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TOP TEN EXPERIENCES AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST 2018
The big gathering of the overland tribe in North America is a bicoastal biannual thing these days. The east coast version of Overland Expo was in its fifth year in 2018 and was held at an all-new venue, Oskar Blues Reeb Ranch, in the mountains of southwest North Carolina. As seems to be par for the course, no matter the time of year, the event experienced some pretty extreme weather.
Even through the wet and cold conditions, there was an impressive turnout of vendors, travelers, instructors and participants. Let’s have a look at the Top Ten things that truly stood out to us at Overland Expo East 2018.
Mud
The area got many inches of rain leading up to and during the opening days of the event. This, of course, turned the event site into a pretty insane deep slick mud pit. Great effort was required to move by vehicle or on foot around the site the entire long weekend.
The standout part for me about the deep mud and tough conditions was how much everyone was willing and ready to help each other out. From pulling, to pushing, to directing and providing knowledge and tools for recovery, everyone stepped up and helped out everyone else. We’ll also say that knowledge and the right tools for the job are key. Don’t elect yourself the leader of someone else’s recovery when you don’t really know what you’re doing, especially in a concentrated talent pool like Overland Expo. Also don’t buy cheap knockoff recovery tools. Proper quality tools work when you need them to, and are good for more than one recovery. I saw more than a few ineffective and cheap traction boards break and fail at extracting vehicles throughout the weekend.
Frost
Nighttime temps dropped into the low teens this year. This, of course, covered everything in frost. It even froze the sloppy mud that just got deeper each day. Once the sun hit the site each morning the frost quickly melted and the sloppy conditions resumed.
The cold temps made it very clear to many that when camping in these conditions, it is extremely nice to have shelter with heat. I was able to sleep in an AT Summit camper with diesel heat and a Four Wheel Camper with propane heat, both of which were extremely comfortable. I’d have to say that truck campers and vans were the preferred accommodations onsite.
Community
Overland Expo is really all about the people. The overland community is a super diverse and welcoming bunch that loves to share their tales from the road less traveled. There are a ton of opportunities to chat with other travelers and overland fans throughout the event.
The best times are probably the one-on-one conversations around the event over shared interests. My favorite organized times are the nightly happy hours, the legendary Saturday night AT Overland/Equipt Party and the Sunday BBQ. All of these events offer quality libations and lots of diverse people to meet and share stories with.
Learning Opportunities
Sharing is a big component of Overland Expo, specifically sharing skills and practical knowledge. There are driving courses, classroom sessions, presentations, round tables and hands-on skills areas. If you
want to learn about off-road travel, general vehicle-based travel and international travel tips Overland Expo is the place to be.
The Camel Trophy Skills area, off-road driving course and moto riding course are our favorite areas at Overland Expo for learning. These areas allow you to get hands-on instruction with some of the world’s most talented instructors.
However, the best learning opportunities at this event were probably just getting to and from your camping spot. I witnessed some super capable vehicles and drivers get owned by the slick muddy conditions. Luckily, most of the time at least, quality assistance was nearby and a lot of lessons were learned through real-world experience.
Adv Moto Riders
The heartiest souls at all the Overland Expo events have to be the adventure motorcyclists. This was especially true at this year’s wet, muddy and cold event. Getting around on your own two legs or with four-wheel drive was a chore, but nearly impossible on a heavily loaded adventure motorcycle. It was awesome to see the riders band together and help each other through the adversity, and see the skills of some of the top riders in the world.
Resto Mods
This had to be the year of the restomod at Overland Expo. Three top classic 4x4 builders brought their truly world class creations to show off: New Legend 4x4, The FJ Company and Heritage Driven.
New Legend 4x4 showed off an International Scout 800 that has been fully brought into
the modern era. It is LS powered and on a custom Jeep Wrangler JK frame. It is also fitted with all the latest technologies and quality off-road accessories, while remaining true to its classic 4x4 roots.
The FJ Company had a few vehicles on display, but the one that turned all the heads this year was an ‘86 Toyota Land Crusier FJ62. While mostly a really tastefully done restoration, there were some modern upgrades like LED headlights, power steering, and upgraded front disc brakes. A restoration and vehicle of this caliber doesn’t come cheap, however, with this one listing at $165,000.
Heritage Driven brought two truly impressive Land Rover Defender creations. Both were highly modified in nearly every way. One was LS powered while the other had a Cummins R2.8 diesel under the hood. These creations are the best of the best in the restomod category: with big brakes, galvanized chassis, air conditioning, billet aluminum upgraded parts, leather interior, and the list goes on.
Inglhault Allroad
If you want the ultimate 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter, Inglhault Allroad has the answer. The company will ship off a two-wheel-drive U.S. Sprinter to Germany, where it will be converted to permanent 4x4 and sent back to the U.S. The whole process takes about six months and costs about $130,000 all in.
The reason you’d do this over buying a U.S.
market 4x4 Sprinter is because this system allows for 37-inch tires, offers a 50/50 power split, three-locking differentials and comes with skid plates, snorkel and rear door tire carrier. All of this combines to create a truly off-road capable Sprinter van.
Earth Cruiser EXD
Earth Cruiser started in Australia making truly world class FUSO-based overland campers. They have since brought their talents to Bend, Oregon, and have been coming out with some exciting new campers the past few years. They debuted their latest creation, the EXD, at Overland Expo East 2018.
The EarthCruiser EXD is a 10-foot long composite pop-up truck camper that can be mounted directly to a truck frame or on a flatbed. Only top of the line components are used throughout, like diesel appliances, custom electronics controls and composite interior furniture. The EXD weighs in at about 2,700 lbs. wet, and costs $110,000 to $125,000.
GFC RTT
Go Fast Campers (GFC) is a relatively new company that has been making a big splash in the overland market with their truck topper tent camper systems. They debuted for the first time their new rooftop tent at Overland Expo.
The new GFC RTT weighs in at a svelte 135 lbs. and is only 6 inches tall when collapsed. The frame is made of extruded aluminum and the roof is a translucent honeycomb composite. It will set you back $3,500.
2019 Ford Ranger
Overland Expo East 2018 was the first U.S. drive of the ‘19 Ford Ranger. Ford put on the consumer test drive event, before even having the media out in the truck in December. This rare treat was a combination of both on- and off-road driving opportunities in the truck, which changed day to day as the off-road conditions changed.
We took advantage of this opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new Ranger. We found it to be impressive and smooth off road, while feeling planted and having smooth consistent power on road. The interior is where we think the Ranger lets us all down, although doubt it will stop many from buying this quality new midsized pickup.
“THERE ARE DRIVING COURSES, CLASSROOM SESSIONS, PRESENTATIONS, ROUND TABLES AND HANDS-ON SKILLS AREAS. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT OFF-ROAD TRAVEL, GENERAL VEHICLEBASED TRAVEL AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TIPS OVERLAND EXPO IS THE PLACE TO BE.”