The classic book, “First Overland: London-Singapore by Land Rover,” by Tim Slessor hit the shelves in 1955. Like the mountaineers of the day, early overlanders had to build what they needed (or wanted) from scratch—the ultimate DIYers. Since then, more of the things these pioneers once made are being built by brands dedciated to making overlanding more accessible. To that end, here’s the best of what we found in the Overland Zone at Outdoor Retailer Summer.

OVERLAND JOURNAL

Overland Journal was founded as ExpeditionPortal.com in 2005 and evolved into the current premium print product in 2007 to cover the growing popularity of vehicle-supported adventure. The team worked with Outdoor Retailer to help curate the overland presence at the show and has hosted education sessions over the last few years. | expeditionportal.com

FROST RIVER

Frost River has been making waxed canvas bags with premium leather for over 250 years in Duluth, Minnesota, originally making canoe packs for trappers and explorers of the day. The bags are heavy, but not so heavy that a vehicle is going to care. With the weight comes a durable layer to protect the lighter stuff packed on the inside. A vast range of bag styles will cover all packing needs. | frostriver.com

DISCO BED

Disco Bed, a portable bed manufacturer, was founded in South Africa in 1988. It made steady progress with its business until the Kosovo war in 1998, when the needs of temporary and portable lodging by the armies and Red Cross occupied the business. The brand has refined the materials and mechanical actions of the folding bunk bed to keep it lightweight, packable, and easy to set up and fold down. It’s simple enough to set it up each night or leave out for weeks. | discobed.com

VANDOIT

Vandoit started as Kline Motors—a car, van, and RV dealer in Iowa—in 1947 and nestled in the niche of up-building and customizing vans for customers. As demand grew for these custom van buildouts, the Vandoit brand was launched with vehicles for rent and for purchase. Today, Vandoit builds two model styles, the Liv and the Do, both on the Ford Transit frame. | vandoit.com

TRUMA

Truma was founded in Germany in 1949 and first made gas lamps. It started thanks to the Marshall Plan introduced by U.S. President Truman—which is where the company gets its name. The brand evolved, building heating and cooling systems, mobile (RV) systems and most recently, after it’s move to the US market in 2013, portable electric coolers. The company now offers eight cooler models (30L to 105L) some with dual zone. | truma.net

LIPPERT

Lippert is a broad umbrella company behind a number of long-standing outdoor industry brands. With $2.5 billion in annual sales, Lippert covers the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle, and building products sectors. The brand is now moving to more of a consumer facing presence in the overlanding space, with products including racks, hitches, coolers, tents, furniture, and more. Lippert was founded in 1965. | lci1.com