2019 Overland Expo East

[Philip]

I was planning my cultural program for this fall. AIMExpo in Columbus, OH in September, Overland Expo in Arrington, VA in October, and maybe even EICMA in Milan, Italy in November, if I win the lottery. I miss the Italian food.

I accidentally came across the Overland Expo ticket sales. The tickets start at a whopping $375/head and there are only 200 tickets left unsold. Shouldn't the exhibitors be paying us to come to see their products?? What am I missing?

OVERLAND EXPO 2019 EAST — OVERLAND EXPERIENCE

Then, fortunately, I saw a better page with more details and cheaper general admission tickets. Still not cheap at ~$80, but not unreasonable. The $300+ tickets include camping, drinks and some classes/seminars.

Then I found even better descriptions. This is where I should have started:
Overland Expo andOverland Expo East

If you have ever been to the Overland Expo, please share your experience. The on-site camping sounds attractive to me, but is it worth the extra price? It is like $500 extra for a party of two.

 

[Philip]

Looks like I might have to buy the expensive tickets, if I am to drive all the way there and spend three days on site.

 

[Philip]

Alright... I checked and found the exact option that I want: "OVERLAND EXPO 2019 EAST — WEEKEND PASS W/ CAMPING". With a $25 forest camping add-on. Total: $395 for two people.
OE19E_ForestAddOnInstructions.pdf

There are a bunch of classed and seminars, but all the interesting ones are open to everyone.

 

[Redwolf]

Sounds interesting... Need to check my schedule for October.

 

[Philip]

There is also Overland Expo West. Usually held in May in Flagstaff, AZ.

 

[Redwolf]

May would probably be easier to manage, October is usually a pretty busy month for me.

 

[Bionicman]

Alright... I checked and found the exact option that I want: "OVERLAND EXPO 2019 EAST — WEEKEND PASS W/ CAMPING". With a $25 forest camping add-on. Total: $395 for two people.
OE19E_ForestAddOnInstructions.pdf

There are a bunch of classed and seminars, but all the interesting ones are open to everyone.

Enjoy glamming in Subaru/Sprinter van suburbia...

 

[Philip]

Enjoy glamming in Subaru/Sprinter van suburbia...

I am hoping to see a few Sprinters there, but I am in doubt about Subarus. Jeeps and other trucks/SUVs more likely. And a bunch of adventure motorcycles with luggage on all sides. They will be camping there, I want to watch!

 

[Philip]

I am back from the Overland Expo East.

I spent two days there, it was enough to see everything twice and do some people watching -- checking out other people's camping and travel setup.

As I expected -- no Subarus, very few Sprinters, one Ford Transit, no ProMasters. Lots of small Toyota trucks and SUVs, even more than Jeeps.

More than half of all show attendees had roof tents. This is the typical setup:



There are lots of expensive but high-quality gadgets for camping. Thousand dollar 12V fridges, $500-dollar sinks/stoves, various very expensive luggage racks, etc. One of the exhibitors said that these folks spend a lot of money on their outdoor living gear so that they could live like homeless people.

There are all kinds of portable solar charging setups:





I picked up a pretty cool tent. It is not the lightest or the most compact but it sets up in just 90 seconds and looks very sturdy, functional and attractive:



At least four people were carrying dogs with them around the show. Some of them were small Chihuahuas but one was a medium sized poodle hanging in a baby harness with his long legs sticking out on both sides (sorry, no photo).

There were a few WTF exhibits too: