Spring 2019 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | SPRING 2019 26 In-Season O n May 17 to 19, the 10th edi- tion of the Overland Expo West took place in the Fort Tuthill County Park, just outside of Flagstaff, Ariz. The Overland Expo is a unique event series for “do-it-yourself adventure travel enthusiasts,” with hundreds of session-hours of classes for four-wheel-drive and adventure mo- torcycling enthusiasts; inspirational programs; a film festival; roundtable discussions and demon- strations; and more than 400 vendors of adventure travel equipment, camping gear, bikes, vehicles and services.  Event organizers expected more than 16,000 wheeled-adventure enthusiasts from around the globe to attend this year’s event, hosted by more than 250 paid staff and volunteers, making it the largest Overland Expo West to date. And that is after the event experienced 30 percent growth in exhibitor participation in 2018. While it’s true the Overland Expos may include a few too many combustion engines, and more exhaust fumes and tire treads than some among the Outdoor Retailer crowd may prefer, there is no denying the influence and growth that overland/van life/car camping 2.0 has had within the camping market. With that in mind, here is a sample of some of the coolest new gear to support vehicle-supported campers. Camping inMotion Gear to support vehicle-supported campers Photo by Jonathon Hanson courtesy Overland Expo Pelican Ruck Case The Ruck Case is an overlander’s dream – rugged and waterproof; it’s like a portable glove compartment for your four-wheeler, or a secure stash case for vehicles with their own glove compartment. This product is waterproof, dust proof, sand proof and features a dual pivot latch. BivyStick The Bivy Stick provides peace of mind when off the grid. Requiring no contract or activation fees, it utilizes the user’s cell phone to communicate via satellite when no phone service is available in order to send and receive text messages, share location, track a path, send an S.O.S. message and access weather forecasts. And it in- tegrates with the Bivy App and its database of more than 40,000 trails, climbing routes and waterways.