What is Happening to the Overlanding World?

Several years ago, the boom hit.  During the 2020 Season, amongst the largest Pandemic that this generation has ever seen, people were given two choices.  One, to stay holed up in their homes and not make contact with anyone in the outside world in order to hide from the virus.  Or two, to dawn a mask and head out into the world where nobody else was.  Many people chose to do both.

Some stayed home and ordered Overlanding Gear like crazy.  It was a boom year for stores.  Many set record sales and many thought this was the wave they would be riding for many years.  Once they received that gear, they chose the latter and made their way out into the National Forests and other public lands.  Those of us who had been in the habit of getting out couldn’t find any campsites open, for more people were in the outdoors than we had ever seen before.

I stated that people were given two choices.  I didn’t mention the fact that many people were given orders that really were not choices.  Work from home became common.  A new phrase became a determiner for those who were in the work force.  You were either essential or non-essential.  You were exposed or extracted the virus and were sent home for certain periods of time determined by people we had never heard of or dealt with before.  Surely not people we had taken orders form before.  We had enough.   We had to get away.

We built rigs and made monumental improvements on what we did have.  We stocked up on whatever we thought we had to have to get away from the madness and therefore created a tidal wave of Overlanding.  More and more YouTubers and Social Media Personalities popped up each day trying to gain their piece of the pie.  Some actually were overnight superstars and were able to quit their jobs to be able to do this lifestyle full time.  This created another wave of those who wanted to do the same thing.  Nobody had a name anymore.  Everyone was known and this or that Overlanding…

The Community exploded.  New events began to spring up all over the country.  Expos tripled in number.  Rigs and Coffee became an event that could be found in just about every state on any given weekend.  People started leading rides and adventures.  People loved the idea and wanted in.  We had the coolest cars and went to the most beautiful places.  Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this?

Now we are in round 2.  Several years ago, I thought…many of these people are not outdoors people.  They are only buying this stuff and building these rigs because everyone else is doing it.  It won’t be long before we see a flood of rooftop tents and other outdoor stuff flooding the Facebook Marketplaces.  Now, here we are.  The brick-and-mortar stores are hurting and several are shutting down or being put up for sale.  The amount of used gear that is out there is overwhelming with posts being made every day.  Some people getting out, some wanting to upgrade, and some just really not liking what they bought in the first place.

The YouTubers or Storytellers are some call them, are just as great or greater in number.  Everyone wants to be one.  The amount of people that just want to go out and enjoy nature?  I don’t know.  Heck I even like to post on Instagram about all our travels.  What started out as a photo album for my family has turned into a semi-obsession for wanting the world to know what I am doing.  I constantly struggle to find a happy medium between what I love and what I am addicted to anymore.  What is happening to the Overland Community?  It wasn’t like this when it all started before internet and cell phones.  The focus has changed, but I think the love of the outdoors is still there.  It is just different now that some have figured out, they can get paid for doing it.

I think we are rebounding now though.  New stores are opening up.  Communities are being reborn and more thought out.  New gatherings are happening and taking place all around the world.  For one thing, the internet has brought together Overlanding people and communities from all over the world.  I have met people I never would have met without knowing from Facebook, YouTube or Podcasts that we have anything in common.   We are coming together like never before.  There may be a decline in sales from new gear and warehouses are still full from overproduction, but we have what we need and we still love getting out there, sitting around the fire, and being with our people.

Overlanding is still growing.  There are new Expos still popping up all over the country and even the world.  New gear is still being released every year.  Improvements are being made on gear (I have especially seen this in rooftop tents) like gangbusters each year.  Every year, what is being offered for vehicles gets more and more appealing and the “cool factor” is through the roof.  There are still debates about ground and rooftop tents.  There are still debates about the price factor and how gear is being sold at outrageous prices.  There are still groups of people out there posting about their adventures each weekend and the calendar is filling up for 2025 with one event after another.

How have you noticed it change?  What have you seen taking place around the world that you didn’t think you would see 5-10 years or more ago?  I don’t think we are in a decline.  We may have had a dip, but if you take out the sales for trailers, rooftop tents and other gear, I think Overlanding is doing just fine.  Most of the people I ran with 5-10 years ago are still the same I run with today.  Most are still here and love it.  Most are still just doing their thing.  Some have moved on to different things and some have had major family changes that have forced them to pull back. But for the most part, the change is minimal from my perspective.

I still love the outdoors as much as I did back when I was a kid.  Overlanding has helped that out in so many ways.  I can camp now without being very uncomfortable. Overlanding has provided us with some amazing gear I would have killed for 30 years ago when I was pumping that fuel canister on that old portable Coleman stove.  We are very blessed with the boom that has occurred and I hope we can ride this wave for another 5, 10 or more years.  We have an amazing community and I meet new people every year who love it and celebrate it.

What is happening to the Overlanding World?  People are still working as hard as they were 10 or more years ago to develop gear.   Some people are working their butts off to try and make their YouTube Channel the next best viral channel out there in order to be able to be paid for what they love.  Some people are still sitting at home spending their paychecks and running up their credit cards on all the latest and greatest gear.  And then there are some who are just out there enjoying the outdoors, living life to the fullest, just a little more comfortable now doing it, because of the gear that resulted from the Overlanding Rage that hit several years ago.

I think this craze will continue for a few more years.  Yes, there will be a flood on Facebook Marketplace, eBay and other arenas of gear that people need to get rid of.  Yes, there will be people that get in and figure out this is not for them.  But for others, we are here and here to stay.  We have