Into the Territory at Overland Expo
In an email exchange about all the interesting things he’s been up to, Justin suggested a possible stop on my trip to attend Overland Expo Mountain West. I bought a ticket a few months back, figuring I’d just sell it if I changed my mind. During my travels, though, my interest in attending grew. I really wanted to learn more about vehicles, where they could get me, and how I could enjoy this type of travel even more. I was seeing so many interesting examples of how people traveled on the road.
Overlanding is usually defined as something along the lines of “self-reliant vehicle-based adventure travel.” It differs from RVing in that the vehicles don’t depend on hook-ups for services, and can go off-road. It differs from off-roading in that there’s more of an emphasis on slow travel and camping, even international travel. The best way to get a feel for it—other than attending Overland Expo—is to browse the pages of Overland Journal, a beautiful and thoughtful publication.
It felt a little odd to drive onto the neat green grass of the expo center, park, and set up camp basically inside the event—but it was also really nice and lush. Liesl enjoyed demonstrating her “flying frog” pose on the soft cool grass. I sort of expected someone to tell me I was in the wrong place, and felt better when a gorgeous truck camper pulled in alongside of Thirsty.
“The Cement Truck” (nicknamed for its color) is a prototype ATerra camper on a Tacoma bed, driven by my new friends, Melanie and Mac. This truck got so much attention at the expo…it’s so pretty and interesting that we sometimes had to gently tell people, “this isn’t an exhibit” as they tried to open the doors and step up inside.
If you’d like to see everything about this truck, check out this video with the builder or this one with Mac himself.
Mac and Melanie have hundreds of thousands of miles of experience overlanding—much of it on motorcycles—and it was incredibly fortunate for a newbie like me to be able to hang out with and learn from them for a bit. Liesl enjoyed getting cuddles from them, too.
And what a treat it is to be able to bring my dog to an event like this. To be honest, Liesl is not the easiest dog to have in a crowd. She just can’t be trusted not to bite someone. But she is totally happy to be attached 24/7, so she spent a lot of time riding around (adorably, of course) in her special backpack.
Liesl did great in attending sessions and workshops with me. She listened in on how-to’s about weather forecasting, airing down tires, and photography (I really enjoyed the inspiring photo and community work being done by Mylo Fowler). She rode along when I patched a tire at the “Field Expedient Tire Repair” session.
The pup slept through sessions about installing DIY solar systems, the Big 5 Most Dangerous Animals in North America (not humans, and not all the ones you might guess), and overcoming fear in international travel and border crossings.
Once when we returned to Agnes for a break between sessions, I opened the tent door to find my big red carnelian ring laying right there in the entryway, a little tarnished but otherwise perfect. (After all, I am the luckiest woman in the world. Are you tired of all of the evidence I provide for it?) I must have stashed it in between the screen and shell of the door of the tent, during the chaos of the storm, and it finally fell out. I was thrilled to have it back.
A good part of my time was spent browsing the immense exhibition area. I didn’t get to all of it during the three days. I wanted to get back to some booths and never did. There was just a glorious “too much” of everything.
My “most wanted to see” was Super Pacific campers. They offer a lightweight hybrid of camper shell and rooftop tent, which allows entry into the tent from inside the shell. (Many rooftop tent or wedge campers require you to exit the camper shell and climb a ladder.) They also have excellent build quality.
Coming into the show, I expected I’d want to put a deposit down for one of these, and then work through which truck—probably a Toyota Tacoma—to put it on. So I made sure that Liesl and I could climb up into the bed of the Tacoma-sized camper. We could, though it was awkward. It more difficult to imagine working inside the camper in inclement weather; it would be a tight fit since the bed overhangs a good portion of the shell.
The second one on my list was OVRLND Campers. And when I looked inside these, I saw immediately that they offered the advantage of more space for doing remote work inside.
These immediately looked like a good choice, but we had a lot more show to see.
Four Wheel Campers was the third one on my list.
The interior configuration of the Project M, the one I was interested in, seems like a solid choice, but the interior is a bit different. These campers can be ordered as full builds, which I find less appealing than building out some of the interior myself.
There were vans to look at also, and cool Jeep and trailer builds, or monstrous size trucks and Earth Roamers and such. Plus any number of other accessories and attractions.
But I kept coming back around to the OVRLND Campers. “Hi, Terrie. Hi, Liesl.” the guys laughed as I came back each day with a new set of questions.
I really appreciated how the interior of the full-sized camper had been built out. It was all function, without weight being expended on cabinetry and such. Keeping a truck camper within recommended weight limits requires really paying attention to these details, as it all adds up quickly.)
Then I learned that the full-size version—on a truck like a Toyota Tundra or Ford F-150—is wide enough that I can lay fully across the bed without sliding it out over the rest of the camper. The owner of this one even let me climb up and prove it to myself. The short shelving he built on the left makes a fine step up.
This configuration was looking like a really good fit—if I can get comfortable driving a truck that big. I can drive away from the installation with my stuff piled in as with Thirsty and just go, AND I can also build out something that’s much nicer and more functional for longer trips. And ditch hotel stays completely.
I asked Melanie and Mac to give me their thoughts on OVRLND campers if they happened to be passing by thebooth. They went out of their way to visit and take a look, and Liesl and I went with them. “Oh you’re back,” the guys laughed.
Looking at the campers with Melanie and Mac was a real blessing. They asked questions I hadn’t even thought of. “How long have you been in business? How many have you made? How much debt is the company carrying?” (Answer on that last one was “none”.) Smart questions about how the windows were fabricated. And an insistence on a demonstration for me of how to open and close the camper. Jay did one better than that, and had me get up and do it myself. It proved simple and easy for me to do.
The expo was a really great experience for me, and in large part that was because the overlanding community associated with it is so friendly and generous. I felt much more comfortable there than I might have expected. But I had already noticed that both Overland Journaland Overland Expo seem to be working in accordance with things that I also value: diversity, respect for culture, and respect for the earth. And I was thrilled to see these values in evidence at the show.
I have so much to learn about overlanding, but I am so excited to get on with it. During the expo, I even started forming a plan. I’d love to drive to Alaska—next summer, if I can.
In the meantime, I’ve put a deposit down to get in line for a full-size OVRLND camper. It will be several months before we get to the build, but I have a lot to do in the meantime, including sorting out a truck and then how to build it out. It’s a good project. It’s a massive project, with $ numbers that make me wince. It requires me saying, “yes, driving negatively impacts the earth, and I will be doing more of it,” which is a very difficult thing for me to wrestle with.
It’s kind of funny. All along on this trip, I’ve been saying that “the map is not the territory”. I can read, watch videos, and research things until the cows come home, but the most valuable information I can get is through experiencing the territory myself. I have thought of that as applying to land and locales, but it applies to much more. Getting hands-on (and body-in) with things at Overland Expo was the experience I needed to sort out what might work for me.
And I think it will get me to some more territory.
Wow wow wow! I love the idea of just tooling around and home is where you stop. And the drive to AK!
Alaska…..? I’m not sure….but in time I’m sure I could see you and Co-Captain on your way and having a good time. Good Luck and enjoy, Love Mom and Dad from Heaven 🚐