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Trending: Overlanding takes you off-road and off-ground
Tents mounted atop a vehicle rather than on the ground seem to be a part of the overlanding experience, and SEMA's Overland Experience display | Larry Edsall photos
SEMA sets up a base camp in Las Vegas to pave the way to unpaved adventure travel
Nearly 20 years ago, on a cold, early-December Friday afternoon, I left my job as managing editor at AutoWeek magazine, caught a ride to Detroitâs Metro Airport, and flew to Phoenix to begin the next phase of my professional and personal lives.
One of the first things I did was to buy my first pickup truck, a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab, and a 4Ă4 because now that I was going to be living in the Sonoran Desert, I wanted to explore, from the sandy trails of its floor to the steep roads up the mountains that punctuate its expanse.
I also ordered a tent designed that fit in the truckâs bed because sleeping on the ground with snakes and scorpions and other desert dangers offered no appeal, though it supplied plenty of apprehension.
Tents can be mounted atop pickup truck beds
What I didnât know at the time was that I was a pioneer in what has come to be termed âOverlanding.â
Although âoverlandingâ is not yet an entry in my Merriam-Webster dictionary, OverlandingJournal.com defines it as âself-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal.â
I thought I was just driving off-road and camping off-ground. But at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas, not only was there a huge âOverlanding Experienceâ enclosure, but many of the companies that produce trucks, SUVs and equipment for them set up their own overlanding-style campsites in their SEMA Show displays.
âBuyers at the 2019 SEMA Show can see products and vehicles specifically for overlanding in the all-new SEMA Overland Experience area,â show officials proclaimed in a news release. âThe dedicated section in the Performance Pavilion opened Tuesday, November 5, and featuring dozens of customized vehicles with portable kitchen systems, fully popped-out tents and sunshades.
This overloading setup features a huge canopy for shadeâŠ
⊠and even has a shower enclosure
âThe vehicles are all outfitted for long-term backcountry exploration and survival in off-the-grid conditions. Also in the area, experts are sharing information and discussing trends, business opportunities and challenges in the overlanding market.â
âThe new Overland Experience showcases a growing trend in the market,â SEMA vice president Tom Gattuso was quoted. âWith overlanding products, vehicles and education displayed in a centralized location, buyers will gain a comprehensive understanding of what the market entails and how they can build overlanding into their businesses.â
SEMA admitted to âmany similarities and connections to off-roadingâ and pointed out that the overlanding phenomenon âhas roots in countries including Australia and South Africa and certain parts of South America, and has taken off in the United States during the past decade.â
Overlanding was so popular at SEMA that this rig gets double exposure from photographers
SEMAâs Overland Experience was sort of a mini version of the Overland Expo, a series of events âfor do-it-yourself adventure travel enthusiastsâ with vendors and educational sessions held annually in Arizona, Colorado and Virginia.
Among those displaying at the Overland Experience was Tepui, a company based in California that started producing overlanding tents and other gear in 2010 after its founder did a trip across Venezuela and was inspired by seeing makeshift tents mounted atop various vehicles. Tepui takes its name from a mountain in the Guiana Highlands.
In late 2018, and recognizing the marketing opportunities overlanding presents, Swedish roof-rack producer Thule acquired Tepui.
âDoes this mean high-end car camping â often called overlanding â is poised to become a mainstream trend?â asked Outside magazineâs website.
Powersports vehicles (aka ATV) also can be used as overlanding base camps
As I wandered among the various overlanding displays, I could overhear a well-attended panel discussion sharing information about the growing trend. I had assumed that âoverlandingâ might be newfangled millennial trend, a gentrification of off-roading.
âBut what I heard was that a generation of backpackers is aging, has knees that no longer can carry all their gear all day, and who now want to use their vehicles to carry that gear and then to serve as a base camp.
I also heard that what overlanders also want is to be able to go places where they can get away from the noise and commotion of the dirt bikes, sand rails and other loud machines that have invaded so many off-road areas.
The AntiShanty is an overlanding trailer
Link to above: https://journal.classiccars.com/2019/11/15/trending-overlanding-takes-you-off-road-and-off-ground/
- November 15, 2019
Tents mounted atop a vehicle rather than on the ground seem to be a part of the overlanding experience, and SEMA's Overland Experience display | Larry Edsall photos
SEMA sets up a base camp in Las Vegas to pave the way to unpaved adventure travel
Nearly 20 years ago, on a cold, early-December Friday afternoon, I left my job as managing editor at AutoWeek magazine, caught a ride to Detroitâs Metro Airport, and flew to Phoenix to begin the next phase of my professional and personal lives.
One of the first things I did was to buy my first pickup truck, a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab, and a 4Ă4 because now that I was going to be living in the Sonoran Desert, I wanted to explore, from the sandy trails of its floor to the steep roads up the mountains that punctuate its expanse.
I also ordered a tent designed that fit in the truckâs bed because sleeping on the ground with snakes and scorpions and other desert dangers offered no appeal, though it supplied plenty of apprehension.
Tents can be mounted atop pickup truck beds
What I didnât know at the time was that I was a pioneer in what has come to be termed âOverlanding.â
Although âoverlandingâ is not yet an entry in my Merriam-Webster dictionary, OverlandingJournal.com defines it as âself-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal.â
I thought I was just driving off-road and camping off-ground. But at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas, not only was there a huge âOverlanding Experienceâ enclosure, but many of the companies that produce trucks, SUVs and equipment for them set up their own overlanding-style campsites in their SEMA Show displays.
âBuyers at the 2019 SEMA Show can see products and vehicles specifically for overlanding in the all-new SEMA Overland Experience area,â show officials proclaimed in a news release. âThe dedicated section in the Performance Pavilion opened Tuesday, November 5, and featuring dozens of customized vehicles with portable kitchen systems, fully popped-out tents and sunshades.
This overloading setup features a huge canopy for shadeâŠ
⊠and even has a shower enclosure
âThe vehicles are all outfitted for long-term backcountry exploration and survival in off-the-grid conditions. Also in the area, experts are sharing information and discussing trends, business opportunities and challenges in the overlanding market.â
âThe new Overland Experience showcases a growing trend in the market,â SEMA vice president Tom Gattuso was quoted. âWith overlanding products, vehicles and education displayed in a centralized location, buyers will gain a comprehensive understanding of what the market entails and how they can build overlanding into their businesses.â
SEMA admitted to âmany similarities and connections to off-roadingâ and pointed out that the overlanding phenomenon âhas roots in countries including Australia and South Africa and certain parts of South America, and has taken off in the United States during the past decade.â
Overlanding was so popular at SEMA that this rig gets double exposure from photographers
SEMAâs Overland Experience was sort of a mini version of the Overland Expo, a series of events âfor do-it-yourself adventure travel enthusiastsâ with vendors and educational sessions held annually in Arizona, Colorado and Virginia.
Among those displaying at the Overland Experience was Tepui, a company based in California that started producing overlanding tents and other gear in 2010 after its founder did a trip across Venezuela and was inspired by seeing makeshift tents mounted atop various vehicles. Tepui takes its name from a mountain in the Guiana Highlands.
In late 2018, and recognizing the marketing opportunities overlanding presents, Swedish roof-rack producer Thule acquired Tepui.
âDoes this mean high-end car camping â often called overlanding â is poised to become a mainstream trend?â asked Outside magazineâs website.
Powersports vehicles (aka ATV) also can be used as overlanding base camps
As I wandered among the various overlanding displays, I could overhear a well-attended panel discussion sharing information about the growing trend. I had assumed that âoverlandingâ might be newfangled millennial trend, a gentrification of off-roading.
âBut what I heard was that a generation of backpackers is aging, has knees that no longer can carry all their gear all day, and who now want to use their vehicles to carry that gear and then to serve as a base camp.
I also heard that what overlanders also want is to be able to go places where they can get away from the noise and commotion of the dirt bikes, sand rails and other loud machines that have invaded so many off-road areas.
The AntiShanty is an overlanding trailer
Link to above: https://journal.classiccars.com/2019/11/15/trending-overlanding-takes-you-off-road-and-off-ground/
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