Although Overland Expo is all about meeting other travelers, learning new skills, and checking out the latest gear, the world-class off-road vehicles still dominate the event. We managed to wade through the massive vendor areas, featured vehicle area, and campgrounds this year to find the overlanding gems that caught our eye. It was nearly impossible to narrow down all the amazing vehicles, but here are 25 of our favorites.
Hemi-Powered Jeep Flatbed
It’s hard not to appreciate a supercharged, Hemi-powered, lifted Jeep flatbed pickup! The Dynatrac CodeX was built in a week. It started life as a new Jeep Gladiator four-door pickup. Now it’s a shortened, extended-cab, flatbed overland monster that can tackle any terrain. It can also do burnouts on demand!
F350 Overlander
The Goose Gear 50Ten F350 build debuted at Overland Expo. The truck features a full Carli/King/Deaver suspension system, Castle Fab rock sliders, WARN front bumper and winch, Baja Designs lighting, and big General MT 37-inch tires wrapped around Method 701 wheels. The 50Ten camper and flatbed are made in Germany and well thought out. We can’t wait to see this build completed, with full Goose Gear living systems inside.
Mercedes G-Wagon
Maltec creates beautifully constructed adventure vehicles in Germany. This Mercedes G-Wagon has a carbon pop-up camper and attention to detail that is second to none. Maltec now offers a full line of Toyota and Mercedes adventure vehicles specifically built for the American market.
Acela Military Build
The Acela Truck Company takes LMTV military vehicles and builds impressive adventure vehicles. This 4×4 LMTV with Bliss Mobil camper box is ready for adventure anywhere on the globe. The truck will run you about $115,000, and the camper comes in at $257,000. That’s a grand total of $372,000 of rolling home awesomeness.
Nitro Land Cruiser
This is the Nitro Gear diesel Land Cruiser Troopy. It is an Australian truck that has been fully refurbished and upgraded. It has a Trakka pop-top, Goose Gear interior, ARB front bumper, Scheel-Mann seats, and so much more.
Custom Ford Raptor
One of the founders of Go Fast Campers needed a personal vehicle that would show off his camper shell product, attract a lot of attention, and be quick over any terrain. This highly modified Ford Raptor is the result. We dig the Ivan Stewart racing-inspired graphics.
Lifted Chevy Bison
The AEV-built flatbed Chevrolet Bison on 35s turned a lot of heads. The build sports some impressive suspension and all the off-road goodies you’d want in a vehicle that could easily drive around the globe. No, it doesn’t have a camper or RTT on it, but that’s what a ground tent is for.
Ranger on 35s
The BDS Project Ranger X utility body 2019 Ford Ranger first debuted in the Ford booth at SEMA 2018. It has since been stretching its legs on impressive off-road terrain around the country. It features a stretched frame, 6-inch lift, 35-inch tires, rear airbags, and a ton of quality off-road upgrades.
Gladiator Wayout
The Jeep Gladiator Wayout concept build debuted at Easter Jeep Safari last month but was really built for the crowd at Overland Expo. The build is packed with quality integrated features. It is designed to go just about anywhere and create an amazing, comfortable base camp once at your destination.
Iveco 4x4
Sadly, we don’t get the Iveco 4×4 platform here in North America. That doesn’t stop European overland travelers from traveling across the continent and around the world in these impressive machines. This French overlander features a bimobil camper.
Land Rover Defender 110
How can you not appreciate the lines of a Land Rover Defender 110 fully outfitted for adventure?! This build by BajaRack is a modern Mexican truck with left-hand drive and a turbo-diesel under the hood.
Wood Pop-Up Defender
Add a custom wood construction pop-up camper and put it on a Land Rover Defender pickup and you’ve got a winner. Bonus points for whitewater kayaks on the roof. This build was created by Hower Overland to showcase its new camper system.
AMG 63 Mercedes G-Wagon
More power! This AMG 63 Mercedes G-Wagon has a twin-turbo V8 under the hood — putting out 537 hp — and is outfitted for adventure. I particularly like the beadlock wheels and snorkel.
Toyota Tundra Overland Machine
This TAV Stage 3 Toyota Tundra build is designed to tackle tough terrain at speed. It features Total Chaos and King suspension, fiberglass fenders, a C4 bumper, Baja Designs lighting, diff locks, and a new Vagabond Outdoors pop-up wedge camper.
Toyota Sunrader
Hard not to like a classic Toyota Sunrader camper. This is an original 4×4 version — very rare — and has been fully refurbished and upgraded. Sure, its original 22RE engine isn’t going to be fast, but it should be pretty reliable.
Toyota Hilux Camper
This machine is cute, comfortable, and ready for adventure. It’s a Japanese right-hand-drive 2.8L diesel 4×4 Toyota Hilux Camper. Follow the adventures @Yotarhome.
Jurassic MegaRaptor Overlander
This absolute monster is called the Jurassic MegaRaptor Overlander. It’s based on 2016 Ford F250 4×4 6.7L Diesel truck with a 2018 Nucamp Cirrus 820 truck camper on the back. An extensive body kit, 4.5-inch lift, matte paint job, and massive 46-inch tires on MRAP wheels get your attention quick!
Adventure-XT RAM
Adventure Trucks‘ latest creation is the massive Adventure-XT. It’s 26’11” long and 11’6” high. And it’s built on RAM 5500 platform and has a molded fiberglass camper body, cab-over queen-size bed, heat, air conditioning, solar, a massive dimming skylight, and all the off-road goodies you could want. Pricing starts at $340,000.
Rock-Crawling Overlander
RoamR makes some pretty incredible builds. It calls this one SlantbackSIX. This monster is a combination of a rock crawler and overland adventure machine. Go-anywhere capability and classic style are define this rig.
Beautiful Land Rover Discovery
A well-sorted Land Rover Discovery just looks the part. This blue beauty would look just as good rolling down Rodeo Drive as it would deep in the African Sahara.
Dressed Up Range Rover
The mighty Range Rover looks good in overland clothing. This one combines luxury and capability in a tidy, good-looking package.
KIA Telluride Overland Build
The KIA Telluride might not be your first choice for an overland adventuremobile, but this build proves it can be made into an adventure machine. With the help of a lot of sponsors, Primal Outdoors built this machine to use on its YouTube channel.
Adventure Dream Rig
The Adventure Dream Rig was custom-concocted by Yeti Built. The Jeep JKU has a V8 LS engine and more custom modifications that we have room to talk about here. Meticulousness and hand-built details are what set this super-capable, comfortable monster apart from the sea of Jeeps out there.
Well-Traveled Jeep Overlander
While this might just look like a well-sorted 2011 Jeep JKU with Ursa Minor pop-top, it’s actually a very well-traveled overland machine. Dan Grec of The Road Chose Me drove this Jeep around Africa for 999 days, through 35 countries, and over 55,000 miles. Impressive machine, adventure, and person!
2019 Lexus GX460
This beautiful 2019 Lexus GX460 might have just hit the road a few months ago, but it’s already well-sorted and well-traveled. It was built up by the guys at Main Line Overland in Pennsylvania for big overland adventures. It was then immediately driven all the way to the top of Alaska, and then down to Arizona for Overland Expo. Follow the adventures of this incredible rig @Overland_V1.0.
