5 Accessories for Overlanding

If you're going into the wild, you'll want to bring some things with you.

Emme Hall | 

May 4, 2023 | 3 min read

Ford

You may have heard the word "overlanding" getting passed around more in the past few years. It's a form of road-tripping, where people explore remote locales on winding routes in a rugged SUV or truck. As you might imagine, it was a good vacation option during the pandemic, but even as life returns to normal, the trend shows no sign of stopping. If you're interested in making overlanding a hobby, buying a few accessories can make your travels more comfortable. Here are some suggestions.

Jetboil

Jetboil Flash Cooking System: $125

This compact cooking system consists of a burner and a mountable insulated cooking cup. The former attaches to a 100-gram fuel canister and, at the press of a button, ignites a flame to heat the contents of the cup. It's efficient, bringing one liter of water to a boil in just 100 seconds — perfect for those who need to hydrate dehydrated meals, heat up soup, or make their morning coffee with haste. A heat indicator on the cup lets you know when the liquid is hot so you can turn off the flame and save fuel. Plus, you can swap the cup for a skillet or pot-hanging kit (sold separately).

Wagan

Wagan Lithium Cube 500: $524

This lithium-ion power supply can recharge a MacBook Air 10 times, and charging a phone hardly makes a dent. It has just about every type of port you would need, and the color LED display makes it easy to check battery status and other info at a glance. You can recharge the Cube with AC or DC power, or splurge for Wagan's 100-watt solar panel and get your electrons for free when the sun is up. The 500 will even accept power from two sources concurrently, speeding up the process.

Maxtrax

Maxtrax Xtreme Recovery Boards: $550

When traveling off-pavement, particularly through mud or soft sand, it's easy to get stuck. Fortunately, there's an easy fix: recovery boards. Just dig around any spinning wheels, shove a board under the leading edge of the tire(s), and drive out of your mire. While pricey, the Maxtrax Xtreme are true to their name: Made of reinforced nylon and studded with alloy teeth, they provide excellent traction and are capable of withstanding the type of abuse that comes with overlanding.

ARB

ARB Classic Series II Fridge Freezer, 50 QT: $1,062

If cold sodas and fresh veggies are mandatory for your off-road adventure, you'll likely want a refrigerator. ARB makes a 50-quart cool box that should fit easily in the cargo holds of most SUVs. Inside, you'll find two compartments: one for fruit and dairy and another cooler area for everything else. The fridge features a drain plug for easy cleaning and an interior LED light for those late-night snack searches.

Go Fast Campers

Go Fast Campers Platform Roof Top Tent: $3,999

Sure, you could sleep in a ground tent, but why bother with stakes and poles when pop-up roof tents exist? This model from Go Fast Campers (GFC) is light weight — it tips the scales at just 137 pounds — and it's low profile. It fits two people comfortably and packs down into a flat, hard-sided pallet that accepts crossbars, allowing you to carry a bike or kayak atop it. Plus, GFC tested its durability on the rough-and-ready roads of Baja California, Mexico, so it should hold up to excessive jostling.

Emme Hall

Emme Hall is an award-winning automotive journalist who comes to Capital One after many years at CNET, where she wrote extensively about electrification, ADAS systems, and in-car technology. She also has bylines at Car and Driver, MotorTrend, SAE Automotive, TechCrunch, The Verge, and Inside EVs. A sought-after media personality, she has appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan and is a frequent guest on The Truck Show Podcast, Off the Road Again, and Get Your Hands Dirty, a podcast that encourages young women to get into STEM careers. She is an experienced off-road racer, having competed in the United States, Mexico, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.