People new to overlanding often post in our Facebook group, what do I need to start overlanding? What should I get first? What modifications do I make to my rig first? These are all valid questions, and answers often range from the beginner to the expert. Vehicle modifications and gear are often common responses because those are important. With Michigan Overland, we try to focus on articles that are geared towards new people. Our Overland Basics series, we feel, provides an excellent high-level baseline for anyone just getting into overlanding, adventure,
The How I Overland series is a semi-deep dive with Michigan and non-Michigan based overlanders, adventurers, and outdoors enthusiasts. It’s a twenty questions rundown of how they overland, the gear they use, what works well for them, and what doesn’t in their own words. Background My name is Nick Howell and I am one of the founders of Michigan Overland. I am a married father of three kids aged 16, 6, and 4. We also have two dogs, a Goldendoodle and a 1-year-old German Shepherd, and one cat. I grew up in
Michigan is known for automotive innovation. Several of the worlds largest automotive companies have headquarters in and around the state. Large companies are not all the state has to offer though. A good number of smaller companies are making their mark in the automotive aftermarket arena as well. While overlanding in Michigan is starting to gain traction, there are still not a lot of businesses offering overland specific gear. In this Michigan Made we are going to recommend four overland specific small businesses you should follow and support. There are hundreds
Winter time here in Michigan means there’s lots of snow on the ground in all the right places. Why not go on an epic overlanding winter adventure through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula? That’s precisely what we’re going to layout in this Build Up. We all dream of how we want our rig to look, what we want on it, where we want to go with it. The Build Up series puts those ideas to paper. Each installment is a hypothetical build of a selected vehicle, what gear we would take with us,
I didn't realize I could sleep like a baby with so much noise outside. After the long night of loud sound from the waves and wind, I awoke to find a gorgeous sunrise. Honestly, it may go in the books as one of my favorites. It had warmed up quite a bit an the sun felt great after not seeing it for a couple of days. We started the day with an excellent breakfast cooked on our new Everest Stove. Even with the wind, this thing blew my old Coleman out
After a night of decent sleep from the sound of the waves of Lake Superior and the increasing rain, we awoke to gray skies and steady rain. We decided against cooking breakfast and focused on packing up camp and getting on the road. Packing in the rain has to be the worst part of camping. Knowing we still had two nights of camping ahead of us didn't help. The mud from getting stuck on day one was now wet again and made for some messy packing. We started by heading south
If you’ve not heard of the Hurricane Media, that’s okay. They’re a small media company with a handful of men’s lifestyle brands, one of which you may have heard of, Crate Club. Outside of Crate Club though, they run several fantastic magazine/news style websites. One of which, The Loadout Room, we have been following since its inception. There are hundreds of businesses, websites, and people who create extraordinary content on the internet. These companies and people show us places we haven’t been, the gear we might find useful, or provide information
A trip five years in my mind, eight months of planning, spanning six days, including 4 Jeeps, two trailers, six people, and 1390 miles across Michigan's Upper Peninsula has finally come to fruition. Technically day 1 started with the trek from Grand Blanc, Michigan, across the Mackinaw Bridge to my families cabin in Garden Corners, Michigan, but it was pretty boring and uneventful, other than the trip across the bridge and a bit on US-2 West, where we were able to watch a gorgeous sunset. The rest of the trip was
Fire is important. You're going to use it to cook or gather everyone around for some beverages. While digging out a fire pit is an option, some companies are offering transportable and versatile fire pits. In this installment of Gear You Deserve we are going to look at some fire pits that are easily transportable and can move with you. Gear You Deserve is a rundown of gear you might be interested in relating to a specific topic. The series highlights equipment that runs from small to large, cheap to expensive,
Sometime in the last couple of years, I ordered a new coffee press and mug from Stanley off of Amazon. Full disclosure here, I’ve never used any Stanley products before, but I needed a new travel coffee mug. A quick search brought me to the Stanley Classic One Hand 20oz Vacuum Mug. I also enjoy pressed style coffee, so I wanted something other than a glass French press to add to my adventure gear. I initially included a glass French press in my adventure box but thought better of it. Cleaning
There are a good number of islands dotted throughout the Great Lakes. The largest of these being Drummond Island and Isle Royale, both of which are respectable adventuring spots. However, one island in Lake Michigan not far off the cost from Charlevoix has a strange history. Accessible by boat or plane, Beaver Island, has now become a favorite place for finding adventure and planning a vacation. The Places to Go series explores adventure related points of interest in the state of Michigan. We are highlighting everything from the large to small,
When it comes to gathering wood for a fire, what's the first thing you grab? An axe? A hand saw? Maybe it's a high-powered 2 stroke chainsaw fit for a logger. What if I told you there was an option that can process wood as fast as that 2 stroke, but that is no louder than an idling rig. In this review we are going over the Lynxx 40 v Chainsaw ($179.99) from Harbor Freight. Specs 40 v lithium-ion battery 2.5 Ah
