DrivenDirt is a 4×4 and overlanding site written by someone who actually puts kilometres on the trucks.
I publish as El Capitan. I have built, broken, and rebuilt rigs in South Africa and in the United States. That mix matters. A 79 Series on corrugations and a mid-size truck on Forest Service roads are not the same problem, even when the catalogue photo looks identical.
This site is not a magazine and it is not a shop. It is field notes aimed at people about to spend real money: rooftop tents, 12V fridges, dual-battery systems, winches, drawers, racks. The cheap stuff comes later. The expensive mistakes come first, because that is where a bad article costs you.
What you will get here
- Specs that affect the truck: weight, roof rating, amp-hours, line pull, packed size.
- Fitment notes by platform, not “fits most SUVs.”
- What failed, not only what photographed well at sunset.
- Separate notes when US shelf stock and southern African 4×4 stock are not the same product.
What you will not get
- A “comprehensive guide to the world of camping” that never names a model.
- Ranked listicles built from other people’s Amazon pages.
- A founder photo and a warehouse address pretending to be expertise.
How the site is paid for
Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through them, DrivenDirt may earn a commission. That does not change the test notes. If a tent ate its own poles or a fridge murdered a starting battery, it goes in the article. Disclosure sits on every review and comparison.
Who writes this
El Capitan. One author. If a page has my name on it, I edited it and I will answer for the numbers. Draft help exists. The photos, the rig list, and the “don’t do this” notes do not get outsourced.
Questions: use the contact page. I read them. I do not run a call centre.