Beginner’s Guide to Light Off-roading?

[Tomp611]

If this has been covered already, please let me know!

I am interested in taking my stock big bend off road for some soft/light trail rides - nothing technical of course. As a beginner, what do you recommend as far as aftermarket upgrades (bash/skid plates, etc), gear (tire kit, traction boards, etc) and planning? Thanks in advance!

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[jofer]

Honestly? Start with nothing other than a map. Or, well, carry a shovel. I always recommend a shovel.

Explore some forest service roads. Do some easy trails. Get comfortable and know when you're not comfortable.

After that, tires are the first things. An air compressor is another thing you'll want along with the tires(you don't need anything crazy, but you need one that can do 4 tires in a row). Once you have good AT tires, a front skid will save the plastic underneath and in some cases save the radiator. It's cheap and incredibly easy to install. Prioritize the armor that a badlands has next. JCR makes some good stuff. Traction boards are very useful. Start cheap. Cheap ones don't last, but that's okay. Maxtrax are great, but buy them after you've worn out a pair of x-bulls or whatever. Get a tow strap and minimal recovery gear somewhere in there (e.g. a recovery hitch and a soft shackle or two).

But don't feel like you have to have that to go off-road. Go explore forest service roads and whatnot and add things as you feel like you need them.

 

[BritNowInOhio]

Same. I’d like to get into gentle off-roading too:- back in Britain, it’s called Green Laning.

I know where I’d like to try first, it’s a story that’s humorous now but definitely was not at the time.
Before my current job, I briefly worked as a driver for patients, special needs people, etc, at a company with a fleet of Chrysler Town & Countrys and Dodge Caravans (some of the worst vehicles I’ve ever driven).
I’m despatched to pick up a company regular, first thing in the morning, for the first time. The office despatcher and a couple of drivers in the office tell me “go in from the highway, sat nav will probably try to send you the back way, don’t go that way, it’s a forest road, you WILL get stuck, quite a few drivers have got stuck there before“.
So I set off, get lost a couple of times and wouldn’t you know it, I end up accidentally heading this back way in, the road getting narrower, progressively bumpier, until there’s a massive bang that felt like I’d driven down a ledge. I stop and take stock of the situation.
It’s 5am, pitch black on three sides, zero phone signal, and I can’t back up. I figure I have two choices, abandon the car and carry on on foot or just try driving on, getting as far as I could before I inevitably got stuck.
I go with the latter. The headlights are making mountains out of molehills and the road ahead just looks like an undulating mess in the shadows cast.
Because I’ve never driven off road and I’m more than a little nervous, I figure I’m just going to go with momentum and I go for it.
The noise is horrendous. I’m smacking the hell out of the underside of this POS Chrysler but I keep going and the car keeps going. Eventually after what feels like five miles but is more like three quarters of a mile, the road evens out. I’m terrified that I’m going to hear the thwom-thwom-thwom of a flat tyre or the oil light is going to come on with most of the sump being a few hundred yards back down the road. Neither happens.
i reach the client and they have a laugh that I came the wrong way but are impressed I made it through. Apparently what helped is a lack of rain recently, if it had rained: no chance.
I don’t know what kind of damage I did to that T&C, I never mentioned it to the company and they never approached me about anything wrong.

I’m on holiday next week so hopefully I’ll get a chance to revisit this forest road.

 

[NMhunter]

I've found that the best tool when you're stuck is a Hi Lift jack. Modern vehicles don't have bumpers you can jack on, so you'll also need a Hi-Lift LM100 Jack Accessory Lift Mate. Other brands are cheaper, but some don't work with my wheels. Make sure it works with your wheels.

If you get stuck, jack up the BS and put rocks or wood under the tires. Usually you can just drive out.

I've found that a Pulaski is a better tool than a shovel for getting unstuck. I also carry an Army shovel. The cheap folding ones don't work well. Get Army surplus one.

X2 on the recovery strap.

Your biggest enemy is lack of clearance. If in doubt, look before you go over anything too ambitious.

The evap canister is vulnerable. Put an ad in locally for someone who's put on the full driver's side skid on a Badlands. The Badlands came with a skid. I have one in the yard if anyone local to Albuquerque wants one.

All this said, I've yet to be stuck in my Badlands. But I have scratched up the gas tank skid (which I don't think you have, and the stock evap skid.

 

[Bluejaye]

Based on what you plan, I'd say you don't need anything. Maybe a traction board just in case. Just go slow, you'll be fine.

 

[SDPark]

I’d suggest seeing if there’s an off-roading group or Bronco group in your area and join them for a ride. Many groups plan rides for newbies, or will plan an easy ride if there’s interest. I’ve learned so much by simply joining others.
My second suggestion would be to find at least one other vehicle to join you. Even if they’re new, it still gives you someone to help if needed.
Third- communication plan. Use an off-road app (Trails Off Road or something similar) to plan with ahead of time. Download the trail before you leave an area with signal. Tell someone at home where you’re going. Have a paper map in the vehicle.
Fourth - plan for bodily needs - lol. Make sure you’ve got plenty of water for you, passengers and pets. Bring snacks/food. Include a basic first aide kit in your car. Plan for pottying… there’s many options on Amazon that allow one to carry out personal waste.

On a maintained forest service type road, you likely won’t need to air down and you won’t need traction boards. As a minimum, I’d suggest getting a tow rope and soft shackles, and make sure you’ve got a recovery hook. If you have the tow package, you can get a shackle hitch receiver.

When you’re ready for more difficult trails, there are definitely other items you’d want on board: air compressor, traction boards, GMRS radio, etc. At that point, you may also want to invest in bash plates and a lift.

Goodnluck! I hope you have fun adventuring!

 

[Rawah652]

Based on what you plan, I'd say you don't need anything.

THIS!!! Get an OnX, AllTrails, or something subscription, find the easy trails close to you, then get out and learn your vehicle! Learn where your tire lines are, what it looks and feels like when you're off-camber. If you've never camped before and want to , first go try a night camping in your backyard (if you have one) or at a KOA or something close to the city or an outdoors store and figure out what gear and what type you actually need and want for how you want to spend time outdoors. You really don't need all the latest recovery gizmos if you're going out on easy trails in good weather, in the right season.

All the extra stuff can be fun, but I've done some pretty decent off-roading without... well most all of it. Don't let "not having the right gear" stop you from just going out and enjoying your time. It's easy to get overwhelmed watching all those "overlanding" and such videos on YouTube showing all sorts of products and selling you stuff, but at the end of the day, most of that ? is just going to sit on a shelf and not get used cause it's not the right gear for you.

For vehicle specific advice, I'd make sure I have a battery jumpstarter if you're going on an overnight camping trip. Everytime you open and close your doors, the headlights come on, then the fans run for several minutes which can drain a battery fairly fast, so it's nice to have that assurance.

I would second the Evap Cooler advice. It sits behind the front driver tire, so a large rock kicked up from the road has the possibility of damaging or destroying it. Avoid the fist-sized rocks at high speeds with that tire, or buy a cover for it. There's a couple aftermarket places selling them.

 

[CletusVanDam]

Here's a story that leads to a useful tip about offroading:

A tourist went to Botswana for a solo camping adventure. He drove deep into Central Kalahari Game reserve in his rented Toyota Hilux. He got stuck in deep sand, like many people do.

He couldn't get unstuck and decided to start walking, hoping to find some help. His body was found a few days later, after he likely died from dehydration.

A park ranger found his vehicle stuck in the sand. He deflated the tires to around 20 psi, got in the truck, and drove out of the sand without much difficulty.

...

Drama aside, if you want to go off offroading, just get out there. A shovel is good to have, and a tire inflator (for refilling the tires if you deflated them).

 

[NMhunter]

Great Story! I saw a picture of a Volkwagon in the ocean with somebody standing on top with their feet in the water. She got stuck on the beach at low tide and refused to lower the tire pressure.

I lower my tire pressure for a smoother ride on rocks, but there is a danger of puncturing a sidewall. Ask me how I know.

 

[Tomp611]

Thank you everyone for all of the replies! So much amazing advice and tips. I’m excited to get out there and explore with a bit more confidence than before

 

[gatornek]

Honestly, I think the hardest part of all of this is just finding good trails. Still looking for that ONE app or place that has every, single OHV trail you can imagine, and their respective ratings.

The ratings are important. Just because a trail is 'there' doesn't mean its necessarily navigable or safe, at any given moment. Even maybe for something to find out how narrow or 'trimmed back' it is, so that you're not stopping every five feet and trimming branches as to not get scratches all over the place.

I have Alltrails but I would not consider that the be-all end-all by any stretch. I see more and more companies/apps getting into this market and I'm not sure who to trust with my $25

 

[kshaw]

If you will be traveling on sand, get a guide from Assateague Island Park on off-road travel. I believe that they suggest letting some air out of the tires and carry some plywood.

 

[cprcubed]

If you will be traveling on sand, get a guide from Assateague Island Park on off-road travel. I believe that they suggest letting some air out of the tires and carry some plywood.

If one is airing down, I suggest having a way to air them back up. I have a VIAIR 400P for that purpose (already had that for other vehicles). Cheers!

 

[kshaw]

Here is their YouTube guide:

 

[NMhunter]

X2 on the Viair. I love mine. Airing down really helps in sand, but if you try to drive at highway speeds with 20 psi, you'll probalby blow a tire from overheating.

I always carry a Hi-Lift jack. In sand, you can jack up a wheel, and put something under it and drive for at least a few feet. Be aware that you also need a Lift-Mate to attach to the wheel. The off brand on Amazon were too short and wouldn't work on my friends Tacoma.

The biggest problem with the Sports is clearance. If you drive in the ruts, you'll be dragging in the center on most two track roads. Go slow and have someone get out to guide you if it looks dicey. The evap. cannister on the driver's side doesn't have a skid plate unless you have a Badlands.

One advantage of the short wheelbase is that it doesn't take much space to turn around. With the backup camera, you can back up until you find a place to turn around.

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