One of our favorite things about an Overland Expo is getting into the vendor area and seeing what’s new. There’s always a lot of innovative gear on display and this year was no exception. Here’s 10 of our favorite things and some of the best gear from this year’s Overland Expo East.
Overlanding Adventures: A Coloring Book for Dads and Kids
We had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Hott, “the roof top ranger” at Overland Expo East. Jerry is a seven-year-old overlanding enthusiast who has done an impressive list of trails with his dad since falling in love with overlanding at the age of four after seeing a YouTube video. His adventures in the family’s bright orange Tacoma nicknamed “HOTTACO” have inspired the young entrepreneur to write a coloring book celebrating the memories and adventures he’s experienced while out on the trail. The coloring book features some impressive art that captures both the highs and lows of life on the trail. Jerry’s favorite page in his book reminisces on a particularly challenging mosquito encounter at camp and aptly captures the feeling of being there. It was a joy talking with Jerry and getting to look through his book with him. There seemed to be a lot of people walking around with Jerry’s coloring books that weekend. If you weren’t lucky enough to come home with one, you can get a hold of one here and join in on the coloring fun.
Blue Ridge Overland Gear – Tote Bag
Blue Ridge Overland Gear made some of the first bags handed out to Overland Expo attendees some 15 years ago. For many of us, that would be our first introduction to the iconic brand and the first of many BROG items to fill our rigs and gear areas. This year we got to check out their new Tote Bag, an extraordinarily versatile bit of kit. The bag is made from 1000D Denier Cordura and features military-grade webbing. The handle is a single piece of tubular webbing that is rated to 4,000 pounds. There are handy slip pockets on all four exterior sides of the bag that make it easy to quickly stow small items and help keep its contents organized. For those looking for an additional level of organization, BROG sells a companion tote bag organizer that adds a laptop sleeve and two sides of velcro panels for mounting any of the array of their smaller pouches. The tote also works very well with their line of packing cubes which makes this a great weekender bag. If you are looking for a versatile, easy to organize bag that stands up to the rigors of adventure travel, this just might be the bag for you.
CarCamp – Camping Kit
A common frustration in the overlanding world is the tedious set up and tear down of camp, especially if you are in a ground tent. Enter the sleeping platform that avoids the frustration of camp setup and puts a comfortable sleeping surface within your overland vehicle. The drawback is that these tend to either be quasi-permanently mounted in your vehicle or extraordinarily difficult (and heavy) to get in and out of your vehicle.
CarCamp came out of a desire to find a solution to the traditional shortcomings of the sleeping platform. The innovative system takes up only
RockPot – RockPot Original and Mini
The RockPot was an unexpected, pleasant surprise we found wandering the exhibitor area looking for cool stuff. Available in both mini (4 qt.) and original (7 qt.) sizes, the RockPot is a portable slow cooker that doesn’t depend on electricity or propane to work. The system works by using a specially designed “RockTablet” that is preheated on either a camp fire or stovetop. Once the element has reached temperature in 20 – 30 minutes, the RockTablet is placed at the bottom of the RockPot container using a supplied hook that keeps your hands away from the now very hot element. Depending on what you are cooking, you then layer in a cooking rack or a series of included inner pans (or both for multi-part meals), seal the container, and then forget about it until you get to camp and have a fully cooked meal. The RockPot folks had a number of meals going throughout the weekend that smelled wonderful. We are keen to try one of these out on the trail soon.
Read More: That’s a Wrap! Overland Expo East 2025 Recap
GME USA – XRS Connect 4×4 Pack
GME is a well-known GMRS radio manufacturer in the international market, but still new to the US market, having launched their line to our shores at Overland Expo Mountain West just two months ago. We’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get some hands-on time with their new line that spans three units, the XRS-330C-U, the XRS-370C-U, and the XRS-390C-U and this weekend gave us the chance to check them out in person. All three have the radios’ standout features in common: a bright OLED display, bluetooth connectivity for streamlined programming and firmware updates, and an impressively clear 2-watt speaker on the handset. The top-of-the-line 390C-U unit adds IP67 dust and water protection, MIL-STD 810G shock and vibration rating, and a built in GPS receiver. That said, the 370C-U seems to be the sweet spot for the overlander that typically does not need the extra features of the 390C-U, but does want the more robust construction found in the middle model of the line. Perhaps most compelling is the XRS Connect 4×4 Pack that pairs the 370C-U with their heavy-duty short-whip radome antenna kit that includes everything needed to mount the system. At $540, it’s quite the deal for a complete overland-worthy setup that brings some unique features and innovation to the market.
Dialed – Camp Kitchen
Camp kitchen innovation has been all the rage lately and we were pleased to see that the innovation is continuing. Dialed is currently offering their camp kitchen on Kickstarter for a compelling price for what it offers. The kit revolves around a 25″ wide by 18″ deep by 13″ high injection molded case that contains the entire setup aside from the legs. Once deployed, the system provides a stove shelf, cutting board, and sink with USB-powered faucet across the expanded horizontal surface. A molle back panela provide easy access to commonly used kitchen items as well as an array of LED lights.
The Dialed camp kitchen also includes a mesh dish drying bag, a kitchen tool roll that mounts to the front of the system, two organizing cubes, and organizing pins that allow you to customize the in case storage to your camp kitchenware. Room for a wide variety of camp stoves allows your entire kitchen kit to fit in the case that is likely smaller than the motley array of camp kitchen gear you likely have now. Check out their Kickstarter for more information on their system and to see how quickly the Dialed Camp Kitchen deploys and stows away.
Bundutech – BunduTRAIL Offroad Trailer
We were fortunate to get some time with the new BunduTrail offroad trailer at the Bundutech booth. The trailer is a low-profile pop-up style tent trailer weighing in at only 1,765 lbs. with a hitch weight of only 200 lbs. At 12′-5″ long, 6′-3″ wide, and only 5’3″ tall with the tent down, the trailer is a great fit for smaller vehicles or people who don’t want the hassle or extreme gas mileage hit of a larger trailer.
Despite its svelte profile, the trailer is packed with all the essentials. The BunduTRAIL in its base configuration comes with a fridge drawer, 18-gallon freshwater tank and powered tap, a swing out spare tire carrier, privacy enclosure, 360-degree swing out awning, and a 105 AH lithium battery powered by a 308W solar panel connected to a Victron controller. For comfort on the trails, the trailer comes with a 4″ mattress and four 12-volt fans to keep you comfortable. The base model comes in at $31,250 and there are a number of quality-of-life add-ons available to fit it out further.
GooseGear –
It’s a rare Overland Expo that we don’t find ourselves at the Goose Gear booth looking to see what the latest and greatest vehicle organization system is coming out of Grand Junction, Colorado. This year we got the chance to check out the latest changes to John Jacob’s Jeep Rubicon setup (which is a perennial favorite Jeep build) and we had the chance to talk a little more about their new Venture Series product line that is currently in the prototyping phase. The new line uses a bamboo plywood for the cabinet bodies and a bamboo and palm frond plywood for countertops and other horizontal surfaces. As usual, the Goose Gear setup maximizes storage with an array of drawers and access panels, but the new Venture series has integrated molle panels for a breadth of customization and flexibility. The Venture line is initially slated for the Ineos Grenadier, but prototypes have been spotted in both a Troopy and a Defender. Our hope is that we’ll see it offered on a broad range of vehicles as the new line rolls out.
