits this mold almost perfectly. The only thing it lacks is an OEM table. But I’m curious if there are other brands that fit this niche.

Are there caps that are similar in concept to the moonlander? The pop up caps are very cool but it seems like it’s going to require more DIY for the living space functionality than I want to get into.

I’m looking for a new truck cap with living space and sleeping functionality. Currently I have a decided system and an ARE cap and we use a trifold mattress when we’re sleeping it the truck.

I’m looking for a camper with more living space functionality with a better sleeping set up. The issue I see with a lot of hard shell style campers is that they’re so committed to a great living space that the truck bed utility goes out the window without removing the camper entirely. I recognize jacks are an option, but I’d prefer a permanent setup.

The moonlander x fits this mold almost perfectly. The only thing it lacks is an OEM table. But I’m curious if there are other brands that fit this niche.

Are there caps that are similar in concept to the moonlander? The pop up caps are very cool but it seems like it’s going to require more DIY for the living space functionality than I want to get into.

*overnight wilderness camping

We are not really "overlanders" but I thought the experience of this group is closest to what we want to do so I'm asking my question here.

My GF and I live in Calgary, AB, right next to the Rocky Mountains, Banff, Lake Louise, Kananaskis, Waiparous and a short drive from all that BC is.

We are avid hikers and outdoor lovers. We do a hike in the mountains almost every weekend. We usually have a fire and dinner after our hikes before heading back home. We also cycle and may take up mountain biking in the future. We also kayak.

I'm an avid dirt biker. The trail heads we ride from are usually on forest roads. I ride year round which means driving icy and snowy unplowed roads in winter.

We love camping but not in a tent. Many of the areas we frequent have lots of bear activity. In some areas camping is only allowed in hard sided trailers. Tents are either not recommended or outright forbidden.

One of the major disappointments of our lifestyle is that all these activities are done as day activities instead of overnights. We currently use a Lexus RX as our trip vehicle. It works as it has a decent amount of storage volume for gear, food, firewood, BBQ, etc. and it is AWD but we are straining it in almost every dimension. A Lexus RX was never designed for rough logging roads.

I'm not a 4x4/off road guy. I have a dirt bike if I want to tackle tough trails. The only thing my vehicle needs to do is get us to the trail heads and the best wilderness camping spots.

I am thinking of getting a Land Rover LR4 so we can increase the scope of our adventures. My thinking goes something like this...

- The LR4 would work well for day hikes because it is roomy, nice to drive on highways and will handle rough roads well. It has lots of storage room, even with 4-5 people in it.

- For quick, short overnight stays after hiking (wilderness camping), we would equip the LR4 with a swing away hitch kitchen which would store all of our cooking gear, cooler, dry food, etc. It would be bear proof. That would leave the back of the LR4 open for sleeping. Food cannot be left outside the vehicle in bear territory.

- For camping (glamping) excursions we'd buy a 20 ish foot travel trailer and tow it with the LR4. This would allow us to travel somewhere and make the trailer a home base and then do various side trips with the LR4. A typical excursion trip for us would be Vancouver Island, Fernie, Revelstoke, Montana, Idaho, Moab, etc.

We've considered a Ford AWD Transit van. It would have more room for the overnight trips but wouldn't be as nice as a trailer on the camping excursions. It wouldn't be great as a daily driver. It would be overkill on day trips. It wouldn't off road nearly as well as the LR4.

Transit vans are stupid expensive these days. Converting a van would take a lot of time, energy and money.

I've considered an F150, with a topper. The long bed on the CC (6.5') would have more room for the overnight trips, but not by a lot. It would pull a trailer a little better. It would be an OK daily driver. It would be overkill on day trips but not as bad as the Transit. I'm just not in love with the idea of having a pickup truck and the finish in the bed and canopy wouldn't be as nice as the inside of the LR4.

I've been reading about other SUVs. Not many have a tow rating like the LR4 (7700 pounds) or are as off road capable. Not many have enough room to sleep 2 adults in the back.

I am aware of the LR4's reliability issues. I'm a good mechanic and have a good set of tools. I feel I could perform all the necessary repairs on it myself. Parts seem to be reasonably priced.

It seems kind of funny that a 10 year old vehicle is at the top of my list for our lifestyle. The last year the LR4 was produced was 2016. The LR5 is considerably smaller in the back and less capable off road and most other vehicles I've looked at miss one or more of our check boxes.

Am I missing something ?

Thanks

TLDR: couple wants a vehicle to do hiking day trips and overnight wilderness camping, that is competent on backcountry roads and able to pull a medium sized travel trailer. Is a 10 -15 year old Land Rover LR4 really the best vehicle for this use case ?

I have a Land Rover LR3 with a roof top tent and I am thinking about trying to install a diesel heater on my molle panel so I can heat up the tent at night or during winter months. I've seen some all-in-one units online and the toolbox style ones too, just curious if anyone has any suggestions for the best and smallest option out there. I dont want it to stick out too much since it is on the side of my vehicle. I don't need a ton of heat either since it is just heating a small tent. In a perfect world I dont want to have to take the heater on and off all the time either, so just curious what people have already done and what you suggest! Thanks :D

https://preview.redd.it/0f2sli5vdkwg1.jpg?width=1004&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3ca11c28d229cd1b876d608f2e34e7ab391d0b1

https://preview.redd.it/yksjti5vdkwg1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=94d7feeae1980e8266aff94dc0664e3dda024a27

https://preview.redd.it/15gwwj5vdkwg1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92926aa3fd9e078190fc344982778937ef884413

I'm getting a Tacoma soon and can't wait to get all the good overlanding goodies for it. I want to get a tent that goes on top of a bed rack (I don't want a tent that utilizes the bed, so the bed can be used for storage). However, many of these rooftop tents seem a little... vertically challenged, especially when it comes to positions where a partner might have their head elevated and having fun.

Is this the most important thing about camping? No, but also yes! I love my lady, simple as that.

I'm looking mainly for recommendations based on personal experience, but open to good finds. I'm not a fan of tents that are wider than the car while packed, and I'm looking for hybrid or hardshell ones. I know the dimensions are available online for many, but it's hard to know by calculation vs real life, where my head might end up brushing the tent edge while reminding my partner how much I love her.

I know it's a funny topic, but no joking! I'm just looking for a great tent!