You begin to interest me…vaguely
So two guys wrote an encyclopedia about International Harvester’s Scout SUV/truck/jeep competitor and it’s 384 pages long. On of those guys is 4WD historian Jim Allen, and the other is John Glancy, a Scout collector who also owns the rights to the Scout name (?!?).
The book is International Scout Encyclopedia: The Authoritative Guide to IH’s Legendary 4×4 More on the book here.
This vintage Toyota Land Cruiser spotted on the Eastern Shore of Virginia looks like a late 1980s FJ62. Two-tone blue, snorkeled, and aside from the mismatched wheels, not bad looking.
Yet another person concludes that the Toyota Tacoma QuadCab pickup truck is the best (new) vehicle for overlanding.
The Tacoma has been the gold standard for people who want a small off road truck for decades and while the “all new” model leaves a little to be desired in terms of keeping up with the new and strong competition as a whole, its missions specific dominance remains unchallenged. The Tacoma is right blend of capability and cost for maximum value to the overland traveler
So this looks interesting. And expensive. Have to wait a week to see just how expensive, though, as prices haven’t been released yet. AT Overland’s new Tacoma Habitat, an aluminum composite camper shell/rooftop tent, fits on a five-foot truck, is 15 feet long when open, and won’t make your Toyota pop a wheelie when you put 600 pounds on the mattress in the overhanging part.
More details at Adventure Trailers.
Yes, its actual name is the Sprinter Extreme. Expect to see it picking up the garbage at Jurassic World. Actually, it’s a dump truck with fake (?) mud on it. But it’s Extreme!
If a shovel is your pick, here’s your pick. The Sweethome [edit: now it’s part of the Wirecutter] takes reviews seriously, and they lay out their background research, testing methods, and justification for their rankings clearly. Just published is their review of round point shovels by Tim Heffernan.
Definitely read the original article for details, but the clear winner is from Bully Tools, a red-handled shovel with a 14-gauge blade weighing in at a svelte 4 pounds, 6 ounces.
You may have relied on a Razor-Back shovel, but they (model 2593600) get dinged for an unfriendly seam on the socket of the blade. Several other brands are also evaluated, all of them at least a step up (in quality and price) from the least expensive shovels so common in hardware stores and Home Depots.
For special occasions (i.e., rock, slag, tree roots) The Corona AS90300 gets the nod. It’s all-steel construction means it weighs almost twice as much as the Bully and costs three times as much. A more budget-friendly option is the heavy duty Razor-Back 45020, which has a solid steel shank that should be effective at levering your way through rocky soil or chunking out hardpan at one-third the price of the Corona.
Why does the American Swedish Historical Museum have an exhibit on Indian motorcycles? Because one of the founders of the Indian Motorcycle Company, Carl Oscar Hedstrom, was an immigrant from Sweden. The museum, located in Philadelphia, has several motorcycles and other artifacts on display. While there, you can also pick up some herring and lingonberry preserves at the gift shop.
Inspired by a bad experience at Disneyland (no, nothing to do with measles), Leatherman will introduce the Tread, a combination bracelet and set of tools. The bracelet is customizable and you can mix and match the usual assortment of screwdrivers, wrenches, and so on. An actual watch face will be available later. Coming this summer for around $150.
