Why an overlanding trip needs more than a group chat
A group overland trip lives in four places at once: the route in GAIA or onX, the gear list in a Google Doc, the camp plan in someone’s head, and every decision buried in a WhatsApp thread. By the time wheels are up, half the convoy has read none of it.
The Dirt Brief puts the whole brief on one page. Your crew opens a link, sees the route on an interactive map, claims the recovery gear, votes on the departure time, and asks questions in one place — and you can see who has actually read it.
Free convoy template
Brief the convoy before wheels-up
Use the group overland trip brief template to assign roles, match each route leg to the shortest fuel range, confirm recovery gear, and put camps, comms, and bailout decisions in one place.
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Route, camps, and fuel. GPX, waypoints, daily legs, fuel stops, water, camps, and bailout options.
- 2
Convoy roles and comms. Lead, sweep, navigation backup, radio channel, call signs, and regroup rules.
- 3
Recovery and shared gear. One named rig for each recovery, repair, first-aid, kitchen, and water item.
- 4
Readiness and go/no-go. Vehicle checks, weather decision, emergency contacts, and final confirmation.
Route planning and convoy briefing are different jobs
Build and navigate the route
Use Gaia GPS, onX Offroad, or CalTopo to plan the track, download offline maps, and navigate. Keep that tool as the source of truth for the route.
Coordinate the people and rigs
Use The Dirt Brief for convoy roles, gear owners, fuel constraints, camps, meals, polls, and confirmation that every participant opened the final plan.
Read the group overlanding planning guide and the shared recovery and camp gear checklist.
Everything your crew needs on one page
Your route, on an interactive map
Export the GPX from GAIA GPS, onX Offroad, or CalTopo and drop it in. The convoy sees the full route with camps, fuel stops, and waypoints — not a screenshot.
Recovery gear, claimed not duplicated
A shared gear list where each rig claims what it is bringing. No more three trucks packing MaxTrax and nobody packing the come-along.
Camp meals sorted before the trailhead
Assign cook crews and nights so dinner is handled. Everyone sees who is cooking what and what to bring, without a spreadsheet.
Decisions settled with polls
Wheels-up time, which spur to run, layover day or push on — put it to a poll and get an answer instead of forty unread messages.
Know who is actually prepared
Engagement tracking shows who has opened the brief. Nudge the two people who have not before they show up without a recovery board.
Three steps. That’s it.
- 1
Drop in your GPX from GAIA GPS, onX Offroad, Komoot, or CalTopo — it becomes an interactive route map.
- 2
Add camps, gear, meals, and any polls or questions for the crew.
- 3
Share one link. Everyone views the brief, claims gear, and votes — no accounts, no downloads.
Overlanding trip planning, answered
How do I share a GAIA GPS or onX route with my whole group?
Export your route as a GPX file from GAIA GPS, onX Offroad, or CalTopo and drop it into The Dirt Brief. It becomes an interactive map inside a full trip brief — route, camps, gear, and meals — that your convoy opens with one link. No one needs a mapping-app subscription just to see where you are going.
Do the people in my convoy need to make accounts?
No. You build the brief; everyone else opens one link. Participants can view the route, claim gear, vote on polls, and ask questions without signing up or downloading anything.
Is this a navigation app for the trail?
No, and it is not trying to be. You still navigate with GAIA, onX, or your GPS. The Dirt Brief is the pre-trip briefing that gets your whole group on the same page — the part a route file cannot carry.
What does it cost for a group overland trip?
Your first trip is free with every feature unlocked. After that it is $9 one-time per trip, or $39/year for unlimited trips. Only the organizer ever pays — participants are always free.
Brief your crew with one link
Your first trip is free with every feature unlocked. No credit card.
Plan Your Overland Trip Free