10 New Products from SEMA 2019 that Have Us Stoked for Off-Grid Adventures

Here are 10 new products from SEMA 2019 that had us rethinking a promise we made to be “more fiscally responsible” in the new decade. One look at these and you might be doing the same.

Got some exciting off-grid adventures planned for the new year? If not, it’s never too late to amend those resolutions. Plan a fun road trip, join a Jeep Jamboree, hit the campsite next weekend… or go all in, tell your boss to pound sand, and head off on that 6-month overlanding expedition you’ve always wanted to take.

Regardless of how mild or wild you wanna get—one thing’s for sure—NOW’S the time to do it. Never before has the automotive aftermarket been so well-stocked and well-informed when it comes to outdoor recreation. And nowhere was this more evident than at this past November’s SEMA show.

From well-equipped adventure rigs to wildly innovative new products, SEMA 2019 did more than just shine a light on the overlanding lifestyle. It dang near ignited it! I’ve never been one for grueling self-reliant travel but after covering a few dozen Gladiator overlanding builds, one starts thinking, “Two weeks in the Sahara Desert might be kind of nice...”

RSi SmartCap EVO

Forged from automotive-grade stainless steel, the SmartCap EVO is an incredibly strong truck cap, consisting of five separate pieces that allow you to build up and organize your truck bed in near endless ways. It’s capable of holding 330 lbs of gear when moving, 770 lbs when parked, making it a great foundation for a rooftop tent. And, when properly installed, the five-piece design creates a waterproof seal, keeping you and your cargo safe and dry when the weather turns nasty.

With the company’s SmartSystem of seamlessly integrated accessories, you can easily tack on a trail kitchen, drawer organizer, full panel of recessed mounting brackets, drop-down roof rack, and even a clever folding table that mounts to the interior roof. Plus, the cap has integrated roof rails, allowing you to mount cargo management products you may already have, like a rack system or bike mount.

Tepui Duo Rooftop Tent

Closing down to just 24-inches wide, this is the smallest tent ever made by rooftop leader, Tepui. It’s also the first official product released under the new Thule-Tepui partnership. (Anyone else think “Thoo-lee-Tepp-ooo-ee” sounds like a long-lost Teletubby…?)

Comfortably sleeping 1-2 people, the new Tepui Duo features a simple folding-hinge operation, making set-up a breeze. And thanks to that small footprint, you don’t have to sacrifice roof space for all your other extracurricular accessories like kayaks, bikes, and snowboards.

Expect the familiar high-quality Tepui features like high quality rip-stop fabric, a comfortable foam mattress, and telescoping ladder, as well as a release date of sometime around Spring 2020.

CURT BetterWeigh™ Mobile Towing Scale

It’s easy to see why the new CURT BetterWeigh™ Mobile Towing Scale took home the SEMA 2019 Best Exterior Accessory Product Award—it’s one seriously clever product. The mobile towing scale simply plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port and then, using TowSense™ Technology (i.e. SORCERY), it displays real-time weights of your vehicle and trailer, cargo, tongue weight, pin weight, and weight distribution. It even calculates trailer brake gain, so you can more easily set up your brake controller.

CURT explains that BetterWeigh™ can take its measurements while driving or at a standstill, at any upward or downward grade. Plus, you don’t have to worry about an internet connection (after the initial install) because the unit uses Bluetooth to talk to your phone. But the best part? This magical little problem solver only costs $99!

Go Rhino Element Bumper

Not all of us need (or want) a winch for our off-grid adventures. Unfortunately, a lot of aggressively styled and well equipped front-end protection on the market includes provisions for a winch.

That’s why Go Rhino’s new winch-less Element bumper appealed to us. Rugged, sporty, and sitting nice and tight to the cab, it offers some really sharp front-end styling. But instead of a winch tray, the Element bumper offers customers a retractable light bar. (Those who don’t like the light bar can opt to relocate their DRLs into that space.)

Hidden, reversed D-ring tow hooks provide extra clearance and maintain the clean style, while a modular design makes shipping and installation significantly more user-friendly. Launching sometime at the beginning of 2020, the Element Bumper will come in nine different SKUs to fit a variety of popular overlanding applications.

Tuffy Jeep Gladiator Bedside Storage Lockboxes

This all new in-bed storage system, specially designed for the Jeep Gladiator, allows you to safely and neatly store gear, tools, valuables and more, thanks to two 16-gauge, 1/8-inch thick welded steel compartments that mount to either side of the truck’s bed. Each unit is further broken down into three sections with its own separate and lockable lid, which is reinforced with weather-resistant material.

A nylon net is included, to better secure large items to the bed. It attaches via handy BullRing® tie-downs located on the side of the large lockboxes. Pair it with a custom-fitted Bestop tonneau cover for ultimate protection and refined styling.

Westin TAC BLACK Lights

We briefly mentioned this awesome new product in our piece on SEMA lighting trends, but it deserves a second mention. Relatively new to the lighting segment, Westin has mostly focused on smart and tailored ways to integrate LEDs into its existing product line.

Now, the California-based fabricator has entered the realm of innovative tech with its new TAC BLACK program. Featuring a unique silicone lens for ultimate flexibility, these units ensure no cracking, denting, chipping, warping, or water damage! Plus, they build upon one another in a stacking configuration thanks a clever bracket system. A small-but-mighty 2″ cube puts out 1450 lumens while a 6-pod bar emits 2350 lumens, allowing you to build up some impressive illumination without over-dressing your vehicle in numerous mounts and auxiliary lights.

Overland Racks

There were genuinely so many impressive overland-style roof racks at SEMA 2019, that we couldn’t in good conscious pin point just one.

Fab Fours showed up with an aggressively-styled Gladiator bed rack that supports up to 500 pounds and offers nearly endless accessory mounting potential. DeeZee brought its new roof rack for the Wrangler/Gladiator, as part of the brand’s new foray into Jeep applications. EVO debuted its new Gladiator bed rack as well, which sports a really simple but strong design.

Rugged Ridge tested out a new prototype roof rack-bed rack system that’s tonneau cover friendly. Go Rhino brought a utility-minded steel rack for the Gladiator, too. (Seeing a theme, here?) And let’s not forget that Yakima rolled out its whole LockNLoad™ platform rack system, specifically designed with overland adventure in mind.

Rhinohide Armor

Based in Perth, Australia, Rhinohide is entering the American market with its temporary and reusable panel protection system. This clever product features magnetic panels that attach to and protect the exterior of your 4×4 from dirt, debris, scratches, and dings when exploring off-road.

Lightweight and inexpensive, the Rhinohide system comes complete in a convenient carry bag. Simply roll up, snap on your custom-fitting body armor, and hit the trail!

Hiker Trailer Compact Trailers

Bet you didn’t expect this one to make the list, but we’re really impressed by Hiker Trailer and the versatility it brings to the overland lifestyle.

This brand stood out to us for filling a real gap in the market—compact, lightweight, comfortable, and AFFORDABLE campers. Hiker Trailer models can be towed by most passenger cars, mini-vans, and small SUVs, making them an awesome option for weekend warriors.

Plus, with models ranging from “basic” to “extreme off-road deluxe,” and prices ranging from $3k-$10k, there’s a little something for everybody—and you don’t have to spend the equivalent of a down payment on a house for a little extra customization.

Dometic CFX3 Fridge

No trip is complete without some ice cold brews and road snacks!

The new Dometic CFX3 offers a few more conveniences not found on older models, such as an updated LED display screen, added Bluetooth capability, streamlined sizing, and—get this—the ability to make ice cubes without affecting the temperature of anything else in the cooler, thanks to a rapid-freeze plate. Talk about taking your camping game to the next level…

Would you use any of the new products from SEMA 2019 on this list? Give us your feedback in the comments section below.