⭐ Rover Divas Top 10 Gear Picks
These are the 10 pieces of gear we use the most while overlanding and camping. After thousands of miles exploring the Southwest in our Land Rovers, these are the items we trust and never travel without.
Once you start traveling with a fridge, it’s hard to imagine going back to coolers. We bought a used fridge more than 20 years ago and it’s still going strong today. We run the older model, and if it ever died we’d replace it before our next trip — but so far it just keeps working.
We’ve built our overlanding packing system around these boxes. They’re incredibly strong, clear so you can see what’s inside, and they stack perfectly together. They’re even sturdy enough to stand on, which means they can double as a stool, chair, or small table at camp.
We switched to these RotopaX water packs because they mount on the outside of the Defender and keep water easy to access. We carry four of them, with a spigot on one for camp use. The smaller size makes them much easier for me to handle compared to heavy 5-gallon jugs.
Recovery boards are one piece of gear we don’t cut corners on. When you’re stuck in sand or mud far from help, you need gear that works every time. MAXTRAX are incredibly strong and built to handle repeated recoveries. We keep a set in each of our trucks and have relied on them many times on the trail.
After we started using the Omnia oven, our Dutch oven mostly stayed at home. We bought it during COVID and fire restrictions when campfires weren’t allowed, and it quickly became a favorite piece of camp kitchen gear. Fresh baked bread in the backcountry is hard to beat, and it’s also great for reheating leftovers.
When we’re camping in a ground tent, this is my favorite sleeping pad. The Exped MegaMat is about 4 inches thick and incredibly warm and comfortable — maybe even more comfortable than my mattress at home. It takes up a little more space, but the sleep quality makes it completely worth it.
For colder trips we’ve switched almost exclusively to down sleeping gear. It’s warm, comfortable, and packs down small for easy travel. Our NEMO sleeping bags keep us warm on cold nights and have become a favorite piece of winter camping gear.
A headlamp is essential for camping and overlanding because it keeps your hands free for whatever you’re working on. Everyone in our group carries one of these Petzl headlamps. We chose the 600-lumen version for the extra brightness, and it’s rechargeable but can also run on AAA batteries if needed.
These are our go-to socks for hiking, camping, and everyday wear. They’re made in the USA, incredibly comfortable, and unbelievably durable. We own several weights for different seasons and still have pairs that are over 10 years old and going strong.
Every vehicle should carry a shovel. Whether you're digging out of sand, clearing rocks from the trail, or leveling a campsite, it’s one of the most useful tools you can have. This is the shovel Grace keeps in her vehicle and it’s come in handy more times than we can count.