Things to do before your first trip offroad

[Patriot]

Here is a list of some of the things to do before heading out on your first offroad adventure.

Join a 4WD Club – they are a great place to find mates to go with you and also a good place to find driving courses.
Do a driving course – You will learn a lot about the right way to drive and also learn about the limits of your vehicle.
Find someone to go driving with. An experienced driver is important if something happens.
Grab a map of the area. Good offroad maps can make the difference between getting lost for hours.
On the day get a full tank of fuel – there is nothing worse than get a bit ‘geographically embarrassed’ and running out of fuel.
Check the weather conditions – There may be a lot of difference between a track when it is wet and dry.
Grab plenty of food and water – If you get stuck somewhere it is one less thing to worry.
Pack for the conditions – the further away from civilization, the more contingencies you will need to be prepared from. Here is a list of things you may need.
Pick a track that is right for your experience level and vehicle.

As in all things, remember that prior preparation prevents poor performance. With a little bit of planning your first day out should be great fun!

Patriot.

 

[timsam]

A few more

Every trip needs a loop

The track your looking for is "not this one but the one 100m ahead"

Your not lost until you run out of fuel.

Enjoy yourself

Tim

 

[goldrush]

Getting lost is half the fun!!!!!!

 

[Pip]

Not when you get bogged and lost at the same time.

 

[grit]

getting lost

Turns any trip into an adventure

 

[x [Heels] x]

Yeah, being lost is fun, as long as i have a shower, toilet and my blow dryer, i will survive, oh and my phone charger

 

[amssvh]

Being lost. and plenty of jimmy in thr fridge can,t be to bad

 

[cruiserlad]

Here is a list of some of the things to do before heading out on your first offroad adventure.

Join a 4WD Club – they are a great place to find mates to go with you and also a good place to find driving courses.
Do a driving course – You will learn a lot about the right way to drive and also learn about the limits of your vehicle.
Find someone to go driving with. An experienced driver is important if something happens.
Grab a map of the area. Good offroad maps can make the difference between getting lost for hours.
On the day get a full tank of fuel – there is nothing worse than get a bit ‘geographically embarrassed’ and running out of fuel.
Check the weather conditions – There may be a lot of difference between a track when it is wet and dry.
Grab plenty of food and water – If you get stuck somewhere it is one less thing to worry.
Pack for the conditions – the further away from civilization, the more contingencies you will need to be prepared from. Here is a list of things you may need.
Pick a track that is right for your experience level and vehicle.

As in all things, remember that prior preparation prevents poor performance. With a little bit of planning your first day out should be great fun!

Patriot.

how about having shackles and a snatch strap so your not using other peoples gear for the enivitable recovery

 

[bmurray2250]

A map and GPS with back tracking helps, this does solves some embrassing offroad incidents. For the others, MasterCard.

 

[LowLux]

how about having shackles and a snatch strap so your not using other peoples gear for the enivitable recovery

Might be worth going even a little further back and adding a pre-departure check of your vehicle for the following items;

Under bonnet; fluids levels (oil, water, washer, brakes, clutch, auto, power steer etc), drive belts, various nuts and bolts for tightness/looseness (air filter cover etc), hoses and clamps (water, heater etc), fan blades for cracks or broken bits & battery connections.

Around body; All extremities eg. mirrors, ariel/s, headlights (high and low beam operation), tail lights (brakes etc), indicators, wipers and blades, tyres for any damage and pressures, wheel nuts to ensure they are in good condition and not loose, hub nuts for condition and operation of locking mechanisms, basically that everything is correctly fixed and looks normal.

Under body; No fluid leaks around wheels eg. brake fluids, grease etc, CV boots for damage/splits and cracks, exhaust for holes and mountings as it can send hot bits onto dry bush, and general oil leaks etc.

Inside vehicle All dash lights and guages are operational and in good order, indicator and light switches are working and not loose or broken, window winders work, door locks are working, seats are not loose and in good working order and that your windscreen is clean.

I realize I may have not covered everything as every vehicle will have more and less bits and pieces than others or visa visa but this is a general list for most vehicles which will ensure you'll have less to worry about and have a good day out there with the hubs locked in.

 

[vitara94]

take a waeco with a case of beer in it!!!

air compressor can be very useful...
spare jerry can(full of fuel)
spare tire-seen heaps of ppl out there with no spare tires!!!
puncture repair kit
spanners and sockets
BIG lump hammer incase you need to bash your guards out after you hit a big rock or to bash your cills back down so the doors work properly again

 

[MussoManiac]

Thanx for all the great tips and advice. All I need to do now is remember to take the 4x4...

 

[kiwijaz]

The biggest lesson i learnt the hardway was to make sure you go with someone else dont go on ur own. Probably make sure at least one of you has a winch either mounted or hand if you are going somewhere u have never been before (good for piece of mind)

 

[bmurray2250]

This one is useful. Rated recovery point on the front and rear of the 4by

 

[deepop]

1. Something I haven't seen written anywhere -

After doing a river crossing stop on the exit or as near as possible to let the water drain from your chassis and other parts before moving on.

It will stop the rest of the convoy damaging the track by driving a wet (and often steep) track and chewing it out.

2. If you're not getting anywhere up a hill and the wheels are spinning, stop, roll back down and try a different approach. Spinning the wheels when you're stuck will just create a deeper hole and make it harder for others to get up the hill, eventually making it impossible for anyone to get up the hill. Spinning the wheels faster WILL NOT suddenly get you out of your predicament.

 

[bmurray2250]

Deepop, that is good advice

 

[chancar]

Some good Advice - Lolux & Mr Murray, thanks!

 

[otomix]

Great advice! Thanks for the sticky thread. I'm sure there has been more than a few folks stranded by the simple things like running out of fuel. so far, I'm not one.... (offroad anyway)

 

[thommo60series]

make sure your in cab crappa paper is in a plastic bag sounds silly l know but you ever tried using wet crappa paper

 

[newygirl99]

oh noooo!!!!!

Not when you get bogged and lost at the same time.

my biggest fear that would be horrible