Tag: adventurist

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Overland Expo West 2022

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming: Overland Expo West is back to it’s normal timing in May! But with only six-odd months having passed since the last Expo event, like many of you we had to wonder what could really be new here if anything.

Cool new stuff was definitely a little harder to come by at this event (don’t worry we still found a few things) but thankfully, Overland Expo is much more than just an exhibitor bazaar. Newly revamped for this year was the training team that handled all of the vehicle based training, and the new team certainly came out strong. Several OEMs had an official presence, and many of the long standing vendors were upping their booth game with bigger displays. Big money also seems to be testing the waters of this Overland thing, with brands like 4Wheel Parts and Ebay motors posting up for the show.

Overland Expo is definitely continuing to grow, but the growth seems to be biased toward big money at the expense of the smaller brands and sense of community we’ve always loved. It’s going to be very interesting to see where these events are at in a few years. But enough of my postulating – here’s our usual extensive serving of gear, rigs, and training that makes Overland Expo an experience.

GO FAST CAMPERS – GFC has been hard at work cranking out their V2 campers, and they had the first 8-foot bed version on display at the show. Notice the lack of cab over. We also spied their new rack system and their use of Austere Manufacturing buckles on their new straps.

GEYSER SYSTEMS – This small portable showering system looks like an awesome way to get a hot shower in the field. There are two versions, one with a heater, and one that relies on you heating water with a portable stove and adding it to cold water already placed in the unit. A small pump feeds a special sponge making for a hot sponge bath just about anywhere.

WARN – Warn was showing off their new HUB system at Overland Expo. This adds wireless functionality to any of their non-wireless winches (non Zeon Platinum). The system is easy to use and very responsive, and you can still use a corded controller when you want to.

TOYOTA – Toyota claimed so serious real estate for the show, and of course the new Tundra was on hand.

COOL RIGS – Overland Expo is becoming a SEMA show in the sense that there are some truly impressive OEM’s and personal builds on display. Here are a few standouts.

ARB Is continuing to expand their gear management systems, and they had this new Tacoma specific system on display.

Deadman Off-Road makes an awesome earth anchor, appropriately named the Deadman. Their new Stretchy Band Kinetic recovery ropes have the same attention to quality and come in a number of sizes and lengths.

Magnaflow – Posted up with a full size semi truck. They were showing off new exhaust systems, including their new xMOD DIY systems with a Helmholtz resonator that helps with droning when used in a turn down application.

THIS THING – There are always a few things at Overland Expo that make you stop and go “what?” And this fits the bill. If you know who makes these trailers, comment below!

LOKI BASECAMP – Remember the big black Falcon Series camper Loki Basecamp was showing off at the last Expo West? Well, meet the smaller sibling, the Icarus.

ONEWHEELS & E-BIKES were all over the place at the show. I only witnessed two Onewheel crashes the entire weekend, and of course neither of said folks who got to eat a soil sandwich had any protective gear on…

GOOSE GEAR has been hard at work building new gear systems for an expanded number of applications. Here are new Goose Gear systems for Ford’s Bronco, Ranger, and F-150.

EQUIPT is expanding their line of National Luna Power systems. They have also given one of their shop trucks, “Sleepy”, a serious refresh and this first gen Tundra looks great! I love their solution for outfitting an AT camper with Aluboxes, which comes in at roughly half the price of a full camper build out.

COMPANY NAME WITHHELD. There are always new companies that show up to Overland Expo to introduce their wares to the world for the first time. Yet sometimes these companies are completely ignorant of best practices in the industry they are selling to. They may also have failed to do adequate research during their product development. This product is a foldable fire ring, which still causes the user to leave a burn scar, which isn’t how you #leavenotrace. It’s also made out of galvanized steel, which releases toxic zinc vapors when you get it hot, say from a fire…

Guzzle H20 makes some really impressive water filtering systems. They also offer A-La-Carte parts and pieces if you’re looking to build out your own water treatment system.

Rouge Journeyman – This was pretty neat to watch. This leather smith has all of his tools packed in this old firetruck and he was cranking out all kinds of handmade items at the show.

LUNO makes vehicle fitting sleeping pads for crossovers and trucks like the Tacoma. I wish they would make a one sided version, so you can sleep with your gear when you’re out solo.

INSTY Makes a 5G hotspot that is claimed to deliver much better data throughput than other boosters on the market that can only work with 3G data signals.

STEP 22 Gear is continuing to make more awesome new gear bags and other ingenious organizational products that help you keep all of your kit safe and sorted. Recovery rope may also be back on a secret menu basis…

Ride With Us was teaching learn to ride a motorcycle classes at Overland Expo.

Truckvault is getting into the bed slider system in a big way. The name of their game is customization, and they’ve got all sorts of options available to help you build out the exact bed slide system you’re looking for.

Training – In our opinion, the quality of training and education provided at Overland Expo saw a decline in recent years. Thankfully they picked up a new training coordinator for this year, and as such the training cadre changed significantly. It was great to see a couple of I4WDTA Certified Trainers in the mix along with a number of other veteran instructors and some up and comers.

Overland Expo has a jam-packed schedule of classes that provide a great breadth of learning opportunities, and I was really impressed with the learning aids that I4WDTA Certified Trainer Nick Cimmarusti created for his class on field repairs. The cutaway third member was especially cool.

Moto Training at Overland Expo is handled by Bill Dragoo and his crew from DART. It’s always impressive to watch these instructors rip around on their monster BMWs like they’re dirt bikes.

Skinny Guy Campers is bringing a unique approach to the camper game. They can be spec’d from bare bones to fully farkled out with a macerating toilet.

EGOE makes loadout systems that provide sleeping, cooking, and other camping needs for a number of vehicles.

TEMBO TUSK had a pile of new products at the show. Revised tables with quick switch collapsible sinks, propane firepits, new bike and build it yourself slides, and of course Jerry’s famous South African Boerwors sausage for breakfast on Sunday.

Factor 55 still makes some of the best recovery gear on the market – gear that’s made in the USA. They were showing off their new Hitch Link Pro which is the industry’s first recovery point designed for both soft and hard (screw pin) shackles. Note that the 2.0 version now has bores for 90 degree clocking like the Hitch Link 2.5 has.

Roller Cams solve the problem of all cam straps in that their unique roller pivot allows you get get a Roller Cam Strap much more tight than a comparable cam strap without a roller. WLL is rated at 350 pounds and they come in all sorts of lengths.

THE BIG NAMES – eBay Motors and 4Wheel Parts are getting into the Overland thing… hello mainstream.

By all accounts, Overland Expo seems to have returned to it’s normal groove. Every year brings with it new things, and this year was no different. The event is clearly changing and it’s going to be interesting to see where this event goes in the coming years. What are your thoughts on the future of Overland Expo?

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LTR: SureFire Stiletto Pro

A good EDC flashlight needs to be versatile, easy to use, and able to hold up to absolutely everything life exposes it to, day after day. Surefire is known for making some of the best illumination tools money can buy, and their Stiletto series of lights offers a unique feature set that makes them incredibly versatile and useful while hitting all of the standard Surefire checkboxes like quality, performance, and durability. For the last few months, I’ve been carrying Surefire’s Stiletto Pro as my daily driver, and in that time, I’ve come to really appreciate having this light in my possession.

Surefire makes two versions of the Stiletto; aptly named Stiletto and Stilletto Pro. Both lights share the same design language, but there are a few distinct differences between the two models. The Stiletto has a polymer body and weighs in at 2.8 ounces. It’s three levels of light output provide more than enough versatility for any lighting need, with output levels at 5, 250, and 600 lumens. The Stiletto retails for $129 USD. The Stiletto Pro features an aluminum body, which allows for extra heat dissipation and as such light output levels are increased across the board. Low is 25 lumens, great for digging in a bag or in small spaces. Medium is 300 lumens, which is quite a bit of light. Yet, when you need a piece of the sun in your pocket, High gives you 1000 lumens of light output from a light that weighs 4 ounces. Retail on the Stiletto Pro is $229 USD. Both lights feature programmable power switches where you can configure how the light cycles through its respective light outputs. There is a tactical switch at the end of both lights that can turn the light on to high power, or with three taps of the switch engage strobe mode.

Rounding out the feature set on the Stiletto series of lights is a reversible belt clip that lets you carry the light lens down or up. Some users may prefer to carry the light lens down, so that it’s easy to draw the light with their hand on the tactical switch. However, if you carry the light lens up, the Stiletto series lights can be clipped onto a hat brim to make a very powerful headlamp. It’s pretty darn convenient to be able to just clip the light to your hat / collar/ or other piece of gear as needed so you can work with both hands instead of having to go get a headlamp.

In hand, the Stiletto Pro feels great. The controls are easy to find and access, and no matter how you hold the light the controls are always accessible. The light’s unique shape creates a rock-solid grip with both gloved and bare hands. After working with the Stiletto Pro, switching back to a cylindrical shaped flashlight with only an end cap switch feels awkward. In other words, the Stiletto Pro spoils you with how easy it is to use.

Likewise, the Stiletto Pro’s unique shape makes the light a joy to carry in your pocket. It’s unique shape make the light less noticeable and therefore more comfortable when carrying the light, even when it’s in your back pocket and you’re sitting on it. Again, the Stiletto Pro is a joy to live with, and trading it out for a cylindrical flashlight will have you missing the Stiletto Pro.

Charging the Stiletto Pro is as easy as possible thanks to the light’s built in lithium battery and micro-USB port. All you need to do is plug the light in and wait for the fuel gauge LED to turn green and the light is charged. The end. Its so nice not to have to worry about packing enough 123s or other batteries or a dedicated charger. Yet the best part of USB charging is that it’s easy to always have a light that’s starting at full power. There’s no more trying to use up a disposable battery that’s currently in a light, and dealing with reduced output just to use up consumable batteries.

The Stilettos are fully programable, so you can control how the light works. I LOVE the fact that I can start with a mere 25 lumens of light output and cycle up to unleashing the sun on problem if needed. (If you want to reverse the power switch order, you can do that too.) There’s also the tactical switch on the end of the light which lets me go straight to full power. In this configuration, I can use primary switch to cycle up through the light outputs as needed, and I can go full power with just one press on the tactical switch if the situation calls for it. I’ve never blinded myself with the Stiletto Pro by accidentally turning the light on to high power, nor have I ever found myself wishing I could change how the light is controlled.

The Surefire Stiletto Pro has proven to be an outstanding flashlight. It’s has gone everywhere with me over the last few months, and in that time it’s become my favorite / go to flashlight. It’s a joy to carry, awesome to use, easy as possible to charge, and the controls will spoil you from using any other flashlight. So what’s the downside? The price. The Stiletto Pro isn’t cheap, especially when there are a kabillion options for cheap lights out there. Yet, lighting continues to prove that it’s something where you get what you pay for, and there is certainly something to be said for paying more for a product that isn’t going to let you down when it counts.

Point in case – at last light on the last day of his first Bull Elk hunt, my buddy shot his first Bull. From my vantage point on the hill behind him, I was able to watch the whole thing go down through my binoculars. I saw the muzzle flash, watched the bull drop like a sack of potatoes, and then seconds later heard the sound of the rifle shot. I had a 15 minute hike to get to where this all went down in a meadow surrounded by Pinion / Juniper trees. In that time, my buddy’s chineseium USB chargeable million-lumen light had completely stopped working, and he was trying to locate a Bull in tall grass that was 200 yards away with the light on his phone. Thanks to the Stiletto Pro’s 1000 lumen output (and having a birds eye view at one point), I was able to locate the Bull a couple of minutes after linking up with my buddy. When it was time to break down the bull, I set the Stiletto Pro to low power and clipped it onto my hat. My headlamp was dead weight in my pack on that hunt, because the Stilleto Pro once again proved it’s versatility.

The Surefire Stiletto Pro is a great flashlight that has become my go-to flashlight in the time I’ve been evaluating it. It’s versatile enough to provide a touch of light to look in a pack at night, and powerful enough to make short work of finding a Bull Elk that blends in with tall grass. Nothing and I mean nothing has phased this light. Cold, hot, sand, snow – it doesn’t matter. The Stiletto Pro works exactly as advertised every time I’ve reached for it. When I’m not using it, it’s takes 10 seconds to set it up for a charge, and having a light that is always starting at 100% state of charge is so much better than having to consume other batteries, because I’m not cool enough to go through 123s like M&Ms. The light clip makes it easy to go hands free, and the light’s unique shape make for a great fit in hand or in your pocket.

 

There is no shortage of options out there when it comes to flashlights, but for a top shelf, Made in the USA light that does absolutely everything well, the Surefire Stiletto Pro has proven to be a great lighting tool that’s worth every penny.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The product featured here was provided at no cost to the author for the purpose of this independent product review.