Our 2026 Overland Expo West Experience

One of the biggest overland shows out there is Overland Expo West. It’s been going on since 2009, and I’ve been to the majority of them. But 2026 was a special year for Mercedes and me. It marked the first time we were instructors and speakers at this event, which brought in 28,500 attendees from all around the globe.

We Drove Our Subaru Crosstrek to Overland Expo West

We’ve taken a number of rigs to Expo West. This includes our 1995 Suzuki Sidekick, our 2001 Jeep Cherokee, our 1989 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, and our 1994 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear—all of which were featured in the show. However, this year we took our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. While it seems like a less likely choice, there was a reason: we were presenting in the Subaru of America booth.

Subaru is one of the big sponsors of the show, and with good reason: People adventure in Subarus. We did over 7,100 miles from the East Coast to the West Coast via the TransAmerica Trail in a modified 2025 Crosstrek Wilderness last year, and that vehicle was featured in the Subaru booth at the show. We presented three times there, talking about how to live successfully out of a Subaru. Additionally, we also camped at Subaru Base Camp, an area dedicated to Subaru owners. But that wasn’t all we did.

We Were Official Instructors

We were official instructors at Overland Expo West, which was a first for both of us. For me, it was kind of a student becoming the teacher. I’ve attended many Overland Expo shows as a vendor with Warn Industries, or as media covering them for various outlets. This included Crankshaft Culture and OVR Magazine, to name a couple.

But 2026 marked the first time either of us was an official instructor. I’d done some in-booth demos in the past. We also sat in on a roundtable discussion as part of the panel about Iceland briefly in 2025. This year, Mercedes and I hosted a class on traveling the Nordic and Baltic regions in a 2024 VW ID. Buzz while on the Baltic Sea Circle Rally. We also taught a class about tackling the TransAmerica Trail in a four-wheeled vehicle (presenting on the Oasis big stage), which we did in ’25. Plus, we were part of a panel that discussed Europe, Eastern Europe, and Iceland, and we were part of a panel at a fireside chat with OVR Magazine in the Hankook Tire booth.

All of these speaking opportunities were an honor. It was like giving back to the community that we’ve been so ingrained in for nearly 20 years. This show, this community, has helped make us who we are today. We’d been inspired by people at this show, and now it was our turn to pass the torch and inspire others.

Overland Expo West: It’s About The People

Yes, Overland Expo has scads of gear, loads of amazing vehicles, and excellent classes that’ll help you get ready for new adventures. But really, the best part about these shows for us is the people—and that’s without question. It’s all of the folks we see there that make this an amazing event. Whether it’s old friends we only see once a year there, regulars on the overland show circuit, or new people we meet at happy hours or dinners, it’s 100% about the people at these expos and rallies. And for that reason alone, we look forward to it each year.

FYI, we’ll be attending both the NW Overland Rally in Plain, WA (a longtime favorite now in the good hands of a new owner, a friend, and not someone new to the industry), and Overland Expo PNW, which will be held in Redmond, OR, and is now in its fifth year. We will be media at both, and plan to teach classes at both of these events, too. More on that soon.

A Quick Side Trip: New Mexico

Also new for 2026 was our decision to finally take a few days for ourselves and check out parts of New Mexico. While we’d been in the far northeastern corner of the state a couple of times, we’d never really stopped for much other than fuel or coffee. We’ve talked for years about taking a few days and visiting the area, and for ’26, we did. This included a couple of days in Santa Fe, a day in Taos, and then an amazing, mostly highway drive (and some dirt roads) back to Portland, which allowed us to see the backroads and byways of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. We had to hightail it back to Portland on I-84 after a night in Ontario, OR, however.

We’ve got a jam-packed summer season, which was kicked off by our springtime trip to Expo West. So stay tuned for much more to come from Mercedes and me.

Safe travels.