Best in Show: 15 New Pieces of Gear Spotted at Overland Expo West 2022
Our overland expert and Motors Editor Bryon Dorr dug through over 400 vendors at Overland Expo West 2022 to find the truly new and interesting gear worth checking out.
Overland Expo West was once again the largest North American gathering of overland enthusiasts, with over 27,000 attendees. Of course, we were there, connecting with all our friends in the community and industry, and searching for the new and interesting.
You can find the top 15 new overland adventure rigs we found here: 15 Awesome Adventure Rigs From Overland Expo West 2022.
While you’ll see lots of stories on the internet of cool gear spotted at the show, you’ll find that a majority of those lists are full of gear that’s already been shown before. (Check out our coverage of the Overland Expos from the past few years: OEX West ’21, OEX East ’19, OEX West ’19, and OEX East ’18.)
We walked through all 400+ vendors at this year’s show to dig up the truly new and interesting gear worth talking about. Let’s dive into what we found.
New Gear at Overland Expo West 2022
Wrappon Portable Toilet
Wrappon already makes one of the most impressive toilet systems on the market for overland travel. It is known for its heat-sealed individual bags, which don’t stink and are easy to dispose of. The prototype I got a sneak peek of — thanks to OK4WD — is portable/flat packable, lighter, and uses individual bags — versus a tube of bag material.
Expect to see this unit hit the market around August. It should come in under $500 — whereas the current full-featured unit has an MSRP of $889 — and should have an individual bag price of about $1.
GFC Chase Frame
Go Fast Campers (GFC) has taken what they’ve learned from pop-top truck campers and applied that knowledge to a truck bed rack. The GFC Chase Frame is a super-customizable, lightweight, and rigid truck bed-mounted rack system that is perfect for mounting rooftop tents and/or loads of outdoor adventure gear.
You can preorder your own GFC Chase Frame rack now — with a refundable $50 deposit — for late summer shipping. The system will start at $2,100.
Bear/Total Composites Tacoma Camper
We recently published an in-depth story about Total Composites’ Tacoma Camper, but finally got to see one in person at Overland Expo West. The one on display was beautifully built out by Bear Adventure Vehicles.
Even with a full host of systems, interior furniture, and storage, this hard-shell composite camper only weighs in at about 850 pounds. It offers a 7-foot floor and queen-size cab-over bed. All in, this camper retails for about $28,000, which is an incredible value.
Rig’d RambleRack 1
Designed to be a better off-road capable rear bike rack, the Rig’d RambleRack 1 took 2 years to fully develop. It offers stout steel construction, a symmetrical wheel tray, a patented vertical locking arm, and a trigger mechanism that makes it easy to grab the front wheel securely.
The key to the bike rack system is that the front wheel is clamped down securely and the rear is held down with a Voile strap, which means nothing solid on the rack is touching any part of the bike to avoid abrasion damage when you’re bouncing down an off-road trail.
The rack is rated for a 100-pound bike on-road and a 55-pound bike when you’re out jumping your rig in the desert.
Preorders are open now, with a lead time of 8-10 weeks. The full RambleRack 1 hitch-mounted rack will set you back $899 and just the tray system to bolt to a different rack is $629.
A two-bike version will be available in the next 6 months.
Dometic GO Hydration Water Jug
The new Dometic GO Water Jug is way cooler than any water container has the right to be. It holds 11 L, has built-in handles that don’t take up any of the container’s volume, comes with a spigot, and has two openings that allow for a whole host of accessories and easy cleaning and filling options. The Dometic GO is also exactly half the size of a standard Jerry Can, which gives you lots of secure transport options already on the market.
It just became available, retails for $70, and is available in three colors.
There is more than meets the eye to this water container, and we’ll have a proper review once we spend some more time with it in the field, including the battery-powered faucet accessory seen here.
Eezi-Awn K9 Fold A Chair
Just hitting the market now is the Eezi-Awn K9 Fold A Chair, an aluminum version of the classic British military campaign chair. It’s finished with a UV-protective, 500g tan cotton canvas. The Fold A Chair is a burly camp chair that not only looks good, but is comfortable, and should last for a lifetime. It goes for $195.
AEV 5th-Gen HD Ram Snorkel
There are few things that add that certain rugged look to a vehicle as well as a snorkel. Also, engines like clean fresh air — mostly less dust, but yes, also less water. AEV makes quality snorkels for the Tacoma, Colorado, a few Jeeps, and a few RAM trucks. Its latest snorkel is for the fifth-generation heavy-duty RAM trucks and retails for $649.
Exploro Classic ML4 Knife
The latest handmade masterpiece from Exploro is the Classic ML4. It is a traditional camp knife with custom handles and is made of CPM154 Stainless with a titanium guard and hardware. It comes with a hand-sewn leather sheath and retails for $350.
Alucab Contour Canopy
Alucab enters the lightweight truck topper market. The Alucab Contour Canopy offers molded metal construction, interestingly shaped windows, and has I-track in the roof to attach a wide range of accessories. For small trucks, it will only weigh in at about 126 pounds, while the large truck version will be about 200 pounds. The Alucab Canopy should hit the U.S. market around August and have a starting price around $2,000.
Tembotusk Dual Bike Slide
The just-released Tembotusk Dual Bike Slide is the perfect solution for your under-bed van storage area or truck bed to keep your expensive bikes out of the weather and away from thieves. It comes with everything needed to securely and neatly stow two bikes. The slides are rated to 600 pounds and extend 48 inches. The Tembotusk Dual Bike Slide retails for $1,295.
Nomad Wheels
I know what you’re thinking: Just what we need, another Asian manufactured wheel company. Nomad Wheels is filling in the gaps they see in the market by offering clean, classic-looking wheels with fitments for iconic 4×4 vehicles. Think Land Cruiser, LR4, and of course — because everyone has one — Subarus. The wheels are made of aluminum using a Formlite Technology — with the normal stronger and lighter claims.
Nomad Wheels — a subsidiary of Raceline Wheels — just launched at Overland Expo West and will offer a range of 15- to 17-inch wheel styles, in three color options per wheel. First up, available next month, are 17-inch fitments, which will retail for $340 per wheel. Nomad expects the rest of the product line to hit the U.S. market in late summer 2022.
Leitner HydroPOD Carry
Leitner now offers a portable 4.8-gallon pressurized shower system. The round shapes of the HydroPOD Carry allow it to hold pressure — built up with a simple hand pump mechanism — without deforming. The included shower hose is 20 feet long, so perfect for cleaning yourself, your bike, and/or your pet. The Leitner HydroPOD Carry just hit the market and retails for $349.
Snowpeak Extension IGT
This bamboo flat packable low camp table offers a ton of configurations. The top surface is split down the middle and slides outward at each end, creating an open area in the middle that can hold other Snowpeak Iron Grill Table (IGT) accessories like a two-burner stove, BBQ box, or grill. The Snowpeak Extension IGT retails for $390 and is available now.
HitchFire HitchKitchen
A full kitchen in a box that connects to your tow hitch. Perfect for tailgating and car camping alike. The HitchFire kitchen system is removable from the box as well, which allows the box to be used as gear storage instead when needed. The kitchen setup includes a sink and stove.
The HitchFire HitchKitchen will be available in September and will cost $1,600. You can preorder now and save.
Pro Eagle Phoenix DS Trail Kit
While the parts of this kit have been available for a few years now, Pro Eagle just released the full kit. This CO2-powered dual-stage jack system fits under most vehicles — including your lifted adventure rig — and has a 3,000-pound capacity. It weighs about 13 pounds, fits in an included Pelican Vault case, and has a 16-inch max lift height.
The Pro Eagle Phoenix DS Trail Kit retails for $670 and is available now.
Best in Show: Award-Winning Gear From Outdoor Retailer Summer 2022
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