Rocklander - The New Off-Road Term For 2025

[Jim Oaks]

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If you spend much time on YouTube you've probably heard the term Rocklander being used. I hope @RaceRanger97 doesn't mind, but I used his truck as a reference photo.

I was having a conversation last night with @Snoranger who said:

"Even on our forum we have a lot of offroad Rangers, but not many who consider themselves “overlanders”. Overlanding is expensive ; off-roading and camping can be cheap. It would be nice if we had enough interest to need a DIY Overlanding section of the forum.

The Australians used the term overlanding in reference to cattle herding over long distances. Now off-roading is called overlanding and people are spending cubic dollars on mega-rigs to not actually spend time with nature. No matter what you call it, there has always been the “money” class doing it with the best/ most expensive equipment available, and the working class that has to carefully plan, save, DIY, etc. to “overland”."

Most of you and I have been 'off-roaders' for years, and for many years I hosted a weekend gathering at Wellsville and then Attica where we would off-road for the weekend and then either stay at a campground or a local hotel.

Sometime ago the term 'overlanding' began to be used, and people started trying to define what exactly that meant. One of the off-road magazines mocked it and called it 'truck camping'.

I see it like this:

If you go to a specific area and spend the day or weekend off-roading that area, you're an off-roader.

If you go to a specific area and spend the day or weekend trying to climb over rocks large enough that you can get seriously hung up on them if you don't pick the right line, and that a normal 4x4 would never be able to get over, you're a rock crawler.

If you like to go off-road, explore, and camp in a different area each night along your journey and be self-sufficient, then you're an overlander.

If you like to go off-road, climb over big rocks that you can get hung up on that a normal 4x4 wouldn't be able to crawl over, explore, and camp in a different area each night along your journey and be self-sufficient, then you're a rocklander.

If you like to go off-road, explore, and camp in a different area each night along your journey and be self-sufficient, but pull an off-road camper, or you're doing it in an off-road RV, then you're an overglamper and probably losing touch. LOL

If you have a massive 4x4 truck that is literally built to travel around the world and you actually take it to different continents, than you're overly-awesome.

Rocklander:

This term though is growing in popularity, and people are building some pretty awesome trucks such as RaceRanger97's build. Dare I say it, this is becoming the future of off-roading. Younger generations don't want to spend the weekend confined to an off-road park. They don't want to keep off-roading the same area over and over. YouTube and social media have exposed people to all the wonderful places you can go off-road across the country and there's more and more Back Country Discovery Routes being created all of the time.

EDIT: Let me add one more thing; stop thinking you have to have a rooftop tent to be a rocklander or overlander. Although the rooftop tent will be nice if there's no room to camp because of the rocks... You just have to be self-sufficient and have a place to sleep whether it's in a tent, camper shell, or rooftop tent.

I myself follow:

https://www.youtube.com/@DirtLifestyle who built a Tacoma into a Rocklander

https://www.youtube.com/@coltbuildsit who built a Chevy S10 into a Rocklander.

Even though I don't use a rooftop tent and some of the fancy ovelanding gear, I like to camp and I like to off-road, and I get something out of every Overland Expo / Overland of America type of event. At Overland of America, I sat in on an interesting class about winching and recovery and the different methods of running your line for maximum efficiency as well as the benefits to having a shorter winch line on your winch and using winch line extensions.

TRS has always been about budget builds and DIY. And while I will always support off-roading, I'd like to see more people get out of their bubble and explore our great nation. If we can learn from each other how to make that happen on a budget, then that's even better.

I don't know where next year's adventure will take me, but I know I want to step it up a notch from this year's Colorado trip. And I'm always looking for the right people to join me.

 

[Curious Hound]

Hadn't heard "rocklander" before. That's really where I think I fit the most. Though I don't mind a basecamp situation occasionally. I have been doung less ORV park stuff as I am trying to concentrate more on the trips and exploring new places.

 

[Snoranger]

Look at me getting quoted here, I’m basically famous.

I’ve been on both of our Vagabond Adventures. I used a RTT on one trip and a ground tent on the other. Both had their benefits.
The Gazelle hub tent was quicker to set up and break down, it didn’t hurt my gas mileage, I didn’t have to climb up on the truck to open or close it, it didn’t make my truck top heavy.
The RTT on the other hand was off the ground and made my 15 YO daughter feel safe sleeping in the woods. Maybe if it was a pop up instead of a big flip over it would have been better. I probably won’t use it again until I tow my SxS to an off-road park for a weekend… that’s what I bought it for 8 years ago.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I am kind of a chameleon when it comes to camping.

Ground tent
Truck topper
Slide in camper
Tent trailer

I don't really know what that makes me but I have fun doing what I do.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I am kind of a chameleon when it comes to camping.

Ground tent
Truck topper
Slide in camper
Tent trailer

I don't really know what that makes me but I have fun doing what I do.

That makes you confused.



You like to off-road and travel to new destinations changing campsites as you go, and you have a sleeping platform in the back of your truck, so I think you're an overlander. But that doesn't mean you're not also an off-roader. Just like you can be a husband, father, mechanic all at the same time. One doesn't take away from the other.

 

[Curious Hound]

To me, the terminology is meaningless. I'm a guy with vehicles that likes to go offroading, exploring and camping. Sometimes a Ranger, F250 or motorcycle. Sleep in a Gazelle hub tent or a hammock or an ultralight backpacking tent. Cook on a campfire, portable fire pit or Coleman stuff. It doesn't matter. I like and admire all the fancy toys. But my budget says "build it yourself and keep it cheap and easy and functional."

 

[Jim Oaks]

I find the terminology interesting, and as you know, I didn't use any of those to describe myself. I go on adventures; I don't call it overlanding.

But it is a thing. Rocklander is a term that people are starting to use, and we're here to inform and connect people.