Overland Expo is one of the most unique vehicular-focused events in the continental U.S. with a focus on pretty much any type of vehicle as a utility for self-sufficient exploration. You name it, you’ll probably see it at Overland Expo and as you walk the event, you’ll often times catch yourself saying, “Wow! I can’t believe somebody actually came up with that idea!” The event features an Adventure Film Festival, numerous roundtable discussions focused on specific subjects related to overland/adventure travel, a driving course to test the latest offerings from Land Rover, plus much more!
The weekend started with our Publisher and Editor traveling from opposite parts of the U.S. towards Mormon Lake outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. Mormon Lake has hosted the Overland Expo since 2012 and has proven to be a fantastic location with close proximity to the forests and fresh mountain air of northern Arizona. The journey from Houston was a long one with a 17.5 hour straight-shot in Toyota’s new TRD Pro Tacoma which hasn’t actually gone to production yet (production will commence in Fall 2014 with pricing yet to be determined). The TRD Pro Tacoma was surprisingly comfortable along the journey with fuel economy that disappointed initially but later became more tolerable once it reached its peak at 20mpg on the highway.
Once we were at Mormon Lake, we got the booth setup and were happily surprised with the amount of traffic attending Expo that Friday. Additionally, everyone we met while at the event was extremely friendly and was very eager to not only ask us questions about our adventures and vehicles, but also very interested in sharing their stories as well.
"Wow! I can't believe somebody actually came up with that idea!"
A large number of vendors who build fantastic products for overland/adventure travel were in attendance to showcase their latest and greatest offerings to the overland community. And to top it all off, once the event came to a close each day you could easily find a number of booths offering food and drinks to share and imbibe in while sharing stories from past adventures. In short, Overland Expo is not only a great event to learn and hone your skills for overland and adventure travel but also a fantastic way to meet and network with fellow adventurers who share a similar passion for vehicles and fun.
If you’ve never been to Overland Expo, I highly recommend checking it out. There is so much to see, do, and learn while there that three days almost seems to go by too quickly. And to make it easier for those who live on the east coast, the organizers of the event have recently announced the first annual Overland Expo EAST event to be held in Asheville, North Carolina the weekend of October 3-5, 2014.
– For more information about Overland Expo, please visit their website at www.overlandexpo.com
* OutdoorX4 – Promoting responsible 4×4 adventure travel and outdoor recreation
