michaelgroves
Explorer
I see lots of threads where we refer to "expedition vehicles" versus "trail vehicles", say, or equipment/modifications we'd like to fit for "expeditions".
I often think that a lit of the diffrence in opinion s due to the different ideas people have about what constitutes an expedition. There's no right or wrong answer, but here's what I think is a useful disntinction between the different kinds of voyages:
Expedition: For me, this has connotations of exploration - somewhat off the beaten track, though not necessarily extremely so. The word also denotes a longer trip - arbitrarily, a couple of weeks or more. The motoring may or may not be the ultimate objective, but it should be a significant part of the experience (for our vehicle-oriented forum). In line with the "off the beaten track" principle, some level of self-containment is usually implied - i.e. not staying in hotels every night and likewise there should be some degree of independence of water, food, and fuel supplies. Single vehicle, or multiple vehicles, and can be an ad hoc convoy of fellow travellers one meets on the way.
Adventure: This is the word I'd use to denote a short expedition (a few days to a couple of weeks). Much the same "rules".
Trip or Outing: a day or a weekend trip in a remote area. Probably in general more technically challenging than an expedition or adventure, can be very much so. Level of independence probably very high as a group, but need not be so as an individual vehicle.
Challenge: a formally or informally competitive Trip or Outing. Might have a speed-related component, but often just enjoying honing the driving, spotting, and recovery skills, and testing the vehicles' capabilities. Rock crawling and the more difficult public trails would fall into this group.
In this model, there is still obviously a lot of overlap between the categories, but I think the vehicle design and packing-list priorities will be quite different for each one. That's not to say you can't compromise and have a multi-purpose vehicle, of course. Adventure and Trip vehicles can easily be daily drivers, and even the Expedition and Challenge vehicles need not be extreme.
Anyway, that's one idea - we're unlikely to all agree on the categories and definitions, let alone the details, but it's nice to see how each of us thinks, so please post your opinions!
I often think that a lit of the diffrence in opinion s due to the different ideas people have about what constitutes an expedition. There's no right or wrong answer, but here's what I think is a useful disntinction between the different kinds of voyages:
Expedition: For me, this has connotations of exploration - somewhat off the beaten track, though not necessarily extremely so. The word also denotes a longer trip - arbitrarily, a couple of weeks or more. The motoring may or may not be the ultimate objective, but it should be a significant part of the experience (for our vehicle-oriented forum). In line with the "off the beaten track" principle, some level of self-containment is usually implied - i.e. not staying in hotels every night and likewise there should be some degree of independence of water, food, and fuel supplies. Single vehicle, or multiple vehicles, and can be an ad hoc convoy of fellow travellers one meets on the way.
Adventure: This is the word I'd use to denote a short expedition (a few days to a couple of weeks). Much the same "rules".
Trip or Outing: a day or a weekend trip in a remote area. Probably in general more technically challenging than an expedition or adventure, can be very much so. Level of independence probably very high as a group, but need not be so as an individual vehicle.
Challenge: a formally or informally competitive Trip or Outing. Might have a speed-related component, but often just enjoying honing the driving, spotting, and recovery skills, and testing the vehicles' capabilities. Rock crawling and the more difficult public trails would fall into this group.
In this model, there is still obviously a lot of overlap between the categories, but I think the vehicle design and packing-list priorities will be quite different for each one. That's not to say you can't compromise and have a multi-purpose vehicle, of course. Adventure and Trip vehicles can easily be daily drivers, and even the Expedition and Challenge vehicles need not be extreme.
Anyway, that's one idea - we're unlikely to all agree on the categories and definitions, let alone the details, but it's nice to see how each of us thinks, so please post your opinions!
