Is there any hobby or activity that is not impacted by technology in some way, shape, or form? Perhaps, but overlanding isn’t one of them. Some recent research into overlanding led me to a video showing how an overlander can dispense with natural gas and propane in favor of going all electric. Definitely a high-tech solution to one of the biggest challenges of overlanding.
Interestingly, I came away from that video with the realization that not everything about overlanding needs to be high tech. In fact, there are some decidedly low-tech things overlanders depend heavily on. Cam straps are but one example.
The humble cam strap is a strap made of webbing material. It is waterproof, temperature resistant, and not impacted by direct sunlight or UV rays. The cam strap is secured in place by a cam buckle the equipped with a spring-loaded plate. If you would like to know more, take a look at the Rollercam brand.
An Indispensable Piece of Gear
My own camping experiences combined with everything I have learned from hardcore overlanders makes it clear that the cam strap is an indispensable piece of gear for anyone who likes to leave the comforts of home in favor of exploring the great outdoors. Cam straps are especially important to overlanders.
If you are not familiar with overlanding, it is a travel-based hobby that focuses almost exclusively on the journey. Destinations tend to be irrelevant to serious overlanders. If an overlander never reaches their destination, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the journey was everything the overlander hoped it would be.
So why are cam straps so vital? Because overlanders have a habit of leaving the road. They traverse some of the roughest terrain on the planet. As a result, everything they carry needs to be tightly secured. Nothing can be allowed to move or shift.
Everything They Need to Survive
Overlanders carry everything they need to survive for as long as they will be out in the wilderness. Food, clothing, and water are the bare necessities. But overlanders also carry cooking equipment, tools and safety equipment, bedding, and even electronic devices. Everything can be tightly secured with low tech cam straps.
High Tech Overlanding Gear
To drive home the point that cam straps are low tech, let us go back to the previously mentioned video. It covered the basics of going all electric for your camping needs. Doing so would mean not having to carry propane or anything powered by it.
Needless to say, going all electric is decidedly high tech. For starters, you need some sort of battery pack – be it custom made or something purchased off-the-shelf. You also need a way to recharge the batteries during the day. Otherwise, your all-electric system will not last more than one night.
Between batteries, inverters, charging equipment, etc., you are talking about some impressive technology. You need to know how to set it up and use it. And as an overlander, you need to know how to fix it when it breaks. Going all electric is not for tech neophytes.
Whatever Works for You
Inclosing, one of the nice things about the overlanding hobby is that it is incredibly flexible. There is no one way to do things. Whatever works for you is completely acceptable.
As for me, I prefer camping over overlanding. But if I were to engage in either activity this weekend, you can be sure that I would have an ample supply of cam straps. Cam straps are a low-tech solution for securing all my gear in place.
