Someone I know who has been in the adventure travel industry for many years told me that we are currently in a “creativity crisis.” He thinks we’re stuck in a rut and that very few truly new ideas have been filtering into the overland world lately. I had this claim front and center in my mind as I toured the vendor and exhibitor display areas at Overland Expo West this year. Is there really nothing new under the Arizona sun?
I think it’s all in how we define creativity. A new product doesn’t necessarily have to be 100% original to fulfill the criteria—innovation can be iterative and behind the scenes. There might not ever be anything as revolutionary for the remote traveler as the 12-volt portable refrigerator, but better insulation materials, being quieter, more durable, and with more efficient compressors, and a lighter weight construction are all improvements that make a huge difference in a device that has been around a very long time. These are the kinds of small but impactful changes that are hard to suss out at first glance, but are perhaps more important than a gimmicky new idea. I found both fresh ideas and subtle upgrades throughout the Expo this year—all you had to do was look.
Hest Foamy Camp Chair
The first chairs with dedicated backs and legs enter the archaeological record in Egypt somewhere around 5,000 years ago, so a dedicated place to plop your bum is definitely not a new technology. However, Hest’s new camp chair has been hotly awaited for a while now (not necessarily thousands of years, but close). This relatively young company takes its time when developing products with an eye toward durability and good ergonomics. I sat for a moment on the fluffy yet simultaneously supportive cushion and quickly reached the conclusion that it may possibly be the most comfortable chair you can buy for your travel adventures. They sold out quick—new inventory won’t arrive until July, so sign up to get on the wait list.
iKamper Skycamp 4.0 Roof Tent
One classic category in overlanding that has seen a lot of rapid evolution in the last decade, but shows signs of slowing down recently, is the rooftop tent. iKamper hit the scene almost a decade ago with their hybrid soft-side/hard-side design and they’ve been slowly adding features and reducing weight on their flagship model, now known as the Skycamp 4.0. With revised support geometry that boosts sleeping space and headroom, a larger door for better ingress and egress, and unique cork flooring to reduce condensation, the improvements over the Skycamp 3.0 seem intangible, but added up together make for some real advancements for this stalwart tent.
Alu-Cab Silenus INEOS Grenadier Pop-Top Roof Conversion
Speaking of revolutionary, the INEOS Grenadier and its pickup stablemate, the Quartermaster, may be the most important trucks to hit the overlanding scene since the launch of their spiritual successor, the original Land Rover Defender. South Africa-based Alu-Cab has been making roof conversions for long-term travel for Defenders and Land Cruisers for many years, and the Silenus conversion kit for the Grenadier is the latest in their pop-top habitat line. Replacing the roof on the INEOS is a little more complicated than removing the handful of 13-millimeter bolts that hold the top onto an old Defender, but the concept is the same: an aluminum-framed and modular pop-top camper that not only features a dedicated sleeping platform, but also creates a spacious living area inside the truck. Impressively, Alu-Cab is holding the line on costs for the Silenus at just $11,000, though with professional installation, converting your Grenadier to that pop-top life could run closer to $20,000.
Leitner Designs Gear Pod HD
Leitner is an engineering-driven company that over-builds its lineup of roof racks and bed racks, as well as the wide range of accessories they offer to compliment your dream overland rig. One of their keystone accessories has been the Gear Pod storage boxes that slot neatly into the sides of their bed rack system. The previous iteration of the Gear Pod has composite structure—the new HD is made from 5052 11-gauge aluminum. It features 20% more useable space in the same footprint, as well as a rugged gas strut assist door with a hidden two-point locking bar. Carrying over are the automotive grade seals that absolutely airlock any dust or moisture and the bombproof construction. The HD is essentially the same weight as the original.
Redarc Tow Pro Link Wireless Towing System
Redarc’s products are rooted in a deceptive simplicity. Behind their sleek exteriors and straightforward user-friendliness are untold hours of R&D and the some of the best engineering and tech in the segment. Take the Tow Pro Link wireless towing system, for example. It’s a plug-and-play remote wiring setup that uses a standard USCAR 7 Pin vehicle trailer harness connector and a USB-A powered remote. This eliminates the need for any vehicle modifications to take advantage of Redarc’s advanced towing software. The factory-paired main unit and USB remote allow for seamless control out of the box with no additional setup or pairing complications. It’s built to last, featuring an IP57 rating and high-strength design, and its compact and slim profile enables flexible mounting options underneath vehicles.
Kāma Mondo Surface
Kāma make what they call “surfaces for mankind.” Their origami-inspired camp mats are built with a soft foam top, a rigid recycled plastic base, and a waterproof nylon shell. It’s a portable foundation and protective surface designed “to withstand life on the road and the pull of the elements.” The Mondo is their largest model, and it covers around 30 square feet with a 1/2 inch of cushion under the rugged cover. They come in a variety of colors and fold away into a tiny package that won’t take up much room in your rig. Spread out, it offers a homey feel for your camp and keeps grit and grime outside, where it belongs.
Adrenaline Addicts Colombia ADV Moto Tours
When it comes to the gear versus experiences equation, I tend to shell out less money on the former in order to have more to spend on the latter. Starting at just $1,900 for an all-inclusive (just buy your plane ticket) 5-day ADV trip in one of South America’s most wild and beautiful countries, Adrenaline Addicts’ fully customizable adventures are awfully appealing. With years of experience exploring Colombia and hosting tours since 2016, Adrenaline offers a wide range of options for beginners through ultra-seasoned motorcyclists. You can tune your tour for more or less dirt, more or fewer cultural experiences, and more or less risk.
Stod Gear Co. WoodGaiter
Firewood is my bane. I love a campfire, but wood is heavy, bulky, splintery, hard to transport, and usually leaves a mess wherever you stash it in your rig. I often go without a fire on my trips just to avoid having to haul it around. The WoodGaiter from Stod won’t magically lighten the firewood load, but it definitely makes it easier to move and store it. Made from heavy-duty, vinyl-coated polyester marine-grade tarp material, high-abrasion-resistance nylon pack cloth, marine-grade polyester webbing, and field-replaceable hardware, the WoodGaiter carries a little more than two typical pre-packaged bundles of wood plus a full kindling bag. It contains the mess and straps securely to your roof rack or in your truck bed.
VSSL Nest Pour Over Coffee Kit and Java G25 Grinder
Coffee can be a touchy topic. How we select, grind, and brew the Great Bean of Life is a very important consideration for our travel kitchens. In addition, the prep process and mess that coffee leaves behind are more of a consideration than when we’re mainlining our caffeine at home. VSSL’s Nest coffee system for pour-overs and G25 grinder bundle help by consolidating all the necessary apparatus for storing, grinding, brewing, and drinking in one convenient and cleverly-designed silo. It won’t take up much space, is made from sustainable materials, and pours out some genuinely delicious black gold. At $183, it’s a significant investment for a single tasker, but the robust construction should last a lifetime (and is backed by a comprehensive warranty).
Four-Pawed Friends: Ruff Ramp and Comfort Pod AC Dog Crate
Gear for dogs was a hot category at this year’s Overland Expo West. The event is pet-friendly, so you always see the vast spectrum of the canine world at Expo, from leggy greyhounds wearing special boots to keep their toes from burning on the concrete to teacup breeds in backpacks, there’s no reason not to bring your four-legged friend along. I know plenty of overlanders who travel all over the world with their dogs and many haul them up to their roof tents every evening for night-time snuggles. This can be an awkward procedure on the standard roof top tent ladder, especially if your doggo is older, or large and heavy, or a squirmy kind of fellow. It’s dangerous for both owner and pet. Enter the Ruff Ramp—it’s definitely one solution to the problem, and it works a treat, but you need to be pretty committed to your dog to dedicate the space for storing this device in or on your rig.
It’s impossible to replace the unique kind of companionship your pet provides, but there are also admittedly some inconveniences. Heat is a killer, especially in a vehicle, so leaving your furry friend alone in your rig is a huge no-no. Some outfits have been working to develop different kinds of climate control systems specifically for pets that can help get around this dilemma. The Comfort Pod AC kennel has a built-in battery powering a low-draw air conditioning system that works up to three hours and in temperatures up to 130˚F. Built-in sensors monitor conditions and your pet via an app on your phone, and it’s smart enough to shut itself off if your dog isn’t in residence. The Comfort Pod is still in the pre-launch phase, but looks promising as an all-in-one canine climate control solution.
Rock Tamers Traction Crate
One might argue that traction devices haven’t improved all that much since 4WD enthusiasts started coopting war-surplus perforated aluminum aircraft landing mats (sometimes known as Marston Mats) for recovering stuck vehicles. In the intervening decades, there have been many well-known (and some less-well-known) attempts at reinventing this particular wheel. Most of the innovations have involved finding something else for your traction boards to do when they are not in recovery mode. Let’s be honest—plenty of traction devices end up aesthetic touches on roof racks, rather than functional tools. The Traction Crate aims to change that by converting into a rugged box (possibly for storing the rest of your recovery gear) when it’s not laid out flat in the sand. I like the dual-purpose nature of the Traction Crate, but have generally found articulated traction boards less useful in serious recovery situations than rigid ones. Also, what do you do with your mud-caked Traction Crate when it’s time to go back to box duty? However, for the right traveler, and for most run-of-the-mill extractions, this could be a clever solution.
Quigley 4×4 Conversions
Quigley 4×4 has been in the business of turning two-wheel-drive Chevy and Ford vans into 4×4 monsters for decades. These are no Sprinters. Each conversion includes heavy-duty axles and beefy manually shifted transfer cases and Quigley leverages OEM parts where prudent to keep the system serviceable by your local dealer. Quigley conversions allow for dramatically increased ride heights and room for big rubber, should you need it, and nothing is as efficient for your custom habitat build than a big empty box. Domestic vans also have huge payloads and strong tow ratings. Even with limited breakover angles on longer wheelbase vans, I’ve seen Quigley-equipped trucks tackle some extremely gnarly terrain in places where I balked at taking my Land Rovers or Jeeps. The matte-bronze-wrapped Chevy example Quigley had in their booth at Overland Expo stood out as one of my favorite vehicles on site.
Mohab Altus Habitat Systems
Mohab barely existed just a few months ago as they scrambled to finalize the design and engineering of their comprehensive Altus habitat systems. The fit and finish on the pre-production units on display at Overland Expo sure didn’t feel like it, though. Not just a roof tent, the Altus is developed alongside a proprietary roof rack, bed cap, and accessories (including lighting, a hammock stand, and an outdoor shower) to offer a complete turn-key living solution for a wide range of modern trucks and SUVs. The Altus’ big party trick is its powered hard-side sleeping platform that erects and collapses with the touch of a button. It has a multi-modal roof panel and doors for a variety of different configurations, and it comes in regular or XL sizes for taller travelers. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on an example for testing later this summer.
Read More: The Rigs of Overland Expo West 2026
Images: Stephan Edwards, Hest, Leitner Designs, Redarc, VSSL, Adrenaline Addicts, Traction Crate, Mohab
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