Overland Expo Overview

I drove 6.5 hours from Seattle to Redmond, OR, to attend the Overland Expo PNW 2024! Today, I’ll be breaking down what it was, what to expect, and how to ensure you get the best out of your next Expo.

What to Expect?

Overland Expo is a nationwide event that happens four times every year. Here, you will find all the best in the business brands that produce gear and modifications to get you out on the trails. 

There are so many cool things to see at these events, and you may even get a sneak peek at some of the new trucks coming to the market. 

If you’re looking for an in-depth review as a first-time attendee, check out the rest of this post. I break down all of the crucial things you may want to know about attending an Overland Expo!

Pricing

There are several different pricing tiers depending on whether you are camping or not and whether you’re staying the weekend. 

Before I get into pricing, each event is priced differently, so these may not be accurate for the last two expos. 

We only went on Friday and Saturday, so we paid for two individual passes for each day. The total, after taxes and fees, was $132.48. 

Vehicle Camping 

Premium Admission Weekend Pass with Camping - Sold Out 

General Admission Weekend Pass with Camping - $185

Moto Camping 

General Admission Weekend Pass with Camping - $160

Day Passes

** Each day pass increases by $3 after June 17th 

Friday Day Pass - $25

Saturday Day Pass - $35

Sunday Day Pass - $25

Weekend Pass - $80 

Training 

Training Add-On - $200 (Only available for PNW)

Overland Expo - Mountain West Pricing 

Overland Expo - East Pricing

Parking

Depending on when you arrived, there were a few parking options around the fairgrounds. Each day, we arrived a few hours after the start of the day, so we were sent to overflow parking. 

Thankfully, it was a short walk to one of the entry gates. However, if you didn't want to walk, they also had a shuttle picking up and dropping people off on either side. 

For those who got there early, a few parking lots around the fairgrounds had easy access to the entries.

We didn’t camp this year, so I can’t speak much about this experience, but here’s what I saw! 

Camping

The campgrounds are easily accessible to the fairgrounds. If you look at the map, you will see that Overland Expo is in the middle of the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, and the camping is surrounding it in the grass areas. The camping is split up into different sections depending on what passes you have for the event. 

Driving by the campgrounds, I noticed that the spaces were not super close together but also not far apart. This setup made it easy for people to have ground tents and shelters around their spots. 

The actual camping was first come, first serve, at least for the weekend pass camping. This means you would need to get there on Friday if you wanted a spot closer to the front. It’s also important to note that you are not able to save a spot for friends or family. So, if you want to camp together, you must come together.  

If you would like to leave your campsite, there are a few things you should take note of. You can leave the campgrounds and return anytime, even after hours, so long as you have your admission credentials and camping/vehicle hang tag. If you don’t have your admission credentials, you will not be allowed back into the venue or campgrounds. 

You can leave your setup to hold your space, or if you want to pack up your setup and leave the campsite, your spot will be reassigned when you return. 

We’re hoping to camp out next year! 

Getting into the Expo 

Getting into the Expo was easy. There are two entrances: the main entrance and the secondary entrance. We entered through the secondary entrance near the training and didn’t have to wait in any lines on either day. 

The staff will scan your tickets when you walk in and provide you with a stamp, marking the day you are there. When you walk in, you are immediately greeted by vendors everywhere. 

From there, the grounds are a big circle, so you can walk in either direction. From what others have said, PNW has one of the nicest locations as it is pretty much all pavement and grass compared to the others, which have a lot of dirt and dust. 

You will also find signs scattered around the grounds to help direct you to the right spot. 

Food and Rest Stations

There were food trucks and stands scattered throughout the fairgrounds throughout the day. Weather you were looking for a full meal or just a snack to get you through the day, they had many different options available. 

I will say that the food was pretty pricey. If you are looking to save some money, I would recommend packing your own food and bringing it with you.

You will find picnic benches throughout the center of the fairgrounds to sit down and eat. Or you can enjoy a covered seating area under the food court tent. Benches are also placed throughout if you need to take a break at any time. 

You’ll also find a few rest stations placed around the expo. These stations are covered and have seating for you to sit. This year, GCI sponsored all of the chairs for the rest stations, so you get the pleasure of testing out some of their rocking chairs. You can also bring in an empty water bottle to fill up at each of the rest stations. 

What Brands Did We See?

As I have mentioned a few times in this post, there is SO MUCH to see at Overland Expo. Most will be brands, some very popular, and others a bit smaller but just as fantastic. 

There were a few truck manufacturers, and we had to look at the 2024 and 2025 models. These included Honda, Nissan, GMC, Lexus, and Toyota. I was surprised that Jeep didn’t appear, especially considering the brand's prominence in the off-road space. 

RV and SXS manufacturers such as Winnebago and Polaris were also present at the show. 

There are so many different businesses regarding products such as gear and modifications. You have everything from recovery gear to full armor setups, drawer systems, complete camper setups, ground tents, and everything in between. No matter what you were looking for, at least one business would have it. 

Personally, this was the best part of Overland Expo. It’s great to buy anything you need over a computer or phone, but you will never know the quality and durability of a product until you see it and feel it in person.

We were looking around for a new rooftop tent, and we would have had such a hard time relying on photos from the website if we hadn’t gone in person. But now we have a good idea for the size and brand we plan on going with. 

If you are looking for an entire list of all the companies in attendance, you can check out the Overland Expo website.

Training 

One thing I wish I had signed up for was the training. Overland Expo PNW is the only expo that offers hands-on training. 

This training will help you learn to tackle all the skills you may need if you plan off-roading. You get 1:1 training with the Overland Expo Training team in your vehicle on a custom-built off-road course. You’ll learn how to drive over different terrain, recover your vehicle if stuck, prepare for your next journey, and diagnose and repair your vehicle on the trails. 

The training pass is an extra $200 per ticket per day, with the opportunity to train on Friday or  Saturday. You can pick from a few different classes throughout the day, and you will need to sign up for each class as they are held at different times throughout the day. 

As a bonus, they offer women-only courses if you are more comfortable participating in that setting! 

Programming 

Unlike the training, you will find the programming at all Expos. These are classes put on by creators, brands, or VIPs in the off-road/overland community.

Here, you can learn various skills such as vehicle maintenance, finding trails and campsites, building your rig to get out on the trails, content creation, and so much more. You could easily spend an entire weekend just attending these courses and learning different things you will use at some point. 

While we didn’t have a chance to check out any of the programs this time, I will be doing this next year. 

How to Make the Most Out of Your Day

Depending on how many days you decide to get tickets for, you could easily split everything up over multiple days, but let’s just say you plan on going one day. 

For starters, Friday was much quieter than Saturday, so if you want more one-on-one time with the brands attending, go on Friday. 

Regarding the actual planning of the day, I would start by reviewing the schedules and figuring out which programs, trainings, and booths you want to attend. From there, start planning out your day! 

I suggest tackling the fairgrounds early in the morning, as it tends to get hot in the afternoon. This means going around to the booths, talking to brands, seeing new products, and collecting the free merchandise they are handing out! Don’t forget to go by the official Overland Expo truck to get your patch.  

Once you’ve sat down for a break, you can check out the afternoon programs, or if you have your scheduled training, head over to the course! 

Many more prominent brands, such as Toyota, Honda, and  Ironman 4x4, were holding after-hour parties. If you want something to do once Expo ends, try getting some tickets through their booths. Usually, this will require you to sign up for their mailing list, but no purchase is necessary! 

Or if you want to explore the area after Expo, you can do some off-roading. There are also plenty of trails on the outskirts of Redmond that are great for all levels. Check out the Barr Road North OHV Staging Area if you want something quick and easy. And you can go camping here if you are looking for a place to spend the night. 

Final Thoughts on the Expo

I’ll leave you with this: If the Expo is within the budget, do it. Not only did we see so many incredible products, but we also learned so much about the community. 

Thank you to everyone who made it possible, and we will be seeing you next year!