I've done 10s of thousands of miles across North America and Canada... there is no one best overlanding vehicle, except your own.
I agree with this completely. It's what makes overlanding so fascinating... to me anyway. No two rigs are exactly the same. We tailor them them to custom fit ourselves, our interests, and the destinations at hand.
There was a thread a while back about how expedition/overland vehicles are moving towards this idea of a rock crawler/long range travel hybrid. Personally, I'm open to it. Can't assume everyone runs 235s with IFS. Like TangoBlue said, "Not all roads are gravel." :sombrero:
Oh, side note, I hope I didn't sound as if I was saying sticking the fridge in the back of the cab was the only viable solution. I really don't have much knowledge on the subject, so I'm in no position to say what the fridge can't handle in the environment. I was merely speaking personally in the aesthetic and ergonomic sense.
-RFA