Overlanding in Stormy

March 15th, 2022
Spokane, WA

I have been looking for some kind of 4WD camper vehicle for years.  More seriously for the last two, and decided about a year ago on a van conversion.  I looked diligently for the last six months, but the pandemic made campervans even more popular, so scarcer and more expensive.  Everyone and their uncle are converting vans, but the more reputable companies are booking 18-24 months out for delivery of new conversions.

In my research, I developed fairly specific ideas about what I wanted.  Sportmobile has been doing van conversions for decades, but their styling seems rather dated.  A favorite was Outside Van out of Portland.  They do some sexy conversions, if you have a cool quarter million to plunk down on it.  Yes, seriously.

I finally found something very close to my ideal in a used 2018 Sprinter converted in 2019.  The sellers called her Stormy Vaniels, and so shall I.

I won’t go into all the system details, but she is designed to function quite efficiently off-grid.  Not only does she not need hookups, but she doesn’t much benefit from them.  The one thing she is not great for is freezing weather.  Plenty warm inside, but the gray water tank is external and not heated.  I’m considering ways to mitigate that.

So I guess the rough definition of my preferred travel style in overlanding, though that term has a lot of baggage.  My good friends Darrel and Lily have a bitchin’ overland rig and lived in it as digital nomads for well over a year before taking a covid break.  A beautifully conceived and executed rig, it’s just too big for my taste.  If you want an example of someone who has truly embraced the overland ethic, look no farther than the Tucks.  In their sixth year on the road, and having driven through Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, the US, and Canada.  And not shy about taking their rig, Cuthbert, into hairy places.  Far more ambitious than I, I still respect the hell out of them.  My travel style will be quite a bit more tame.  And intermittent.  No permanent #vanlife for me.

A fair part of this overland style appeals to people with (ahem) more money than sense, as exemplified by the half-million plus dollar Earth Roamers.  I’ve read several blogs of folks who beat the crap out of their Earth Roamers and suffered for it.  Beautiful and comfortable, but more show than performance.  And if you want 4WD overland porn, check out the Overland Journal.  Gorgeously produced on thick shiny stock and containing all form of overland gear you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.

I’ll be taking Stormy on a shakedown cruise to southern Colorado starting later this week – whoo, heavy foreshadowing!

Anyway, here are some online resources that I have found useful in planning “overland” travel:

AllTrails.com

Good source for hiking/biking trails.  Crowdsourced.  You can download trails and upload them to Gaiagps.com (see below).

FreeCampSites.net

Another crowdsourced site that seems to focus mostly on boondocking and free/cheap BLM dispersed campsites, but also USFS free campsites.  Not as well-rounded as iOverlander (below), but has a better database of campsites. An excellent resource.

Gaiagps.com

Solid navigation site/app.  Can create KML or GPX files to download to a Garmin GPS.  Can track your route and save to your personal profile.  On their website, you can easily follow trails on a map, creating your own route to save/download.  Very nice interface.

GasBuddy.Com

The jury’s still out on this one.  Generally useful for finding the cheapest fuel in an area, though plagued by a fair number of very unreliable reports.

iOverlander.com

Crowdsourced website and app where you can look up campgrounds (both formal and informal), wild camping spots, mechanics, grocery stores, water sources, dump stations, hotels,  border crossing info, etc.  Caters to the overlanding set.  International coverage.

MilitaryCampGrounds.us

Pretty much every military post in the country has a basic campground.  Typically you have to be currently in the military or retired, but many are open to veterans as well, though post access may be tricky.  Usually fairly minimal, but very cheap.  Almost never have showers, but most posts have a 24-hour gym where you can shower.  Most posts also sell fuel 5-10 cents/gallon cheaper than the surrounding community.  Pretty much never a destination, but a cheap, safe place to stay en route to somewhere else.

RoadsideAmerica.com

A truly fantastic site full of wonderfulness.  Regular readers will remember my use of this site for my 2018 Road to Retirement trip from NY to Spokane.

Trailforks.com

Crowdsourced site for trails, catering mostly to mountain bikers, though some crossover to hiking, as well.

And, for a last bit of foreshadowing, expect a report before too long on the famous furry trout of Salida, CO.