Experiencing the Overland Expo. Yes, you should go

Have you been to an RV show? (Perhaps that should be a poll.🤔) But if you’ve ever been to almost any RV show out there, then you have an idea what it’s like—endless rows of RVs, often organized by manufacturer, with RV salespeople hovering around like the proverbial land sharks Jimmy Buffett sang about. 

“Fins to the left, fins to the right and you’re the only bait in town.”

Overland Expo five times a year

Five times a year, there’s a different sort of RV show: the Overland Expo. This is a monster event where tens of thousands of people attend to look at the latest in overlanding gear and rigs. In fact, Winnebago chose to debut its new Winnebago ARKA model at the show. 

Yes. There are RVs at Overland Expo (OE) along with RV dealers and manufacturers, of course. But there are also all sorts of other things to support the overlanding experience. And many of these supporting things cross over into regular RV life. 

I suspect, based on the comments, that many of us are not likely to take a heavily-modified four-wheel-drive vehicle way, way into the back country where few humans have traipsed in the past. Yes. I have a vehicle that can. No, I haven’t gone very far off the beaten path with it. 

I love the way the show is done

The reason I love this show is just the way it’s done. There are all kinds of people who have invented all kinds of things, from camp chairs to portable toilets to fire pits. I was told the number of fire pits at the show this year was off the charts. Propane, wood, charcoal—and ways of cooking over said fires, too. 

Perhaps few among us are going to hike into the woods and stay there for days on end. But there are all sorts of clothing options that are weather-resistant, and that, too, plays into the RV lifestyle. Who hasn’t had the misfortune of having to dump tanks or level an RV on a rainy day? 

Camping at Overland Expo

Another thing they have there is camping. You can actually camp on the grounds. And you’re camping with other like-minded individuals who love this lifestyle. 

There used to be camping at the Florida RV show that was relatively integrated with that show, but that’s been changed. I know you can camp at the Hershey Show and, if I go again this year, that’s what I’m going to do. 

I have not camped at Overland Expo. I’ve only been told that it’s a very communal experience. 

New technologies

Something else there’s a lot of at Overland Expo are new technologies in all sorts of camping-related systems. This is where I saw several 12-volt and 48-volt air conditioning systems. It’s where I first saw SDG’s RV mini-split system, which happened to be installed in a Grand Design Class B van. That was at the show, too. 

In fact, that system is the one you’ll find in the Winnebago ARKA, too. Imagine—RVs that didn’t have the big lump of an air conditioner on the roof? 

Though Ember RV was showing their Overland Series trailers and running the air conditioners. On solar and battery power. This is what I do, too. Seeing it last year at Overland Expo West was reinforcing my thoughts that this is entirely possible. 

Not slick marketing folks

Something else I noticed at OE was that you can go and totally nerd out with the people in the booths. It’s not the slick marketing folks with their polished shoes and brand-name shirts, for the most part. Instead, it’s people who actually go camping, which might be why there aren’t that many traditional RV companies there. 

But, from what I’ve been told, several RV decision makers were actually roaming the aisles of the show without their name tags. Perhaps curiosity is in the air, too. 

Gadgets and gizmos to modify vehicles for overlanding

Something that is reportedly common among true overlanders is that they love to take their vehicles and modify them to make them better at the task of adventuring. So, there are all sorts of gadgets and gizmos to accomplish that, from suspension upgrades to wheel and tire companies. In fact, even Subaru has a big presence here, and there’s a huge community of Subaru owners, too. 

And many of the systems that enable us to go and stay off the grid are also the systems that allow RVs to run more efficiently, even in the campground. 

You should go

If you have the chance, I’d encourage you to attend an Overland Expo event and just look at the new technologies, the cool gadgets, the clothes, and attend some of the workshops and seminars. 

Truth be told, last year I was in Flagstaff and just loved the event, so I got passes for this past year and, well, I didn’t go. Life-related nonsense got in the way, and I combined the cost of fuel and all of that to make the decision to stay home. 

And then I talked to friends who were there, including fellow podcasters Jason Epperson from RV Miles and Kenny Phillips from Beyond the Wheel. So, now I’ve got FOMO—Fear of Missing Out—pretty badly and I’ll be back next year to cover the event. Perhaps you, too, might consider joining me in Flagstaff or you may choose to attend one of these shows. I heartily recommend the experience. 

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