It all started with an email I didn’t think would go anywhere. I sent an email to sponsorship@sharathon.com, explained Overland America was a Jeep and Camper rental business new to North Padre Island, and asked how we could get involved, if it wasn’t too late. Two minutes later I received a phone call from a gentleman saying he was from Sharkathon and needed a 4x4 to drive during the Sharkathon tournament. I told him we would be happy to donate a Jeep for them to drive the beach. If that wasn’t God putting the right people in the right place at the right time, I don’t know what is.

It didn’t stop there. The gentleman’s name was Curtis, and he rolled out the red carpet for my team and I. We were invited to set up a display at the check-in site, and we were able to talk to fishermen and women about our rental vehicles and camping trailers. WE SOLD OUT that day for the entire weekend! The welcoming reception we received from the men and women on the island has been awesome!

Sharkathon…what an event! We heard about it in August when we first visited the island, and it did not disappoint! My first time seeing a shark! Kids catching sharks! Adults catching sharks!! Teenagers catching GIANT STING RAYS!!! It was an amazing experience, and I am so very blessed I got to experience it. Overland America is honored to have been a sponsor! Count us in for next year!

Overland America - Padre Island location is now up and running! It's amazing how fast everything came together and the community has been FANTASTIC!! Everyone has been so nice and welcoming to the area. 

I personally have never been to Padre Island before and it didn't disappoint. The ocean is warm, the beaches are beautiful and the food is spectacular! I highly recommend visiting Padre Island, renting a Jeep/camping trailer and hitting the beaches! Wake up to the sound of the tide on the king+ size mattress, have your morning coffee while casting a line in the ocean and watch the protected Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and over 380 bird species. This place is a MUST-SEE and Overland America wants to help you enjoy all of it! 

Time to head out and soak up the sun and fun!! 

Michelle

If you are like most people, your phone wakes you up with an alarm each morning, you look online while drinking your morning coffee for all the news you missed while sleeping, you spend the majority of your 8+-hour work day looking at a computer, text or call family/friends throughout the day, you catch up on the days’ news once you get home and then maybe watch some TV or play games on your phone before going to bed. There’s very little time that most people are not connected to technology each day. Then we complain of headaches, backaches, poor sleep and just feeling run down.

Studies show that getting out into nature helps improve cognitive function, reduces stress and improves sleep. It can improve memory (which declines with poor sleep and stress) and improves focus. The benefits of getting out in nature are enormous on a person’s mental health. This is where Overland America can help!

Overland America rents Jeeps/Broncos specifically customized to get people out into nature! We want to help you disconnect from phones/computers, reconnect with family/friends, reduce stress and increase your overall sense of well-being. This is our primary mission and the reason why we all got into this business. The world gets a little brighter when we aren’t focusing on what’s right in front of our face but rather taking in the big, beautiful picture that this world encompasses.

Why is it called Overland?

Folks always ask, why is it called Overland?  Traveling or traversing over land can sometimes be a challenge, if not equipped with the right gear.  Nature has a way of showing you that you are not prepared to tackle what she has to offer; but Overland America can give you the keys to overcome your next adventure.  With our first-class, fully off-road vehicles like our 2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon to our custom-built, off-road camping trailers, you can accomplish that over land adventure you’ve always wanted to try in style.  Our equipment is top of the line for any adventurers' needs.  Enjoy the back country with all the amenities of home.

To say that the community has been supportive of Overland America starting up in Custer, SD, would be an understatement. So many folks have stopped by to check out the Jeeps and especially the overland camping trailers. They all wish us well in our endeavors and we appreciate it so much!! 

We also love how people stop by to show us their rigs! WWII Jeeps, new Jeeps, stock or customized...we love seeing them all! 

Nick Pierce recommends Overland America:

"My family and I had a great experience renting one of the awesome overland trailers to pull behind our old Jeep for a couple of days of camping in the hills.

Every aspect of the service we received was top notch. A very friendly group of people that went far above what I expected in many ways. Expect solid demonstrations of the gear, instruction that are easy to follow, and the security of someone back in town that has your back!

The trailers pull like a dream both on and off road. They are very well thought out and provide a ton of creature comfort while out camping.

We felt this was a very high end experience and will definitely be back soon!"

Why is overlanding so popular?

I hear people talking about overlanding all the time and I just don’t see what the big deal is…why is overlanding so popular?  Overlanding is not just about driving around and camping.  To truly overland is to challenge yourself by exploring nature while being prepared for the challenges of off grid exploration.  It enhances mental acuity by forcing a person to evaluate a challenge and overcome it with just the tools they have with them. Teaching yourself and giving you the confidence to know you can overcome any challenge in nature.  With those skills honed in nature, a true Overlander will apply these skills to their lives recentering themselves and using those skills to deal with day to day challenges at work.  Remember what Henry David Thoreau wrote: 

• “We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”  - Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods