XOverland Ranch | Three Forks, Montana
At DECKED, there’s an event that stands above all else. It’s not Christmas. It’s not Flag Day (close second). It’s not even the elk opener. The week that reigns supreme is DECKED Rendezvous.
It’s actually a documented fact (we’re documenting it now, aren’t we?) that the greatest week of the year happens when we gather our Ambassadors in a remote spot to preview new product releases, take part in questionable shenanigans, and brainstorm all of the excitement ahead of us. It’s like a family reunion, but more fun, and the potato salad isn’t a warm mayo soup.
This year, we hunkered down in Big Sky country at the legendary XOverland Ranch in Three Forks, Montana. Part mastermind session, part high-octane celebration, this annual meeting brings together our elite team of athletes, outdoorsmen, and gear-testing ambassadors to share knowledge, push our equipment to its absolute limits, and try to remember where the Advil and Band-Aids are stashed.
PRODUCT SESSIONS WITH THE PROS
At the core of the DECKED Rendezvous is real-world feedback from the people who live and work out of their trucks. This year, we listened to our crew detail how they customize their DECKED Systems for extreme environments across the country.
Lacey Kelly (Fly Fishing Captain & Saltwater Specialist)
Lacey broke down her mobile river-and-coastal rig. She relies on the DECKED Drawer System to transform her truck bed into a watertight, dust-proof tackle shop — from fly rods and reels to delicate tackle — and Lacey demonstrated how she keeps thousands of dollars of fishing gear bone-dry and secure through torrential coastal rain and salt spray.
Seth Blackamore (Rugged Outdoorsman & Backcountry Expeditionist
Seth took us through his heavy-duty overland setup designed for off-grid camping. He highlighted his strategy for pivoting from spring to fall, and prepping for each of his hunts while maximizing his Drawer System’s capacity. Before working with DECKED, Seth actually removed his Drawers from his truck bed, but when overall organization went to sh*t, he upgraded to the latest Drawer System in his Tacoma and all was right in the world.
McKenna Peterson (Big Mountain Skier & Commercial Fisherman)
McKenna gave us a look at how she seamlessly transitions her truck bed between brutal winter ski expeditions and summer commercial fishing seasons. Using the DECKED CargoGlide beneath her sled deck, McKenna keeps frozen ski gear organized and separated, ensuring critical equipment stays accessible even in sub-zero alpine conditions.
SURVIVING THE AUTOCROSS CHALLENGE
When you put professional drivers, action sports legends, and competitive athletes behind the wheel and point them towards a custom dirt autocross track at the XOverland Ranch, things are guaranteed to get western.
We took the XOverland Toyota Tacoma fleet (along with some of our own DECKED rigs) on tight slaloms, off-camber sweepers, and fast straightaways to see who could handle the heat. After tire smoke cleared, three Ambassadors claimed their spot on the podium:
🥇 1st Place
To exactly no one’s surprise, Baja 1000 Champion Christopher Polvoorde put on a masterclass in throttle control, laying down a blistering lap time to take home top honors.
🥈 2nd Place
Kyle Strait proved that speed is speed, no matter what vehicle you choose. The Freeride mountain bike legend threw all caution to the wind with wild, high-speed drifts that kept the crowds cheering and earned him the second place finish.
🥉 3rd Place
Evidently, stormchaser Ricky Forbes is no stranger to haulin’ ass in a truck, bringing raw speed and aggressive lines through the sweepers to secure the final spot on the podium.
🛹 Best-Looking Lap
Also unsurprising, pro skateboarder David Gravette took top honors in a stylin’ lap where the orange cones were treated as mere “suggestions” and the Tacoma owners held their breath while bystanders sprinted for cover.
THE FUTURE IS INFORMED
It’s not only important for us to get feedback on existing products. We also want to keep our Ambassadors in the loop for some of the big, life-organizing releases we have planned. To wrap up the weekend, the DECKED Product team gathered our Ambassadors for a closed-door look at what’s brewing in the DECKED R&D lab.
While we can’t spill the secrets just yet, the Ambassadors got hands-on time with prototypes featuring [REDACTED], enhanced weather-sealing technologies like [REDACTED], and brand-new systems slated for release by [REDACTED]. The feedback loop from this group directly shapes our final builds, so rest assured: what’s coming next is built tougher and smarter than ever before.
A huge shoutout to the XOverland Ranch crew for hosting us in Montana, and to all our Ambassadors who traveled from across the world to make the 2026 Rendezvous our best one yet. It’s almost hunting season, so maybe that’ll keep us distracted while we wait for next year.
