Honest question. How much of “true” overlanding I’m missing not having proper 4x4 rig? I have stock Subaru Outback 2.5 with Yokohama Geolanders 015.

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Depends where you live and what you like about overlanding. I personally like getting down roads that only high clearance 4x4s can get for the solitude but there have been plenty of epic spots that didn't require it either. As long as you are out and having fun, thats the whole point after all.

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Medical_Apartment155@reddit

Overlanding is just car camping with a bit of traveling involved. Without a 4x4, you're just not able to do any actual off roading. So it really just depends on your definition of overlanding and what you like to do. I personally like wheeling my car and doing 4x4 trail to get to spots others can't get to. But I also don't overland, I just off road and camp.

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dikkiesmalls@reddit

There was someone that did some amazing overlanding in a Tesla. In a subie, you got this.

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ghetto_headache@reddit

The places I enjoy going, a Subaru couldn’t do it.
But funny story - my first build, when we started getting into it instead of strictly backpacking, was a MINI Cooper clubman R56.. I lifted it, put a folding bed platform inside it, so my wife and I could sleep inside of it with the seats all laid flat and folded forward. If you google MINI prowler, it’s the blue urban camo mini cooper.

We’d take that thing camping all over the place, it took us to some awesome places. We miss it dearly.. but once, on a trail, I went through a river crossing and nuked my clutch, I’m assuming it must’ve been too hot from feathering it on the trail up to that point.

That made me realize I needed a true 4x4 to do what we wanted to do.

So you can use any rig and and have fun. But it’s just natural that you can get more places in a 4x4

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Informal_Ruin_9152@reddit

You can wheel anything, just depends on how much you care about damage

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Flexion500@reddit

Nothing. Someone else here mentioned the YouTube channel slow roamers. They’ve wheeled their 2wd van harder than most overland YouTubers and they’ve traveled up and down the americas. Besides, overlanding is about traveling, not four wheeling. Your outback with AWD is plenty capable for “true” overlanding

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WrongKielbasa@reddit

In my experience it’s always 1 single rock gatekeeping you from going further. Rarely is it some technical trail, it’s just one obstacle making you have to turn around.

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jim65wagon@reddit

Not much. What you'll be missing is the tougher 4 wheeling aspect which is not the real goal (for me). The goal should be to just get out in nature and explore an area, a state, a country (your own or another), eat some local food, see some really incredible sights.

Your Subie is capable enough to see so much! Go. Have. Fun. If you find something your Subaru can't do just turn around and go somewhere else, there's a crap ton of stuff to see in the world and the fear of missing out can hamper one from seeing great stuff. There's a ton of people online that spend money on a vehicle, or upgrading a vehicle, when that money could be better spent by actually buying fuel to go explore.....

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JDBerezansky@reddit

Are you getting out there and having fun? If so, you’re truly doing it.

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TunakTun633@reddit

Among similar lines, buy the extra gear when you observe a need for it in your own experience.

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Greedy_Street_891@reddit

There are plenty of spots you can hit but for real, I have a Tacoma TRD off road lifted for weight and there have been many many epic spots I have gone to that only a 4x4 could reach. Even then some of the places I went ended up being way too hardcore for me. The worrying part is the fact that sometimes you’re in the middle of nowhere w no cell and if you’re stuck or broken down…

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Substantial-Ad772@reddit (OP)

Ye I know. Well I have Garmin Inreach, but lack of winch and low range kind of bugs me

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sorE_doG@reddit

A rear diff lock? Those are very useful for offroad 2wd.

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Greedy_Street_891@reddit

What I later found was the clearance killed me. So many deep holes that eat an entire tire. Giant slopes that almost took off my numbers. Scary lol. No winch here either def got stuck a few times. As long as you research the spot and hope there is info on it and it’s recent it will be better. The worst part is that 90% of the trail there is nice. Then 10% of wtf is going on. Anyway have fun.

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sorE_doG@reddit

I twice crossed continents with 2wd trucks. The technical difficulties vary with 2wd/4wd, but overlanding is defined by the finding of solutions to problems, imho.

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Letsgooffroading@reddit

There’s so many epic dispersed campsites in Colorado that I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a Subie.

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NeedCaffine78@reddit

Not much. A large number of overlanders are floating around in 2wd vehicles that look like they'd never last. But locals in countries most people overland to never had the luxury of a 4wd and still get around. Look up the youtube channel Slow Roamers for inspiration.

Just get out there, the subaru is highly capable on its own

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Subject-Spinach-5801@reddit

I got a bone stock 2013 outback and just started camping again. I don't have geolander tires, in fact I got cheap Walmart tires.

Last camp site was like 5 miles down forest service roads. Looked like this. Car was completely fine, and the decent clearance let me roll over some small ruts and whatnot.

I'd consider getting better suspension, but 90% of my "off road" driving looks like this lol. Outbacks are great for this stuff.

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ChibaCityFunk@reddit

Every vehicle has it's limitations and every vehicle is a compromise. For the most part, long distance travel is possible in all vehicles and wherever you go, there are always locals driving around in 2wd shit-boxes and Hiluxes that are held together with wire and duct tape.

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saazbaru@reddit

There are times when low range is super convenient, these can be solved with momentum if you are brave. Very rarely is low range or very high clearance necessary.

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Substantial-Ad772@reddit (OP)

Well it’s hard to be brave with almost new 50k daily driver 🤣

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saazbaru@reddit

I am not brave. Which is why I have a Tacoma and 4Lo

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jhguth@reddit

im in NC and explore all over the SE and east coast. there are plenty of FS road spurs that an Outback either just couldn’t get down, or would be a really slow miserable experience, but the majority and pretty much any of the long stretches it would be fine with just occasionally needing to pick your line around a washout or ruts

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Tyraid@reddit

Maybe like 5%