The inaugural Overland Expo SoCal, which took place this past weekend, was a can’t-miss event for the overlanding community of Southern California and beyond (far beyond!). With over 19,000 attendees checking out more than 300 exhibitor booths, there was a lot to take in at the sprawling Orange County event. Stay tuned to the Overland Expo Compass in the coming days for round-ups and highlights of our favorite products, exciting industry developments, and hot trends we noticed among attendees. In the meantime, here’s our recap of the weekend’s events.
The OC Fair & Event Center was home to the 200,000 net square feet occupied by the event, which played host to 303 exhibitors and brands showcasing the latest and greatest in overlanding rigs, cooking gear, lighting, portable bathroom setups, rugged offroading tires and much more. Key brands debuting new and innovative gear included IceCo, Toyo Tires, Ignik, Gozney and more. Attendees were dazzled by new fridges yet to hit the market, tires with enough traction to get us out of almost any (environmentally responsible) trouble, and compact pizza ovens for an emergency pizza party to celebrate getting out of said jam.
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The Women Who Wander gathering was a huge success as well, showing once again the camaraderie among women overlanders and how many awesome overlanders there are out there who want to share and gain knowledge and inspiration. The panel featured accomplished travelers who shared personal journeys, challenges, and triumphs, while the meetup provided a space for women to connect, network, and inspire one another. If you are a woman who wanders, dreams of wandering, or has settled down with enough wandering tales to fill a book, be sure to come to a future Overland Expo event to meet kindred spirits, find lasting friendships and travel buddies, and learn from one another.
Alongside the extensive selection of the coolest gear and products available to overlanders, the event also included various educational seminars and courses, including 84 classes, seminars, demos, activities, slideshows, and films. The event held 96+ session hours of instruction! Whether relaxing with an epic overlanding films in the the Oasis Bar & Food Court Sponsored by Nokian Tyres or raising the roof at the Subaru in-booth party, every Overland Expo SoCal event was packed with vibrant attendees excited to learn, test, and experience it all, from hands-on cooking classes to captivating movies.
Attendees weren’t limited to those living in the Costa Mesa area; residents of 46 states made it to the event, with the most coming from California, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. There were international visitors as well; Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Israel, Mexico, and South Korea were all represented. Attendance for both consumers and exhibitors was through the roof, and far exceeded the expectations of show organizers. Before the weekend kicked off, projected attendance for the whole weekend was in the realm of 200 exhibitors and 15,000 attendees. Both were exceeded midway through the day on Saturday.
Of course, no Overland Expo event would be complete without our popular raffle. The overlanding community came together to donate products and purchase raffle tickets — and win phenomenal prizes! — ultimately raising over $11,000 for the Overland Expo Foundation. Thanks to generous contributions from exhibitors and attendees, this fundraiser will help support key overland-focused charities and initiatives.
Based on the enormous success of Overland Expo SoCal — the most successful event launch in Overland Expo history — it stands to reason the show will be back in 2026 with a bang. In the meantime, be sure to check out our other expos around the country this year. Next up: Overland Expo West, taking place in Flagstaff, Arizona from May 16-18, 2025. We can’t wait to see you there!
