Overland Expo West 2024 is an event you don’t want to miss! Not only is it the longest running amongst the event series, but it also marks the 15th anniversary of Overland Expo. There will be hundreds of exhibitors, thousands of cool rigs to check out, and hours upon hours of courses taught by experienced overlanders from around the globe.
Overland Expo WEST 15th Anniversary Celebration
Join us at 5:30 pm on Friday afternoon in the XPLOR Oasis Bar & Food Court to celebrate Overland Expo’s 15th Anniversary. We’ll be chatting with Overland Expo royalty, longtime exhibitors, and friends about the early days of the event series. We’ll reveal some never-before-seen footage of the Expo, along with some clips and snaps provided by you all! Don’t miss this special event: attendees will receive a limited-edition 15th Anniversary sticker and an opportunity to be in a commemorative portrait. But don’t delay, the limited edition stickers are only available while supplies last.
Around the World Travelers
One of the best parts about Overland Expo West is the number of fascinating international overlanders who pause their journeys to join us for a few days and regale us all with tales of their adventures. (To be clear, this happens at our other events, as well, but due to the location and timing of Overland Expo West, it is more convenient for many overlanders to make a slight detour on their way between Alaska and Argentina to join the event.) You’ll be able to meet these travelers and see their rigs in the Showcase & DIY Area, and they will tell their travel tales in the Storytelling Pavilion sponsored by K & N. Here’s who you can expect to meet:
Amir Pakroo and Azadeh Khodaparast built their dream rig in their home country, New Zealand, and are on their way from Alaksa to Argentina in their Landcruiser Troopy.
Graeme and Luisa Bell and their two children have spent more than a decade overlanding around the world, including traveling through 27 African countries, circumnavigating South America, driving from Argentina to Alaska, and exploring Europe and Western Asia. They are now revisiting the Americas.
Before the invention of GPS technology, Parry Upton and her late husband, Loren, took their 1966 CJ-5 through the Darien Gap and around the world.
Adventurer, author and presenter Sam Manicom took an epic eight-year, 200,000 mile motorcycle journey across 55 countries around the world.
Brittany, Eric & Caspian Highland, aka Hourless Life, are in the midst of a 10-15 year journey around the world. They are pausing their journey in Chile to join us at Overland Expo and plan to ship their Jeep Gladiator and Alu-Cab Canopy Camper to Africa in 2025.
After 20 years and 430,000+ miles around the world, incredible overlanding couple, Robert and Clary Van Den Hoven, will join us at Overland Expo WEST to share stories and show off their current rig.
Having retired in their late 40s to start full-time motorcycle overlanding, Travis and Chantil Gill have spent the last 3.5 years traveling through nearly all of Europe and a bit of north Africa on their pair of BMW dual-sport motorcycles.
Storytelling Pavilion Sponsored by K & N
In case you haven’t heard by now, in response to the overwhelmingly popular 2023 Creator Area and the associated Content Creator Panel discussions we held last year, Overland Expo is adding a new multi-purpose area called the Storytelling Pavilion sponsored by K & N. This space will include a teaching area tent that will host education on topics related to content creation, such as photography clinics with incredibly talented photographers, “how to” classes on everything from video creation to the legal terms involved with making money as a content creator, and stories from folks who are traveling around the country and around the world. In addition, a select group of content creators will be camped with their rigs around this space, so if you’re looking to chat with or get an in-person tour of the rig of an overlander you’ve been following for a while, this will be your chance. To read more about the classes and folks you’ll find in this area,
READ MORE: Don’t Miss the Storytelling Pavilion
Fresh Cooks in the Overland Expo “Kitchen”
Make sure to check out our new feature chefs (along with some familiar faces like Bob Theobald and Travis Haynie) in the Backcountry & Culinary Skills Area Sponsored by Bushwakka Adventure Gear:
Chef Jason Schaub, MPH, published his cookbook Overland Cookery in 2018 after recognizing the need for a system of methodological meal planning required for long-duration overland tours.
Unimpressed with what he quotes as “standard camping fare,” often overly reliant on processed foods, published his cookbook as a passion project to showcase what is possible cooking in remote environments. A Type-1 diabetic, Jason has an inherent interest in how the food we eat interacts with the body. Holding a Masters in Public Health Nutrition, Jason has over 15-years of experience positively impacting communities via food.
Jason will be teaching “Overland Cooking Essentials” on Friday and “Overland Cookery: Advanced Methods and Techniques” on Saturday.
Amanda Zito is an adventure rider, artist, and full-time content creator (you can find her videos on YouTube Channel “As the Magpie Flies.”) Amanda has visited every U.S. state in the lower 48 on a motorcycle and her goal is to encourage more people to get outside and enjoy the world on two wheels. She has taught (and will continue to teach) Motorcycle Camping Basics 101 and 102 and Motorcycle Camp Cooking in our ADV Skills Area, but having just released her first cookbook, Amanda will be leading cooking demos at Overland Expo WEST 2024. Join her on Friday afternoon for her class: “One Skillit, One Burner: Tasty Tomato Orzo.”
Connie Rodman is a familiar face at Overland Expo, having attended every single Overland Expo EVER. Little known fact: until two years ago, Connie was responsible for feeding the entire Overland Expo staff three meals per day. We’ve been waiting to tap into Connie’s wealth of culinary experience, which includes cooking for multiple overland expeditions, and are thrilled to have her join us to teach “Making Your Own Dehydrated Meals” on Friday and “Food Storage, Preparation, and Provisioning” on Sunday.
In addition to all of these new teaching areas and instructors, storied overland travelers, and accomplished chefs, you can count on Overland Expo’s programming to provide the quality, core, essential education that we know is necessary for every traveler, such as:
- Stop the Bleed
- Water Logistics for Overlanding
- Off-grid Internet for Overlanders Digital Nomads
- Back it On Up: Overlanding with a Trailer
- Recovery 101: The Essentials You Actually Need
- DIY Electrical & Solar
- Break Up with Duct Tape: Better Ways to Fix Holes, Tears, and Burns in Your Gear
- Top Tips for Overlanding as a Family
- Handling Central America Border Crossings Like a PRO!
- Medicine in the Wild: Improvised First Aid
In addition to some advanced and niche subject matters, like:
- How to 3D Print Your Own-Customized Overland Gear
- Astronomy for Overlanders
- Debunking Myths of Overlanding with an Electric Vehicle
- That ROCKS! Geology for Overlanders
- Art of Exploration: Travel Journaling for Overlanders
- Photographing Astro & Night Images
Before you head to Fort Tuthill, be sure to download the Overland Expo app sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Northern Arizona.
Check out the full schedule to see all of the other dynamic offerings our educational programming has to offer at Overland Expo WEST 2024.
