At this year's Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona, we saw overlanding gear get more refined — new iterations of vans, bike racks, knives, and other overlanding gear was on display, with smarter, more innovative features.(Photo: Jakob Schiller)

Overlanding has exploded in the United States over the last decade. Along with all the new interest came a slew of new gear that made accessing the backcountry on four wheels and living off grid more attainable. Now that overlanding is more established, we’re not seeing as many new products; instead, we’re watchingthe gear that already existsget refined and perfected. That was evident at this year’s Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona, where we saw new iterations of vans, bike racks, knives, and other overlanding gear with smarter, more innovative features. Here are 10 that caught our eye.

Thule Widesky Rooftop Tent

Thule found a way to stand out from the field of similar rooftop tents by creating a mattress that folds up to become a couch. I was impressed by how this simple tweak makes the tent a hang-out spot—the perfect place to read during the day and take in a sunset at night—instead of just somewhere I would sleep. I’m also a fan of the smart features like integrated LED lights, roofbar locks, and a relatively low 147-pound total weight. I don’t recommend driving around with this (or any) rooftop tent on your car at all times, but if you have a place to store it between trips, it’s one of the best tents I’ve seen lately.

Slouch Couch Solo Chair

There’s plenty of inflatable furniture out there, but most of it is flimsy and prone to popping. Nick Menendez, founder of Slouch Couch, knew he could do better. He invented an inflatable chair and love seat that are covered in a nearly indestructible 600-denier Cordura fabric, so you never have to worry about popping them on sticks, stones, goatheads, and other rough surfaces. The seats are also weighted and can be staked down so they won’t blow away, something we saw firsthand at a very windy Expo. Inflation takes less than two minutes thanks to a built-in, rechargeable electric pump. When not in use, the couch packs down to the size of a small watermelon and the chair is about half that size.

Rock Tamers Traction Crate

Overlanders love using crates fororganizing gearand traction boards for getting unstuck. The engineers at Rock Tamers had the brilliant idea to combine both into one piece of gear. As a crate, their product will hold yourcamp kitchenor your clothes. Take the crate apart, and it turns into two traction boards that will help you get your rig out of snow, mud, or sand. I haven’t tested the traction boards, so I’m not sure how they’ll compare to others on the market, but they felt solid in my hands.

Geotrek Verus Van

Class B+ vehicles, which are bigger than vans but smaller than full-on RVs, were everywhere at this year’s expo. Geotrek’s version is a 170” Mercedes-Benz Sprinter High Roof that has an intact cab but comes with a reinforced subframe and insulated composite box on the back. The box creates significantly more room than what you get in a regular van, creating space for extra amenities like a full shower.

Modboxwas also exhibiting its version, which sits on a 144” Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis and comes with a blank box so buyers can customize it however they want. Thanks to fewer features, a rear-wheel Modbox starts at $98,000.

The most jaw-dropping B+ I saw was Field Van’s newField Adventure Vehicle(FAV), built around a Ford E350. Field Van is known for making the most capable off-road vans, and the FAV continues the trend, with full four-wheel drive, an Atlas transfer case, a front locker, Dynatrac axles, and up to 26 inches of travel with the sway bar disconnected. They haven’t landed on final pricing, but say it will be somewhere in the low $300,000s.

Benchmade Vapyr Knife

I carry the BenchmadeMini Bugoutbecause it’s skinny and lightweight, while also reliable and indestructible. I don’t need a survival knife—I want something that disappears in my pocket and is there whenever I need to open a box, cut through cheese, or maybe saw through a branch. I thought the Bugout was the only knife I’d ever want until I saw the new Vapyr, an evolution of the Bugout line. The Vapyr’s blade is a full inch longer than my mini (and slightly longer than the regular Bugout), but the handle is almost twice as skinny (only .282 inches thick) and weighs a scant 1.72 ounces. In my hand, the Vapyr nearly disappeared, but felt sturdy and capable, thanks to its smart engineering and an emphasis on high-quality parts, including an anodized aluminum handle, magnacut stainless steel blade, and axis lock. I have no doubt this will become my new go-to EDC knife.

Jogo Camp Mug

The Backpacker editors love the lightweightJogo strawas an easy way to brew coffee. Just throw your grounds in a cup (cowboy coffee style), pour in hot water, let everything brew, and insert the metal Jogo straw to drink. A screened filter at the bottom of the straw keeps the grounds out of your mouth, and a silicone tip keeps you from burning your tongue. Now, Jogo is launching a double-wall, stainless steel cup that has a plastic lid with an insert spot for the straw, so you can sip while driving or walking to work. I’m excited to use thecoffee setupas my in-office and backpacking go-to.

1Up RakAttach XL

The RakAttach is 1Up’s back-of-the-vehicle storage system that slots into a two-inch hitch receiver and allows you to carry a bike rack plus other overland accessories like Maxtrax and a shovel. When you’re parked, the RakAttach swings out of the way so you can access your tailgate or car hatch. The XL, which just launched, is rated for 375 pounds of gear—a full 100 more than the original. Like everything 1Up makes, the XL is carefully engineered, well thought out, and creates a sleek and efficient way to transport a lot of otherwise cumbersome gear. I also appreciate that the XL comes with a support jack to keep the swingout arm from getting overloaded when it’s full of gear and extended away from the car.

Redarc Tow-Pro Link Electric Brake Controller

A couple of years ago, I saw a trailer start to sway behind a truck on the freeway. The swaying got progressively worse until the truck and trailer both flipped. Remembering that scary incident, I was excited to come across this sway recovery brake controller. If you see your trailer start to sway, you push a button on the remote, and it activates the trailer brakes until the swaying stops.

SeaSucker Flex-X Phone Mount

Most suction-cup phone holders aren’t strong enough to stay in place on your windshield if you’re driving down rugged dirt roads. SeaSucker’s heavy-duty vacuum-mounted holder will. Using a hand-operated vacuum pump to remove all the air from beneath the adhesive pad, the mount creates a connection that’s so strong the company also uses it to mount theirbike racksto car roofs. I was impressed by both the strength of the mount and the ability to remove it from my windshield in seconds when I didn’t want it obscuring my field of view.

Pelican 90-Liter Crate

Staying safe while exploring remote spots on four wheels requires a lot of gear. I always carry a robust medical kit, recovery equipment so I can get unstuck, and enough tools to fix my truck, tent, or whatever else might break. Bins help keep all this organized, and Pelican’s newest offering is one of the sleekest systems I’ve seen. The “Pelican Crates” come with dividers and built-in molle panels to help keep track of gear so it can be easily accessed during a breakdown or emergency. The crates also integrate with plates from theMounting Company, so they can be securely attached to your roof rack or truck bed and removed by simply pulling a pin.