In contrast to last year's warm, beautiful weather, this year was cold and rainy with a touch of snow, creating tire-swallowing, ego-crushing mud that left many a vehicle grinding its gears fruitlessly. It wasn't ideal weather for a camping trip, but it proved the perfect backdrop for showcasing rugged four-wheelers with specialized chassis and powertrain components.

As we prepared to venture off to Overland Expo West, we were really excited for a repeat of last year's escape to balmy Arizona weather and stories of far-flung adventure. The weather had other ideas, however. Mother Nature smothered Southern Utah and Northern Arizona in wet, bone-chilling gray during both of our travel days. The first two nights of camping were spent hiding out under the tailgate, slogging through ankle-high mud and fighting to keep the fire going in the face of a steady onslaught of rain showers. And on both nights, the rain transformed rather abruptly into dumping, mid-winter-like snow, sticking to the ground just enough to create light coverage – and more mud.