Justin Wages | Ep.31

On this episode of Overland Weekly, we sit down with Justin Wages (Grass Valley, CA) for a powerful, wide-ranging conversation that blends life, recovery, and off-road obsession. Justin shares his journey from a nature-filled childhood and street/drag racing days, through a life-altering cancer battle (colorectal, liver resection, lung lobe removal), to rediscovering the outdoors via mountain biking and, ultimately, overlanding.

We dig into his unique path across platforms—GMC Canyon lessons learned, Nissan Xterra Titan-swap and Armada/Y62 Patrol insights, Titan XD towing horses, and why he finally jumped into a Land Cruiser 80. Now working with the team at Dissent Off-Road, Justin unpacks what he’s learned about armor, wheel offset, portals, A-TRAC vs lockers, and why a solid axle 80 on 37s made him a believer.

If you love techy trail talk, wheeling stories, and honest inspiration about the healing power of the outdoors, this one’s for you.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome + recent trips (Windrock, Coalmont, Hawk Pride, Operation Tackle Box)

4:30 Meet Justin Wages: outdoors, family, and first rigs

12:45 Street/drag racing chapter: Foxbody, LS1, turbo trucks

22:25 Pivot to IT, wild classroom crash, and college path

26:55 Cancer story: diagnosis, surgeries, chemo, and life after

36:40 Mountain biking, women’s MTB coaching, and truck-as-shuttle life

45:40 First overland trip lessons (wind, tents, and Mr. Buddy heaters)

52:10 GMC Canyon, Slick Rock, and the Xterra Titan-swap era

1:01:40 Towing horses: Titan → Armada (Y62) → Titan XD Pro-4X on 37s

1:19:30 Dissent Off-Road: learning Toyota platforms, portals, durability

1:24:40 Falling for the 80 Series: simple, mechanical, incredibly capable

1:41:30 Wheel/tire fit: 37s on an 80 with positive offset and minimal cutting

1:54:00 Rapid fire + the one Dissent rig he’d take for the weekend