Guest post – Overland Expo EAST
In the last six years, the Overland Expo has grown from its enthusiastic beginnings to the largest event of its kind in the world—a combination of overlanding university, outdoor shopping mall for all things related to vehicle-dependent travel from flashlights to $300,000 Global Expedition Vehicles, and—perhaps most important of all—social event during which people from all over the world meet, share experiences, and plan new ones.
When attendance passed 6,000 people, we realized it was time to share the event with the other side of the U.S. (And it’s not as if we could have ignored the three or four hundred emails that came in each year from the “back side” of the Mississippi.) So we’re delighted to annouce the first Overland Expo EAST, scheduled for October 3rd through 5th at Taylor Ranch, just eight miles outside Asheville, North Carolina.
As westerners we naturally assume we have an exclusive on beautiful landscapes, but North Carolina shut that up. The Blue Ridge Mountains captivated us, and Taylor Ranch, the site for the 2014 event, is nestled in their foothills among pine and oak trees. Asheville proved to be perfect as a convenient urban hub, with—among other benefits—the densest population of microbreweries we’ve seen anywhere.
Registration is now open for Overland Expo EAST, and we are working on the schedule of classes. Our partner Land Rover will be there in force, and we’ll have a challenging driving track where attendees can receive expert instruction behind the wheel of a new Range Rover or LR4. Our Camel Trophy training team members will be there as well, and we’re working on a suite of advanced driving and recovery scenarios, along with classes in winching, ropework (Need a bridge? No problem), and all our other offerings from loading and lashing to provisioning and cooking, from navigation to photgraphy.
At Overland Expo WEST the percentage of attendees with truck campers has been increasing steadily, and campers now fill a substantial part of the day-pass parking and camping areas. Since Roseann and I drive a 2012 Tacoma fitted with a Four Wheel Camper (the JATAC—our second such setup), we’re perfectly happy with this—a truck camper is simply one of the best compromises for those of us who like to get off the beaten track while remaining comfortable for weeks at a time.
We hope to see a bunch of truck campers at Overland Expo EAST as well. Please visit the Overland Expo home page HERE for more information. And many thanks to Joshua for the opportunity to be here!
We have signed up! Yay!