This year marked the 3rd annual installment of the James River State Park Rooftop Tent Rally in Gladstone, VA, the brain child of Assistant Park Manager John Fury. An event that has quickly gained popularity with overland travelers in the Mid Atlantic region. Less of a corporate setting than that of Overland Expo, this event has become more of a social gathering for overlanders to kick back and enjoy the company of like minded travelers. Individuals and families from near and far take part in family friendly activities, attend workshops and share stories around the fire side chat bonfire, held every evening. Whether you’re an experienced traveler or a novice, this event is guaranteed to have something for you. 

The Overlander Cook-off is one of the most recent additions to the RTTR events list and is quickly growing in popularity. Now in its second year, contestants engage in a culinary competition that is sure to wow the masses. This year the format for the competition had changed slightly, eliminating the appetizer portion as a requirement, thus allowing the contestants more time to focus on their amazing camp creations. The rules for this event are simple. Cook one of your favorite camp meals as you would at camp and make sure you bring your “A-game.” This years contestants certainly did that! You can see them and check out their mouth watering culinary creations below.

Contestants:

Name:

Ben Wood

Social Media:

Ben Wood (Facebook)

Dish:

Asian Sloppy Joes with Slaw

Cooking Device:

Coleman two burner stove

Name:

Katherine Blake

Social Media:

@katherineblake (Instagram)

 Katherine Blake (Facebook)

Dish:

Big Mac w/Fresh Fries

Cooking Device:

Tembo Tusk Skottle

Name:

Devin Treger & Kyle Thompson

Social Media:

Devin Treger (Facebook)

 @devtreger (Instagram)

 Kyle KP Thompson (Facebook)

 @Dj_k9_gso (Instagram)

Dish:

Plant Powered Sausage Party

Cooking Device:

Coleman two burner stove and Jetboil

Name:

Brian Nabywaniec & TJ Shaffer

Social Media:

@i_do_da_jeepin (instagram)

Dish:

Flank Steak w/Chimichurri, Double Cooked Potatoes & Sautéed Green Bean w/Bacon

Cooking Device:

Coleman two burner stove and Jetboil

Name:

Ashley Aylestock

Social Media:

@gypsyoverland (Instagram)

Dish:

Beef Stroganoff

Cooking Device:

Tembo Tusk Skottle & Coleman single burner

Name:

Matt Malloy

Social Media:

@porkchopexpress (Instagram)

Dish:

Polish Gumbo

Cooking Device:

Coleman two burner stove

Name:

Ben Heriford

Social Media:

Ben Heriford (Facebook)

Dish:

Halibut Tacos w/Cilantro Lime Sauce & Slaw

Cooking Device:

Coleman two burner stove

A special thanks is needed for our guest judges this year. The competition was tight and they had the difficult task of deciding the winner. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Judges:

Name:

Johnny Pratt

Social Media:

@roverentals (Instagram)

Rove Rentals (Facebook)

Name:

Sam Delong

Social Media:

@ltwrightknives (instagram)

L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives (Facebook)

Name:

Brad Self

Social Media:

@hi.vis.overland (Instagram)

Hi-Vis Overland (Facebook)

We also want to thank John Fury and the James River State Park Staff, as well as Blue Ridge Overland Gear for coming together to make the RTTR what it is. Without these two organizations, this event would not exist. Thank you for all that you do!

Also a huge shout out to Jerry at Tembo Tusk for co-sponsoring the Overlander Cook-off for the second year in a row and to Jennifer for putting in all of the hard work required to pull such a competition off. Thank you both for making this possible!

I’m sure by now you’re wondering who the winner of the 2019 Overlander Cook-off was….

Congratulations to Ben Heriford and his amazing camp meal Halibut Tacos w/Cilantro Lime Sauce & Slaw. Ben picked up a brand new Tembo Tusk Skottle Grill Kit for all of his hard work!