bmwrider75
New member
Ok, I'm sure this has been asked before...but bear with me - I appreciate your advice!
I am just discovering the expedition/overland world. Most, if not all of my experience is from long overlanding motorcycle trips on big dual-purpose bikes (GS's, KTM's, etc.). I've got several bikes now still, and love traveling on them, but I have a growing family (6 month old, 4 yr old, wife, and a med-sized dog) and obviously, expedition planning is getting a bit more complicated.
As a family, I'd still like to be able to go on an extended trip for several weeks at a time, some pavement/tourist stuff, some gravel roads, and probably also a (small?) percentage of actual off-road/trail exploring. I've ridden tons of real off-road on motorcycles (enduros, trails, etc.) but never really learned the 4x4 thing, so that's a bit of an unknown. I might love it, I might not do it all that much. Hard to know. Currently we have a restored 1974 VW Westfalia, but I'm finding that a bit too small and not really all-season capable for our current size family and weather conditions.
We like to camp and be self-sufficient. I do NOT ever want to rely on campsites with "hookups", though I presume that probably goes without saying on a forum like this. My wife and I love good wine and good food, and one of our absolute requirements for a rig is an excellent kitchen and food storage setup.
The weather out here in Eastern Canada is often variable, and I'd like to be able to use such a rig much of the year - i.e. camping in snowy conditions for x-country ski trips, snowshoeing, etc. - so I would want it to be heated and liveable in all weather conditions - rain, snow, heat, etc.
I'm open to suggestions as to the best route to go. Obviously budget is something of a restriction, which is to say that we couldn't afford an EarthRoamer, but we could probably sink close to 50-60k into a project like this, if it were useable all year round (both as a rig, and as a daily driver).
I don't have any preconceptions of brand, style, trailer vs. self-enclosed, etc. etc.
I would much appreciate any thoughts as to some guidance on how to narrow down the options. Currently my thinking is to go with a clamshell trailer like the KK or the AT Oasis and tow that behind a decent modern 4x4 SUV, but I am sure there are many more options and possibilities.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Nice to find this group. The Forum and the Overland Journal are fantastic! :smiley_drive:
dc
I am just discovering the expedition/overland world. Most, if not all of my experience is from long overlanding motorcycle trips on big dual-purpose bikes (GS's, KTM's, etc.). I've got several bikes now still, and love traveling on them, but I have a growing family (6 month old, 4 yr old, wife, and a med-sized dog) and obviously, expedition planning is getting a bit more complicated.
As a family, I'd still like to be able to go on an extended trip for several weeks at a time, some pavement/tourist stuff, some gravel roads, and probably also a (small?) percentage of actual off-road/trail exploring. I've ridden tons of real off-road on motorcycles (enduros, trails, etc.) but never really learned the 4x4 thing, so that's a bit of an unknown. I might love it, I might not do it all that much. Hard to know. Currently we have a restored 1974 VW Westfalia, but I'm finding that a bit too small and not really all-season capable for our current size family and weather conditions.
We like to camp and be self-sufficient. I do NOT ever want to rely on campsites with "hookups", though I presume that probably goes without saying on a forum like this. My wife and I love good wine and good food, and one of our absolute requirements for a rig is an excellent kitchen and food storage setup.
The weather out here in Eastern Canada is often variable, and I'd like to be able to use such a rig much of the year - i.e. camping in snowy conditions for x-country ski trips, snowshoeing, etc. - so I would want it to be heated and liveable in all weather conditions - rain, snow, heat, etc.
I'm open to suggestions as to the best route to go. Obviously budget is something of a restriction, which is to say that we couldn't afford an EarthRoamer, but we could probably sink close to 50-60k into a project like this, if it were useable all year round (both as a rig, and as a daily driver).
I don't have any preconceptions of brand, style, trailer vs. self-enclosed, etc. etc.
I would much appreciate any thoughts as to some guidance on how to narrow down the options. Currently my thinking is to go with a clamshell trailer like the KK or the AT Oasis and tow that behind a decent modern 4x4 SUV, but I am sure there are many more options and possibilities.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Nice to find this group. The Forum and the Overland Journal are fantastic! :smiley_drive:
dc