}

The Bad Road Philosophy to Overland Travel

The Bad Road Philosophy to Overland Travel. "Explore more.. worry less"

 
Remember what your objective of your trip is all about.  What is your activity? Fly-fishing, Mountain Biking, Surfing, Rock Climbing?     To many of us, an overland excursion is simply to get out of the urban jungle and explore the many wonders of our planet with the comfort of a reliable vehicle and to  carry with you enough supplies to make the travel safe and comfortable.  
Since my roots of as an outdoor traveler started with Backpacking... I learned early on that the lighter you travel, the more enjoyable the journey will be.  Bring with you only the necessities will not only make your packing easier, but will allow you enjoy your trip more efficiently with less unpacking and packing at each stop.  Moreover and most importantly, it will be much easier on your vehicle. 
After nearly 40 years of overland travel and nearly 400 trips under my belt, I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of overland travelers.  There are the "Smooth" travelers and then there are the "Hard" Travelers.  

The "Smooth" traveler will plan their trip out well in advance and bring only the necessities that they need and leave room for sporting equipment that they plan to use for there trip.  Typically, they will be better prepared and find their trip much more relaxing wasting less time sorting through all there stuff looking for something that they really need. With all their gear neatly arranged and organized, they will find more time to do the actual activities that you set out to do in the first place.  You'll find that the "Smooth" traveler will usually be the first person to cast a line out, get the first wave or have the coffee ready for their friends. 

 
On the other hand, there is the "Hard" traveler.  The "Hard" traveler typically over packs their rigs simply because they haven't pre-planned for their trip.  They tend to bring way too much stuff and focus their trip on bringing everything.  Typically they are the first ones to break down on the trail with a broken u-joint or axle due to overloading their vehicle with too much heavy stuff creating undue stress on their vehicle.  I've seen the "Hard" traveler go to such lengths to bring way more heavy spare parts so they are ready to fix what broke due to their vehicles being overstressed due to the overpacking.  The irony is that they are usually the person having to borrow tools from the "Smooth" traveler since they forgot or can't find their own tools.