This was our first year to go to Overland Expo. Last October, we were just off by a week in our schedule to attend Overland Expo East. That was OK, because a hurricane was going through the east coast during that time and pummeled the event with rain.
It was last October, however, when we began our plans to attend Overland Expo West. Held outside of Flagstaff, AZ at Mormon Lake, we kept track of weather for weeks before the event. We bought the Overland Experience package and were set to stay for the entire duration.
We arrived on Thursday to get checked in. As we approached Mormon Lake Lodge, we chuckled as we saw the sign that read “Warning, Event In Progress.” I’m sure unsuspecting folks that happen to drive through during the weekend would have pulled their hair out with all the overlanding traffic.
We must have gotten there at the right time. It was easy to find parking and the line we needed to register was short. We got our packet of goodies and were directed to the field where we’d set up camp and call home for the rest of the weekend.
It was a beautiful day to set up camp. We didn’t do much for the rest of the day but walk around to get the lay of the land and relaxed. We had heard the stories of how the rain and lightning earlier in the week made for a rocky set-up for the Overland crew. Luckily the field where the majority of the campers needed to be was dried out.
The festivities began first thing Friday morning. We attended the opening remarks and then we were on our way to partake in the many seminars offered. Below was our schedule of events:
Friday:
- Adventure Capital: Creating a lifetime travel fund with investment real estate & retirement planning, Johnathan Ehly & Carla King
- 10 Easy Ways to Get More Out of Your Social Media, Aliza Sherman
- Taking and Managing Your Photographs, Mike Endres
Saturday
- Knots and Hitches for Securing Gear to Roof-Racks & Trailers, Rusty Rice
- Basics of Visual Storytelling, Dean Shirley
- Wayfinding With Map and Compass, Charly Aurelia
- On-Trail Communications: Getting beyond the CB radio, Bob McNamara
- Less is More: What do you really “need” to bring on an adventure? Walt Wagner
Sunday
- Sponsorship: The ins and outs of finding funds for your adventure, Sam Manicom
- Weather and Climate Knowledge for Expeditions, Michael Douglas
- HAM Radio Equipment and Use Workshop, Scott Martin, Coconino Amateur Radio Club
We learned something in each class. Our favorites were Captain Rusty, Dean Shirley & Sam Manicom.
Friday not only marked the start of the event, but also the start of the WIND! Not just a gentle breeze. It was full-fledged WIND that would not stop until Monday! I am surprised that tents stayed intact like they did. Ours was blowing around pretty briskly. We think the only thing that was keeping it together was our annex room secured down with 11 tent stakes.
The wind wouldn’t let up at night. It seemed as though we couldn’t get much sleep because it felt like we were being beat up by the wind. We worried if our annex room would be ripped off along with our roof. Lucky for us, our CVT held up nicely. Just a tiny bit of damage on one mesh screen where a piece of Velcro was rubbing it.
The wind did cause one of the big event tents to collapse. It must have been in the middle of the night. We didn’t hear any news of anyone getting hurt. The crew cleaned it up nicely and was ready for the big BBQ on Sunday evening.
We met some wonderful people at the Expo. It was nice to not feel like an oddball. Our vehicle wasn’t the only one of its kind. Our tent wasn’t the only one of its kind. It felt good to have people stop by and talk and take a gander at our set-up. We did the same to others. We got a ton of ideas! I don’t think there was one set-up exactly the same. We saw vehicles as big as Expedition Vehicles to as small as motorcycles and everything in between.
The vending area was huge. We bought a few things to remember the event by. We were eyeing the trailers for the rooftop tent. We could pull it behind either the Jeep or Subaru. There were several vendors, but we found one we liked from a company out of Kansas, To Extreme Off Road & Outdoor Products. It looks like we’ll have to save our pennies, but it will definitely be a goal.
Our experience at Overland Expo was outstanding (minus the wind!). It has inspired us to continue to work hard to build our business so that we can travel for longer periods and take travels even slower.
Below are some of the vehicles we saw and some we follow.
