Photo by Huseyin Bostanci via iStock
When you think about must-have overlanding accessories, your mind probably wanders to the common stuff like a light bar, a winch, upgraded suspension, a fridge, and so forth.
And while those are all excellent items that I personally have in my overlanding rig, there are other must-have overlanding accessories that I’ve got on my list…and that you should have on your list as well.
Below, I outline three awesome accessories to consider for your overlanding rig. Yes, some are pretty expensive, but overlanding is itself an expensive endeavor. Besides, I’d rather pay for high-quality overlanding accessories than be stuck in the middle of nowhere with gear I can’t rely on!
Planar Heaters Portable Diesel Air Heater
To be honest, I already have one of these bad boys, so it’s moved from my must-have list to being a much-valued part of my overlanding kit.
In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m preparing to test it out on an overlanding trip to northern Arizona where the temperature at night is expected to be in the low- to mid-30s.
At any rate, what primarily drew me to this particular diesel heater is the way it’s built. It comes in a crushproof and rain-resistant case (that’s also bright yellow so you can easily see it at night). It also has a handle on top for easy transport. Speaking of transport, at just 24 x 16.5 x 19 inches and just over 25 pounds, this heater is easy to load and unload from my truck and it doesn’t take up much space – a valuable feature when we’re talking about must-have overlanding accessories!
Additionally, this 2kw heater can run on diesel, which is what I’ll use in Arizona, or kerosene (along with the needed 12v power). I like the flexibility of using different fuels, and I especially like that the heater will run about eight hours on just about a half a gallon of fuel. It has a silencer too, which means I can run it all night long and not keep myself or my mates awake with a noisy contraption.
I also like the fact that this heater puts out dry heat. The last thing I want is to pump a ton of moisture into my Torro Offroad Skylux rooftop tent – that would bring about a whole host of problems! And since this heater unit stays outside the tent (the warm air is ducted into the tent), I don’t have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning. There’s a handy wired remote as well, so I don’t even have to get out of bed to turn it on and off.
If you’re going to be overlanding in extreme cold, you might want to opt for the more powerful 4kw version. Planar Heaters also has various heater kits that you can put together yourself if you’re on a budget for your must-have overlanding accessories.
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite times of year to go overlanding and camping is the fall. The only problem is the cold that is associated with it.
But with a heater like this, fall trips like my upcoming Arizona adventure will be much more comfortable, and your trips will be more comfortable as well!
Putco Inside Truck Bed Molle Panels
I have Molle panels inside my Jeep Gladiator, but having them in the truck bed would also be useful for overlanding adventures.
These panels are made to fit your specific truck, so the fit is perfect and gives you all sorts of options for securing and organizing your cargo, be that a Molle bag, recovery gear, a jack, or something in between.
The panels are made of CNC-cut 10-gauge aluminum that has a textured black powercoat for durability. They are compatible with all sorts of mounting accessories, including those from Molle, Quickfist, and Kolpin.
Installation is simple, too. There is no drilling or cutting needed – just use the OEM tie-down area and other standard OEM features in the truck bed for mounting the panels. The panels are also compatible with most roll-up and hard fold-up truck bed covers.
Add in a three-year warranty and you have the makings of a must-have overlanding accessory!
Goose Gear CampKitchen 2.0
As I mentioned earlier, one of the challenges of overlanding is that space is at a premium. That means that overlanding accessories that save space are a must-have.
The Goose Gear CampKitchen 2.0 is one such accessory…
This unit holds your fridge and your stove. And since it has a double slide, you can access the fridge or the stove independently, or if you want to access both, you can do that too.
This flexible design keeps your kitchen items together in one spot, helps you stay organized, and saves space at the same time.
Goose Gear offers a variety of kitchens that are specially-sized for particular refrigerators so you can be sure to get the perfectly-sized kitchen unit for your fridge and your overlanding rig.