What are Campers Saying About iOverlander? [An In-depth Review]

A lot of travelers love Overlanding because it gives a sense of freedom, thrill, and adventure. After all, the idea of heading to new places, camping overnight, and living disconnected from the monotonous routine can excite any outdoor enthusiast. 

When it comes to Overlanding, you explore both on-road and off-road attractions, the latter requiring more time and effort. But, with the use of some nifty apps, it’s possible to make your trips more convenient and fun! 

iOverlander is one of them. It’s quite similar to Roadtrippers (read our review here) but without the trip planning function. Worry not, because you can always use it with our flexible travel planner, Pilot, for an even better experience! 

iOverlander has proven to be one of the most useful camping apps for travelers. Here’s our iOverlander review, covering everything from how it works to why it matters! 

What is iOverlander?

iOverlander is an outdoor travel app specially designed for campers and overlanders. Consider it a global directory of campsites, RV parks, restaurants, hotels, filling stations, dump stations, and other useful facilities for travelers.

iOverlander was founded by Sam Christiansen and Jessica Mans as a non-profit project aiming to benefit travelers worldwide. 

In addition to searching for places and amenities, you can also contribute to it – if you know a place that’s not included in the database.

iOverlander is free to use and is available both as a website and mobile app. The app is available in both Android and iOS versions. 

What information does the iOverlander app give?

Simply put, all kinds of places that are useful for campers, overlanders, and explorers. “Places,” in this case, refer to established campgrounds, free campsites, wild camping spots, fuel stations, hostels, checkpoints, etc. There are 29 types of places.

You can also search for amenities such as electricity, Wi-Fi, kitchen, parking, showers, pet-friendly spots, groceries, electric vehicle charging, sanitation dump stations, etc.

How does iOverlander work?

You can search for places directly on the map by zooming in the location or take a look at all the places listed under each country by clicking “Browse by country.” The latter also allows you to download the places in GPX, CSV, XLS, or JSON file formats.

Both search options allow you to narrow the results by specifying the place types, required amenities, and the last time it was visited by a user.

The information available on places are pretty descriptive and helpful. You will find the latest check-in dates, reviews left by past users, photos, and the list of amenities available at the place. In addition, the GPS coordinates for the location are given as well. 

How can I contribute to iOverlander?

If you know of a camping ground, RV parking space, or any other place that’s useful for travelers, you can add it to iOverlander’s database!

Once you log in, go to “Add places” and enter the GPS coordinates of the place to locate the site. Then you have to select the “place type” and enter general information, location, and amenities available at the place. 

Just make sure you read the general criteria before you submit information to see if it fits the guidelines! All user contributions are checked and vetted for reliability and accuracy before publishing.

In addition to content, you can also donate money or time (contributing your skills) to support the continuation and development of the app.

What we liked about iOverlander

• Convenience

We came across many raving user reviews, endorsing how RV campers and Overlanders have benefitted immensely from the iOverlander app. It saves you the money, time, and fuel you would have otherwise spent searching for places. Also, the database has a lot of unofficial, free campsites. 

• Offline functionality 

Lack of Wi-Fi is one of the biggest worries outdoor enthusiasts face during their adventures. The good news is that all of iOverlander’s features, except map viewing, can be accessed without signal.

It’s super convenient when you are Overlanding in remote locations and want to find a decent spot to park, stay overnight, or fill fuel. 

• Worldwide 

A lot of camping-related apps cover only a limited number of destinations. On the other hand, iOverlander has a global user base that continues to add and update info on Overlanding sites and amenities around the world.

It’s perfect for globetrotting campers who would otherwise find it quite difficult to find legit campgrounds to have a peaceful sleep at night! 

• Resourceful 

The details on each place are pretty comprehensive. There is a long list under “place types,” covering all the necessities a camper would need during the trip. It’s easy to use the filters and search for exactly what you are looking for - whether it’s an official campground or wild campsite.

The reviews make the selection easier.

What we think iOverlander can improve on

• Performance 

Performance-wise, iOverlander has room to improve. The app is noted for being too slow at certain times and buggy. When you keep using it for some time, it tends to crash repeatedly.

Also, many have complained that it’s difficult to find a location on the map without entering GPS coordinates. As it’s a crowd-sourced app, it’s difficult to expect quick improvements and bug fixes.

• Fix inaccuracies 

We came across a few reviews highlighting how some recommendations of free camping areas are false leads. It could be that those places were disallowed for campers after the last visit noted on the app, or the campers who updated the info were just lucky folks (haha).

So, it’s best to verify them using another source as well. 

Is iOverlander worth it?

In a word, yes. The iOverlander app definitely needs some improvements for better functionality, and we hope it keeps developing. But, it’s a free service that contains a treasure trove of information for campers. Give it a try! 

We hope you found our iOverlander app review useful! If you are looking for an app to track your Overlanding experiences, Polarsteps is an option to consider. Read its review to learn more! 

Pilot 

We understand how important it is to have a plan. In addition to covering the best travel planner apps out there, we've also built our very own social travel planner so that you won't feel stressed when planning trips anymore.