EDITOR’S LETTER
It seems like we were just celebrating the New Year and then—wham—we’re already turning the corner on winter and quickly entering the spring thaw. As the weather gradually warms up, for many of us, thoughts of new adventures start to take shape. I’m still trying to get my truck updated for this year’s upcoming adventures. Once it's ready, I plan to get reacquainted with some trails I haven’t been to in a while. Where will your next trip be? Will you revisit some of your favorite stomping grounds or will you explore someplace new?
With our hectic schedules, nding time for everyone to travel together can be dif cult, but it’s well worth the effort. The memories you make with friends and family on the road can last a lifetime. This is certainly one of the reasons the guys at Mega X2 decided to build a six-door Jeep JL. With plenty of extra passenger space, it’s de - nitely a fun ride to be in. Our cover vehicle is customized by AJ van de Water, a photographer that loves being on the road and capturing nature’s beauty on camera. You won’t want to miss his 4Runner, turned overlander and mobile photo studio.
We also get an early look at the Cliffride Escape 365 Wrangler. The prototype poptop Jeep is out tted for adventure inside and out. Another new-for-2019 ready-toroll vehicle is Chevrolet’s Colorado ZR2 Bison. Chevy got some help from the experts at AEV to prepare the Bison for adventuring right off the showroom oor. We take a spin in it and let you know what we think.
Then we head over to Oskar Blues Reeb Ranch in the mountains of North Carolina where Bryon Dorr gives us a tour of the highlights of Overland Expo East. Adventurer Emily Sheff introduces us to Swiss explorer Juerg Sollberger. We learn about some of the incredible highlights over his 32 years of overlanding.
What good is getting to your campground if you don’t have ice-cold refreshments? We take a look at a selection of soft-sided coolers that are easily carried and stowable when empty. If you drive a pick-up truck, you’ll surely want to dive deep into our pick-up truck bed accessory guide. There are plenty of innovative parts that can add an abundance of utility to your truck’s bed.
Thank you for joining us; we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let us know what you’d like to see in Tread by visiting and contributing to our Facebook page [facebook.com/TreadMagazine] and on Instagram [@ tread_magazine].