The Recap & Excitement2021 West

Fort Tuthill

Flagstaff, AZ

Overland Expo West

Event Statistics

  • 28,000 attendees from all over the world
  • 405 registered exhibitors 
  • 95 presenters, instructors, and VIPs
  • 90 media outlets from all over the world
  • 100 staff & 50 volunteers
  • 414+ classes, seminars, demos, activities, slideshows, and films; totaling 491+ session hours of instruction
  • Attendees came from as far away as Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Portugal
  • Most U.S. states were represented; in highest attendance was Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; others came from as far east as Maine, Vermont, and Florida; and from as far north as Alaska, North Dakota, and Idaho.

Event Highlights

  • Overland Expo fans helped to raise $14,340 for the Overland Expo Foundation with raffle ticket purchases.  Thousands of dollars in prizes - donated by Expo exhibitors - were given away at the raffle attended by hundreds of attendees Friday night.
  • Overland Expo will donate an additional $10,000 from the event’s bar sales to the Overland Expo Foundation.  
  • The sold-out Rider Justice Moto Party hosted a moto raffle in the Expert Power moto demo tent with thousands of dollars in prizes being given away.  A portion of the proceeds was donated to The Backcountry Discovery Routes
  • Thousands attended Happy Hours hosted by MB Quart, Toyo Tires and Sea To Summit for networking and post-event libations. 
  • Yakima hosted the Overland Film Fest in the Winnebago Theater, featuring short films from the Overlander Film Festival, Ride BDR: A 10- Year Retrospective and a Q&A with BDR filmmaker, Sterling Noren.
  • Fans got a taste of the new Ford Bronco on an off-road ride along course and demoed Harley’s all-new adventure bike, the Pan American all weekend.
  • Overland Essentials, Backcountry Skills and other classroom areas were full of eager learners throughout the weekend.

Photo & Video Highlights

Overland Expo East 2021: Sunday Photos
Overland Expo East 2021: Saturday Photos
Overland Expo East 2021: Friday Photos
Overland Expo West 2021: Sunday Photos
Overland Expo West 2021: Saturday Photos
Overland Expo West 2021: Friday Photos
Overland Expo Mountain West 2021: Sunday Photos
Overland Expo Mountain West 2021: Saturday Photos
Overland Expo Mountain West 2021: Friday Photos
2019 Overland Expo East Camping

Video Gallery

What People Are Saying

From Exhibitors:

Adam Wood, Founder - STEP 22 Gear

EXPO IS BACK!  Overland Expo West delivered! Jacquie, Shawn, Anthony, and the entire Lodestone team pulled off an amazing event just a few weeks after Mtn West and all while prepping for East. We had record sales every day and reached our weekend goal by the end of day 2. We brought enough gear for West and East, but now have to ship more to East because we sold out at West. The attendees were AMAZING and it was so great to see everyone in person again! 

 

Mark Mathews, Mktg Director, Westin Automotive/Superwinch

This was my first time exhibiting at overland expo west and I was totally blown away. This event dwarfs other off road retail events on the west coast. We had strong traffic throughout the weekend. Attendees were in a great mood and eager to purchase products for their vehicles. We also had a great experience with the expo staff and volunteers. Everyone was friendly and responsive to any issues. We look forward to returning next year. 

 

Bakari Howard, FALKEN TIRE , Supervisor of Training:

As a vendor, I’ve really enjoyed the Overland event here in Flagstaff.  From the high flow of foot traffic to the way the classes were orchestrated, it was really top notch.

I also found the app to be a useful tool as a presenter. Not only from an accountability perspective with the reminders function, but also how I could view the amount of attendee sign ups so that I could prepare accordingly. 

I’d also like to add that there were ample restrooms and an eclectic selection of food vendors which makes being in the middle of a forest a lot more pleasant. 

 

Alex Zappile, OK4WD

We’re wrapping up our final day at Expo West fired up and ready for Expo East. Every visitor to our booth has been enthusiastic about our gear and full of great questions to learn how Alu-Cab products will enhance their next camping trip.

Fort Tuthill has been home since Friday and what a great venue! Easy to navigate with plenty of space for everyone. The on-site camping for all of the attendees created a great community for like minded adventure travelers.

Expo West was a complete success and we’d like to thank everyone involved and all of the volunteers.  We especially like the motorcycle escort to our booth on Thursday so we can get straight to setting up and ready for the event. Thank you Expo Crew!

 

Ty & Nemo - Backwoods Adventure Mods

To the whole Overland Expo Staff and volunteers… Thank you so much for putting together an amazing event. From the time we got there on Thursday to the end of the day Sunday, everything felt so orderly and put together.  Also, a huge thank you to the staff, anytime we needed anything at all they were willing and ready to help. The best part of the show by far was seeing how genuinely interested the attendees were. It's not everyday that people truly care what you have to offer and have to say.  Thank you!

 

Anne Fernandez, Marketing Director, Kurgo.  

It’s absolutely wonderful being a first time exhibitor here.   It exceeded our expectations ten-fold.  The people here are friendly, the staff, the attendees were great and we can’t wait to come back in 2022!

From Volunteers:

Brittany Highland, Hourless Life:

Being an instructor at Overland Expo is an incredibly rewarding experience. We have taught at five Expos now, and the process is seamless: from application, to fine-tuning programming alongside Expo staff to serve attendees best, to working with the fantastic AV team. As instructors, we get much more than we give and we cherish the friendships we’ve built at every event. 

 

Tiffany Richards, Peaceful Warrior:

​​Never before have I come across a group of people so eager, helpful and generous as the Overland community. The folks of Overland Expo who attend my self defense sessions walk away more confident and capable, with an increased ability to travel safely, solo or otherwise. Overland Expo places great emphasis on the safety and well-being of their attendees, and it shows!

 

Bob F., Volunteer

I thoroughly enjoyed working as a volunteer, particularly with Chelsea and Fabian prior to and during the Expo. Both had a professional demeanor and were always calm under pressure. My favorite aspects were working behind the scenes at such a large outdoor exposition, working as a team with other volunteers, meeting so many people with the same passion for the great outdoors, and making friends that I hope will last a lifetime. I would definitely volunteer again! 

 

Randy Gorman, Volunteer:

The Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona was bigger and more fun than I expected. There were so many vendors and it was awesome getting to be a part of the show. I can’t wait to come back to the next Expo and volunteer again.

From Attendees:

Chase Gardner, Weekend Pass with Camping Attendee

Overland Expo West. Where do I even begin?  It was unlike anything I thought it would be.  It was so much more!

It is no secret that overlanding at its core is about creating your own unique experience throughout our incredible public lands. Many of us travel solo, and others in small groups, but all with one common goal. To get out and away from the populated cities most live in today. Overland Expo is the exception to the rule though. It’s the biggest event of the year where we all come together, individuals and companies alike, to do a few things: share stories, learn, and have an absolute killer time.

Throughout the day there were enough things to do and see that I wasn’t bored even once. There were offerings from free seminars at vendor booths, to advanced experience driving courses designed to test you and your rig ensuring you’re prepared for the next adventure. You could also wander into the DIY area and see some of the most unique builds in the entire country right there in front of you. Their owners were always around eager to share their ingenuity and answer any question you had.

Out of all the things I saw, learned, and experienced though, it’s the new friendships I’ve made that made it so special. Cheers to next year and thank you for an incredible time!

 

Steve Sida, GS Giants
Overland Expo was an exceptional event for the GS Giants and the ADV riding community! It drew many great vendors with exceptional products for the ADV rider and it was a great gathering for those of us that love to experience this amazing world on 2 wheels. Many thanks to Overland Expo for creating an exceptional event and supporting the GS Giants!

 

Hunter Constantine, First Time Attendee
As someone who is new to the Overland space, I have never been to a more welcoming event than Overland expo. Everyone was eager to answer my questions and offer their advice. It truly shows how much of a community is built around this event and the culture of overlanding. I’m inspired to go on my own adventures and start building some of my own experiences on the trail. Great people. Great vendors. Great time all around. I can’t wait until next year.

Featured Media Coverage

Overland Expo was covered in 170+ post-event news stories across a variety of outlets — from national to local to automotive to lifestyle. From the breadth and scope of earned coverage, it’s clear that Overland Expo’s influence bridges beyond overland-centric publications and touches other facets of the media landscape. OX’s relevance and influence was underscored further by Nissan making national news at the event. Media coverage highlights include:

News

Cinder Hills OHV

Trips & Trails: The Cinder Hills of Northern Arizona

If you’ve ever wanted to overland on the moon, this is as close you can get. The Cinder Hills OHV Area resembles the moon’s surface, partially because NASA pockmarked a portion of the Cinder Lakes area to match the Apollo landing sites with a series of controlled explosions in 1967.

November 9, 2021

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

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Full List of Exhibitors

Our History Discover the excitement

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Photo by Brett Willhelm, Willhelmn Visual Works

Photo by Brett Willhelm

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