Over the weekend, Overland Expo returned to Loveland, Colorado for their second MTN WEST event. The DECKED crew went down with plenty of stickers, patches, koozies, and sunscreen in tow to check out some of the craziest overlanding rigs on the planet.
Every Overland Expo raises the ante with the custom builds, modifications, and products that continue to make getting outdoors easier and more comfortable. Here are some of our favorites from Loveland that stood out as the most functional, tricked out, or just plain cool.
This Ford F150 is driven by Davis James, Danver Marketing Community Lead for Orvis. Not only does he have potentially the coolest job ever of getting paid to fish all over the West, he gets to ride around in this thing.
The DECKED Drawer System carries a full fly shop of rods, reels, and gear bags on his trips to the river. The Orvis Carry-It-All rod quiver lays flat in the drawers and locks to keep everything out of sight.
He also has a rack from our friends over at Leitner Designs to keep his waders, boots, and extra gear secure, but accessible at a moment's notice. The other side of the rack has their HydroPOD kit, perfect for backcountry showers and rinsing mud off gear.
The Classic Minimalist: massively modified vehicles typically dominate Overland Expo, so this Jeep Wagoneer immediately grabbed our attention. A winch, tires, and wheel upgrades are all it needed. Smells like leaded gasoline and trips to the lake back in the '80s.
Sometimes the vehicles at the show are just plain cool. This Porsche Cayenne project build belongs to Berg Performance, a Denver shop specializing in tuning German roadsters.
33" Goodyear MTRs, a PRG lift kit, cargo rack, and custom bumpers and skid plates made this one capable Cayenne that we'd love to rally up Pike's Peak.
Kuhl's custom built "Kuhl Mule" is a 1996 Stewart and Stevenson M1078 Rally truck. The massive side panels open for incredible views from the interior, plus it even comes with a mountain goat decal. Bonus points for the sunglasses and massive adjustable rooftop solar panel.
While this Taco doesn't have a crazy custom wrap, it takes first in class for functionality. The Super Pacific camper is one of the most sought after in the biz for their durability and usability in any weather conditions.
Panels that open for bed access with additional customizable storage elevate it another degree. A DECKED Drawer System is the icing on the cake for secure and weatherproof packability.
Plus, whoever owns it has a sense of humor and a knack for little details that can easily be overlooked.
Bilstein's Unimog 416 turned a lot of heads. It boasts 114" of wheelbase, epic ground clearance, a roof rack, and a bed to carry tons of cargo over whatever is in front of it. We especially liked the crew cab to bring plenty of friends to the camping spot, but you might need your climbing gear to get in it.
DECKED Ambassador and huge overlander Tim Muniz was with us all weekend in the booth, entertaining guests and answering questions about his rig...which ended up getting signed by dozens of people.
Signatures from Alaska, Florida, New Mexico, and South Africa illustrate the draw that Overland Expo's events have for the community.
As always, our stickers and patches were a massive success. While they aren't for sale, stop by our booth October 7-9th at the last Expo event of the year in Arrington, Virginia to get your own!
