What Is "Overlanding Lite"?
Overlanding is vehicular travel beyond the paved road. Overlanding is the fast-growing
intersection of camping and backcountry travel. It combines our love of the outdoors,
exploration, and wilderness access with motorized travel.
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But “overlanding” has acquired a negative connotation. The term has become synonymous with overpriced camping gear and excessive modifications to our vehicles. New people exploring this broad category are quickly dismayed when they read articles and watch videos that portray $500,000 motorhomes, $100,000 four-wheelers, $50,000 expedition trailers, and $30,000 "adventure" motorcycles. This doesn’t include satellite TV and internet subscriptions, electric fireplaces, and endless luxuries.
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In contrast, Overlanding Lite has three defining characteristics:
1. Enjoying motorized travel "frugally" across varied terrain at the lowest possible cost.
2. Traveling “softly” with a minimum of gear and in the smallest possible vehicle.
3. Covering the most distance with the “lightest” environmental impact, primarily the lowest fuel consumption.
Some enthusiasts have a singular reason for rejecting what has become “mainstream” overlanding. Some Overlanding Lite specialists strive to minimize their cost, equipment, and environmental impact.
Many may say, “Overlanding Lite is just returning to basics.” And they would be correct! ALL overlanding was "lite" originally. It is only recently that technology and consumerism has produced a distorted definition.
Others might state, “Overlanding Lite is a response to societal excess.” They are also correct as the “minimalism” trend spreads to tiny homes, vanlife, the digital nomad lifestyle and now to motorized travel.
OverlandingLite.com is here to encourage the return to a simpler, sustainable culture.
In the process, OverlandingLite.com hopes to welcome new (and returning) minimalist travelers.
By definition, “overlanding” is motorized transportation and thus excludes bikepacking, backpacking, canoe tripping, and other forms of travel that are human powered. Overlanding DOES include both 4-wheel vehicles and motorcycles. (Technically, overlanding could also include any other motorized machine, including EVs, ATVs, ebikes, etc.)
I have thousands of miles of experience with both 4-wheelers and motorcycle tours. The GreatOutThere blog will feature articles that discuss BOTH the "Lite" subsection of four-wheel motorized travel and the ADV motorcycle segment. Please Follow and Subscribe to the GreatOutThere blog for ongoing articles related to Overlanding Lite