iOverlander Review - One App For Your Road Trip Needs!

Finding places to stay and sleep can be challenging while on the road. Thankfully, there exists an application called iOverlander that answers nearly all of the questions you might have when on a road trip. iOverlander is a free application to access a plethora of information required for life on the road. From RV parks to stealth campsites, restaurants to dumps, this app lists many places that you'd need while on the road.

Nothing replaces your own sound judgment. Just because someone had an excellent experience doesn't mean they're lying, or that it will be the same for you. This application does not list all the nuances of all the locations it features. Inevitably, some planning will be left up to you.

While they have many more types of locations available to mark on their application, I'm going to stick to the ones that are most relevant to living on the road. Places like hotels, hospitals, and even border crossings can be shown on the map, but for the sake of brevity, I'll stick to the most frequented spots.

Table of Contents

Reviews
Sleeping Spots
Vehicle Care
Supplies
Warnings
Conclusion

iOverlander Reviews

Photos and dated reviews
Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of iOverlander is that they have a space for reviews and photos. These are crucial in ensuring you get a great spot for the night.

The photo section of the reviews is a great way to find the sites with the best vistas. They can also show you the surroundings in case you need a site for a hammock. It can also give you a sense of how densely packed the sites are. Also, it can show you what kind of people you might be spending the night with.

They will tell you about the accessibility, how loud the site is if they've had bad encounters with locals or locals, how good the wifi strength is if big rigs will fit, if tents will fit, etc. With all of the information provided, you can easily narrow down your options for the night. The reviews are also dated, so you know how recent the information is.

Unfortunately, a lot of the best spots are kept secret. Some places are so special to people that they don't want them listed in the app. Heck, some of my favourite spots I won't share with anyone as they're so pristine - free of toilet paper pyramids, no nails in the fire pit, and no leftover remnants of humans whatsoever. Unfortunately, when locations pop up on this app, it means it's now known by the general public. Unfortunately, some of the general public don't know how to respect their environment.

iOverlander Sleeping Spots

The great thing about iOverlander is that it can work no matter what your form of travel is. If you're hiking, you can look into the below camping options. If you need a hotel, you can find those on the app. If you're bike-packing your way across a state, there are options for that too. The application places most of its resources in line with people in vehicles. While the general category of this section is about places to sleep, a lot of the listings are places where you can stay for longer than a night. If you're interested in a more in-depth post on this topic, check out this post about sleeping and staying while van camping!

Established campgrounds
Campgrounds that advertise camping, regardless of amenities provided.

Generally, these listings provide information on the cost, how many sites, firewood sourcing, water availability, etc. Having another way to review these sites besides google is great for knowing more about a location from people who are more like you than a random google review.

Informal Campsites
An unadvertised camp spot associated with another business or institution (restaurant, gas station, etc).

Typically, these locations are going to include your Cracker Barells, Walmarts, and stealth camping options. You'll frequently find reviews noting if there is a "no camping" sign or not. You'll also find reviews noting whether the owner of the lot is accepting of vehicle dwellers or not.

Stealth camping is a great way to camp for free. Beware of the legality and decide for yourself if the risk is worth the reward.

Wild Camping
A camping spot not linked to a business or institution regardless of amenities or formal permissions.

These locations are going to include spots like dispersed camping sites, BLM land, and other similar spots. The reviews are incredible for these locations as they can tell you what you're getting into before ever setting foot into the area. There are usually comments noting whether someone made it in with 2WD vehicles or not. They can also tell you about how clean it is, and even if it's a spot where locals like to come and make noise. The listings can also tell you how many vehicles will fit at a site in case you plan to travel with some friends! When I first started long road trips, I had no idea these types of places existed to the extent that they do. I only knew about campgrounds and the like. Thankfully, they soon became my go-to spots and I learned about how accessible they can be.

Take a look at this Youtuber who experienced an interesting night when following some of the reviews on iOverlander.

iOverlander Vehicle care

iOverlander is more than just an app to find places to sleep for the night. It also offers listings for places to deal with your vehicle's needs. After all, it's your home on the road, so you should be taking care of it. Sometimes, things break unexpectedly, so referring to this app makes finding a place to work on your vehicle a breeze.

Fuel stations
A place to purchase vehicle fuel.

Of course, fuel stations will be listed on the app. The reviews often mention what amenities are at the fuel station as well, such as water and sanitary dumps. The listings are also great to see what the price is. I've used this to ensure I top up on the cheapest fuel before driving into places like California.

Mechanic and parts
A mechanic or a parts store.

This section of the app lists mechanics and notable auto parts shops. The listing usually contains decent reviews of the shops and how they were able to help people while overlanding. The listings will sometimes be specific to vans, RVs, and big rigs, so you know where to go based on someone else's experiences. They also list off-road recovery shops like Matt's off-road recovery as seen on Youtube!

Check out this recovery of some vehicle dwellers who really needed some help.

iOverlander Supplies

When living on the road, you'll often need to make stops into civilization to restock what you need to live. Water, sanitation dumps, restaurants, shopping, Wifi, Laundromats, showers and propane are some of the categories that iOverlander has regarding supplies.

Water
A place to obtain potable water.

Water is a necessity. Thankfully, iOverlander lists all of the free spots wherever you're going. The reviews will often state how to access the water, like needing to buy something from the shop you're getting it from, if it's potable or not, or even if it's a sneaky situation and you'll be "stealth filling up". It sometimes lists natural springs too! People often note whether they were filling up small containers, or using a hose adapter to fill up their large reservoirs.

Sanitation dump stations
A place to empty a black water tank.

Spending time away from civilization means you'll accumulate waste. While garbage can be tossed away at a gas station when you fill up, when you accumulate human waste such as black or grey water, that needs to be disposed of in a more responsible manner. It's possible to empty your urination container**link to post with bottle in pit toilets, but a whole black water tank needs a specific spot. Luckily, iOverlander lists a lot of the dumps.

Restaurants
Exceptionally good or bad restaurants (Food, value, price, location).

When you're tired of "home" cooked meals or are in the middle of a long travel day, you can also find restaurants on the map. The listing will usually be about notable and remarkable places.

Wifi
A place to access the internet, either public or private with good work space.

While most people travel with some form of internet access, sometimes you might be on a budget, or head to a spot where cell towers just can't reach. Short of buying a Starlink unit, you might depend on a stable internet connection. This category is sometimes combined with restaurants and stores, but can also include public wifi from a visitor centre too. When you need a stable and sometimes unlimited connection, check iOverlander to find out where you can connect. Sometimes I'll park directly in front of a coffee shop when I don't want to go in to spend money to access their wifi. With my curtains drawn tightly shut, I'll hang out while I download some movies and shows, or get some work done.

Laundromat
Self-service or full-service laundry facilities.

Much like accumulating waste from living away from infrastructure, we also accumulate dirty clothes. If doing laundry off-grid isn't something you do, checking the app for laundromats is a convenient way to find a place. The listing often has reviews about the cost, hours, and how well the machines work at the specific laundromat.

Showers
Free or paid showers, that can be used independently of other services offered.

While there are plenty of options for off-grid showers, sometimes having access to a private stall, and unlimited hot water is just what you need. iOverlander lists a lot of public showers from places like rec centres, gyms, gas stations, and even public water parks.

iOverlander Warnings

Warnings about serious dangers to health, safety or property, or impassible roads that cause delays of two hours or more

While these listings aren't always visible, it's really good to see them before you get yourself into a situation that could have been avoidable. It's saved me from going into areas with height restrictions, and I've also avoided certain areas where the roads were washed out.

Road closures
inset link to post about trying to stay at a rest stop
Heading out on backroads for a while only to arrive at a gated-off area, or a washed-out road is no fun. Thankfully, users can report road closures on this app if there's been a permanent change to access. There aren't a lot of resources to show up to date and last-minute road closures, so for those circumstances, google maps is likely your friend.

Height limitations
Imagine rubbing the solar panels off of your van when you didn't know there was a height restriction to an area you're trying to access. Referring to iOverlander ahead of time could save you from such a catastrophe. Thankfully, the symbol to mark these places is quite clear, so a quick browse of the areas you'll be in can often show you such warnings. Some mountain tunnels and even under highway pass-throughs can be too low for some vans.

4WD accessibility
If it's possible to get to a spot via 2WD, you won't often find accessibility warnings. However, if it's a known spot where the vehicle might not make it through unless they have 4WD, it will likely be listed this way. It wouldn't make sense to have a warning in every location where driving might get tricky, so these warnings are usually reserved for severe situations. For example, on one of my first trips out, I got stuck when it rained an obscene amount due to the ground becoming wet. I made it in fine and would have escaped fine too, but this type of situation was an exception and not the rule.

Other
On top of driving dangers, the warnings are also used for things like dangerous people, corrupt police, strict no-camping laws, etc. You can find reviews of people running into police who have demanded hefty bribes to bypass them, people being shot at by gunfire, and reports of theft and vandalism.

Conclusion

iOverlander has become my go-to resource when I need information while on the road. The application makes it easy to plan and be aware of what's ahead. With all of the different resources listed through its user-fed information, it's a great way to see what others have to say. If used correctly, it can save you money, time, headaches, and damage to your home on wheels.