Overlanding and Offroad articles

Quick Facts: Story: NHTSA closed its Jeep fire probe on September 29, 2026. Probe: Preliminary Evaluation PE24024, opened September 6, 2024. Recall still open: NHTSA recall 26V363, tracked by Jeep as 21D. Vehicles: 1,076,999 total, with 787,887 Wranglers and 289,112 Gladiators from model years 2021 to 2025. Defect: High...

Quick Facts: Topic: Camp cooking fuel compared for vehicle camping. Fuels covered: Propane, butane and isobutane canisters, wood, and charcoal. Best all-round pick: Propane in a two-burner stove. Boiling points: Propane about -44°F, isobutane about 11°F, butane about 31°F. Fire ban status: Gas stoves with a shutoff valve usually...

Quick Facts: Vehicle: 2027 Toyota Grand Highlander Woodland, a hybrid-only grade. Announced: October 1, 2026, with 2027 Grand Highlander models due at dealers "later this year." Lift: 0.5 inch more than other Grand Highlander models. Towing: 3,500 lb, against 5,000 lb on gas grades and the Hybrid MAX. Price:...

I've been running multi-day desert routes for close to a decade. The mistakes I've made in those years all shared one root cause: I planned those trips the same way you'd plan a mountain trail. Desert terrain doesn't play by the same rules, especially on multi-day routes. For example,...

Quick Facts: Topic: Bronco aux switches, the six factory controls labeled AUX 1 through AUX 6. Standard Bronco fuses: AUX 1 at 30A, AUX 2 at 15A, and AUX 3 through AUX 6 at 10A each. Bronco Raptor fuses: AUX 1 at 10A, AUX 2 at 15A, AUX 3...

Quick Facts: Story: Rumble Bee sold out its first allocation in 90 minutes, Ram says. Truck: 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee 5.7 with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8. Power: 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. Price: $59,995 plus $2,795 destination, or $62,790 before options, taxes, and fees. Production filled:...

Nothing splits the overlanding community like the trailer-versus-rooftop-tent question. After decades of overlanding and founding 4WDTalk, I've argued both sides. Rooftop tents won me over early for solo weekend trips when my Gladiator was my whole kit. However, a purpose-built trailer eventually earned its spot in my driveway because...

Quick Facts: Topic: Mini 2 campsite placement and the reported built-in battery. Main problem: Shaded vehicle parking versus a clear view of the sky. Reported change: A built-in battery, according to researcher Oleg Kutkov. Still unknown: Battery capacity, tested runtime, price and release date. Current alternative: The original Mini...

Quick Facts: Topic: Connected car data study from Northeastern University and Consumer Reports. Released: September 29, 2026. Scope: 21 vehicles and 30 companion apps tested. Main finding: 7 of 30 apps sent a VIN to outside companies. Flagged apps: myCadillac, myChevrolet, myBuick, myGMC, HondaLink, MyNissan and Lincoln. Trucks and...

Quick Facts: Topic: sleeping bag ratings and the ISO 23537 numbers behind them. Main numbers: comfort, limit, and extreme. The older EN standard added a rarely printed upper limit. Which to read: comfort if you sleep cold, limit if you sleep warm. Margin rule: pick a bag 10 to...