SEMA 2026: The Best Overland Builds and Gear From the Show

SEMA 2026 is where the aftermarket shows its hand for the year ahead, and this year the overland crowd had plenty to talk about. The automakers went big on concepts, the gear brands brought real products you'll be able to buy, and a rooftop tent accessory took home the Truck & Off-Road New Product Award.

We went through the reveals, the award results, and the builds so you don't have to. This roundup skips the slammed sports cars and focuses on what matters if you camp out of your truck or SUV: the overland concepts, the new gear, and what it all means for your next build.

SEMA 2026 at a Glance

SEMA, run by the Specialty Equipment Market Association, is a trade show first. Most of the week is for industry buyers, builders, and media, and the public only gets in on the final day. Here are the basics.

Toyota's Snowhunter Concepts

Toyota brought the most overland-relevant lineup of any automaker. Instead of one hero truck, it built a whole family: five "Snowhunter" concepts based on the Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia. Every one of them sits on white powder-coated snow tracks in place of wheels, with lift parts from Toyota Genuine Parts and TRD, RIGID lighting, and a matching Snowhunter camo wrap.

The tracks steal the headlines, but look past them and each build is a pretty realistic winter overland rig. Here's how they break down.

Details from Toyota's Snowhunter press release. Toyota calls these special project prototypes and has no plans to sell them.

Don't expect to see snow tracks at your dealer. Toyota is clear that these are one-off prototypes. What's worth noticing is the gear around the tracks. The Tacoma build is basically a template for a modern midsize overland truck, with a roof rack and a bed rack working together, an awning off the side, and lighting where you actually need it. You can build almost the same setup today. Our Toyota Tacoma collection has the racks, awnings, and lights, and our bed rack guide walks you through choosing one.

Toyota also showed a set of "Woodland" concepts, lifted versions of the RAV4, Grand Highlander, Sienna, bZ, and Crown Signia with all-terrain tires and roof racks. They're a nod to how many people now camp out of crossovers and minivans, not just trucks.

Jeep Wrangler Scrambler SRT and Ford Bronco Frostwarden

Jeep Wrangler Scrambler SRT

The Scrambler SRT is the concept people will still be arguing about next year. It's a two-door Wrangler pickup inspired by the original CJ-8 Scrambler, and it's the first Wrangler-branded vehicle with independent front suspension. Currie Enterprises developed the setup, which gives 14 inches of front travel paired with a solid rear axle with 15 inches of travel. Power comes from the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 from the Wrangler 392, rated at 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft, and it rides on 37-inch tires.

The bed is the clever part. The rear jump seats can face forward, face backward, or come out entirely, which stretches the bed to nearly 6 feet. Jeep calls it a concept, but it has confirmed a production Wrangler Scrambler SRT is coming. For overlanders, a short-wheelbase Wrangler with a real bed could be a very interesting platform for a bed rack and tent setup.

Ford Bronco Frostwarden

Ford went the other direction, building a one-off Bronco inspired by Arctic search-and-rescue rigs. The Frostwarden runs a "Megazilla 2.0" crate V8, a supercharged engine based on Ford's 7.3-liter Godzilla V8 that Ford says makes over 1,200 horsepower and over 1,000 lb-ft of torque. It rides on 42-inch BFGoodrich tires on beadlock wheels, with Dana driveline parts and one-off Bilstein dampers.

It's a show piece, not a preview of a production model. But it's a good reminder of why the Bronco has become one of the most popular overland platforms: there's no shortage of aftermarket support.

Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Honda Go Off-Road

Mitsubishi Outlander Diamond Trail Edition

Mitsubishi came back to SEMA for the first time in 14 years, and it brought something you'll actually be able to buy: the 2028 Outlander Diamond Trail Edition. It gets new bumpers, fender flares, a matte black grille, and better approach and departure angles (20.5 and 23.1 degrees). Two of the three Outlanders on the stand were dressed for camping, with a Thule Caprock roof rack, a Thule Approach rooftop tent, traction boards, and Rough Country lighting.

A rooftop tent on a compact crossover would have looked odd at SEMA a few years ago. Now it's how a lot of people get into overlanding. If that's you, our roof top tent buying guide explains how to match a tent to your roof rating.

Nissan Frontier Ronin, Pathfinder XE-V6, and Armada Jungle Patrol

Nissan brought three off-road concepts. The Frontier Ronin is the wildest, with a twin-turbo V6, more than 4 inches of lift, a track 12 inches wider than stock, and 35-inch Yokohama Geolandar tires. The Pathfinder XE-V6 is a retro-styled off-roader with a lift, bumpers, and a roof rack, and the Armada Jungle Patrol goes full expedition with 37-inch tires, long-travel suspension, steel bumpers, and a roll cage. The engine and suspension of the Ronin probably won't reach production, but some of its wheels, tires, and NISMO off-road parts could.

Honda Passport TrailSport Baja Chase

Honda showed a 2027 Passport TrailSport built as a support truck for its Baja 1000 race effort, with HRC dampers, a platform roof rack, storage drawers, and an auxiliary power system. Honda describes it as close to production-ready, and some of the parts may end up in Honda's HRC accessory catalog.

New ARB Gear From SEMA 2026

ARB (booth 55063) focused on trucks this year, with a heavy dose of Ford Super Duty gear. Here's what's new:

• Old Man Emu suspension for the 2023+ F-250 and F-350: 2.8-inch remote reservoir shocks, a 3-inch lift, parabolic rear leaf springs, and adjustable heavy-duty airbags.
• Bruiser HD bumper for the 2023+ Super Duty: a heavy-duty steel bumper with an integrated hitch, twin recovery points, and built-in LED fog lights.
• Ascent Truck Cap for the 2021+ F-150: the Ascent cap line extends to the F-150, with remote locking, lift-up windows, and LED lighting.
• EVO 2 Alloy Flatbed and Canopy: a lightweight canopy with central locking, rated to carry up to 900 lbs with the optional roof support frame.
• Summit Drawer System: full-extension drawers with electronic latching, LED lighting, and a 220 lb load capacity.
• Elements II Fridge Freezer: ARB's next-generation portable fridge, in single- and dual-zone versions, with a strap-free tie-down, a single central latch, and internal and external lighting.

ARB also showed four builds: a 2027 F-250, a 2027 F-150, a 2026 Tacoma with a Zenith bumper, Ascent cap, and OME MT64 suspension, and a 2026 4Runner with a Summit bumper and OME BP-51 suspension. ARB hasn't announced release dates for the new products yet.

If you need a fridge before the Elements II reaches stores, the ARB Zero fridges are available now. You'll find them, along with ARB's rooftop tents, awnings, and mounting kits, in our ARB collection.

SEMA 2026 Awards and Battle of the Builders

A Rooftop Tent Product Won Truck & Off-Road

SEMA hands out New Product Awards in 15 categories each year. This year the Truck & Off-Road award went to Flat Peak's Roof Top Tent Leveling Mounts V1.5, beating ICON's XDCV Performance Axles and Showa's SPIRE 2.5 coilover.

The idea is simple, and anyone who's slept in a rooftop tent will get it right away. Instead of leveling the whole vehicle with blocks, rocks, or a shovel, you level the tent on its mounts. Flat Peak builds them from stainless steel and aluminum. Sleeping on a slope is one of the most common frustrations of rooftop tent camping, so it's easy to see why this one stood out.

Battle of the Builders

The overall Battle of the Builders title went to Eddie Pettus and his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle. The Off-Road category was won by Mark Giambalvo's 1974 Chevrolet K10, a classic square-body 4x4. Outside the competition, the Truck & Off-Road Alliance showcase lined up ten builds, including a Black Bear Offroad Jeep Wrangler 392, a C Miller Racing Bronco Raptor Ultra4 rig, and a REBEL Off Road Jeep Gladiator.

What SEMA 2026 Means for Your Overland Build

Strip away the snow tracks and 1,200-horsepower engines, and a few clear trends show up across the show floor. These are the ones we think matter for real-world builds.

Racks are becoming systems. The Tacoma Snowhunter's roof rack plus bed rack, the Tundra's articulating rack concept, and Prinsu racks with accessory panels on three Toyotas all point the same way. A rack is no longer just a place to bolt a tent. It carries lights, recovery boards, awnings, and storage too. Plan your rack around everything you want to mount, not just the tent.

Rooftop tents are going mainstream. A Mitsubishi crossover wearing a rooftop tent, and the top Truck & Off-Road award going to a tent accessory, say a lot about how far tents have come. Browse our roof top tents to see what fits your vehicle.

Camp power and refrigeration keep getting better. ARB's new Elements II fridge and Honda's auxiliary power setup show that running a fridge and charging gear off-grid is now a standard part of a build, not an extra.

Lighting is everywhere. Every Snowhunter wears RIGID lighting, and almost every build on the floor had extra lights. If your build is missing good lighting, start with our off road lights.

Winter overlanding is having a moment. Toyota built a whole concept family around it. If you're planning cold-weather trips this season, our winter camping and overlanding guide covers staying warm in a rooftop tent.

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