Lessons learned from a decade of rental experience
When you send fully equipped vehicles into Colorado’s backcountry week after week, you learn what works — and what doesn’t — faster than just about anyone. This year, we’ve taken a close look at the ongoing overlanding gear evolution and how those changes affect what actually works in a real-world rental environment. Every season brings a new wave of innovations in overlanding gear, but running a rental fleet means you don’t have the luxury of chasing fads. Everything we add has to survive real-world use from guests of all experience levels and still be standing strong at the end of the season. That’s how our gear lineup at Peak Overland has evolved — not through glossy product launches or YouTube reviews, but through thousands of miles of actual field testing by people living the adventure.
The Setup Revolution: From Fabric Tents to Fast Camps
We started with the classic soft-shell rooftop tents — the kind with heavy fabric, zippered travel covers, and setup routines that looked like origami in the wind. They worked, but they were time-consuming. Add a little dust or cold weather, and suddenly those zippers felt like they were fighting back. When we upgraded to iKamper’s hardshell designs, first the 2.0 and now the 3.0, it was a total game changer. Guests can be unpacked and ready in minutes, and the built-in lighting and insulation make a noticeable difference at higher elevations. The flip side is that the hard shells are heavier, so we had to rethink mounting height and aerodynamics to keep fuel economy reasonable. We also phased out extras that sounded good on paper — like annex rooms — after realizing most guests never used them. The goal has become simplicity and speed: less fiddling, more exploring.
Rethinking the Camp Kitchen
Early on, our kitchen setups looked like every overland build video: slide-out drawers, neatly mounted stoves, and fridges on heavy-duty sliders. They looked fantastic and worked well for solo travel, but we quickly learned that what’s ideal for a personal rig doesn’t always translate to rentals. Large drawer systems take up valuable interior space — especially when guests arrive with a mountain of luggage. And since these same vehicles double as ski rentals in winter, we prefer the flexibility of removing bulky drawer systems and keeping interiors modular. Balancing what’s included in the rental against the space travelers need for their own belongings is always a challenge, and minimizing fixed gear creates more freedom for guests to pack comfortably. Most of our rigs now run a 12V fridge/freezer powered by a lithium station, and we’ve been experimenting with electric induction cooktops instead of propane. They’re clean, safe, and consistent even at altitude — but they do come with trade-offs. Running stoves, lights, fridges, and devices off a power station means guests need to understand how to manage battery levels. Solar sounds like an easy fix, but in practice it often isn’t. Solar panels add more gear to set up, more steps to teach, and another system for guests to monitor and remember. Most travelers move camps daily, park in shade, or arrive after dark — and solar simply doesn’t fit naturally into that routine. It becomes one more thing to think about when what guests really want is simplicity. For that reason, we’re gradually moving toward vehicle-integrated charging, where the power station recharges automatically while driving. Combined with lightweight kitchen kits, nesting cookware, and simplified utensils, our goal is to deliver comfort without complication — and to do it without swallowing all the cargo space.
Lessons from the Trail: Power Steps That Didn’t Survive
We also experimented early on with powered side steps that doubled as rock sliders. It was a clever idea in theory — extra protection on the trail and easier access for guests getting in and out. But in real rental use, they didn’t survive even one season. Mud and dust caused the motors to bind up, and Colorado’s winter snow and ice finished them off. By spring, most sets were barely functioning. We removed them and switched to fixed steps instead. They may not be ideal for hardcore rock crawling, but for a rental environment — especially with families who need a safe, stable foothold — the fixed steps have been far more reliable. They work every time, no matter how dirty they get.
Awnings: Great in Theory, Tough in Reality
Awnings fall into the same “looks great on paper” category. For personal overlanders, they’re fantastic — instant shade, rain protection, and a great spot to cook or relax. Naturally, we equipped many of our early rentals with them. But we learned quickly that awnings and rentals don’t mix well. Almost every other trip, rigs came back with awnings incorrectly stowed, zippers torn, legs bent, or swing arms twisted from wind or improper setup. We went through several awnings during our first few years before finally removing them from the fleet. We even tested a 270-degree awning, which is simpler and faster to deploy — but the feedback surprised us: guests rarely used them. As trip lengths have shortened — averaging 3 days this past season compared to 5 days nearly a decade ago — speed and simplicity have become the priority. People want to get to camp, pop the tent, and enjoy the view, not spend extra time deploying gear they might only use briefly. Awnings are still great for personal rigs. But for rentals? They turned out to be more trouble than they’re worth.
When Less Really Is More
One of the most valuable lessons we’ve learned running a rental fleet is that more gear doesn’t automatically equal a better experience. In fact, the opposite is often true. Including too much equipment can overwhelm guests, take up precious cargo room, and create a maze of items they don’t end up using. Extra gear also means more setup, more instructions, more maintenance, and more pieces that can get lost or broken — often without adding real value to the trip. We’ve learned to be thoughtful and intentional about every item we include. If it doesn’t consistently improve guest experience, simplify camp life, or enhance safety, it probably doesn’t belong in the vehicle.
When Less Gear Means More Safety
One of the biggest lessons we learned the hard way was about recovery gear. In our early seasons, some of our rigs came equipped with winches and kinetic ropes. They seemed like smart upgrades — after all, that’s what you’d want on a personal rig, right? The problem was experience. We had a few guests get injured trying to use winches without proper training. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to rethink our approach. It was a wake-up call that safety matters more than capability in a rental environment. Today, we focus on the essentials that anyone can use confidently: traction boards, CO₂ tanks for tire refills, tire repair kits, recovery straps, and first-aid gear. If you know how to use a winch safely, you probably already own your own setup. But if you’re renting an overland vehicle for the first time, our job is to keep you safe, not to hand you tools that can turn dangerous fast. As I often tell guests:
“On a personal rig, a winch makes sense. On a rental, it’s one bad decision away from a trip-ending injury.”
Power and Connectivity: Balancing Technology with Escape
Overlanding is supposed to be an escape — a chance to unplug, slow down, and enjoy the quiet that’s so hard to find in daily life. But for some travelers, completely disconnecting isn’t an option. Remote workers, international visitors, and families checking in from the mountains all need at least a thread of connectivity. That’s why we recently began offering Starlink as an optional add-on for select rentals. It’s not something we push — in fact, we encourage guests to put their phones down — but for those who need to stay reachable, it’s a reliable solution that keeps the adventure within reach. In the same spirit, our power systems keep evolving. We’re moving toward lithium-based power stations that can recharge automatically from the vehicle, keeping fridges cold and devices charged without constant babysitting. The line between comfort and self-sufficiency is getting thinner, and we’re working to strike the right balance.
Designing for Real Use, Not Photos
If there’s a unifying theme behind all these changes, it’s that real-world use beats theory every time. We’ve swapped out cheap traction boards that cracked in the cold, rethought interior layouts to make luggage loading easier, and added LED scene lighting that actually matters when you’re setting up camp after dark. We’ve learned that durable, intuitive gear outperforms flashy gadgets every time. Renters may not notice the brand of shovel, but they always remember when setup was easy, when everything worked, and when the gear made their trip smoother instead of more complicated.
Everything You Need — and Nothing You Don’t
It’s easy to overload a rig with every gadget the internet says you “need.” The harder part is refining it down to what truly improves the experience. For us, that process has taken years of testing, guest feedback, and honest reflection. Every piece of equipment in our 2026 fleet has earned its place — whether it’s a tent that cuts setup time in half, a power system that runs silently through the night, or the absence of a winch that could cause more harm than good. That’s what Adventure Ready™ really means to us: not the most gear, but the right gear.
The Road Ahead
Our fleet will keep evolving because every season teaches us something new. In 2026 and beyond, we’re keeping a close eye on several trends shaping the future of backcountry travel — from lighter, more compact gear that keeps rigs nimble, to smarter vehicle-integrated power systems that simplify energy management without relying on solar setups in the field. Modular camp equipment is also gaining traction, allowing travelers to tailor their loadout to the length and purpose of their trip. And while electric vehicle overlanding is still in its early days, it’s a space we’re watching carefully as charging infrastructure expands into more rural areas. Combine that with rapid improvements in satellite communication — from compact safety beacons to full Starlink systems — and the next decade of overlanding is going to look very different from the last. Whatever direction the industry takes, our focus will stay the same: building rigs that make adventure more accessible, not more complicated. Whether you’re the type to disconnect completely or someone who just needs a bit of signal to send a photo home, the experience should feel effortless. Come see what’s new for 2026 — every tent latch, power outlet, and storage bin in our rigs tells the story of the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
