I wrote some time ago about what I think is the highest-quality manual pump for the Scepter water can (here). As reliable as the Fynspray pump is, it does require modifying a spare cap to accept the unit. Recently someone alerted me to a rechargeable electric pump on Amazon that costs less than $16. Called then Myvision Automatic Drinking water Pump, it’s designed to fit the common 2.5 to 5-gallon office-dispenser-type water bottles supplied by various franchises. However, fortuitously, the inner flange also fits snugly inside the small cap opening on top of the Scepter’s main cap. The pump ..read more

This photo appeared several years ago in a full-page spread in the New York Times and other newspapers. In the February/March issue of OVR magazine—a fine publication to which I contribute regularly—my colleague and friend Chris Collard published an article with the attention-grabbing, all-caps headline of LAND GRAB. The gist of the article was that well-funded organizations are in the process of blocking off more and more vehicular access to public land, and that an “alarming” amount of such land in the U.S. is designated as wilderness, thus “lost” to everyone except those “traversing it on ..read more

One of my main recovery tools is a one-inch by 30-foot KERR (Kinetic Energy Recovery rope) from C4RS (just say C-fours). It's a beautiful U.S.-made product, properly labeled with its working load limit and average breaking strength. In general I prefer KERRs to snatch straps due to their better stretch, which is gentler on both the recovery vehicle and the bogged truck. However, a KERR is also bulkier and limper and fairly weighty; dealing with one when storing is like wrestling a 30-foot-long, one-inch-thick length of overcooked spaghetti. Recently Step22 sent me one of their Tamarin Trunks ..read more

A few weeks ago I wrote a technical article explaining the science behind parabolic leaf springs (here). Briefly, parabolic springs eliminate almost all of the disadvantages of standard multi-leaf springs, offering far less internal and inter-leaf friction, plus true progressive action; that is, the spring offers more and more resistance as it compresses. On top of all that, a parabolic spring weighs at least a third less than a comparable multi-leaf spring. In the article, I lamented the lack of parabolic spring kits for the 40-series Land Cruisers, and particularly the FJ/BJ40. To my surpri ..read more

Top to bottom: generic, generic, Valpro, Swiss Army Most readers here are aware of my strong preference—some might say worship—for the NATO-style steel fuel container over the various plastic alternatives. (Please read this and this.) If asked to justify my choice in five seconds or less, I’d just point to this photo of a friend’s British MOD (Ministry of Defense) can, marked with its date of manufacture—1966—and still perfectly usable. Do you think any plastic fuel containers will still be usable in 60 years? Nope—they’ll all be taking up landfill space. One of the many advantages of the ge ..read more

Considering most of it was overseen from 6,000 miles away, the modifications to our 1993 Troop Carrier significantly exceeded our expectations. Mostly. The Mulgo pop top conversion, installed at the Expedition Centre in Sydney before we ever saw the vehicle, was exactly what we wanted. Full standing headroom, a full-size drop-down bed, excellent ventilation. The roof was strong enough to walk on, and the modification added just two inches to the Troopy’s stock height. A 100-watt solar panel (which I later upgraded to 200 watts) provided power to the auxiliary battery for the fridge, lights, e ..read more

Jonathan and Roseann wrote their way across Australia in 2019. Do you dream of becoming a full-time freelance writer, or would you just like to write well enough to contribute articles to a specialized magazine devoted to your favorite activity? Do you have a short story or novel bottled up inside you? A children’s book? Or do you keep a field journal and simply want to record the world around you in a scientifically literate and yet interesting fashion? Whether your passion is non-fiction travel and adventure writing, long or short-form fiction, journaling, technical, or scientific writing—y ..read more

Nearly 30 years ago, Tom Sheppard published the first edition of the Vehicle-dependent Expedition Guide under the auspices of Land Rover. The book quickly gained a reputation as the definitive guide for anyone planning remote vehicle-based travel, whether a weekend jaunt in Montana or a month-long research expedition in Mauritania. I bought my first copy in 1999, and instantly fell under its spell: a fanatically detailed, practical guide that also inspired dreams of far horizons. The author’s background as an RAF test pilot showed in his meticulous dives not only into vehicles, driving, provi ..read more

Left and right: same weight. Does anyone else reading this think there should be a law that commercial airliners be built with overhead storage space actually equivalent to the number of seats? Until there is such a rule—and, to be fair, until airlines start cracking down on passengers who heave on board bulging suitcases laughably larger than the little trial box next to the gate desk—the struggle to snag overhead space during boarding will continue to resemble trench warfare. And if, like me, your carry-on holds such critical equipment as cameras (plus associated lithium batteries), lenses ..read more

ARB's Bushranger exhaust jack (along with its many copies) is like no other lifting device. It uses exhaust pressure from the engine (or, via a Schrader valve, an air compressor) to lift up to 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds) up to 30 inches. When deflated the envelope is barely three inches tall, and will fit and subsequently lift where no other jack can operate. The bottom of the jack is peppered with grippy rubberized teeth; in addition its flexible nature enables it to wrap around a cobbled or even bouldery substrate where any standard jack base would slip. The top is surprisingly tough, and also ..read more