It should come as no surprise to anyone who has attended an Overland Expo that the overlanding community is a tight-knit group with friendships that span years, miles, and social media. Recently, at Overland Expo SoCal, we caught up with Nolen Yapp. Nolen has been a part of our team; he’s currently working with the passionate Land Rover experts at Classic Overland, and before all of that, he was no stranger to overland trips far and wide. Read on to learn more about his story.
OE: Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, Nolen! We really appreciate it. Before we dive into your experience with Overland Expo and your current role, why don’t you tell us a bit about your history with overlanding?
NY: Cars have been my passion for as long as I can remember. Early on, motorsports, automotive history, and building cars became my world. By high school, I was deep into BMWs and Subarus. I restored an ’86 BMW E30 (with my quality YouTube mechanic certification), got into autocross and time attack, and turned my Subaru WRX daily driver into what I thought was a track car.
The turning point came when I was attending Kansas State , and my WRX lost its life, totaled in a freak flash flood. That forced me to step back and rethink what I actually wanted out of a vehicle.
At the same time, I’ve always had a strong creative side, especially in photography and videography. I was really drawn to the imagery behind Camel Trophy, that raw, in-the-moment storytelling. Photographers like Nick Dimbleby showed me how to create captivating imagery where the car is the center of the story. Others , like Jimmy Chin, shaped how I capture outdoor adventure. Both are incredible storytellers who inspire my visual lens.
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Then COVID hit, and living in Oregon at the time, everything shut down. Adventure behind the wheel is what I live and breathe, and to keep the automotive adventures going, really, the only places that were accessible were BLM land and national forests. Cars and Coffee and track events were closed or canceled. If I wanted to keep driving, I’d need to take the road less traveled. That was the outlet , and that’s what changed everything.
This shift forced me to experience cars differently. It wasn’t about lap times or modifications anymore; it was about where a vehicle could take you. It honestly felt like rediscovering cars all over again, like hearing your favorite song for the first time.
I started building out a rig piece by piece, gear that supported getting out there, and over time, it naturally turned into an overland setup. It wasn’t a planned transition from track builds; it was just the evolution of trying to stay behind the wheel.
OE: Before your current role, you were actually on the other side of Overland Expo as a team member. Did your tenure as event videographer provide any insight or surprises as to what happens at each Overland Expo?
NY: I first attended Overland Expo as an attendee with my friends, celebrating a successful week-long trip in Canyonlands on the iconic White Rim Road. The next year, we submitted a documentary covering the trip that was an official selection at the Overland Expo PNW Film Festival. Then I booked with the team as an event videographer for Overland Expo SoCal. I was thrilled to meet the crew and move to the professional side, coming from being a spectator, truly a dream come true. This experience showed me the “soul” side of Overland Expo; everyone is there because they love it – the overlanding community, the products, the adventure. It’s not a big corporate machine. It’s a tight-knit team delivering a massive event. Having worked on the corporate side of Microsoft and BMW, I know how many people it can take to achieve an event even half the size of what Overland Expo is. What I learned is that passion and professionalism in this community run deep, and that’s why it works so well.
But being a videographer or photographer here isn’t like shooting any event. You can’t come in as an off-the-shelf wedding shooter. You have to love the vehicles, the terrain, and the adventure. It’s like being a driver. If you don’t know the terrain, you can’t tell the story. For me, it was an honor because I wasn’t just documenting it. I was part of the same passion. I was capturing the people, their builds, and their journeys.
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OE: What can you tell us about your current role at Classic Overland?
NY: I lead operations and brand at Classic Overland, so I’m responsible for both how our vehicles are built and how we present ourselves as an organization. On the operations side, I oversee each build from concept through delivery, making sure every decision aligns with the end vision.
Our Signature Series is a full body-off restoration taken down to the nuts and bolts, rebuilt with modern powertrains and engine swaps, so the vehicle feels as good to drive as it does to look at. The Warthog Series is more purpose-driven, focused on simplicity, durability, and accessibility for first-time Defender buyers.
On the brand side, I make sure everything we do reflects that philosophy. We’re not building showpieces. We’re building vehicles meant to be driven and kept. My role is to make sure that the standard is consistent across the product and the experience. If you want to follow along with the builds, events, and everything behind the scenes, you can find me on Instagram at @yapping_about_cars.
OE: Classic Overland builds some truly incredible and unique trucks, and it’s always amazing to see the detail, fit, and finish in those builds. Undoubtedly, it’s a team effort with lots of moving parts. What’s the process like when those builds come together?
NY: Every build starts with a clear vision, and from there, my role is to keep everything moving in that direction. I’m coordinating across sourcing, engineering, fabrication, and assembly to make sure nothing drifts from the original intent.
Because each vehicle is highly customized, the process is not linear. There are constant adjustments with parts, timelines, and execution, so a big part of what I do is making decisions in real time without losing sight of the end result. Our clients and their vision are at the heart of all we do.
It’s a complex process, but the goal is simple. When the vehicle is finished, it should feel cohesive, intentional, and exactly how it was meant to come together from day one.
OE: We have to ask, what’s your most memorable overland trip to date, and likewise, what’s your bucket list trip or destination?
NY: My most memorable trip would be when Layne, my now wife, and I celebrated our engagement in Iceland. We road tripped through the country in a Land Rover Defender 110 at the tail end of winter with my best man and her maid of honor.
It wasn’t our first time traveling behind the wheel, but it was one of the most spontaneous trips we’ve ever taken. We planned it on the fly after watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and ended up chasing a lot of the filming locations. That meant long days on the road, pulling off wherever something caught our eye, and planning some special only there activities like hiking in ice caves on a volcano and snorkeling in the continental rift. It was one of those trips where you stop overthinking and just go.
Iceland has a way of stripping everything back. You’re driving through landscapes that don’t feel real, volcanic terrain, frozen waterfalls, and steam rising out of the ground. In winter, it’s quiet and raw, and every mile feels intentional.
We rented the Defender through ISAK 4×4, which is pretty surreal looking back. They’ve since become a brand partner of Classic Overland, and at the time, I never would have expected that our paths would cross again in that way.
That trip was the first time I really saw how driving, storytelling, and exploration could all come together into something bigger.
Looking ahead, my bucket list is a documentary expedition through Alaska in a Defender. The documentary concept is called “Driven by Adventure: Northern Wild,” and the goal is to capture one of the last untouched wildlife corridors left in North America before it changes for good.
A lot of that inspiration comes from XOverland and creators like Bound For Nowhere, especially the way they approach long-form, immersive storytelling. I’d want to start by taking the ferry from Washington up to Alaska, letting that transition set the tone for the entire journey and allowing the route itself to shape the story as much as the destination.
It would follow an overland journey from tidewater to tundra with Layne and our two dogs, Bruno and Lilly. Documenting not just the landscapes, but the wildlife and the people who depend on that land. Bears, remote communities, and the reality of what it means to live alongside a wilderness that is slowly disappearing. I’d want to develop it through a grant program with National Geographic and tell it in a way that feels real and honest.
On the other end of the spectrum, a dream trip for Layne and me would be Australia. Something built around an event like the Birdsville Big Red Bash, then extending into time spent out in the bush, even volunteering at Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary while traveling in a Defender. It’s a completely different kind of experience, but still rooted in the same idea of getting behind the wheel and letting the journey shape everything.
Because at the end of the day, the Defender is the poster child for that kind of experience, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
