Each summer, Main Line Overland and Touratech host the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival and Touratech Adventure Rally, an enthusiastic gathering of adventurers from throughout the east, all descending on the Henwood Farm in Pennsylvania. I have attended dozens of overland events through the years, but this festival is something special, attracting a wide range of attendees, all excited to learn from others and share their adventures. The sense of hospitality was universal and it was common to see participants sharing food and drinks well into the night. Follow along as we showcase the best of the Overland Festival!
The event is held on a 220 acre farm, lined by forests and lush canyons. The event site was immaculate and the organization was professional yet welcoming. Motorcycle and 4WD routes line the property, providing everything from mild to wild. Catering was available for every meal and Main Line Overland even sponsored live music on Saturday night.
Adventure Motorcycles:
Touratech brought the adventurer riders in by the hundreds, providing day rides, classes and presentations. Each evening they held some form of “shenanigans” with difficult (yet accessible) challenge courses. It was also great to see the wide range of motorcycles present, with everything from DR650s to brand new 1200 GSAs.
Touratech brought their new KLR650 project bike- sweet.
The event included all flavors of motorcycle, with BMWs, KTMs and Yamahas making up the bulk of the crowd.
Training
The hallmark of any good overland event is the training and roundtable presentations. The festival did not disappoint with dozens of classes held through the weekend. Overland Experts is always the consummate 4WD training organization, engaging the crowd with real-world scenarios and hands-on tasks.
Overland Experts: CLICK HERE
Overland Experts and Touratech provided numerous classes, topics ranging from vehicle recovery to suspension tuning.
The Touratech challenge course was super fun to watch, with spectators and participants engaged in the hilarity and victory. Watching the two-up team win was epic
The variety of vehicles was part of the fun. A winch on a Forester? SURE!
This impressive Dodge diesel/flatbed/4WC combo was ready to travel. Overland Experts brought their RTW Prado
Even the attendees caught my attention, this visitor building a super clear rear drawer system using two fridge slides.
Two wheels were represented, including a rare NX650 and a Surly Fat Tire bikepacking beast
Vendors
The festival was not only packed with attendees, but vendors too, including big industry names like AT Overland, Touratech, Clothing Arts, ARB, Fourwheeler, OK 4WD (James Baroud) and others. Local vendors also attended, like Purple Lizard Maps (super cool people), Vermont Overland, and ADV Moto Magazine (plus many more). I was impressed by the quality of components and vehicles on display and the degree of knowledge and experience presented by the booth staff.
For the full list of vendors: CLICK HERE
AT Overland brought their impressive JK with Habitat. Mario, co-founder of AT was present to conduct classes and share his perspective on trailers, campers and vehicle builds.
ARB staff from Florida was also in attendance, bringing an adventure-prepped Ford F350, a JK, and a drool-worthy Land Cruiser 200. This event is also the host to the Fourwheel Camper East Coast Owners Rally
Purple Lizard maps is a local icon, providing travelers with hundreds of miles of trails.
American Adventurist was also in attendance with a big crew, all having fun and willing to share a few libations once the sun set.
Clothing Arts was an exciting addition, as they make some of the highest-quality travel clothing in the industry.
Main Line Overland
Being one of the host vendors, Main Line Overland was at the farm in force, bringing more cool trucks than I could count. It was great to get to know the Henwood family and hear of their travel experience and modification philosophy. It is rare to find a preparation and logistics company that so values function and form. Every one of their vehicles was an exercise in functionality, simplicity and performance, all while retaining the spirit of the original platform. In particular, their Defender 110 and Unimog were standouts, both ready to drive around the world.
Main Line Overland also specializes in motorcycles and their shop has full moto service and modification capabilities.
The Unimog was perfect, a fully functional restoration. The 350 was an exercise in performance and comfort, combining a Fourwheel Camper with 40″ tires.
Resources:
Overland Festival
Main Line Overland
Touratech
