I am now Overland Certified
so you must obey me in all things expeditionary! Well there
is about as much truth to that as when I was a new grad RN and folks
thought I had all the answers. Overland Certified for me means more of a foundation
or framework from which to build my future expedition adventures.
 Getting setup for the recovery
However I want to evaluate this class for the novice
off highway traveler or even an experienced 4wd driver who is new to the overlanding
world. But at least you will know that my comments have a basis in experience.
Full disclosure moment, this class was donated to DE but they insist they want
an honest eval. so here it is.
Classmates
We had a nice mix of folks in attendance from young to "seasoned" and from novice to "ace". The class size was nice at 6-8 (we added a couple for the classroom sessions) and 2 instructors. Many were folks I knew from Expedition Portal forums in name if not by face. Most of us had done some level of travel and the instructors welcomed life experience stories to highlight discussions.
 Learning not to hate being off camber
Driving
Please don't expect me to divulge all the secrets of Overland Training with this report. I will give an overview of our driving portion which touched on sand, spotting, rocks, and more. It was all hands on and we even had to work as student mentors to each other which helped bond us as a group. I was impressed that the driving segment focused on the fundamentals and on keeping the carnage factor as low as possible. The instructors weren't trying to make race drivers out of us but wanted to make sure we got home safe and the end of a journey.
We did get a nice bonus when some young men in the area managed to roll their rig and we were able to effect a safe recovery. I was quite impressed with our groups maturity and willingness to teach rather than badger these young guys. And to their credit they did clean up the area afterwards. Of course the sight and sound of that Ford Ranger running on 2 or 3 cylinders on the way back to town was worth the price of the class!
 Making an opps ok  Campng was a learning experience
Camping
The first night we camped as a group with the instructors, after that most of us in the class continued to camp together. And while the conditions went from mild to stupid cold we enjoyed the "overland brotherhood" we had by suffering together. Although the camping aspect isn't included or excluded as part of the course I think there is a great opportunity to teach some of the aspects of overlanding many folks have interest in such as cooking, packing, daily habits, camp setup and more.
On a personal note I had brought up a Fire Dancer Propane Fire Pit and while we laughed at it the first night, once the snows fell and the temperature plummeted we found it to be a tremendous asset. Best of all was in the mornings when you needed to warm your hands while packing and once finished we could stow it quickly and cleanly without worries about the cinders or ash of a wood fire.
 Instant fire is very nice
Recovery Session in the Snow
The snow came down just in time to give us a chance to experience some rare recovery opportunities for us desert folks. Not only did we get to practice with tire chains, sand mats, a Pull Pal but the Instructors were kind enough to let us play with a new recovery item called PillowTrack that none of us had used before. It was a real example of teaching without an ego involved so that we could all learn together.
It was interesting to see how each of us reacted to the freezing cold and how the instructors never gave anyone a hard time if they needed to step into a warm vehicle or to change wet socks. Safety first and people above all was really the overriding theme.
Classroom
I will say that the classroom sessions were a warm and welcome respite from the bitter cold outside. Graham our primary classroom instructor was able to keep us engaged with stories from his own adventures that highlighted various topic points. Also his own kit often came into the classroom so we could fondle the South African treasures he used for repair, cooking, packing and more.
 Field Tire Repair  Overland Craft Day and Winchline splicing
Special Guest & Events
Now I should mention that I don't believe Overland Training arranges for surprise visited for every class but being in Scott Brady's home town means strange visitors will pass through. Once of these happen to be driving a beautiful Defender 110 Doormobile and we crawled all over it outside of class. Matter of fact for a few moments I think the owner was worried we were going to to just move in, and truth be told a few of us were thinking about it!
Special thanks also should go out to Scott & Stephanie Brady for allowing us to have a movie night at their house. Now either because of the freezing cold that brought rain and snow or because we charmed them as a class I am not sure but some of the classic expedition films we watched were great discussion motivators.
Final Thoughts
Overland Training teaches that it is all about the driver instead of the equipment, there is no sense that you have to "buy your skills" either with a certain rig, gear or toys. Instead they use phrases like "mechanical sympathy", the "vehicle as an asset" and more. It also helped to see one of our class in a fairly stock Tacoma go everywhere with a smooth style that I truly envy.
Is it worth $1250, well that depends if you would rather attend the school of hard knocks with a few broken truck parts, setup camp in the dark, get lost, risk border crossing confiscation and other horrors or if you find that a bit of eduction will allow you to enjoy the journey and savor the pleasures of overland travel. It may seem expensive at first but when you think about the value of your peace of mind, well I would have often paid more in the past to get me out of some serious pickles I have been in.
If you consider yourself experienced enough that you won’t learn anything and question the value of this training then of course it is too much money and time. If you have put together major multi-week, multi-country trips and it came off without a hitch then of course this might not be the training for you. But if all that were true would you even consider this course?
In reality this training is either for those who are new to overland travel or who believe in backing up their experience with training and some kind of proof or certification. In those cases it is worth every penny.
For me the real proof of the value is that I immediately paid full price for another class, Expedition Leadership, and I will be sending my wife through Overlanding Women so she has a better total grasp of why we travel the way we do. Nicely enough there is a 10% discount on future classes and you can audit classes you have already attended for free in the future if you need a refresher or to check for updates. I will also be recommending that all of our primary folks at Disabled Explorers get Overland Certified because I believe before too long in the future that will carry a weight far beyond it's current status.
If you go take a chair that is quick to set and easy to carry around if you have trouble standing.
A small note pad easier to use than the larger printed material for any notes you want to take.
If the weather is chilly have waterproof warm gear & gloves.
Camp if you can with your classmate and use the time to check out different setups & styles. Also cooking together can be a great money saver and a good way to get to know people better.
The other issues I had were given to the instructors for process improvement and don't effect this review.
 Slippery ladder leads to far away limb
From the Disabled Perspective
I am putting this at the end not as an afterthought but more because my physical mobility issues where never an issue during this training. The instructors were aware of my needs without ever spot lighting or embarrassing me and if I believe that if there had been issues they would have worked hard to resolve them. Of course I am quiet mobile and for a double lower amputee or a wheelchair some aspects would have to be adjusted for but I am fully confident that the instructors would make all the accommodations needed to make sure someone got all the training and experience and were a full member of the class.
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