The Farkle-Meister, The Ghost, The Strider, The Autobiography. Which overlander are you?

There are a lot of groups of car nuts: You got your lowriders, your hot-rodders, Drifters, audiophiles, track stars, off-roaders, etc. We [Humans] Love to group things! Even the cars themselves are grouped; Wagons, sedans, hatchback, fastback, crossover, vans, etc. Car enthusiasts, like any passionate group, knows that it goes way beyond the broad strokes and each group has its own little subgroups to argue about and nitpick. Of course the reality is that while we LIKE grouping, grouping isn’t actually all that informative. There are, after all, exceptions to every rule and C-C-Combo breakers that defy the norms. Just like complaining, its easy to lump together a group…

…Fun too. So with that being said, I want to have a little fun and drill down into my little niche of the car world, a sub group of off-roaders which includes crawlers, buggies, car campers, rally, and of course the hyper popular overlanders.

I’ve never really liked the term “overland” or “overlander” specifically because I think that it has a narrow definition that most overlanders don’t actually meet. The term coming from the long distance cross-country travel that serves a practical purpose - pioneers, safari, prospecting, remote exploration (true exploration) and frankly isn’t confined to, or even largely defined in the automotive space. Usually its on foot, on horse, or in industrial efforts with long timelines.

I digress. The market has spoken and it doesn’t really care for what I think of the term, the vehicle based adventure travel phenomenon has taken root in the lexicon as overlanding. But like all little niches, there is more than one type in the group and I think I’ve come up with a fun new set to argue about and invite you to join in.

To begin, lets start with a graph.

labeled here as 1. Premium, 2. Minimalist, 3. Essentials and 4. Quantity

So, what do we have here? On the left, is the total spending in dollabucks for a given path. On the bottom from left to right, is how easy you make your life on the trail and at camp.

Basically as the line goes right, your trail and camp experience are maximized. As you go up, the more you spent to get a given comfort level.

And so, my list.

1. The Autobiography (Premium)

GMC Sierra AT4X AEV on 37’s with every practical amenity. Capable, complete, comfy

This is the person for whom money is largely a secondary concern as it relates to their hobbies. They aren’t necessarily foolish with their money (that’s another category) but they don’t mind paying a premium price for premium gear and experiences. They understand that you get what you pay for and they appreciate having nice, new things and the value that brings. These are the people that have very well sorted equipment and have people gather around their rigs at camp to see all the cool stuff. They probably have some kind of coffee machine or other bit of unnecessary gear because, hey, why not?! In the overland world, money buys time, effort and ease. There are, however, diminishing returns at the top of this scale and nice stuff costs disproportionally more than slightly less nice stuff. Still, if you’ve got it and you want to spend it so you can live free and happy on the trail. I just have one thing to say - we hate you. Not really, but we are all secretly jealous. Some build their own gear and really like to get into the weeds, but in many cases a build is done at a shop and the backend is all pretty much magic. While this again saves time and effort, the costs are a lack of skills based knowledge that could make a meaningful distinction if something does go wrong.

2. The Ghost (Minimalist)

This is one of my personal favorites. This person is very much like the The Autobiography in that they know good gear and don’t mind spending money to get it, but through time, experience or simply preference have learned what they actually need to enhance their experience and what they can live without. The ease is maximized, the clutter minimized. This is the person who rolls into camp, pulls out a chair, gets a cold drink and sits to watch everyone build their little villages. His campsite is already setup or requires such little effort that it doesn’t make any sense to even start yet. The Ghost leaves a very light footprint and is generally courteous to their neighbors to the point that louder groups might not even know they are there. Every piece of gear has at least one purpose and most have multiple. Sure they often do without some of the creature comforts, but they are no less happy for it. Goose 1.0 of Dirt Sunrise above or Land Cruiser Phil LCP is the essence of The Ghost.

3. The Strider (Essentials)

Yours truly out in the wild.

This could also be called the weekend warrior, only it doesn’t need to apply only to those that can’t get away as often as they’d like. This is the person who understands what the price of entry required to do the job right, and puts their money where it matters most. If you don’t NEED a fancy bumper, spend the money on nicer shocks instead or a fridge or something else that enhances your trip. The Strider spends money strategically and makes due with the rest, whether constrained by budget or simple choice not to make life any more complicated than it needs to be. When The Strider rolls into town to top off with gas or get food, you may not even realize they are on day 3 of a 5 day adventure. When they get home, wash their rig and unpack they could daily it and be accused of being a mall crawler or blend in with traffic. Sure it takes a little longer to get setup than The Ghost, and your gear is a little more eclectic but its the same trail and same views.

Another great Strider. Capable and fully self contained. Looks like Daily Driver. Is.

4. The Farkle Meister (quantity)

Farkle is the overland term for all the crap that gets bolted to a car, sometimes for function but often for show. The Farkle Meister is all about that overland style. 35 inch tires rub? Who cares! Got that stance yo! Never drive off-road in the dark? Pfft, gotta have ditch lights still. Winch? You know it! Even if there is nothing to winch off when you go out. When others see The Autobiography and lust for parts, The Farkle Meister gets to work: Amazon, harbor-freight, TEMU…you aren’t fooled by those insane markups for name brands! When you finally get camp setup it looks like an REI garage sale meets outdoor wedding photobooth. String lights, hammocks, couches, bbq, etc. Sure, it takes an hour and 200 steps, but that’s the price of comfort! Where the Ghost and The Autobiography are buying steak, The Farkle Meister hits the ground running with that Costco surplus chicken wing action. Yeah, maybe you should have used name brand replacement parts on your vehicle, but its all good. Sure its the 3rd CV you’ve installed in 8 months, but lifetime warranty yo! Eventually, The Farkle Meister wises up and moves into another category, or cashes out to wholesale to The Strider on Facebook Marketplace. Who knew saving so much money could cost so much?!

You all know at least one of these guys, but for fun, enjoy the KiraVan above. (great story on this btw)

While this is fun, it’s also just FOR fun. Be careful how you judge, because honestly the guy that looks like his truck has never seen more dirt than a driveway might be really careful about keeping it clean post trip. The guy that looks like he sprayed glue on his truck and drove through a NAPA might actually be out there killing it on the trail. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that the main thing to to be out there having a good time, taking good care of the trails and being good neighbors.