Some good lessons for overlanding solo

[JimLee]

never offroad alone with one vehicle. it's the #1 safety rule for all jeeps. sadly some do not follow the rule and pay with their lives.
cell phone service or not, it won't help in some cases.
in this case, someone even came to the scene, they said dont worry a tow truck is on the way.
they had the engine running to stay warm.

https://www.dispatch.com/article/20160116/NEWS/301169780

Sorry dude, I disagree 10000%, those people died of stupidity not offroading.

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[Crawldad]

disagree all you want. you are not the one who is dead.

that is just one example. the golden rule is never go alone.

https://www.off-road.com/trails-events/trail-tips-10-safety-rules-for-offroad-driving-53525.html
https://theadventureportal.com/ten-safety-rules-off-road-driving/
https://rockchucksummit.com/off-road-driving-tips/

 

[Sydwaiz]

Been looking at a wide variety of traction boards, but just stunned at the prices for two pieces of plastic. Any reason why folks are eagerly paying $200+, when well-reviewed products exist like this?

Amazon.com: X-BULL New Recovery Traction Tracks Sand Mud Snow Track Tire Ladder 4WD (Red,3gen): Automotive

Also...I recently got my Ham Technician's license, and have found it to be invaluable, especially in areas where many nearby mountain tops have repeaters. I don't go anywhere without it. So...with an $80 (or less) handheld radio transmitting at only 7 watts, I can reach out to many repeaters that relay my transmissions at much higher power and much longer ranges, several exceeding 100 miles. In addition, many of these repeaters are linked to others via IP, which means you can talk to other operators from all over the world. Important to note that many of these little radios are extremely capable and have become very popular with new Hams and non-Hams. For the latter, many offer FRS and MURS bands, which do not require licensing or fees. I was surprised at how many people talk on these bands, although at much shorter ranges (typically) than standard VHF/UHF bands, such as 70cm and 2m. All that said....Ham, FRS, and MURS have their limitations, and while much better than CB, are still no replacement for Iridium, sat phone, or other comms discussed previously in this thread. If interested, here's what I (and many others) use, but there is a vast universe of much more capable/expensive units out there as well:

Amazon.com: BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF & 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery: Automotive

You'd be surprised at what plastic manufacturing cost. It's something I do for a living so I know all too well what goes into making a piece of plastic and how China is able to undercut the competition. That is a topic for another thread though!

As for camping solo, it's what I mainly plan on doing. I go outdoors to get away from people. I plan on solo vehicle camping with the wife and solo camping/hunting by myself. Luckily for me, my wife likes to over prepare for every situation. Emergency preparedness up the yin yang! I'll probably camp in Death Valley during the summer and the wife will pack supplies for the dead of winter just in case it snows. I'm installing CB and GMRS as I type. I already have a bunch of those Baofeng radios but the Jeep got a Midland. The wife wants a sat phone or at the minimum, one of those spot thingies. Now I'm starting to wonder what spare parts I need to take for trail repairs.

 

[LittleDog]

There is also a product by gotreds at https://gotreads.com/ as an option to some of the pricier traction boards.

They used to make a smaller version for passenger cars too. Got one for Christmas about twenty years ago and it's saved the day a few times. Seems they still make a motorbike version that looks about the same size as my old one. Guess Christmas shopping is done in record time this year, thanks!

Carry a pair of the full-sized in the jeep now, and much prefer them over trying to find a way to store/mount/display those giant traction billboards.

 

[twisty]

Sorry dude, I disagree 10000%, those people died of stupidity not offroading.

I dont know if it was stupid or not. But for sure if he was with someone wheeling with him it wouldnt have happened. But he was out with his girlfriend near paved roads bridges, cars, people, cell range, etc. That isnt typically what one refers to when saying "never wheel alone".

I agree it's best to wheel with others in order to be safe but when one waits for others to do anything often times you do nothing.

I like wheeling and dirt biking with others, not just for safety, it's just fun. I also love doing it alone as well. Very peaceful, you're on your own timeline, and you pay attention to your surroundings in a different way.

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