The Ultimate Holiday Overland Trip Guide

Ditch the Ham and sweet potato casserole this year. We’re swapping out the traditional holiday for a journey where the roads are untamed, and the only stuffing is your gear into an NJO Pack Bag. Welcome to your unorthodox guide to a Holiday Overland trip.

1. Prep Your Rig Instead of Your Holiday Best:

Before hitting the road for an Overland Adventure, it's essential to ensure your Rig is prepped for the Jump. Things to do: Replace the Wiper Blades, top off the wiper fluid, rotate the tires, check alignment, check the tire pressure, change the oil, and service the brakes. Pro tip: A tire rotation should include your spare.

Or just drop it off at Next Jump Outfitters, we will drop you at work, complete the service and deliver your vehicle to you.

2. Packing: Minimalism Meets Convenience:

Meet the Next Jump Outfitters Portable Hanging Shelves & Pack Bag – your ultimate travel companion. It’s like having a compact closet in the size of a messenger bag. This genius piece of gear effortlessly fits everything you need for 3 to 4 days off the grid. It’s all about staying organized and accessible: your clothes are just a zip away, no digging or rummaging needed.

We've mastered the art of packing light. No matter the trip duration, we limit ourselves to four days' worth of clothes. Why? Because after four days of embracing the wild, even the most rugged of us appreciate the creature comforts of an RV park. Think: long showers, fresh laundry, and yes, the bliss of a hot tub. It’s our little oasis before we refill our water, propane, groceries, and fuel up for the next leg of our adventure.

3. Dress for Mess: The Art of Overlanding Layers & Style

Smartwool for the Win: A set of Smartwool long underwear (top and bottom) is your secret weapon against the cold.

Socks That Rock: Three days’ worth of Smartwool socks, because happy feet make a happy traveler.

The Mighty Pants: Carhartt or KÜHL for durable, water-resistant legwear.

Layer Like a Boss: A T-shirt over your Smartwool base layer.

Mid-Layer Majesty: A fleece or wool jacket from KÜHL or The North Face.

The Outer Shell Game: A waterproof rain shell and pants for rain and wind protection.

4. Navigate Like a Pro (Or Pretend To):

We use Harvest Hosts to find free and unique overnight stays at vineyards, farms, and breweries, planning no more than six hours or 350 miles of driving per day. Supporting these hosts with a purchase is part of the deal. For trail finding, OnX Offroad shows off-road and Overland trails. And for backup, the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer are invaluable, especially in states like Nevada, Utah, Arizona, or Southern California. They're essential when digital maps fail.

5. Campsite Gourmet: On-the-Road Eats & Fireside Feasts

Breakfast and Lunch on the Move:

While heading to your Overland destination, quick and easy meals are key. Here are some gluten-free, on-the-go options that are perfect for anyone:

Breakfast Delights:

1. Trader Joe’s Gluten-free everything bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers.
2. Toasted & buttered gluten-free Trader Joe’s white bread with a generous layer of salami.
3. Sliced apples and fresh berries.
4. Bob’s Red Mill Instant oatmeal cups with fresh berries.
5. Yogurt topped with fresh berries.
6. Peanut butter and celery sticks.

Lunch on the Go:

1. Roll-ups with deli meat, cheese, mustard, and pepperoncini’s, stored in Tupperware.
2. Udi's baguette sandwiches with butter, Dijon, meat, cheese, and cornichons.
3. Toasted & buttered gluten-free Trader Joe’s white bread with a generous layer of salami.
4. Sliced apples, grapes, or berries.

All these can be prepared in the morning and stored for easy access during the drive.

Campfire Cooking:

Once you’ve reached your destination, it’s time to channel your inner Gordon Ramsay with campfire cooking. We prefer the Snow Peak Takibi Fire Pit & Grill, paella pan & Cast Iron Dutch oven hanging from a tripod. This setup offers versatility over the popular Skottle, functioning as a fire pit, grill, wok, and paella pan and takes up the same amount of space in your rig. The dutch oven takes up a bit more room, but it’s epic.

Dinner Recipes (Grill):

1. Paella with Shellfish & Chicken: Cooked over the fire pit using frozen chicken thighs, jumbo shrimp, and scallops. Before serving, shred the chicken and sprinkle it over the top for a delightful communal meal.
2. The Best Carne Asada: Start with tender outside skirt steak, marinated, vacuum-sealed, and frozen for freshness. Serve with mashed avocado, lime, salt, and warm tortillas.
3. Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers: Ideal with frozen jumbo shrimp that store and thaw easily. Pair with leftover Paella reheated like fried rice for a scrumptious combo.

Dinner Recipes (Cast Iron Dutch Oven):

1. Coq au Vin: Make this recipe easy by using all store bought products. Make sure to marinate the chicken overnight in a ziplock freezer bag. Cook in the Dutch Oven hung from the Tripod.
2. Prime Rib & Baked Potatoes: This is where a Bluetooth thermometer shines inside a Dutch Oven. We use the Meater 2.

Get a Prime Rib that will fit into your Dutch Oven with the bones attached. Use a coffee mill to grind enough Montreal Steak Seasoning into a rub that you will use to liberally rub the entire roast. Put your Meater into the thickest part of the roast and place in the Dutch Oven with the ribs down.

Cook the roast slowly over medium heat. You should be able to put your hand between the Dutch Oven and the fire for 1 second without burning yourself. When the roast reaches 125F, remove from the fire and let it rest for 20 minutes in the Dutch Oven.

Remember, the joy of Overlanding is as much in the journey as the destination – and that includes the food!

7. Safety: Not an Old Folk's Tale:

Pack a first-aid kit and emergency tools like you’re a seasoned explorer. Don’t forget an InReach Mini 2 for those “just in case” moments.

8. Our Holiday Trip from T-Town

We left T-Town 11/18. This is our trip itinerary; we will update this section of the blog as we complete it.

• Kiona Vineyards and Winery to buy some wine and stay the night using the Harvest Host app. This stop is only about 4 hours from T-Town, our plan was to just make sure we got on the road as opposed to getting as far as we could in a single day.

We love their wine, and the view from the parking lot where they allowed us to stay the night overlooked their entire vineyard. After 5pm, we had the entire place to ourselves, and it was extremely quiet. Harvest Host etiquette is to purchase a bottle of wine in exchange for the stay, we purchased a case because it’s delicious!

• Shoshone Falls Park, Twin Falls Idaho. Often referred to as the Niagara of the West, Shoshone Falls is a must-see attraction in Twin Falls, Idaho. At 212 feet tall and 900 foot wide, Shoshone Falls is one of the largest natural waterfalls in the United States surpassing the height of the famous Niagara Falls. Shoshone Falls is located on the Snake River as it carves its way through a deep basalt Canyon on its way to the Columbia River. We plan to take in the falls, check out downtown Twin Falls and stay at Rustic Edge RV Park. Since we are just passing thru, we decided finding an off-grid site for the night would be a waste of time.

• Cathedral Gorge State Park is located in a long, narrow valley in southeastern Nevada, where erosion has carved dramatic and unique patterns in the soft bentonite clay. The park's beauty began with explosive volcanic activity that, with each eruption, deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick.

• Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort is at the south end of the Las Vegas strip and a short ride to all that is Las Vegas. We plan to stay here for the night, visit the Rat Packs steak house of choice “The Golden Steer” The next morning we will re-provision and head to the Valley of Fire State Park.

• The Valley of Fire State Park