The Overland Bound One Support Alert in action! In the vast expanses of the great outdoors, where the rugged trails of Capitan Gap, New Mexico, wind through the terrain, an Overland Bound member, known in the community as @offroadnutz, found himself in a precarious situation that many off-roaders fear. While navigating the back country trails in his 1988 4Runner, an unexpected engine failure halted his adventure, leaving him stranded far from the nearest main road. What followed is a testament to the strength and camaraderie of the Overland Bound community.

With no way to move his vehicle and in need of assistance, @offroadnutz turned to the Overland Bound One app, utilizing the Support Alert feature. This communication tool works with the Overland Bound One Resource Map and allows members in distress to send out a message to nearby community members, requesting assistance. It’s a digital lifeline for those who find themselves in unpredictable situations off the beaten path.*

The Overland Bound One Support Alert Goes Out

The call for help did not go unanswered. Another community member, @eajames, saw the alert and immediately responded, reaching out to @offroadnutz to coordinate a rescue. Demonstrating true community spirit, @eajames and a friend planned their mission, setting out the next morning in a Jeep equipped for the rugged terrain and the task at hand.

“Here he is coming down the trail. What a site for sore eyes.” -@offroadnutz

Their journey was successful, and they were able to locate @offroadnutz and his 4Runner. Working together, they managed to tow the disabled vehicle back to the safety of a main road, where a tow truck could take over. This act of kindness and teamwork highlights the core values of the Overland Bound community: support, respect, and a shared passion for adventure.

This story serves as a powerful reminder of the unpredictability of off-road adventures and the invaluable support that a community like Overland Bound provides. However, it also underscores the importance of using the Overland Bound One Support Alert feature as one of several safety measures. Members are encouraged to employ multiple methods of seeking help in emergencies, including sending SOS alerts via satellite communication devices and contacting local authorities when necessary.

The successful rescue of @offroadnutz is not just a tale of one member’s misfortune and another’s heroism; it is a reflection of the collective spirit of Overland Bound. It demonstrates how technology, when intertwined with the human touch of a tight-knit community, can create a safety net for those who venture into the unknown, ensuring that no member is left behind.

In the world of overlanding, where each journey brings its own set of challenges and surprises, stories like this resonate deeply. They remind us that beyond the rugged trails and breathtaking landscapes, it’s the bonds formed between fellow adventurers that make the journey truly unforgettable.

Join the Overland Bound Community: Adventure Awaits

This story of camaraderie and support in the face of adversity is just one of many within the Overland Bound community. It highlights not only the spirit of adventure that drives us but also the collective safety net that our community provides. Whether you’re a seasoned off-roader or just beginning to explore the vastness of the great outdoors, Overland Bound is your gateway to a community that values support, respect, and the shared passion for adventure.

By becoming an Overland Bound member, you’re not just gaining access to an array of resources, tools, and information tailored for overlanding; you’re becoming part of a global family of adventurers who are ready to extend a helping hand, share their knowledge, and explore the world together.

We encourage you to take the next step in your overlanding journey by joining Overland Bound. Experience the strength of community support, engage with like-minded adventurers, and access the tools you need to safely explore the unknown. Together, we can make every adventure safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable.

Join us today and become part of a story that stretches across continents, cultures, and the uncharted territories of the great outdoors. Let’s embark on this journey together.

Learn More

* It’s important to note that the effectiveness of Support Alert relies on the availability of cellular signal or internet reception, a reminder of the importance of planning and preparation in remote areas. Using Support Alert does not guarantee assistance and should be used in conjunction with other off grid communication and emergency devices.  

Southeastern Utah near Canyonlands National Park, Arches, and Moab is one of our favorite regions in the western US. The red rock is spectacular, the views are endless, and there’s no shortage of offroad exploration for every overlanding style. We were in Moab in August on our way to Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado. It was an epic trip, and one that we were happy to have the Overland Bound One offroad app in our pocket. 

Here are 6 features of the app that totally saved our backsides:

1. Find Location by Photo

As the sun set on day 3 on the outskirts of Moab, we found ourselves turned around and going in circles. All we wanted was to get back to our dispersed camping site from a few days ago. “Find location by photo” saved our a**. All we had to do was click the picture icon on the Overland Bound One map and select any picture that we took of our campsite on night 1. The app opened up the picture’s location on the map and we were on our merry way. 

It’s worth noting that even though we had the app open when we took pictures at camp (we always have it open on trips), Overland Bound One doesn’t need to be open when you use your camera for the “find location by photo” feature to work. As long as your device’s location services are turned on for your camera, you can take a picture and drive away knowing that the app will be able to upload location data within 1-3 meters of accuracy.

Overland Bound One Messaging

After a sketchy limp back to camp early in the trip, it was clear that one of the vehicles in our party wasn’t going to make it another day on the trail, let alone all the way to Colorado. We needed a mechanic. We could have consulted Yelp and took the word of a group of strangers whose requirements for a “good” mechanic probably differed from ours. 

But we didn’t have to do that because messaging inside Overland Bound One yielded a handful of recommendations for local mechanics. These whole-hearted recommendations came from Overland Bound members who either lived in the area or had been in a similar situation while passing through. 

Better than a huge social platform that buys and sells your data in exchange for reviews and commercial recommendations, we got what we needed simply by asking our friends. And we kept our data.

3. Route Planning

Speaking of broken rigs. We came across one coming off White Rim Trail. The driver needed to get to town via the quickest route. But when he consulted the all-seeing eye of Apple and Google, both platforms threw up their robot hands and defaulted to a 90- mile, 2-day drive. 

We helped the driver by using Overland Bound One Route Planning, which allowed us to route offgrid and offroad, providing the shortest distance between here and help.

4. Offline Map Download

Very possibly the feature that has historically saved the most a**es in Overland Bound One history. Simple and sweet: offline map download provided critical mapping data for route finding when our plans changed…for the 6th time. 

It’s like having an overlanding AAA office in your rig that spits out backcountry TripTiks at will. (Note: If you’re under 35, you won’t remember TripTiks.)

5. Share Location. Ease of Use.

Sharing location with the app is very easy. There are many ways to do it.

Long-press any location on the map to get immediate access to the GPS coordinates, 3 word address, or the share button to share the location details from app to app.

In our case, it was easy over ham radio to just speak the three word address, which is three words separated by dots like predict.forgive.puddles (Moab, UT). It is much easier and more clear to speak three words over ham radio, and enter those words into app search, then to speak a list of GPS coordinates, which is highly error prone.

In addition, any location text in the app in blue text can be tapped to copy it to your clipboard to send in any way you would like!

6. Bonus Feature: Measure Distance

The fastest route out or into backcountry isn’t the same in all dimensions. Four inches on the Overland Bound One app won’t necessarily take the same amount of time as four inches a little farther south. When we needed the fastest route back to camp, we used the Measure Distance feature on the map combined with Enhanced Topo (first selection under Overlays) because that was the best way to check incline. 

Elevation gain is easily elusive in two dimensions. Not knowing incline is also one of the surest ways to slow you down when you’re racing daylight.

Because accuracy matters a lot when you’re off-grid. 

We’ve all been in a situation when we wished (begged?) our navigation app to provide a more accurate recording of our route.

We built Overland Bound One from the gound up because we were tired of pleading with our phone. We needed accurate, critical insight into where we are and how to get to our next destination. 

OB1 offers best-in-class GPX track recording.

Here’s why. More Pings = More Accuracy.

“GPS drift” is the reason why your phone sometimes lags behind your location on the trail. The accuracy of your location depends on the position of satellites and how often the app gets information from them. Every time the navigation app “pings” a satellite, it’s read in relation to other pings. Your location is an average of those pings.

To solve for GPS drift, Overland Bound One records more data points, more often. More pings means more accuracy. We also sample more data the slower you go. So instead of your map crawling to reload, OB1 actually gives you a clearer, more accurate location of your next crawl. (See what we did there?

Notes & Directions

Accuracy matters when you got a late start to camp and now it’s getting dark. Or when you’re sharing a track with friends to a dispersed site for the weekend.  

But when you’re pulling a trailer and come to a fork in the road with a 50/50 chance of steering the right way, knowing which way to go is the difference between a delightful afternoon and, well, not a delightful afternoon. 

While recording a track, the OB1 app lets you add a direction by simply tapping the arrow icons. You can also add a note to the GPX that will display on the map. What used to be a mysterious fork that came out of nowhere is now tracked with a left arrow and emphasized as a “sharp left.” Old fork, old problem. 

Automatic Distance Waypoints

Wouldn’t it be great if your track automatically noted distance between waypoints without having to manually get your odometer involved? We thought so. Simply open the app, drive, record your track and the app will note the distance between points. Not your thing? Visit your Settings to toggle off the feature. Done and done.  

We’ll say it again, and louder for the people in the back: Accuracy matters a lot when you’re off-grid. 

Thank you for coming to our Ted Talk.