Tucked away at an obscure freeway off-ramp in the tiny hamlet of Amado, Arizona is one of the most comprehensive gatherings of adventure enthusiasts in North America, known as the Overland Expo. Now in its third year and growing, overlanders from around the world came together for a weekend of classes, product showcases and community. For many, it was a chance to swap stories from the trail and catch up with old friends, while others were there to learn the basics of expedition travel.
We brought Project 4Runner Backcountry out to gauge response from showgoers, and found that it was right at home amongst the backdrop of the Expo crowd. We answered lots of questions and handed out free Four Wheelers all weekend long.
Our enjoyment didn’t stop at interacting with our readers, because we also enjoyed visiting with the many vendors who made the trek to show off their overlanding wares. Some of the vendors are familiar to the pages of Four Wheeler, while others were ones we had never seen before and which offered new solutions to common problems. Land Rover, which built its own off-road test track for the event, and Jeep also had displays at the show.
Attendees were kept busy all weekend checking out the real-world expedition rigs up close, and attending some of the many seminars delivered by highly experienced adventurers. Whether you wanted to know about how to use your Hi-Lift properly or how to complete field repairs in the bush, experts were on hand to share their knowledge.
Overland Expo 2011 was a success and a great weekend trip for those who enjoy a little adventure with their wheeling.
-
Reader favorites Turtle III and Turtle V were both on display in Amado. These are the vehi
-
Dave Druck of Trasharoo shows off his trailworthy So Cal Teardrops trailer, proving that t
-
Mario Donovan of Adventure Trailers had his backcountry-ready Comanche with FlipPac camper
-
You know it is a good show when the parking lot is just as happening as the vendor area. T
-
There is nothing like having supplemental power on the trail. Goal Zero makes portable sol
-
A favorite product of ours at the show was the Kanz Outdoors Field Kitchen K120. This beau
-
Expedition companies such as Pangaea and No Limit offer expertise and make overlanding acc
-
Unimogs are popular with the overlanding crowd, and several examples on display were for s
-
It was probably the smell of great food that drew us in, but one of the most interesting b
-
Zero One Odysseys was on hand to prove that adventure doesn’t have to come with a roof ten
-
Throughout the weekend, seminars were offered by experts in the industry to educate visito
-
One of the more popular booths at the show was Maxtrax. These recovery devices are quickly
-
Phoenix Pop Up has a camper that transforms any JK four-door into a mini-RV that can tackl
-
All-Pro Off-Road makes a number of products to turn Toyota pickups into bonafide explorati
-
ARB, a company synonymous with outback self-sufficiency, had a display full of outback-tes
-
Jerry L’Ecuyer, owner of TemboTusk, demonstrates to us just how strong he builds his slide
-
This Unicat, which has travelled all over the world, is the epitome of a land yacht. The l
-
Adventure Trailer’s JK Habitat is a replacement hard top for the four-door JK. It contains
-
Snow Peak makes quality outdoor gear that works, as evidenced here by the Snow Peak team k
-
For expedition-level protection, Buckstop Truckware showed off its line of bumpers, which
-
Some people need to mount tents to their roof, some just need extra cargo space. Either wa