Planning a trip, You guys have some recovery gear advice?

[catch22nm]

Think you can change it in your preferences yourself. If not I can fix it tomorrow.

It said I can’t change it, says needs admin, Not too worried about it lol

 

[Itaro]

Think you can change it in your preferences yourself. If not I can fix it tomorrow.

User can’t change it

 

[Dan H]

A little fire extinguisher wouldn't hurt to have.

 

[clntg]

Yeah, never... EVER... underestimate an animals intelligence, they really are smarter than you think!!!

My aunt had a friend visit with a small poodle’ish dog. When they went out later that night the owner put their dog into the hall bath to make certain there were no accidents in her friends house. When they returned the dog had pulled almost all of the tile off the floor and nearly chewed through the door... didn’t work.

Apparently until the day the dog passed you could look at it and just say, “what did you do in that bathroom” and it would growl at you and look away, or leave.

 

[clntg]

Okay back on topic. So I’ll add this one with a bit of hesitation. Ground pins.

I have no idea what the terrain is like in that specific location but even with a friend along I like to plan like they aren’t there - in case they get hung up too. And in the spirit of inexpensive recovery gear being able to anchor where no anchor exists is quite valuable. With the gear you’ve got you be able to provide some leverage by adding pins.

The hesitation is because you need to have a little bit of understanding about the fundamentals of ground anchors or you’ll potentially create deadly projectiles. But 3’-4’ lengths of rebar can save your bacon particularly in compacted aridsoils.

With that said if there are plenty of trees, large bolders etc then it wouldn’t be required and if uncompacted or loose sandy soils abound your shovel and spare tire can also serve the same purpose. But many dry soils are more like concrete...

 

[clntg]

Also I think just by having changed your vehicle you’ll likely be fine. But I’ll offer this thought about strategy.

Since your not strictly wheeling (where 4WD and winches can be a requirement) and you seem to be largely sticking to poorly maintained roads etc. I’d use 4WD to get you out of areas where 2WD got you stuck. Then your cheapest recovery gear is the equipment already on your truck.

And on that topic... make certain your drivetrain is in order before you go.

 

[AssBurns]

Comfortable hiking shoes or boots. Never know when some failure happens and no way a trail repair can happen, and cell service is 5 miles away or you need to climb a tall hill/mountain to reach service. I really like to wheel in sandals during the warmer months (which is 9 months a year her), but I always bring some trail runners with me just in case. It's saved my bacon a couple times. Hiking in sandals is miserable.

Water, snacks, warm clothes/blankets are standard for any trip.

Strap, shackles (I really like soft shackles for their easy to use and way less dangerous if shit goes bad, just a little pricey).

 

[kasnerd]

A change of clothes and cover-alls. Always kept with the "spare". And when I say clothes...let me emphasize underwear and socks because when you do have a brown pants moment in the truck or after eating camp food @Itaro, yer gonna wanna get cleaned up.

Former backpacker: Dry, happy feet will carry you to safety, wet painful feet will keep you in danger.

 

[4runner DOA]

Comfortable hiking shoes or boots. Never know when some failure happens and no way a trail repair can happen, and cell service is 5 miles away or you need to climb a tall hill/mountain to reach service. I really like to wheel in sandals during the warmer months (which is 9 months a year her), but I always bring some trail runners with me just in case. It's saved my bacon a couple times. Hiking in sandals is miserable.

Water, snacks, warm clothes/blankets are standard for any trip.

Strap, shackles (I really like soft shackles for their easy to use and way less dangerous if shit goes bad, just a little pricey).

Seconded proper shoes. Slipped on the side of a trail a few years back and dislocated my elbow in death valley because I running shoes don't hold grip as well as trail runners or hiking shoes.

 

[97t4r81]

12mm hex (Allen wrench) for the front diff. I like the kind on a 1/2” socket base.
good practice for going far out is make certain vehicle is In good mechanical order and all it’s juices are at the correct level. Extra oil,atf, gear oil. Check that your spare is in good shape too. Hi lifts are useful, but dangerous if misused. I like the aluminum floor jack from HF, it’s lightish, has good vertical reach and you can use it any time your need to jack the truck up. I use 3/4 plywood to support jack and as traction boards. 2x4 blocks can be way helpful. Basically bring everything, leave the kitchen sink at home. Enjoy

 

[catch22nm]

12mm hex (Allen wrench) for the front diff. I like the kind on a 1/2” socket base.
good practice for going far out is make certain vehicle is In good mechanical order and all it’s juices are at the correct level. Extra oil,atf, gear oil. Check that your spare is in good shape too. Hi lifts are useful, but dangerous if misused. I like the aluminum floor jack from HF, it’s lightish, has good vertical reach and you can use it any time your need to jack the truck up. I use 3/4 plywood to support jack and as traction boards. 2x4 blocks can be way helpful. Basically bring everything, leave the kitchen sink at home. Enjoy

Thanks for the tips on the tools, & I’ll check out that jack, I like the idea of plywood as a sort of in between before I spend a ton on traction boards -and for use with the jack. I’ve used plywood I found on the side of the road before to get my subaru unstuck.

 

[catch22nm]

Okay back on topic. So I’ll add this one with a bit of hesitation. Ground pins.

I have no idea what the terrain is like in that specific location but even with a friend along I like to plan like they aren’t there - in case they get hung up too. And in the spirit of inexpensive recovery gear being able to anchor where no anchor exists is quite valuable. With the gear you’ve got you be able to provide some leverage by adding pins.

The hesitation is because you need to have a little bit of understanding about the fundamentals of ground anchors or you’ll potentially create deadly projectiles. But 3’-4’ lengths of rebar can save your bacon particularly in compacted aridsoils.

With that said if there are plenty of trees, large bolders etc then it wouldn’t be required and if uncompacted or loose sandy soils abound your shovel and spare tire can also serve the same purpose. But many dry soils are more like concrete...

this area is very hard dirt and clay unmaintained roads, the clay can turn into a very slippery surface in a downpour, there are definitely some trees and boulders on part of dirt roads and other parts with nothing at all latch on to. As far as rebar that’s an interesting idea, I wonder if similar lengths of wood 2X4 or 2X6 would also do the trick?

I have done most of the drive before and we did get stuck in the rain and it was pretty bad but we did get ourselves out after some digging in the morning. That time we made some very rookie mistakes, namely almost no recovery gear (shovel and come along only) we also didn’t bother to check the weather and we were in less capable vehicles (AWD Subaru’s vs 4WD) These situations (getting stuck). Can test your patience and your troubleshooting skills under pressure. In hindsight I’m sort of glad we were such idiots and got ourselves stuck yet got through it. It taught me to never go out unprepared again (even for basic road trips) If it would have kept raining the morning after we got stuck things would have probably turned from bad to worse. We lucked out. Never again!

Other than preparing my gear/supplies and truck, my biggest area of concern is again heavy rain, so I will be looking at the weather in the few days before our trip and if it looks like any significant rain is likely I will probably move dates. I am sure with proper recovery gear, a rigged out truck and extensive off roading experience it would not be a big deal but I will be lacking in at least 2 of those areas so I won’t risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. For most of my camping trips I am usually not as concerned as most of the areas don’t stray so far away from major roads (potential help) but this one will take us at least an hour away from any major roads /civilization/ cell service

I included a few sat maps for fun, the 550 is paved road and the ghost town / is about 1.25 hours on unmaintained dirt service/ranch roads from the exit. I’m pretty sure ranchers work part of the area. There are also 3 extinct volcanoes in The area and the ghost town is a trip out there the middle of nowhere, The time we got stuck we ended up walking the last 1.5 miles to the ghost town and taking a bunch of real cool photos but we were exhausted from digging out so it’s time to go back. My goal this time is to camp there overnight and get some Milky Way shots at night with the abandoned brothel in the foreground.

 

[clntg]

Dimensional lumber wouldn’t work quite the same. You need to spread the “weight” of the truck out over a small area where the sheer load of the pins (multiple at once) take the force. Much like a couple of relatively small screws holds up a cabinet, and all of the shit in it, to the wall. Which is to say you load the pin laterally, 90 degrees to the length and wood can struggle with having enough strength. But if you wanted to experiment might be interesting, just do it before your trip. In fact if I were to try that I’d use ash shovel/axe handles or similar - which are selected and processed for their lateral strength/durability.

For example: (I’d prefer #6, but I like overkill)
1/2 in. x 4 ft. #4 Rebar (6 Per Bundle)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/302243599

There is also something you can buy called a rebar j-hook which is preformed with amazingly, a j-hook. Harder to get longer lengths because that’s not the norm but it’s useful to have a small bend toward the end as you really need to be able to remove the pin when your done - otherwise you leave a nice tire slicer in or near the trail and that would be a dick move.

And finally you do need a way of connecting the pins to the come-a-long... lots of ways of going about that, which I’ll let you sort out.

FRUGAL THOUGHT: We’ve been talking about plywood, traction boards, pins etc. What if you, and I’m spitballing here, went old-school and just took good exterior grade 3/4 ply and cut it to a length that neatly fit on the OEM roof rack. Then took lumber, or more ply, and made a ladder patten on both sides - ala traction board. Finally, through the lumber drill holes for the ground pins and a shackle point for the come-a-long - multitool. If you got three or four pieces out of the ply you’d be able to use two as traction boards and the third to set and remove your pins. It’s a thought but might cost as much as traction boards.

Finally, even If you just stick to the come-a-long and connecting to your friend’s truck, ground pin or not, I’d consider getting a winch extension line to give you some flexibility in recovery position.

 

[clntg]

https://customsplice.com/ Labor Day Sale starts today... oddly.

 

[kasnerd]

Best cheapest soft shackles around. $20 and super ratings. I have two and they look as good as the pair of EXPENSIVE bubba gator shackles.

https://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Synthetic-Shackle-Breaking-Strength/dp/B071JDFWL1

Get a bunch, give out a pair to the next poor bastard you see still risking life with metal shackles. For $20, if it gets caked in trail grime, grease, left behind...who cares...grab a fresh one from the tackle box. It's a no brainer.

 

[kasnerd]

Dimensional lumber wouldn’t work quite the same. You need to spread the “weight” of the truck out over a small area where the sheer load of the pins (multiple at once) take the force. Much like a couple of relatively small screws holds up a cabinet, and all of the shit in it, to the wall. Which is to say you load the pin laterally, 90 degrees to the length and wood can struggle with having enough strength. But if you wanted to experiment might be interesting, just do it before your trip. In fact if I were to try that I’d use ash shovel/axe handles or similar - which are selected and processed for their lateral strength/durability.

For example: (I’d prefer #6, but I like overkill)
1/2 in. x 4 ft. #4 Rebar (6 Per Bundle)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/302243599

There is also something you can buy called a rebar j-hook which is preformed with amazingly, a j-hook. Harder to get longer lengths because that’s not the norm but it’s useful to have a small bend toward the end as you really need to be able to remove the pin when your done - otherwise you leave a nice tire slicer in or near the trail and that would be a dick move.

And finally you do need a way of connecting the pins to the come-a-long... lots of ways of going about that, which I’ll let you sort out.

FRUGAL THOUGHT: We’ve been talking about plywood, traction boards, pins etc. What if you, and I’m spitballing here, went old-school and just took good exterior grade 3/4 ply and cut it to a length that neatly fit on the OEM roof rack. Then took lumber, or more ply, and made a ladder patten on both sides - ala traction board. Finally, through the lumber drill holes for the ground pins and a shackle point for the come-a-long - multitool. If you got three or four pieces out of the ply you’d be able to use two as traction boards and the third to set and remove your pins. It’s a thought but might cost as much as traction boards.

Finally, even If you just stick to the come-a-long and connecting to your friend’s truck, ground pin or not, I’d consider getting a winch extension line to give you some flexibility in recovery position.

interesting. home brew bespoke gear...I dig it.

gonna need to see some napkin blueprints to visualize what you are describing.

 

[PCTaco]

FRUGAL THOUGHT: We’ve been talking about plywood, traction boards, pins etc. What if you, and I’m spitballing here, went old-school and just took good exterior grade 3/4 ply and cut it to a length that neatly fit on the OEM roof rack. Then took lumber, or more ply, and made a ladder patten on both sides - ala traction board. Finally, through the lumber drill holes for the ground pins and a shackle point for the come-a-long - multitool. If you got three or four pieces out of the ply you’d be able to use two as traction boards and the third to set and remove your pins. It’s a thought but might cost as much as traction boards.

I wouldn't trust plywood ladder boards, unless you fasten them via oldschool techniques, you're one spinning tire away from a whole bunch of nail or screw holes in your tire, further worsening your stuck situation.

 

[clntg]

I wouldn't trust plywood ladder boards, unless you fasten them via oldschool techniques, you're one spinning tire away from a whole bunch of nail or screw holes in your tire, further worsening your stuck situation.

Trust me, that thought was top of mind. You could do it, but you'd have to consider how you assembled the board as much as what type of ply and how you used it... Hell some 3M tapes (as an extreme example) have more shear strength than metal fasteners and I've used industrial velcro to fix body panels to race cars - required 3T+ (and not the strongest) of removal force. Essentially they wouldn't come off unless it was a BAD crash.

Like I said in the end, once you got through all the effort the cost of making a board might be similar to just buying a roto-molded board... so only valuable if it had other uses, like as a ground anchor. Even then, I'm probably more comfortable recommending the average Joe take regular plastic traction boards and pass their ground pins through that for an anchor and (obviously) not doing the pins at all for use as an actual traction board.

 

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Best cheapest soft shackles around. $20 and super ratings. I have two and they look as good as the pair of EXPENSIVE bubba gator shackles.

https://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Synthetic-Shackle-Breaking-Strength/dp/B071JDFWL1

Get a bunch, give out a pair to the next poor bastard you see still risking life with metal shackles. For $20, if it gets caked in trail grime, grease, left behind...who cares...grab a fresh one from the tackle box. It's a no brainer.

Just ordered a couple. Easy thing to chuck in the toolbox.

 

[kasnerd]

Just ordered a couple. Easy thing to chuck in the toolbox.

Excellent. They sell out pretty quick whenever they are back in stock.