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Overlanding possiblity

javelina

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I’d encourage you to find a local off road park and maybe another B6G member who can take you around. It was really helpful for me to learn the capability and limits of my base non-sas bronco - in a controlled environment with plenty of tow vehicles around. That way, when you’re out in “nature” you aren’t second-guessing the obstacle in front of you.

You will probably be SHOCKED how far a bronco in 4-LO (no lockers) will take you. If you have the rear locker option, even better.

Watch those highway tires on the rocks (punctures) and mud, though. Would be my only suggested upgrade before heading way out in the boonies. That and a tow strap.
Good point. Always good to wheel with a friend (in another vehicle). you never know what can crop up!
 

Ellishousehold

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We overland/car camp with a rooftop tent (wife worries about critters and feels better when off the ground). My goal is the get away from all the camp grounds/people so setup has to be able to travel over medium - difficult 4x4 trails for dispersed sites. Tried it on top of my Gobi rack and it worked great, but hated how top heavy the Bronco felt on the trail. We picked up a Smittybilt Scout trailer and outfitted it and we love it. Biggest advantage is we can leave camp to tool around and leave the trailer behind without having to pack everything up. Goes just about anywhere.
Ford Bronco Overlanding possiblity IMG_4038
Ford Bronco Overlanding possiblity IMG_4014
Ford Bronco Overlanding possiblity IMG_2916
 

EasternSierra

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And here I thought 'overlanding' was car camping, but ya had to strap all your crap to the outside of the vehicle so others could pass judgement on just how bad-a$$ of an overlander you were by how much money you wasted on vehicle adornment choices...

If you just leave it hidden in the back of the bronco... you can't get likes and followers or acknowledgement... and what fun is that ?
I've been overlanding for over 40 years now but never strapped anything to the outside of my rig. Guess my life has been a failure... :sadface: :wink:
 

Summit981

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Clubs
 
Really depends upon your personal expectation of overlanding. However, the current definition by Overland Journal.com is 'Self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey itself is the primary goal. It typically involves using off-road capable vehicles, like modified trucks, motorcycles or even bicycles, for extended periods (weeks, months, or even years) and often crossing international borders. The focus is on exploration and experiencing different cultures, rather than just reaching a specific destination.' So, yeah, not a focus on testing your vehicle / driving skills on technical terrain (i.e., off-roading, four-wheeling) nor even car camping although... doing those activities and more (e.g., navigation, recovery, customs/border processes, medical/first aid, and a bit of roadside auto maintenance/repairs) is very important to building up your skills/expertise as an overlander.

Overlanders' true love is crossing into new countries and experiencing different peoples and their cultures. Some popular areas include Central America, South America, Iceland, East Asia, and certainly Africa. Overlanders often pack their families and just travel together for a long time, often "road schooling" their kids as they roll along. If you're headed overseas, you wil have to learn quite a bit about customs, auto carnets, vehicle shipping in containers, and pick up a little of the foreign language(s) and cultures you will be interacting with along the way, to keep you out of trouble.

Currently in the industry, there tends to be too much focus on buying "things" for the vehicle... which leads to the phenomenon of "overloading". The more important thing to figure out is whether or not you/your partner enjoy the haphazardness of living/traveling on the road together. I'd say trying out car camping would be a great step to see how you really will take to being outdoors / traveling in all kinds of weather and circumstances. Start out on some weekends and build toward multi-week experiences. See if you like that first and pick up some skills.
 

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javelina

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I'd overland, but my Braptor doesn't like to lose line of sight with any gas stations.

Back to OP. Good thread, enjoy your offroading!
 

Pops

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Porter the saw on it's side to prevent bar oil leaks.

A Silky Saw provides near chainsaw effectiveness in a small, folding, easy to always have with you package.
Do we need a thread with arguments about, "What's the Best Chainsaw?"? :facepalm:
I'd be left out of that thread; below is what I have/take. I need a new one, must checkout Silky Saw.

No gas, no oil, no leaks, extra workout, longer time outside to enjoy trails 🤔, works on most diameters of wood....:sadface:

Ford Bronco Overlanding possiblity saw n gloves


I show gloves because for bloodletting, this is the most efficient tool I have. Every time I figure it'll just be a quick job and do not use gloves, I end up bleeding and cussing :curse:.

The two pieces of orange tape are for not losing it in the brush when I threw it down while jumping back from falling trees (when I heard cracking) and is the length of wood my old wood stove took. 🔥

Watched one of those YouTube videos yesterday where the guy cleared some shrubbery from the trail using an electric hedge trimmer he had in the back of his Bronco Sport. Lesson: take what you have and are comfortable with.

OP -- Your "rig" will do fine in lots of areas, go on some short fun drives with a lunches and rest stops offroad and get used to what you will be able to do comfortably and may need. :like:
 

Danielsand

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Danielsand

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[QUOTE="Summit981, post: 2614565, member: 30182"

Overlanders' true love is crossing into new countries and experiencing different peoples and their cultures.
[/QUOTE]

I guess I WAS a "true overlander". I loved crisscrossing new, exotic countries, experiencing different peoples and their culture, and had a chance to kill them too!
 

javelina

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[QUOTE="Summit981, post: 2614565, member: 30182"

Overlanders' true love is crossing into new countries and experiencing different peoples and their cultures.
I guess I WAS a "true overlander". I loved crisscrossing new, exotic countries, experiencing different peoples and their culture, and had a chance to kill them too!
[/QUOTE]


Bro! (I'm tipping some sud's your way!)

 

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Danielsand

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I guess I WAS a "true overlander". I loved crisscrossing new, exotic countries, experiencing different peoples and their culture, and had a chance to kill them too!

Bro! (I'm tipping some sud's your way!)


[/QUOTE]

One of my favorite movies Gregg. You need to get away from "suds" and put yourself on single malt. ("beer for my horses, whiskey for my men")

Oh, yeah,....and a bigger chainsaw! No respectable Raptor owner would fuck around with electric "chainsaw", ....."battery operated" too. My oh my. There are certain "toys" that run well on batteries, but chainsaws are not toys. Have an honest conversation with your wife, she will set you straight.
 

javelina

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Bro! (I'm tipping some sud's your way!)

One of my favorite movies Gregg. You need to get away from "suds" and put yourself on single malt. ("beer for my horses, whiskey for my men")

Oh, yeah,....and a bigger chainsaw! No respectable Raptor owner would fuck around with electric "chainsaw", ....."battery operated" too. My oh my. There are certain "toys" that run well on batteries, but chainsaws are not toys. Have an honest conversation with your wife, she will set you straight.
[/QUOTE]

Ha, my man! (Love that flick too!) I hear you about the malt, and indeed whiskey for the men! :)

Yes indeed, the bigger the.... uh, er?, wait a minute!!!... you b@$t@rd! :)
 

HighVelocity

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Do we need a thread with arguments about, "What's the Best Chainsaw?"? :facepalm:
I'd be left out of that thread; below is what I have/take. I need a new one, must checkout Silky Saw.
I'm not sure why you quoted me. I don't give a shit what anyone thinks is the 'best' chainsaw. I have what works for me.

The Silky Saw replaced carrying a bow saw for me.

A cordless reciprocating saw with a pruning blade will get things done on the trail as well.

Again, that's what works for me. Your mileage may vary.
 
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swamp2

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@friarfan98 : Your vehicle, with no mods, will get you way further, across terrain way more difficult than think you can traverse.

Stock Broncos are very strong off roaders. Certainly some models and factory options make it easier to push the available envelope for both skilled and unskilled drivers.

Enjoy your new adventures with your Bronco, be them gravel roads or rock crawling!
 

dgorsett

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Sarcasm aside, it depends on which youtuber you learned about 'overlanding' from and how you define 'overlanding'. My personal opinion, is that 'overlanding' is car camping with the vehicle as the main character. Honorable mention goes to the jetboil coffee maker.

I grew up in western Washington State. I watch a lot of those 'overlanding' videos that come out, mostly, because I miss the place I grew up. It's a beautiful area. I've seen several places in those videos that I used to go with my Dad when I was a kid. When we'd go out there, he'd have me lock in the hubs in case we needed 4wd, then we'd drive around in 2H. Very rarely, he'd go into 4H. the only time I remember him using 4L was trying to drag stuff short distances, and pull people out of ditches. We spent a lot of time tooling around out there in 2WD pickups because you just don't need 4wd to get to the places most of these guys are going. Hell, I have seen drone footage of a bridge I've been to many times, including in a buddy's '81-ish Ford Escort. (High Steel Bridge).

Can your stock Outer Banks get to those places with the gear you need to camp at those places? The ones I can recognize, your OB can get to for sure. Your OB can absolutely go to those places with the kit you NEED to camp. I used to go up there in a busted up 72' Jeep Wagoneer with my sleeping bag and a cooler full of soda and some hotdogs to cook over a fire roasting them on a stick. Then you can drive somewhere else and do it again. That's technically 'overlanding'. The hardest part of what they do is figuring out where they want to look for a camp site at.

Can your stock OB be the main character in a 4wd video? No. Do you have the skills for your OB to be the main character in a 4wd video like the kitted out Jeeps on 40s you see in videos? Since you're asking, I'd hazard to say also no. Can you carry around some rotopax and a name brand rooftop tent? As was suggested, you may need some suspension mods to carry the gear that you only think you need because the youtubers have it, yeah sure. You can do that. Do you need to carry that crap around? No.

EDIT: I see you are in TN. I highly recommend that you go to the OffRoadeo there in Maryville and see what a Bronco can do. Theirs are Sasquatch Broncos so they'll be a bit more capable than your Outer Banks, but it will give you a real idea of what kind of capabilities you have. My non-locked Big Bend could complete most of the course we took, I have no doubt. A couple of places required lockers, and I think my Big Bend could still have gone, if I as a driver had the skills to do so. That will help answer questions on whether or not your Outer Banks can do it. Or it may make you want to upgrade to a Badlands.
'xactly: My personal opinion, is that 'overlanding' is car camping with the vehicle as the main character. Honorable mention goes to the jetboil coffee maker.

..with frequent cameos of the 'fridge.
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