eBay Motors — Drive Your Identity
In the modern age of exploration, it’s never been easier for adventurers to bring back proof of their discoveries. Every hidden corner of the world is out there waiting to be captured digitally, a globe full of secrets just waiting to be uncovered. This is especially true across our continent and country — the amount of wilderness and seldom-charted terrain stretches for miles, making much of Canada perfect territory for overlanding. First, though, you’ve got to make the trek.
With the help of eBay Motors Canada, that part has never been easier. Thanks to its network of verified, trusted sellers — many of them based in Canada and the US for rapid shipping — it couldn’t be easier to turn your ride into a personalized adventure rig. Just feed in your vehicle’s make, model, year, and trim level to unlock a treasure trove of upgrades and equipment that’ll help you tackle the trickiest terrain. eBay Motors also has a globe-spanning reach, so if you need hard-to-find parts to get to those hard-to-find places, they’ve got it covered.
So, remember to tread lightly; take away only photos. Here’s how to start on putting together your own ultimate overlanding machine to get you out there exploring.
Getting to Grips
Your local search and rescue probably hates it when day-hikers head up the mountain in flip-flops. Likewise, your truck or SUV isn’t getting out into the back country on low-profile tires. First line on your list should be proper hiking boots for your machine: wheels and tires.
Alloy wheels help save weight, but forged wheels, which add a level of strength to shrug off rocky, boulder-strewn environments, offer a further advantage. Tires can be more of a personal choice, so pick out something that’s going to handle the terrain you’re taking on, whether that’s mud and rock or sandy desert. Customer ratings are built right into the listings, making it easier to pick out a solution that’s going to go the distance.
Going Over the Land
With the proper footwear acquired, it’s time to tackle the heights. Even the most aggressive factory vehicles come with suspension heights that are designed to handle tarmac conditions — to paraphrase Doc Brown, where you’re going, you don’t need roads!
A lift kit can give you that extra bit of clearance to handle washouts or deep ruts, and it also adds to the rugged look of your rig. There are, essentially, four kinds to choose from: levelling kits, air-ride suspensions, and body or suspension lift kits. Levelling kits are the most basic, retaining most of that factory ride quality, and they can be a great solution if you’re compensating for a loaded cargo area. Body lift kits add height while also retaining factory suspension components, while a full suspension lift is a more involved process.
Explained simply, a body lift kit adds spacers between the body and frame of your off-roader, whereas a suspension lift uses aftermarket suspension components to lift the entire vehicle. The former elevates the passenger and provides clearance for larger wheels and tires, and the latter increases ground clearance from the ground to the frame. Air suspension, on the other hand, allows for adjustability on the fly, specifically the ability to raise and lower the vehicle’s ride height at the press of a button, or turn of a knob.
Lighting the Way
When you’re travelling hundreds of kilometres away from civilization, you need to bring along your own streetlamps. One great way to make nighttime overlanding easier is to upgrade your current factory headlights with OEM-like options. eBay’s trusted fitment process means you can find an LED or halogen solution that will throw more lumens into the dark, while still offering plug-and-play installment.
But no overlanding rig would be complete without some auxiliary lighting. The options here are basically endless, but again, finding high-quality solutions with simple instructions is made easier via a network of trusted sellers. You’ll want to check your local regulations to make sure any additional lighting is legal for on-road use, but once you’re in the backwoods, having bright LED bars or spotlights will help you spot obstacles before they become problems.
Pulled Up by Your Own Bootstraps
Even if your overlanding adventures happen in convoy, it’s best to be self-reliant out in the boonies. If you get stuck, you’re probably going to have to get yourself unstuck.
Offroad recovery options start with traction boards and straps, and extend to winches and jacks. There are a wide array of options here, and most of the good quality brands come with attachment points that won’t chew up whichever tree is helping you out of a jam. Make sure you have the gear you need before heading out, and don’t forget how useful a shovel can be.
Another essential in any toolkit is a portable air compressor. Airing down tires is a great way to gain extra grip when crossing soft or difficult terrain, but once you’re back on terra firma, you’re going to want to air up again.
Building a Base Camp
A key appeal of overlanding is that you’re bringing your home along with you. Obviously having a rooftop tent is part of any dream build, but don’t forget to kit out the rest of your mobile living space with everything you need.
Simple additions such as retractable awnings do double duty in either hot or rainy weather, and solar power and lithium battery packs will help power your camping through both day and night. A powered refrigerator is a gamechanger versus an old-fashioned cooler for bringing along fresh food.
And, should you need to keep touch with civilization while you’re out in the woods, having along an onboard radio is a must. There are options — Ham or GMRS (general mobile radio service) — although you will need a license to operate both. For emergency backup, a satellite phone can be a great backup lifeline.
A Personalized Packing List
Getting your camping gear together is all about organizing and checklists, and it’s no different when building out your ultimate overlanding rig. With an eBay Motors Canada Watch List, you’ll be able to put together a package from essentials to dream-build spec, checking off the must-haves with the luxuries.
If this is the summer you promised to get out from behind that desk and into the proper wilderness, there’s no better time to get cracking. Pull together your gear checklist and get exploring. It’s all out there, just waiting for you to find it.
