Eight million Americans went overlanding in 2024. Subaru thinks that number hits 12 million soon, and it wants every one of them inside a Crosstrek.
The automaker announced its return as title sponsor of the 2026 Overland Expo series, a five-stop traveling circus for the dirt-road-and-rooftop-tent crowd that kicks off March 14 in Costa Mesa, California, and wraps up in late October in Arrington, Virginia. This isn’t a casual booth with some brochures. Subaru is building out what it calls Camp Subaru — a full-blown activation with off-road workshops, live podcast recordings, music, gear giveaways, and an owner-exclusive camping zone complete with free food, drinks, and yoga.
Read that last part again. Yoga at a campground. For people who bought a Forester.
The vehicle lineup on display tells you exactly where Subaru’s head is: the 2026 Crosstrek Wilderness, Outback Wilderness, Forester Wilderness, the new Trailseeker, and the Forester Hybrid. Every nameplate pushed toward ruggedness. Accessories from REI and Thule will be bolted on for maximum aspirational effect.
The message is clear — Subaru wants to own the space between pavement and Jeep territory, and it’s spending real marketing dollars to make sure that association sticks.
There’s a calculated logic here. Overlanding’s projected 50 percent growth represents a consumer base that skews active, brand-loyal, and willing to spend on accessories and modifications. That’s the sweet spot for a company that has always punched above its weight by cultivating a community rather than just selling sheet metal.
The Overland Expo sponsorship is less about moving units off dealer lots next quarter than about embedding the brand deeper into a lifestyle that’s still expanding.
Alan Bethke, Subaru’s senior VP of marketing, framed it in community terms. “Subaru owners are known for their enthusiasm around outdoor adventures, and Overland Expo is a prime destination for them to meet, share stories, and plan for their next excursions,” he said. Translation: the brand loyalty is already there; now feed it.
The five-stop tour hits Costa Mesa, Flagstaff, Redmond, Loveland, and Arrington — a geographic spread designed to touch the West Coast adventure corridor and the East Coast overlanding scene that’s been quietly growing in the Appalachian region. Workshops will cover off-roading technique, camp setup, navigation, and route planning, taught by actual experts rather than product specialists reading from cue cards.
Subaru is also weaving in its pet-adoption initiative at every stop, partnering with local shelters and hosting workshops on pet travel safety. Dog treats, water stations, pet-focused giveaways. It’s on-brand to the point of parody, but it works because Subaru owners genuinely respond to this stuff.
The deeper play here is positioning. Toyota’s overlanding push with the Land Cruiser and Tacoma is aggressive. Jeep practically invented the segment’s aesthetic. Rivian is trying to buy its way in with electric adventure credibility.
Subaru can’t outspend any of them. What it can do is show up where its people already gather and make the experience feel organic rather than corporate.
Whether Camp Subaru’s complimentary evening receptions and Base Camp exclusivity zones qualify as organic is debatable. But Subaru has always understood something its competitors sometimes forget: the customer who camps in the overflow lot at Overland Expo is the customer who buys the $2,000 roof rack, the $500 skid plate, and the next Subaru three years from now.
The 2026 Overland Expo series runs March through October. Subaru will be there for all of it, checkbook open, dog treats at the ready.
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