You might hear some people use off-roading and overlanding interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. What are the differences between the two?
Are you going off-roading or overlanding? You might want to know the differences before you use these terms. They mean different things, although in both cases, you’re taking a vehicle to the wilderness to enjoy the trails and unpaved areas that offer adventure and fun away from the roadways. In order to understand what they mean, you’ve got to start from the beginning and work your way through.
An easy mistake
It is easy to understand why anyone might mix up the two terms used to describe driving on trails and venturing into the wilderness. In both cases, you need a rugged machine that’s ready to tackle some of the toughest unfamiliar terrain available. This makes it seem like the two terms are interchangeable, but they are not. Both are done away from the road, but they have different purposes and goals, which makes them extremely different activities once you take a deep dive into what each of these activities brings to your life.
What is overlanding?
If you’ve ever used the term overlanding to describe road trips while camping, you’re incorrect. This might describe what you’re doing, but that’s not quite the whole picture, and most of the time, overlanding means getting away from the paved roads.
When you want to take a self-reliant journey into remote areas and survive or thrive on only what you bring into the area, you are overlanding. This is a vehicle-dependent travel that turns your ride into the tent or camping area that you enjoy. In some cases, people will pitch tents on the roof of their rides or on the ground, but many have customized their vehicles to be the bedroom and complete living space.
The emphasis of overlanding is to enjoy the experience of the journey without concern about the destination. This activity is a movement and has become a way of life for some people to enjoy. You can think of the first explorers to venture in any direction as the original overlanders, which makes it an activity that allows many people to get away from civilization and enjoy some time in the rough and wild areas of the world.
Where did it originate?
Overlanding has been popular for years, but it originated in Australia. It’s only recently become a mainstream activity and a way for some people to explore the outdoors. It requires transportation but has much more to do with being self-reliant during your adventure in nature. In many cases, overlanding means you’re traveling alone or only with the other people in your vehicle.
What is off-roading?
To go off-roading, you need a vehicle that’s capable of handling tough terrain in the wilderness, especially on trails. While this sounds like overlanding, there’s a completely different focus when off-roading. Typically, off-roading can involve mud, muck, sand, rocks, or trees that need to be crossed. The idea is to conquer the trails and show that your vehicle can get to a desired destination.
Unlike the lifestyle change of overlanding, going off-roading is much more of a recreational activity, typically involving no more than a few days in the wilderness, if an overnight stay is required at all. Some off-roaders compete on trails to show the impressive capabilities of their vehicles, which can handle some of the toughest terrain and amazing trails.
Some of the most popular forms of off-roading are:
- Dune bashing
- Desert racing
- Rock racing
- Mudding and mud plunging
- Rock crawling
- RTV and CTV trailing competitions
Going back to the roots
Off-road trucks and SUVs didn’t always exist, but they date back to the early 1900s. Using lifted and modified trucks and SUVs makes off-roading a lot of fun, as these vehicles are made to tackle some tough trials that could require greater ground clearance than required for regular on-road driving. Off-roading is a high-intensity activity that challenges drivers to conquer the terrain on some harsh trails.
Should you go overlanding or off-roading?
If you think it might be time for a lifestyle change and you want to get off the grid and spend time in the wilderness for several days or weeks at a time, overlanding is the right activity for you. On the other hand, if you want a social activity that takes you to the trails to enjoy some fun and show off the capabilities of your lifted truck or SUV, you’ll want to go off-roading. Which activity is right for you?
Leave a Reply