The 2024 overland show season keeps churning, and the most recent stop for its marquee event, Overland Expo, was in Loveland, Colorado. Every Overland Expo has its own character, and the show owner, Emerald Expositions, is trying hard to lean into those differences: Expo West is where the travelers gather, Pacific Northwest feels the “crunchiest,” East is the most intimate event, and Overland Expo Mountain West taps the rich vein of innovation and entrepreneurship that dwells along the Front Range.
One of the draws of Overland Expo Mountain West is the opportunity to explore Colorado’s high country.
Plenty of overland and outdoor adventure firms make their home at the foot of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, from big concerns like Sea to Summit and Bestop (celebrating their 70th anniversary this year) to plucky small businesses working out of garages and small warehouses up and down the Front. Scott Brady and I had lots of time to scope out all the new and interesting gear that Mountain West had to offer this year, and in addition to coverage here on Expedition Portal this week, we’ll be breaking down the hits and misses on the Overland Journal Podcast—be sure to tune in.
• Taxa Outdoors X-Series Camper Trailers
Alabama Sprinter van conversion giant Storyteller Overland recently acquired Texas-based Taxa Outdoors, purveyors of NASA-inspired off-road trailers. The newest batch of tag-alongs from Taxa since the buy-out is the X-Series campers, essentially beefed-up versions of their already extremely capable and lightweight TigerMoth, Cricket, and Mantis. X-Series trailers feature Cruisemaster suspension, the Cruisemaster DO35 V3 Plus off-road hitch, reinforced chassis, and integrated rock sliders, skid plates, and MOLLE panels for added protection and versatility. The weight penalties for the X-Series trailers are reportedly negligible. Complete pricing has yet to be announced, but you can reserve an X-Series on the Taxa website now.
• Scout Yoho Pop-Up Truck Camper
Scout continues to expand its lineup of compact, energy-efficient, and functional truck campers with new pop-up models. The Yoho is their mid-size truck version, and Overland Journal Publisher Scott Brady recently bolted one to the back of our Ineos Grenadier Quatermaster long-term test vehicle. Like all Scout campers, the Yoho features a slick design and thoughtfully arrayed options and accessories, but the real focus is on high-quality materials and offering the equipment you need at an accessible price point. The Yoho starts at $27,900 but feels a lot more expensive. Integrated solar charging and an available heater will keep you off the grid for longer and in more variable conditions, and practical features like removable marine flooring abound.
• 1Up Prototype Hitch-Mount Motorcycle Carrier
Mountain bikers the world over discovered 1Up hitch-mount bicycle racks years ago, and around my hometown in Montana, you will find about a third of the rigs parked at any trailhead with a 1Up bolted to the back. Their anti-rattle tech for receiver hitches, super-simple, no-mar hold-down mechanism, and feathery aluminum construction make all their models among the most attractive options in the rack world. 1Up has been adding racks to their catalog that carry increasingly more weight—for fat tire bikes and e-bikes, for example. At Overland Expo Mountain West, they showcased a robust-looking prototype hitch-mount motorcycle carrier. It was supporting a Honda XR650L, certainly no bantamweight in the dual-sport class. No confirmation yet on when it will be available, but keep an eye on the 1Up website.
• Liquid Spring Suspension
I’m no engineer, and my head definitely spun when the Liquid Spring folks tried to explain to me exactly how their super high-tech hydraulic suspension systems work at the Overland Expo, but one thing was clear—for big trucks, this is a paradigm-shifting product. Liquid Spring struts simultaneously replace traditional leaf and coil springs and the vehicle’s original dampers, combining them into one integrated unit. The system itself evaluates speed, steering, braking, and road inputs 1,000 times per second to automatically optimize ride quality and handling characteristics. True Earth leveling automatically levels out your rig at the campsite. Liquid Spring is standard equipment now on Earth Roamers, and if your overland platform is built on a Ford F-550 or Ram 5500 chassis, and you’re carrying a large habitat, they are worth a look.
• The Topper Tent
The Colorado-based husband and wife team at Topper Tent started their company with just a straightforward concept and a sewing machine in their back room. The idea, like most really good ones, was simple—turn a pickup bed with a topper on it into an easy-to-set-up and more spacious overnight space by integrating a lightweight tent. The Topper Tent itself (starting at $315) consists of one panel with a zippered door and mosquito netting, and it attaches quickly to your hard or soft truck topper with the tailgate extended. This is especially useful for trucks with 5.5-foot beds that are otherwise useless for sleeping. An available mattress, lighting, insulation, and storage accessories complete the package.
• Leitner Designs ACS Roof Racks
A roof rack is a deceptively challenging product to develop. Not only do you have to deal with multiple fitments and varying degrees of static and dynamic strength of vehicle roofs, but you also need to offer ways to accommodate a nearly endless array of gear and equipment that users will throw at it. Leitner Designs’ approach to their all-new ACS line of roof racks focuses on versatility, and their proprietary T-slot profiles can mount up nearly any accessory from any brand in a snap. The infinitely adjustable rails quickly adapt to different types of loads (or can be adjusted to avoid blocking your sunroof) and the removable endcaps make running wire for electrical accessories like lighting a snap. There are currently limited applications available (notably the Toyota Tacoma and the Ineos Grenadier), but Leitner says more vehicles will be available soon. Prices start at $850.
• Pecos Outdoor Camp Tables
Nearly $700 sounds like quite a bit of scratch for a camp table, but over-engineered and ultra-strong gear that’s made in the USA does tend to empty the wallet a little faster than the alternatives. One spec that stands out with the Pecos camp table is its 3,200-pound weight rating—surely an exercise in theory rather than practical use, but it suggests just how robust this working surface really is. The extendable legs are stored in the back of the tabletop, and the orbital feet keep it stable on nearly any surface. FDA-rated materials mean the table can do duty in the kitchen as well as for various other purposes around the campsite, and multiple colorways can mix and match your buildout. At 34 inches, the height is just about right for working tasks, but maybe a smidge too high to sit down for a meal.
• Grayl GeoPress Water Filter
Drinking water and storage vessels with integrated filtration systems are becoming increasingly popular both for the outdoor adventurer and the overland traveler (think LifeStraw or the LifeSaver jerry can). Why carry a separate device for filtering water when your bottle can do it for you? Grayl’s take on this tech is the GeoPress, which requires zero setup time and makes 24 ounces of clean drinking water in as little as 8 seconds. The GeoPress also includes a one-way valve for adding electrolytes and drink mixes without fouling the filter element. The filter itself features electroabsorption and ultra-powdered activated carbon, which will last up to 350 uses and eliminates not only waterborne pathogens (including viruses), but bothersome chemical tastes as well. Prices start at $99.95.
• WildWater RV Rain Catchment System
Water management is always a concern for the overland traveler, especially those who strive to be off-grid as much as possible. WildWater RV’s rain catchment system ($159 for a comprehensive starter kit) offers a straightforward way to add to your H2O supply, especially while posted up in one spot for longer periods of time. The catchment devices integrate seamlessly onto your trailer or camper’s drip rail systems and replace the OE rain spouts. Funneling rainwater into your fresh water tank or an external container or simply diverting it away from your rig is as easy as attaching a handful of hoses. Of course, climactic conditions will dictate how useful this device is, but the ease of use and installation make it a handy addition to your habitat. Go ahead, take that long shower you deserve.
• Overland Expo Mountain West :: VanneBjorn Creative Gear Repair
The VanneBjorn Creative is a small textile design, development, and production firm out of Logan, Utah. At Overland Expo, they offered on-site gear repair and a range of fix-it products at their retail stand. Keeping perfectly serviceable but slightly damaged gear in your rotation by repairing it instead of replacing it is a low-impact, cost-effective, and efficient way to keep your overland life going down the road with minimal impact on both your wallet and the world. Have an idea for a product of your own? VanneBjorn’s design and product development services ring in at a very reasonable $75 an hour, and they can walk you along the process all the way through the manufacturing phase.
Read More: Overland Expo West 2024 :: More Gear
Listen to the Overland Expo Mountain West Overland Journal Podcast
Images: Stephan Edwards, Taxa Outdoors, Leitner Designs, Pecos Outdoor, WildWater RV
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