Exploring Overland Expo East in the Ultimate 4x4 Expedition Vehicle

This week we're back in the GXV Hilt 4x4 Expedition Vehicle and we're making our way to Overland Expo East to camp, learn, and check out overlanding rigs and gear. Kate and I swung by the Storyteller Overland HQ in Birmingham, Alabama to pick up the Hilt and hit the road towards Virginia for one of our favorite events of the year, the Overland Expo. Ever since our first test drive of this Overland vehicle earlier this year, Kate's been itching to get back into the GXV Hilt. So you can imagine her reaction when we rolled out of the parking lot. She was practically bouncing in her seat. And if that wasn't enough excitement, we spotted a Buc-ee's along our route. Some might consider this gas station theme park the holy grail of road trip stops. This location even boasts a whopping 120 fuel pumps. That's right, 120. Making it one of the largest locations in the country. There are a lot of reasons to love Buc-ee's when you're on a road trip, but if you're in a diesel, I love it because there is death at the pumps. So that's always a good thing. But there was a sign coming in that diesel was $2 or $2.09, something like that, if you bought a car wash. I don't know how much the car wash is, but this holds just over 70 gallons of diesel. And if we were on empty, that actually might be worth purchasing the car wash to get the discount on the diesel. Something to keep in mind if you want to get your car nice and shiny. There's a 20 gallon limit, so you get 75 cents off a gallon. If you still haven't experienced Buc-ee's, you're missing out. They have some of the cleanest bathrooms we've encountered while road tripping across the United States, along with one of the coolest convenience stores. It's like a one-stop shop for everything you didn't know you needed on the road. We've got snacks for taco night and beer for beer night. Off to Virginia. Uh, we may need to change the language on this GPS directions. I don't know if I'm going to be... I can't watch the screen the whole time, but let's see. Actually, this would be good for me practicing my Mandarin. At least I can translate for Joe if he's not understanding the directions. When people ask me how I learned Mandarin, I can say GPS. We're meeting up with a bunch of friends at a Harvest Host for the night. We're going to camp here and then go to Expo in the morning, which is just down the road. So this is the perfect location. Grab a bite to eat, something to drink, and then just relax for the night. So most of the group was already done by the time we got here, so we decided since they went back to their vans, we would just get some food to go, relax, and enjoy the evening. All right, so we ended up getting a lot of pulled pork, beans, fries, coleslaw, and two rolls. The next morning, a large group of adventure van owners met at Blue Mountain Barrel House to drive to the Overland Expo together. Since there are no assigned camping spots at the Expo, it's best to arrive together if you want to camp with friends. While the group headed out, they're all doing camping together at the event. Kate and I actually have to load this into the event because the Hilt is going to be in the booth. Before we get there, we're going to stop by and grab some apples. That is one thing we always look forward to when we come out to Overland Expo East. The apples in Virginia are fantastic. So we got apples, Asian pears, and a pumpkin for the booth. Learned about this a few years ago. A friend of ours taught us how to split an apple. It just tastes so much better when you split it. Oh, there it goes. Oh, I hear it. Ta-da! Hands of steel. So tasty. Well, we're in the booth and I'm having flashbacks to Overland Expo 2018. For anyone who was there or heard of what happened there, it was an absolute mud fest and vehicles were sinking, having to get towed out. Luckily, we're on the outer track here so we shouldn't have as many problems as people who are going to be in the grass this weekend. We also learned our lesson from last time and brought our muck boots. I just got back from sharing some of the apples that we picked up and now it's time to make Joe a latte. Got the inverter on. It is a tad bit noisy here with all the forklifts and trucks and things going back and forth. Kate is still working on her latte art. She's not there yet, but she will be one day. I'm a barista in training. Cheers. Seems like things are starting to dry up a bit. There is rain on the forecast for tomorrow, so fingers crossed it passes us by and this stays nice and dry. Well, despite the fact that it's drying up, people are still getting stuck. After setup, it was time for Overland Expo Happy Hour to try some of the specialty brews and to meet up with friends we only get to see at these events. As the sun dipped below the horizon, we strolled back to camp to enjoy the campfire and catch up with everyone. Nothing beats gathering around a fire with folks and swapping stories. So this is my favorite time of Expo. It's the calm before the storm. Everyone's waking up on the first day. I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee, just waiting for everything to start up. With an endless stream of people coming by to check out the Overland Rigs, Kate and I took turns getting away to check out all of the things going on at Expo, including a great presentation on traveling Alaska by Adam of Dog and a Jeep. And before we knew it, it was time for happy hour again. It was a crazy day at the show, but now there is a beer exchange, so bring a six-pack and get to try other people's beer and go in grab ours and head over. That's a cool little camper. Attending Overland Expos and camping on site is truly the best way to experience the weekend. It's more than just an event. It's a community. The connections you make with fellow campers, whether you're swapping camping tips, admiring rigs, or just telling lies over a campfire are unforgettable. Speaking of unforgettable, we finally got to witness the legendary Emily Pan Pan in action, which all began with this magical sausage tip. If you know, you know. We didn't have enough room in our Tupperware for all the beers that are showing up, so the Iceco group brought over their battery bank and a fridge for us to help keep all the beer cold. So thanks guys, you're awesome. On the second day of Expo, we were treated to sunshine and blue skies, a perfect day to go for a test drive. Folks were lined up early to take the Ineos Grenadier out on the driving course. This 4x4 vehicle has been all the rage lately, drawing attention from off-road enthusiasts everywhere. After watching the test drives, we wandered through the vendor area, checking out the latest in Overland gear. This shiny aluminum travel trailer by Bolas caught our attention with a starting price of $150,000. There was a wide range of Overland truck campers at the show, including the Granby flatbed pop-up camper by 4 Wheel Campers. This truck camper is very similar to the one we used to have, except it's a bit longer, allowing for a larger dinette in the back and more storage underneath the cushions. It was fun to check out the new features and updates they've made since we've had our camper. The Rossmonster Baja truck camper was also on display. Built on the Ford F-350 chassis, this truck camper also has a pop-up roof that allows the camper to have a lower profile when driving. Similar to the 4 Wheel Campers however, the cab over bed is not usable when the roof is down. Last night at Expo, we bring bourbon, fudge, and apparently there's supposed to be an amazing taco bar. If you couldn't tell, Kate's pretty wiped out. Expo takes a lot out of you, especially when you're talking to people all day, walking around, the sun's out and beating down on you. It's fun, but it is a workout. So we'll be glad when 3pm tomorrow rolls around and we can get on the road back home. When we made it back to camp, everyone was buzzing around getting ready for taco night. Kate called it magical, and honestly she was right. It's incredible how everyone comes together, even if they've just met. The air was filled with laughter, grills sizzling, people were chopping veggies, grilling tortillas, setting up tables. It was like watching an orchestra of overland chefs. And the best part? It all just happened. The spontaneity of it all is what made it so memorable. One minute we were scattered across different parts of the Expo, and the next, we were gathered together sharing a meal as though we had all known each other for years. It's moments like these, where strangers become friends over a shared experience, that make events like this so special. The food was great, but the community spirit is what really made the night unforgettable. It is the last day at Overland Expo East. The past few days have just flown by. We've been hanging with friends, really connecting with people, sharing, learning, and just hanging out with friends that we've made along the way. So today we're gonna walk around a little bit, check out some of the other things that you can expect to see at Overland Expo if you don't want to just come and have a giant camp out with friends. Our buddy Rich from Defiance Tools gave us a demo of their folding camp table. This portable, lightweight table has an aluminum frame, bamboo top, and rugged shelves. It sets up in seconds, packs down to nothing, and at just 18 pounds, it won't weigh you down. Now one of my favorite things to check out at the Overland Expo are the motorcycle demo rides. Harley-Davidson had a fleet of Pan America Adventure touring bikes this year for the 30-minute demo ride. They even had helmets and other gear for riders to borrow. Knife enthusiasts will also find quite a few manufacturers at the Expo, from larger companies like Spyderco and Benchmade, to smaller knife makers that are based locally. In addition to knives, Spyderco also had several knife sharpening tools for sale. Brewtrek makes one of my favorite coffee presses for Overland travel. It's also fun to pop by their booth to see what's new. As the saying goes, water in, water out. After that morning cup, it will eventually be time to use the facilities, and toilets are always a popular topic around camp, especially at an expo like this. Airhead Composting Toilets had two units on display at their booth for those exploring toilet options for Overlanding. By the time we made it to the ice code display, they were nearly sold out of products. Nicole gave us a demonstration of their JP Pro Series wheeled refrigerator freezer with dual zones. This was the same fridge that they brought over to the beer exchange on Friday night to keep all of our beverages cold. Our favorite feature is the portable magnetic battery pack that powers the fridge when you don't have an outlet or 12 volt plug to power it. Whatever you're looking for at Overland Expo, chances are you'll find it. Whether it's gear for your Overland rig, or rigs to get you further off road, there's no shortage of things to discover. And don't forget to stroll through the camping area. You never know what setups or surprises you'll stumble upon. You might even find Ranger Chuck whipping up a breakfast feast. Well that's it for Expo Season 2024. We are actually going to head home for a bit, and then we are taking the Hilt down to Austin for the F1 race. We're camping there. It's going to be our first time. We're really excited about it, so stay tuned for those videos. Now if you all enjoyed this video, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe if you haven't already, and if you want to see more of our content, head over to our YouTube channel at We're the Russos. We'll see you next time. Bye! Wait, you're still here? Well, I guess that means you're in need of a good book, and I've got two for you. Take Risks and Tales from the Open Road, available on Amazon and pretty much anywhere else you can buy books these days.