photo_i
Explorer
I can see for those who flew in where food would be an issue. On that I stand corrected.
Or if you are on the road for a long time then meal cooked by somebody else ( and washes dishes afterwards) is also a welcome occurrence
Overland Expo West, 2014
- Thread starter Jonathan Hanson
- Start date
Or if you are on the road for a long time then meal cooked by somebody else ( and washes dishes afterwards) is also a welcome occurrence
gunnermoose
Adventurer
I had a great time this year. I met many people I will call friends for a long time; and reacquaint with some I have not seen in a decade. Already eager to get there next year. If I had enough vacation I would be heading to Expo East.
KAILUAZ
Down wit da Hui
This was my first Expo and I was totally stoked on it. I was helping out in one of the vender tents and I have to say the Expo attendees were a refreshing break from our normal "community". The people were great and the overall vibe was awesome!
Road tripping there and back with great friends was the icing on the cake. See you next year for sure!!
Road tripping there and back with great friends was the icing on the cake. See you next year for sure!!
photo_i
Explorer
I think this is the main appeal of the Expo. Now we have enough invitation all over the country that we'll never have to use Laundromats again! Just kidding.
Jonathan Hanson
Supporting Sponsor
Not sure where you were, but in the Oasis tent we had U.S.-made Overland Expo T-shirts in several designs, plus hats.
The food situation was better this year as we insisted on having outside vendors; however, the lodge once again underestimated the numbers. I hear the pizzeria ran out of pizza. How does that happen?
The good thing is, the outside food vendors were ecstatic about the response, so we should be able to get more there next year.
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OverlandMark
New member
I'm Not on the Bandwagon
I'm glad most people had a good time, but I have a distinctly different experience. This was my second Expo and it will be my last. I was DISAPPOINTED!!!
We arrived early Thursday afternoon in order to get a good camp spot. The spot we choose was against the outermost "boundaries" of the camping area. It was crowded, but I would expect that for an event like this. What I figured out later was that arriving later in the weekend and at night got you better locations because no one was there to direct you away from where you wanted to camp.
There was NO water for the campers. I get that it is a "dry" camp, but in the material online it refers to the fact that there is "...water for filling up." There was none except for the sink in the bathroom 3/4 of a mile away. Personally, I don't really want to use water out of a bathroom sink.
Most of the "classes" were not educational as much as hour long, in person, infomercials. Most of the "classes" I went to were put on by vendors who spent the entire hour hawking their wares. What I thought might be a good class on kitchen organization was just an hour of the advantages of using the company's chuck box. There was nothing about organizing an overland kitchen. I thought the class about choosing a medium truck for overlanding was Tacoma/Four Wheel Camper centric. While I think that the combination of truck and camper is excellent, I would like to hear other options in a class about choosing a medium sized vehicle.
To be honest, I did learn high-lift technique and recovery skills.
I'm not sure why anyone should buy a weekend pass when NO ONE ever checked credentials or weither you were registered for the class you were in. Basically, anyone could go to any class they wanted to go to. Why pay for the "special" classes when anyone who wants to go can?
The low point of the weekend occurred when I returned to my site Friday afternoon to find that the boundary was just a suggestion and the camp had expanded to three or four rows behind my rig in the previously "out of bounds" area and another group had set up camp five feet in front of me. I was camped in.
Saturday morning, I went to one infomercial class and the medium truck class and made the decision that I wasn't learning anything, I wasn't having fun, and I didn't want to be a part of the experience. I visited the Oasis and while talking to the others there they all shared the same thoughts.
Finally, around noon on Saturday, I packed up and left. We paid $485 and took three days off of work to attend. It was a waste of both time and money.
As I said, I'm glad lots of people had a good time and benefited from it and that's good, but I think it's important that others know that it may not be what they are looking for and the experience won't be positive for everyone. I won't be going again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone asking about it. At least not without being VERY clear about what to expect in both experience and value.
I'm glad most people had a good time, but I have a distinctly different experience. This was my second Expo and it will be my last. I was DISAPPOINTED!!!
We arrived early Thursday afternoon in order to get a good camp spot. The spot we choose was against the outermost "boundaries" of the camping area. It was crowded, but I would expect that for an event like this. What I figured out later was that arriving later in the weekend and at night got you better locations because no one was there to direct you away from where you wanted to camp.
There was NO water for the campers. I get that it is a "dry" camp, but in the material online it refers to the fact that there is "...water for filling up." There was none except for the sink in the bathroom 3/4 of a mile away. Personally, I don't really want to use water out of a bathroom sink.
Most of the "classes" were not educational as much as hour long, in person, infomercials. Most of the "classes" I went to were put on by vendors who spent the entire hour hawking their wares. What I thought might be a good class on kitchen organization was just an hour of the advantages of using the company's chuck box. There was nothing about organizing an overland kitchen. I thought the class about choosing a medium truck for overlanding was Tacoma/Four Wheel Camper centric. While I think that the combination of truck and camper is excellent, I would like to hear other options in a class about choosing a medium sized vehicle.
To be honest, I did learn high-lift technique and recovery skills.
I'm not sure why anyone should buy a weekend pass when NO ONE ever checked credentials or weither you were registered for the class you were in. Basically, anyone could go to any class they wanted to go to. Why pay for the "special" classes when anyone who wants to go can?
The low point of the weekend occurred when I returned to my site Friday afternoon to find that the boundary was just a suggestion and the camp had expanded to three or four rows behind my rig in the previously "out of bounds" area and another group had set up camp five feet in front of me. I was camped in.
Saturday morning, I went to one infomercial class and the medium truck class and made the decision that I wasn't learning anything, I wasn't having fun, and I didn't want to be a part of the experience. I visited the Oasis and while talking to the others there they all shared the same thoughts.
Finally, around noon on Saturday, I packed up and left. We paid $485 and took three days off of work to attend. It was a waste of both time and money.
As I said, I'm glad lots of people had a good time and benefited from it and that's good, but I think it's important that others know that it may not be what they are looking for and the experience won't be positive for everyone. I won't be going again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone asking about it. At least not without being VERY clear about what to expect in both experience and value.
My 4th year
This was the 4th year of attendance for me & my first in non-camping mode, I've always camped off the Moto & solo, this year was the better half's first year,& even though she is cares NOTHING about motos is now a "OVERLANDER" by choice,( appears as if a roof top tent for the XJ is in the offing)
I have seen the Expo grow & can bet it will only get better as time goes on. Hats off to Roseann & Jonathan for all their hard work, an event of international magnitude doesn't organize its self, & for them to take on another Overland Expo event on the east coast is to their credit.
So to all the crybabies ,first-timers & day trippers, I would suggest that you take a page from the Boy Scout Handbook & come back next year "Prepared" for the experience & stay tuned here, Overland Expo's is just getting started & like a fine wine "will only get better w/age"
This was the 4th year of attendance for me & my first in non-camping mode, I've always camped off the Moto & solo, this year was the better half's first year,& even though she is cares NOTHING about motos is now a "OVERLANDER" by choice,( appears as if a roof top tent for the XJ is in the offing)
I have seen the Expo grow & can bet it will only get better as time goes on. Hats off to Roseann & Jonathan for all their hard work, an event of international magnitude doesn't organize its self, & for them to take on another Overland Expo event on the east coast is to their credit.
So to all the crybabies ,first-timers & day trippers, I would suggest that you take a page from the Boy Scout Handbook & come back next year "Prepared" for the experience & stay tuned here, Overland Expo's is just getting started & like a fine wine "will only get better w/age"
ZMagic97
Explorer
My second year going with a day pass and I'm glad I went. I had a great time and feel is wws more fun than last year. For those complsining about camping: go elsewhere. Theres no probelsm with camping on site, but I go out away from everything for a quiet night and I like lots of space. I pack everything I need for the trip such as food, water, cash, clothing..etc. They do not need to be making it a resort for some people.
FordGuy1
Adventurer
The selection was not good, and the shirts were very limited. I asked the gal and she even told me the selection was slim. Also, the short sleeve men's shirts were poor quality, not the print but the shirt.
The food vendors that you had made great food. Even though I did not eat the food, everyone was raving about the flat-bread taco thing!
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photo_i
Explorer
No, but we had Rocky Mountain Oysters - not too bad, although I've had better before.
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BurbanAZ
Explorer
This was our 4th year and we had a great time as usual. Honestly though the part I enjoyed most was seeing everyone again and catching up. I have noticed though that it feels like the day pass classes are turning into just long infomercials. We have done just the day passes the last 4 years and loved it every year but with what felt like a change in the day pass classe quality we do want to pay for the package next year. Yea I know we could probably just walk in and no one would notice but that's not how we want to do things.
I did notice that it seems like more people brought dogs this year and we really loved that especially since this was the first trip we took our puppy on. She will be going on all our future trips with us and the experience for her was amazing. Everyone was great with her and almost everyone had well behaved dogs.
I did notice that it seems like more people brought dogs this year and we really loved that especially since this was the first trip we took our puppy on. She will be going on all our future trips with us and the experience for her was amazing. Everyone was great with her and almost everyone had well behaved dogs.
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