Overland Expo Without a Plan
Posted by Sean Reyes on
Arriving to Fort Tuthill on a Friday afternoon with some sort of expectation to get a campsite around the Expo was laughably ignorant on my part. I severely underestimated the growth and community enthusiasm behind Overlanding. I also partly expected this, and in the end, glad I looked elsewhere.
The Expo has grown tremendously over its short life, this year eclipsing even last year’s attendance and size. The Expo’s camp area was bursting at the seams, with scant space between vehicles fit into the dense forest of the Flagstaff area and the Fort Tuthill Campground.
Rooftop Tent Everything
It seemed like every booth had a rooftop tent, shell camper, or travel-adventure trailers that cost more than my truck. The countless $200,000 Landcruisers, new and old, scattered about the Expo space sometimes leads people to believe that Overlanding is too expensive for their tastes. But good news folks, you dont need all the bells and whistles to get it done; jerry can of extra fuel, ground tent, food, water, and good senses will get you there and back safely.
Looking at Google maps brought me to a dirt road that ascended into the hills off the highway towards Ashurst Lake, I figured this far away from the Expo i would have better luck with finding a great spot to camp. Before i even hit the lake, a chance meeting with the Venture Overland crew resulted in combining forces, Toyotas - 2, Jeeps - 1, take that Tyler. Special shout out to these awesome gentleman for hosting a stranger!
Overall a fantastic weekend, I can see this Expo turning into something bigger and more spread out across the Flagstaff area. Hopefully next year we plan it out better, organize some trail runs, and continue meeting the great people out there in the Overland community.
