The inaugural Overland Expo SoCal did not disappoint, with show promoters calling it the most successful debut event ever. With 19,000 attendees, 303 exhibitors, and 96 hours of demos and educational sessions pertaining to the overlanding genre, there wasn’t a dull moment at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California, during the weekend of March 15-16, 2025. Tough and rugged diesel overland rigs were truly the stars of the show. If you missed this year’s event, plan to be in Southern California next year during the same weekend for SoCal 2026.

As expected, diesel rigs were out in full force, showcasing the latest products and accessories from various exhibitors. Enjoy this collection of a few of our favorite diesel overland vans, rigs, and trucks.

1. Outside Van’s Overnight Edition

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter remains the popular choice when it comes to diesel overland adventure vans. Many up-fitters and van customizers have gravitated toward the platform, as verified by what we saw on display. We’ve highlighted Outside Van’s Overnight Edition, a tasteful $236,000 adventure van with a Super Pacific roof top tent, foldaway Murphy bed, Agile Off-Road suspension, 50-inch lightbar, and loads of off-grid functionality. If this is what living in a van down by the river looks like, count us in.

2. Imported Toyota Hilux

Bound for Nowhere showed off its adorably burple 1998 Toyota Hilux, a fresh Japanese import that has us immensely jealous. We found this sweet little turbo diesel nestled in the Dometic booth. A mild build may be in its future, but for now it sports a fresh set of Nomad Wheels wrapped around Toyo rubber. We are suckers for these right-hand-drive jewels.

3. Porsche Cayenne Turbodiesel

This is E-Motion Overland’s Porsche Cayenne diesel overlander. It has BRAID beadlocks over meaty tires, a 23Zero rooftop tent, and a custom bull bar with lights. It even carries a full spare tire on the back. Who say a luxury vehicle can’t get a little rowdy?

4. Truckhouse BCR

If we had unlimited funds, we’d definitely add this Truckhouse Carbon BCR to the collection. The plush overland carbon fiber camper rides on a Cummins-powered AEV Prospector XL Ram 3500 cab and chassis. Interestingly, the Roman numeral for 40 is XL, as in, the AEV Prospector makes those massive 40s look factory. The Carbon BCR starts at $495,000, meaning this Truckhouse is literally a house masquerading as a truck. Can’t say they didn’t warn you. Regardless, we’ll take two.

5. Duramax Diesel GMC Sierra 2500HD AT4X with Truck Topper

Check out this super slick Duramax-powered GMC Sierra 2500HD AT4X with a Tune Outdoor M1 pop-up camper in the bed. We found this heavy-duty setup nonchalantly chilling in the camping area and couldn’t resist a closer look.

6. 2025 GXV Hilt

It wouldn’t be an Overland Expo without a half-million-dollar GXV Hilt by Storyteller Overland. This beautiful rig is underpinned by a Ram 5500 crew cab chassis and powered by the venerable 6.7-liter Cummins diesel with 360 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque. The exterior flaunts a tasteful front winch-equipped bumper, a host of KC HiLiTES lights, rear storage racks, an awning with dimmable LEDs, and a fullsize spare with an electric winch system. Its Laramie Level 2 Equipment Group gets you the 12.0-inch touchscreen, 17-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, heated second-row seats, and more. It sports a Liquid Springs Smart Suspension System with Tru-Earth Leveling and Hutchinson three-piece beadlock wheels wrapped in 41-inch tires for maximum off-road capability. The luxurious interior features all the normal niceties you’d expect, including a water purification system, programmable lighting, and ducted air conditioning. Lithionics power provides ample power (16.8kWh), two 3,000W inverters, and 1,320 watts of solar. The whole thing’s smothered in spray-on bedliner so you don’t have to worry about scratches—because you are doing challenging trails in this rig, right?

7. Overlander 4×4

This is the Ford F-550-based Overlander 4×4 RV, and its special Overland Expo price comes in at $275,000. Understandably claimed to be the “company’s ultimate expression of luxury off-grid travel,” there were allegedly fewer than 20 of these built by Adventurer Manufacturing in Yakima, Washington. Only a handful—including this particular example—show off the rig’s full potential, which the company equates to “like an Earthroamer, but at a fraction of the price.” The Overlander 4×4 off-road RV features a slide-out dinette, which is pretty unique for these types of rigs. Adventurer Manufacturing has been building campers for over 50 years. We especially dig the old-school-meets-contemporary-overlanding graphics.

8. Ford F-250 Super Duty with Flatbed Camper

It’s not the newest Super Duty, and it’s not the flashiest setup, but you can’t beat a Ford F-250 Lariat with a Four Wheel Campers Hawk flatbed pop-up camper atop a Norweld aluminum flatbed tray. It looks absolutely killer, and we think ditching the traditional bed is such an efficient use of space.

9. CJC Off Road Ram Heavy Duty Diesel

It doesn’t have a rooftop tent or camper, but it’s easy to imagine this CJC Off Road heavy-duty Ram pre-runner towing any of the multitudinous off-road campers seen at the Overland Expo before detaching for some pre-dinner desert fun. Innov8 Racing forged beadlocks wrapped in 40×12.50R18 BFGoodrich tires bolt up to a robust Carli Suspension setup, culminating in one badass rig that won’t leave your back all messed up. Actually, you had us at those big, beautiful bulgy fenders.

10. Volkswagen Overland Rig

This 2014 Volkswagen Worker 15210 4×4 overland rig belongs to Brazilian Sergio Plumari (@50_mundos). We found it in the Content Creator Area, and as such, you can follow Sergio’s grand adventures on the internet. The 50 Mundos Expedition Truck is quite a sight to behold, although the Overland Expo is the only place where you could somehow overlook it in the sea of other giant rigs. Sergio’s build really epitomizes the overlanding spirit.

11. Ultimate Diesel Overland: EarthRoamer SX

Handcrafted in Colorado and built-to-order, EarthRoamer has constructed more than 350 overland vehicles since 1998, so it’s safe to say the company knows what it’s doing when it comes to adventuring. The SX is built on a Chevrolet Silverado 6500HD chassis and is powered by the formidable Duramax 6.6-liter. Beadlock wheels surrounded by 43-inch military-grade Goodyear tires effortlessly glide the vacuum-infused carbon fiber camper body over the world’s most challenging terrain. The four season, all-weather capable SX has seatbelting/sleeping for up to six people, which means you can take the whole clan (and maybe charge admission). The EarthRoamer SX can come with a seven-figure pricetag, and searching the company’s “pre-roamed” used section doesn’t slash that price by very much. If you want to play with an EarthRoamer, you’re going to pay—but that’s okay, because the art of fun is a serious business.

12. Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD with Slide-In Camper

Bend, Oregon-based Host Industries slid one of its giant slide-in campers into the bed of a mildly modded Chevrolet 3500HD dually. The bed-sized mini-RV (slide-in camper) offers great flexibility since it can be taken out of the bed and stored—if you have the storage room and the means to move it about. Get your pocketbook ready, as even used units in fair condition tend to be pricey. Be sure to bring enough truck, too. Host Campers’ Mammoth weighs 4,000 pounds dry, before all your stuff and filling the 65-gallon fresh water tank.

13. 6.0-Liter Ford F-250 with Slide-In Camper

Exhibitor and display vehicles tend to be newer, but it’s not always that way. Examples like this clean 6.0-liter extended-cab Ford F-250 always make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. This diesel overland setup shows how advanced the overland genre has become recently. Notice that the Super Duty’s factory bed has been ditched in favor of a Bowen Customs’ Camper Bed, specifically designed for a slide-in camper. This aluminum custom bed improves the departure angle while providing storage in the otherwise wasted bedside space. As with many other overland setups we saw at the show, this camper combo far exceeds the value of the coveted Super Duty on which it rides.

14. Ford F-250 with Slide-In Camper

Can something be subtle and over-the-top at the same time? We weren’t sure until now. The lines, the colors, the combinations—this is a beautiful overland setup that we’d almost do unspeakable things to attain. The base of the build is an early-2020’s F-250 Super Duty Lariat, its Power Stroke diesel powerplant providing ample power the adventuring. Notice that the factory bed has been replaced with the aforementioned Bowen Camper Bed in preparation for Supertramp Campers’ Flagship LT slide-in pop-up camper. Starting at about $63,000 and built to last forever, this Supertramp camper resembles a family heirloom to pass down to future generations.

15. Diesel Trucks Everywhere

There’s a badly kept secret surrounding expos and shows: what’s outside the show grounds is just as cool as what’s inside. Diesel overland trucks basically ruled the parking lots of the Overland Expo SoCal event. In this picture, for example, there’s a GMC Sierra HD on the left, a Ford F-350 on the right, and a Ram Heavy Duty behind the GMC. There just happens to be a Tesla Cybertruck separating the trucks. The Cybertruck has a custom rack, rooftop tent, custom storage boxes, and other overlanding goodies. Despite their growing popularity, electric trucks and SUVs have not overtaken the overlanding scene and were sparsely represented at the expo. It’s simple: it’s easier to carry extra diesel fuel than extra electricity.