We recently came back from a week up in Washington where we attended the Northwest Overland Rally.
It was our first time participating in this type of event, and the impetus for finally going is that we’re only a few years out from when we hope to be dedicating more time to traveling in our vehicle. We had a blast camping for 3 nights surrounded by overlanding and off-roading enthusiasts.
In addition to a packed daily agenda of classes where we learned about everything from potential rigs to safety and recovery gear and techniques, we had opportunities to put our Defender through its paces on the technical course and then again on a trail ride with several other trucks.
The best part though was walking around the grounds, talking to other people and seeing their rigs. It’s been one thing to read or watch videos about individuals who had traveled for months if not years in their vehicles but quite another to actually meet folks who had done it. It made it more real, and inspired us even more. We also saw a lot of classic Defenders kitted with everything from rooftop tents to full camper conversions and got a chance to meet their owners and hear amazing travel stories.
On the long drive home, our weekend experience fueled long discussions about the the type of rig that might be best for us, and we finally gave our Defender a name—Axle. (We learned that this was a must-do for all Defender owners.)
Coda
We found this event to be a great introduction to the overlanding/off-roading community. It was almost overwhelming; there was so much to learn and assimilate, but in a way that’s what makes thinking about and planning our big adventure so exciting. The other one we want to checkout at some point is the Overland Expo, either the one in Arizona or Colorado.