The Meaning Behind Full-Time Overlanding
The Rollercam team loves overlanding as much as anyone else, and if we could swing it would go overlanding full-time. Strangely enough, though, there are some full-timers who take things to the extreme. They insist that full-time overlanding means living like a caveman. That's fine if you dig that sort of thing. It's not for everyone.
Why bring this up? Because Business Insider's Brittany Chang published an excellent (and lengthy, we might add) article in mid-November detailing her one-night experience in an EarthCruiser overlanding RV. By overlanding standards, this rig is pretty luxurious. So much so that Chang shares the retail price of that EarthCruiser in the neighborhood of $350,000.
We've all seen these at OverlandExpo. They're the pinnacle of rigs and can get as custom as you need. Overlanding in one means you certainly won't be living like a caveman. Chang pointed out in her post she never felt cramped for space and felt like she was living in the lap of luxury.
It's About the Journey
Hard-core overlanders love discussing their gear and equipment. They love talking about the size of the engines in their rigs, complexity in their storage areas, how they tie down their rooftop tents with cam straps, and how they managed to rig up a cool outdoor shower using spare parts they found in the garage. All that stuff is worth talking about, but isn't overlanding about the journey, not the gear we hook up to the rig?
All the cam straps and fancy gadgets aside, what separates overlanding from nearly every other type of travel is the emphasis on journey. Destinations provide direction. Sightseeing captures a moment you won't forget. Meeting new people on the road rocks. But enjoying the journey from point A to point B is what makes overlanding so special.
With the right rig you can get where you're going without the need for paved roads. But if you want to take paved roads, that's cool too. It doesn't matter what you drive or where you sleep. It doesn't matter whether your rig is a top-of-the-line EarthCruiser or something you cobbled together from friends and family over the years.
Live the Way That Makes You Happy
As an overlander, you should live whatever way makes you happy while you're on the journey. You might be the type of person who loves nothing more than to spread out the sleeping bag and spend the night under the stars. You might love the idea of closing out each day's travel by finding the most remote spot possible and living primitively. If that's what makes you happy, go for it.
On the other hand, you have nothing to be ashamed of if you are the type of person who prefers a real mattress under your back. Choosing a propane stove over an open fire is all the same. Take that mobile internet hotspot with you so that you can stream your favorite TV shows or catch up meaningful work while you're relaxing in the evening. Overlanding full-time means you need to live in whatever way makes you happy. Otherwise, there's no point.
