Why we overland with a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 camper

Overlanding, or traveling over land and discovering new places. It's a question we often get… Why don't we have a 'normal' #vanlife campervan chosen for our adventures? The simple answer is because during the 'overlandingwanting to continue where others should stop.

In many countries in Europe such as Albania, Spain en Norway (and of course also in the USA), there are countless national forests and pieces of land where you can camp for free. The big 'problem' is that there are hardly any roads there, or they are of deplorable quality. Stones, gravel, sand, mud, you never really know what you will encounter.

But let these are precisely the areas where you end up in the most beautiful places, far from civilization and in the middle of nature. All you have to do to get there is embark on the adventure.

Table of contents

The ultimate tour of North America

This article is part of a large one-year tour the United States en Canada in 2022, with a Dutch 4×4 camper that we shipped ourselves… It is a bucket list worthy and a once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten.

The ultimate roadtrip route through America and Canada | Wereldreizigers.nl

We wrote almost 100 articles about this ultimate tour. Below is a handy overview in 5 expandable categories.

1. Preparation

2. Highlights & Itineraries

3. Cities & places of interest (AZ)

4. National Parks & Monuments (AZ)

5. Plan your vacation to America here

Itineraries compare | TUI, Americaplus, sawadee en Djoser.
Motorhome rental companies compare | WorldWideCampers.com
Fly & drives compare | Americaplus.
Cruises and city trips compare | Travel deal.
Flight tickets compare | Skyscanner, TUI, KLM. as KAYAK.
Rental cars compare | Sunnycars, Alamo en rental cars.
Tours and Activities compare | GetYourGuide.
Campsites reservation| RECREATION.gov
Hotels & Resorts reservation | Booking.com.
SIM cards order | USAsim en International sim.
Parking at airport | Parkos, Central parking of park care.
travel items (suitcases, world plugs, etc.) | Bol.com.

Off-road trail at Yellowstone National Park

Offroad with our Mitsubishi L200 in West Yellowstone | A 20% slope in the forest

Today we had another such adventure, just outside Yellowstone National Park. I think the photos give a distorted picture. Here you are looking at a very steep sandy road in the mountains where parts have been washed away by heavy rainfall. Do not underestimate the slope and depth of these grooves, you can just go on your side here if you are not careful.

The deep grooves are dangerous, we can easily tip over here with our top heavy camper

Slow but steady, our Mitsubishi L200 4x4 gets pretty much everywhere — Slow but steady, our Mitsubishi L200 4×4 gets pretty much everywhere (at a snail's pace 😀 )

Overland = build bridges

The grooves were so deep that we had to build 'bridges' with sand, thick branches and stones. This to fill in the grooves so that we do not hit the ground with the camper or worse, get stuck or even tilt.

Sometimes we have to 'build bridges' ourselves with sand, stones and branches for our Mitsubishi L200 camper

In the meantime, we have to check whether the ground clearance is good, in other words whether we are not touching the ground

The large off-road tires would simply disappear in this ditch, with all possible consequences.

Best Band for World Travelers

BFGoodrich Ko2 All-Terrain

5.0

€ 176,99

Wereldreizigers.nl asked in one of the largest Overlander groups in the world via a poll advice... What is the best world tour band? The results don't lie. Whopping 93% of the 700 votes chose this band!

World travelers, vanlifers, overlanders and even army units around the world agree: the BFGoodrich Ko2 All-Terrain, All-Season is the best band for your caravan, camper, 4x4 or camper bus.

The band is widely used by army units anywhere in the world. They are also known for being extremely strong, ready for any terrain in any season.

Pros:

#1 choice for overlanders worldwide
very strong
All Terrain + All Season
Great snow tire
incl. all winter quality marks (snowflake, etc.)

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Low gear + 4×4 = the only way

We only came in low gear with 4×4 activated crawling up and back down again. I really wouldn't have started this with a 2-wheel drive, that would be madness.

The photos in this article are on their way back down. This time also crawling in low-gear, constantly looking at our ground clearance and tilt values. It all just went well and we had to get out regularly to see if it would work or if we had to come up with something else.

Crawling down, sometimes off-roading is a real inch of work. Get out, look, a little further and look again

No car is perfect

So yes, why this Mitsubishi L200 4×4 camper? Why not a 4×4 with a roof tent? Why not an overland expedition truck (aka 4×4 truck)?

As far as we are concerned, a 4×4 pickup truck with a camper on it (a so-called drop-off unit) is the golden mean. Both in terms of possibilities and limitations, but also in terms of budget.

Our Mitsubishi L200 4x4 camper with demountable unit in the desert — Our Mitsubishi L200 4×4 camper with demountable unit in the desert

4×4 car with roof tent

A car with a roof tent is more capable off-road, that's for sure. But it doesn't have its own living room and hot shower. Something we definitely want during our 1 year trip. I can't imagine unfolding that tent every day, having no shower and no dry place to work when the weather is bad. You are then really dependent on external facilities, while we want to be independent.

Expedition truck

An expedition truck usually has all this, but is also a lot bigger. An expedition truck is more difficult to maneuver in cities and also off-road, during a tight trail, you don't just turn around… In addition, such a truck costs 100.000 euros or more and consumes three times as much fuel and that money we simply don't have.

A fixed bed, a hot shower, large folding chairs and a mini living room. Our camper has everything we need.

Conclusion Pickup with demountable unit

The pickup truck with separate (deposit unit) camper is therefore the golden mean for us. We have a little more space so we could good solar panels, an fat power station and a electric water heater so that we can shower anytime, anywhere and make our own be able to filter drinking water. We also have our own mini-living room for the evening and when the weather is bad and a fixed bed, which is also nice.

Also read: Our 4×4 world trip camper (1) | Bathroom and interior
Also read: Our 4×4 world trip camper (2) | Gadgets & Upgrades
Also read: Our 4×4 world trip camper (3) | Technique and upgrades to car

Yes, we are top heavy with the +- 1000 kilo camper on the back of the pick-up truck. But still we get (almost) everywhere! We often go cautiously and at a snail's pace ?, but the 200 Mitsubishi L2.5 2003 Turbo Diesel continues to amaze us every time ?. What a great machine.

Plan your vacation to America here