Aired Down Northwest - October 2022

What Jeep Girl in her right mind would put a Bronco on the cover of her magazine? Well…. Any one that loves the big blue skies and friendly people of Wyoming would! I first talked to James Goss while planning a trip from Boise Idaho to Loveland Colorado for Overland Expo Mountain West in the summer of 2021. I was searching desperately for someone to make that drive with me and reached out to the Wyoming Overland Facebook Group. James replied and tried to help but as it was meant to be, I made that drive on my own. It ended up being epic and amazing. James managed to find me at the Expo and graciously gave me a hat and stickers as an honorary member. That WY Overland hat is still my favorite. Every time I wear it, I’m reminded that I planned a route, drove almost 2000 miles, solo camped for the first time and I loved every minute of it. Peak the same hat on James’ dash on the cover photo!

Thanksforreading!

RebeccaZ.

What’s Inside

Airing up - a driveway experiment by steve decker Overlanding with a full heart and an even fuller rig by Codie Houtchens Reader’s rig featuring kevin Ancell Kenda tire review by david zemla Kirwin wyoming trail review by james goss Trail taco recipe from andrew cutler

Wellness in the woods / a three part series by christi b Lessons learned in Traction boards by mike burnett Womens fireside chat Off the back

Airing Up - A Driveway Experiment

By Steve Decker

As I sat and thought about what my first article would be for this new online magazine, I had multiple ideas race through my head. Many of them were of past misadventures my family and I have experienced while traveling both in Idaho and other neighboring states. While I will be sharing some of those in the near future, the other idea that came to me was related to the title of this magazine “Aired Down Northwest”.

I would say I am new to the whole overlanding world, for me it was always just called camping (aka boondocking) off grid somewhere that would get you hiking distance to a hot spring, river, or lake. This usually included some four-wheel drive engagement as you headed off onto the logging roads of Idaho. But, in the past few years and since I purchased a serious off-road vehicle that has a winch, disconnecting sway bar and both front and rear lockers (in which my back country friend says if you ever need those, you’re probably somewhere you shouldn’t be). Anyway, once the RAM Power Wagon was purchased, I considered myself one of those “overlanding” folk! I decided, I had better join some Facebook groups etc. and see what the rest of the overlanding folk were doing only to find out I was running tiny tires. I run 33-inch Falken Wild Peak which is a great tire, but some of these hardcore guys aren’t happy unless they are running 37’s!

But, in all of these conversations the topic of airing down comes up as well as what folks use for airing back up again once they hit the main road. Many install onboard air (very cool). But is that something I would want to do for the few times I have actually needed to air down? Seems a bit overkill, but still would be cool as hell. So, knowing that I don’t have onboard air, what do I have? I do have a small portable DeWalt Battery Operated compressor that I could probably use. I tossed this out to the masses in the group and awaited an answer. The consensus No one wants to wait hours by the side of the road while they inflate their tires. After a long day, they just want to get home. So, I thought, OK no go then.

Now, as far as this magazine goes and the article, I thought, Hey, why don’t a run an experiment in my driveway (close to a real compressor in case my DeWalt chokes and blows up during this experiment) and see how long it really takes. Is it hours? So, here we go.

Step one was to air down to 35 PSI. this is the number I most see when other ask what people air down to when off road. So, 35 PSI is our goal. OK, 33! Close enough.

Once happy with the air down, I took a quick look at the tire to see how much more of the sidewall was actually on the pavement and was impressed with the traction that the Falkens put on the side. I can really see how they could give you some extra grip grabbing that extra bit of rock while climbing. I would be very hesitant to do this with anything less than the E rated tires.

Great! So now, let’s attach the compressor, set it to 60 PSI and start the timer.

At this point I just waited and watched. The little compressor just cranked through the PSI up and up with no issues… at first. As we got closer to our 60 PSI mark, the little compressor that could started jumping back and forth between numbers a few times before it pushed through. I watched as it hit 57….56…..57….56…. 57…..58… It finally did hit our 60 PSI goal and shut off. We did it!

Comparing 60 PSI to 33 PSI

Now, the question was how long was I sitting there watching this. What would I have been doing on the side of the road waiting while other overlanders passed by and asked if I needed help? Break out the cooler? Fire up the grill for some leftover trout tacos? The results?

Oh, and would the battery have lasted through four tires at 16 minutes each? This was a fully charged battery at the beginning of this experiment, so it used one full bar.You would want to make sure you had a few extra battery packs with you just to make sure.

Not too bad if you ask me! Oh wait, multiply that by four. An hour. Honestly, that is not that bad in my opinion. Yes, would a big onboard air compressor be faster… could be, I haven’t tested one…yet for a comparison. Again, this was to 60 PSI which I could ride on to get home. If I was in a hurry, I most likely could just go up to 50 PSI which would probably get me to the nearest fuel station that had a place I could air up properly before I hit the freeway.

Steve Decker – Idaho

I have not aired down much since purchasing my large ¾ off roader since I never really had a plan to air back up. Now that I have ran this quick experiment, I think the next time I am dealing with those nasty washboard roads on my way to catch that next trout for tacos, it will be time to air down like the serious overlanding crowd.

-Living in the Pacific Northwest, you must always take your hiking shoes along as you never know when you’re going to be on a hike!

Steve Decker is our hobbyist writer from Idaho where he has lived all his life. Loving the adventurous life, he has traveled all over the world, but nothing beats traveling around the Idaho, Oregon and the Montana backroads finding new place to explore. Steve shares his misadventures he shares with his family and his trusty sidekick Summit. His writing can be described as informative, educational, and satirical.

Overlanding with a full heart and even fuller rig

By Codie Houtchins

It’s no secret that when you travel with kids, things get a little more complicated. Not just how you travel, but also the amount of stuff you need to bring. Make sure you don’t forget that kitchen sink! You most likely have gone on vacations, various trips and maybe even camping with you children, but what about overlanding? That, my friends, will bring a whole new adventure to the table. You have all the planning that goes into any other trip: the where, the what, the how and then when.

But now you must think about these tiny little humans whose personalities rival yours on your best days. They have their own thoughts and opinions and might have things they find important, like their stuffed animal friend being the center of every picture, making sure you packed enough snacks even though you already bought out the store, and if they are going to see this cool something they saw on TV that is in a completely different country.

How do you make all this work? How do you make your overland experience enjoyable for both you and your kids? And most importantly –how do you create memories that will last a lifetime? I’m here to share a few tips and tricks we have picked up through our travels and adventures with our two children. In this article I’m going to share what I feel are the two most important. I’m sure you are very much aware that life is messy, chaotic, and wonderful when you have children. That all translates to being on the road with them too.

The biggest thing I have learned from adventuring with my children is grace and flexibility! Adventuring with children is a league of its own, whether you are camping, backpacking, 4wheeling or overlanding.

You are bringing your child out of their everyday life of comfort and structure and introducing them into something new.This can be both exciting and sometimes scary for your child, especially if they are young or have never done it before. This can sometimes cause behaviors which are surprising and totally unexpected. This is where both grace and flexibility come into play.

Please, give yourself grace! I tend to have mine in my coffee every morning and right before I go to bed. Remember that you are giving your child an experience that most kids may never have the opportunity to do.

You are stepping out and providing something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, no matter how young or old they are. You are doing that!You are providing that for them!

So, remember that when things get hard and you want to just go home because it would be easier, you are giving them this experience that they will remember when it’s their turn to take their little-one’s adventuring.

For my family, bedtime tends to be the hardest. Two adults and two kids (ages 6 and 1) getting all cozy with each other in a roof top tent in a new location every night can get interesting. Tears have been shed both from me and the kids.

Sleepless nights and times that both my husband and I feel defeated and ready to quit and go home have happened on more than one occasion. But we also have laughs, smiles, excitement about our adventures, and memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world!

As I’m sure you already know, that isn’t exactly how things work when kids are involved. Even though our kids travel like champs and can be in the truck for 12+ hours at a time, we try to avoid this unless we absolutely must. When we are planning an overlanding trip, we try to keep our travel days to no more than 6 hours max including stops.

For example, this summer we did a 2,500-mile two-week-long round trip from Montana to Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Due to another event, we were on a time schedule to get there so we pushed and did two 10 hour days to get to California. While this was manageable for us because of how our kids travel, our first day turned into an 18-hours in the truck because of an accident that shut down the interstate.

Thank God for some random state campground in the middle of Nevada that had space available at 1:00 AM with 2 VERY cranky kids – kids that took an hour to calm down and get to sleep.

All because we made the choice to step out of our comfortable, everyday lives and do something new and exciting.

Remember back with me when you didn’t have kids – oh the peace and quiet! Remember how easy it was just to throw a few things in the truck, drive for however long YOU wanted to and not worry about anything but yourself?

This was very stressful for both my husband and me as we were exhausted and short tempered. The next morning both of us had to take some big doses of grace not only for ourselves but also with our kids.

For me, I try to get at least a few minutes to myself, which normally happens when I’m organizing the tent before folding it up, and this gives some time to think and breathe before we all get back in the truck for the day.

Once we left the overlanding event, our max milage was 60 miles for a day.And being on US Highway 1, this ended up being about 3 hours of drive time giving us plenty of time for stops, that included amazing food, beaches, parks, forests and more. We stopped whenever the kids needed to expel some energy or were hungry.

This still allowed us to get to camp early, set up, make dinner, and not feel rushed in any way. Our evening consisted of playing on the beach, sitting around a fire, and making memories. Being flexible while driving not only allowed for a more peaceful trip but also our nights were so much easier.

Without being cooped-up in the truck all day, the kids didn’t have that pent-up energy and we had plenty of time to play around camp without having to rush to get ready for the night.

Some nights we settled into bed by watching a movie after it got dark.And other nights the kids passed out before we could even get them to bed. Keeping our days on a flexible schedule worked well for everyone and allowed for my family’s hardest time of the day (bedtime) to be more manageable.

Being flexible is key when you are traveling with kids. Work around their schedules and abilities, if they still nap make a point to make your miles when they are asleep.

Or if they travel best in the morning, make your miles then. These may change throughout the course of your adventure as well, so again be flexible and listen to your kids cues.

You are their parent, and you know them the best, you know when they have had too much and just need a break, or when you can push to make miles.

Plan things that are fun for the kids but also yourself, because this trip is for you as much as it is for your kids. This is how you make memories – take it slow so you can enjoy your time and please give yourself grace and plan for flexibility. Your adventure may not look like you had thought it would. You may not make the miles you wanted and didn’t get as far as you had planned – that’s ok! It gives you an excuse to get out and do it again! All the uncomfortable things will get better and easier with time and, I promise you, your children will only remember the good!

Reader’s Rig

Featuring Kevin Ancell’s 1988 Suzuki Samurai

Kevin beefed up this little Samurai with 35 inch tires and extremely low gears. It has front and rear lockers, electric power steering retro-fitted from a Prius andFlowmasterexhaust.

He wheeled this thing in 6 to 7 feet of snow with ease. The winch was there just in case but neverneeded.

Kevin recently sold it to a young lady in Missoula who must be lovinglife! Tag AiredDownNorthwest on IG or FB to be featured in January!

us for Rigs & Coffee at IF Overlanding! 2nd Saturday of the month Next one is October 8th 9-11am 4003 Professional Way, Suite B in Idaho Falls See you there!

DEEP DIVE - KENDA KLEVER R/T REVIEW

BY DAVID ZEMLA

There is No lack of options when it comes to tires for your overlander. Mild to wild and everything in between are just a few clicks away. My last Jeep rolled on 35” all terrain rubber, it seemed like a practical move considering a fair amount of the miles would be asphalt. First time wheeling it they filled with mud and I slid sideways into a tree. Exo Cage rack saved the fragile roof, but it was clear I would need to revisit my tire choice. After that incident, they tolerated snowy winters, but failed me a number of times off road.

Next rig was on 37” mud terrains and the sketchy ride and noise soon outshined their ability in the dirt. Back toA/T’s I went and once again, they disappointed in anything even close to mud.

Rig number three would require a complete rethink of rubber choices. Maybe leave it stock? No, that’s just silly. Maybe 12” wide meats are not the answer?

Would it be possible to have a tall tire without the punishment that comes along with tall tires? Is there something in between the tepid all terrain and the overly aggressive mud terrain styles?

For this rig (a Jeep Gladiator with 2.5” Lift) a 35” tire on a factory diameter 17” rim would be ideal for both form and function. Unfortunately most of the rubber in this size range are 12.50 wide and aftermarket rims force an additional offset that tends to put them far outside the fenders guaranteeing mud/rock damage on the regular. Quite the conundrum.

This is where the Kenda Klever R/Tshines.The fairly deep lineup of the KR601 model included an oft ignored and surprisingly narrow 35*10.50R17LT.Added bonus was the hybrid tread design of this model. Fairly wide spaced tread blocks also featured heavy siping. If you are not familiar with siping, these are the slits in the tread that open up as the tire rolls across terrain, particularly rain, snow or ice creating bite in where a standard tread block would not.

This lovely combination ofA/Tand M/Tcharacteristics in a 10.5” seemed to be the ideal solution. Price point appeared to fall in the high $200 to low $300 range which seemed typical for a 35” tire.

So how do they work? First off they measure in at 34”, which is also typical of this tire size and weigh mid sixty lbs each. Not porky, but not light (readily evident when you have to lift one into the bed). Road performance is surprisingly quiet for a fairly aggressive 35” tire.

No roof or windows down they are pretty much what you’d expect. Windows up, they are surprisingly quiet. Not clear if it’s the reduced footprint or the tread design, but they are easily on par with a conservitiveAllTerrain.

How about rain, snow and ice?The heavy siping performs exactly as expected.Asolid level of confidence no matter the road conditions has been my experience after a year of challenging midwestern weather. Even with an ass-light Gladiator, they felt planted and predictable all winter long.

Next up was dirt and mud.The Klever R/Thas an interesting habit of capturing and shedding small rocks.Although not frequent, the result in some conditions was relatively loud. Mud performance to date has been excellent.The Klever’s propensity to shed rocks has similar results with mud and the tread blocks tend to remain open and effective.Aired down, the tires 3 ply and very treaded sidewall flexes well over rough terrain, retaining traction and forward motion.

Liked them so much I wrapped my bug out trailer wheels in the same rubber.This gives me an interesting comparison tool,as the set on the Jeep just hit 20,000 miles and trailer has a bit over 3000 on the same rubber.You would be hard pressed to tell the difference in wear.

Complaints? Hard to find fault in the Klever’s so far, relatively quiet and more than adept at any terrain I’ve thrown at them so far. Maybe the lack of a 37” in the narrow width?Yeh that would be amazing!

Follow Dave’s builds and adventures @davezgarage!

Kirwin Wyoming for the win

By James Goss

NestledhighinthemountainsoftheShoshoneNationalForest,westofMeteetseesitsanabandonedmining townthatmadeAmeliaEarhartwanttoputdownrootstobuildacabin.Wyoming’shistoryisfullofstories oftownsthatattractedhundredsseekinganewlife–onlytobeabandonedyearslater.Kirwinisonesuch town.Thetownis(mostly)stillstanding,andalthoughithasn’tbeenhometoanyoneindecades,it’san eerilybeautifulplacetovisit.

It’sanearly33-mileone-wayroutewestfromMeeteetse,Wy.GettingtoKirwinisastraightforwardroute. Dorememberthatthisisbearcountrysobearsprayisalwaysgoodtohaveonhand.Thebesttimestovisit theareaarefrommid-summertoearlyfall.Asthefewwatercrossingscanbedauntingwhenthewateris highduetothespringrunoff.Don'tforgetthisisWyoming'shighcountrysoexpectcoolertemperaturesand thepossibilityoflateandearlysnow.

Thefirst20milesaremostlyonpavedandwell-keptgravelroads.Thisportionoftheroutetakesyoupast ruralfarmlandsandsomenicehomeswithamazingviews.Makesuretokeepyoureyesopeninthefields forseveraldifferentwildlife.

AfteryoucrossintotheShoshoneNationalForesttheroadstartstodegradeabit.Butit’sstillaneasydrive. Alongthissection,youwillpasstwoestablishedcampgroundsthataremaintainedbytheforestservice.The firstcampground,BigWoodRiver,isamorecompactcamp,butalsohasacoupleofsitesnexttotheriver. BrownMountaincampgroundismorespreadoutand,although,neartheriver,itisnotrightonit.Both havevaulttoilets,foodstorageboxes,anddesignatedfirepits(usuallystockedwithwoodtouse).

Afterthecampgrounds,youwillseeasignstating ninemilestoKirwin.Fromheretheroaddegrades more.Thissectionistechnicalandrugged.Climbing highintothemountainsthedirtroadtakesyou throughrunninganddrycreekbedsandupand downsteepgrades.Throughslideareasandafew narrowshelves.

Dobeawareiftravelinghereafteragoodrainstorm theremaybewashoutsandrandomrocksonthe route.

Inthesummertime,wildraspberriesgrowalongside theroadandifyoukeepyoureyespeeled,youmay beluckyenoughtocatchaglimpseoftheelusive, andoncethoughttobeextinct,BlackFootedFerret. Also,youmayspotvariousotherwildlifealongthe way. AlongthewaytoKirwin,therearemanyold cabins,miningequipment,andtheDoubleD Ranch.Allofwhichyoucanexplore.

Pleaseberespectfulofthehistoriclocations.There arealsoafewdispersedcampinglocationsalongthe way.

Whenyouarriveatthetown,thereisavaulttoilet, parkingarea,andsignsthatdetailthehistoryof Kirwin.Fromtheparkingarea,youcanwalkalittle furtherdowntheroadandlocatethebridgeoffto theleft. Onceyoucrosstherivertakeyourtimeto justexplorethetown.

Inthe1930s,thelandbecamepartoftheDoubleD Ranch,aplacevisitedbyAmeliaEarhartandher husband,GeorgePutnam.Acabinwasunder constructionforEarhartwhenshedisappearedon herflightaroundtheworldin1937andwasnever completed.Theremainsofthecabinarevisible aboutamilefromKirwin,aswellasanoldhotel,a fewsmalllogstructures,andminingmachinery.

OvertheyearstheForestService,withthehelpof summervolunteers,hasbeguntostabilizeand refurbishbuildings.Thereareseveralshortwalksto visitvariousbuildingsandmines.Therearealso moreoptionsforlongerhikesinthearea.In August,theMeeteetseMuseumorganizesaKirwin publicgrouptour.

I encourage you to add Kirwin to your Wyoming trip. The story of Kirwin, an abandoned mining town in theAbsoroka Mountains of Wyoming, and the risk takers involved in its story.

This remote area has attracted a lot of attention over time.Today, its natural beauty and glorious past endure.

James Goss is the admin for Wyoming Overland Facebook Group.

You can follow him at @wy_overland on Instagram, Facebook and @wy_overlander on TikTok!

Trail Tacos with Andrew Cutler

It doesn’t have to beTuesday to enjoy tacos on the trail. Easy to make and bursting with flavour, these are definitely a go-to for any road trip.

What you’ll need: Blue corn taco shells Chicken sautéed in pineapple al pastor sauce Grilled peppers

Jalapeños

Top them off: Fresh squeezed lime Pico de gallo Avocado

Does it get any better? Check out more of the Cutlers’adventures and recipes at @scaia_offroad!

Wellness in the Woods

AThreePartSeriesByChrisB.

As an 80’s child I never thought twice about the health of the soil I was standing in barefoot and fancy free. It seems like yesterday surrounded by siblings and cousins sitting outside in my grandmother’s backyard making mud pies for our Barbie dolls and GI Joe’s. Now days one can be in jeopardy for playing barefoot in an empty field. Having more awareness of contaminates leaching in the soil or ground cover waste, one must watch where they step to avoid needing a tetanus shot. One of the reasons I get far from the urban world and into the backcountry when I can.

I was one of those weird kids who ate the mud pies, enjoying the feel of soft dirt separating from the small stones grinding in my back teeth. I thought it tasted good, kind of the way wet concrete smells on a rainy day. My whole life I have joked I like to lick rocks. Except it is not a joke and do not worry, it is not concrete. Embarrassing as it is I lick plenty of rocks and minerals coming from a family of miners who gifted me a collection from quartz to gold.

Later, in my adult life I would learn there is an ancient practice performed by Middle Easterners and Africans who did in fact eat certain types of clay. And they brought that tradition to the modern-day American south. I read this skill stems from a natural instinct to ingest soil with certain mineral content to make up for what is lacking in the body. How soil smells is a good indicator of what is in it. So strange some people would think of anyone doing that today. I can picture it now, someone describing their job as the licker and sniffer of soil. Well, in present times we call what people did naturally and instinctively in the past, an herbal practitioner. But one does not need to study and have a degree to know playing in the dirt feels good.

I believe it is as important to adults in various ways just as it was when we were kids to get a daily dose of soil or dirt, although most of what we consume as far as nutrients come as a by-product from the soil its grown in, or further yet, a laboratory. But instead of playing pretend, or in my case pretending not to eat dirt so my siblings would not make fun of me, we still find ways to “bite the dust” as adults grabbing whatever

utility vehicle as our utensil and making a plate of the hills of sand be it desert, beach, or mountains. It is also rewarding for the soul and not just because one is inhaling fresh air aside from smog.

This past weekend I found myself a wanderer on an adventure somewhere I had only been on a couple of times years ago. A place where bicycle and backroad 4x4 enthusiasts band together. A place down a dirt road where tall cedar, evergreen and pine of all kinds grows. I felt this calling to go back and explore, especially curious to see what I could find springing from the rich dirt as I have been an herbalist for over ten years.

Longer actually because just as I was eating those backyard mud pies out of sibling sight; I was also the one to take a rock and intuitively grind weeds down to a powder that I would pull from the cracks of the driveway. I then added water to make a paste and applied it to stinging bug bites. And it worked. I must have been 5 years old. One never stops being a student of nature.

I admit my first attempt leaving on this short end of summer trip did not go well. Western Montana, the place I currently call home, is ablaze with forest fires in what we locals say is season number 5. But what has been debilitating lately is my own autoimmune disease stemming from time in the US Army triggered by stress.

By the time I got to the backcountry fear and unwellness overcame me saying I should not be sleeping in the woods alone. I headed back onto the highway near civilization to stay the night. I felt the need to be near people yet found myself creeping home in case of a health emergency. At 3am I discovered I drove all this way forgetting a couple important things. With my anxiety keeping me up, I returned home at 5am.

But I am no quitter and one of many lessons I have learned from years spending quite a bit of time in the forest, is one cannot give up. In the woods, it is a try and try again or roll over and die type situation. I live my life no different. Being stubborn to the core enables me to accomplish the goals I set forth, and even more so, preferring to live with no regrets. I tell myself if my heart is still beating, tomorrow is always another opportunity.

Shockingly when I arrived home just before sunrise, I found a storm had blown through without rain but strong enough winds to drop 3 20-foot branches from my Siberian Elm tree in the yard. Having that unsettled feeling before leaving the first time, I have to say intuition is really something that should never be ignored.

Follow Chris B’s adventures and photography www.storytellerspace.com and @goddess_atargatis_apothecary

Check back in the January issue for the second part of Chris B’s beautiful story!

Lessons Learned in Traction Boards

By Mike Burnett

Since snow wheeling is imminent, let's talk traction boards.

As many of you know, I carry "a couple." I carry 10 boards full time, with the option of tossing in extras to bring the total to either 12 or 14 boards, depending on how you count the 3-piece sectioned board set I have.

Why? Simple... because I often wheel alone, I often wheel alone in the deep snow, and I often haul my 37' camper places that most people wouldn't go (soft sand and deep snow), especially alone. I look at them as a force multiplier and a way to significantly reduce the amount of time and effort it takes me to get un-stuck when I'm by myself.

Traction boards aren't a magic bullet, but when they are the right tool... they are the right tool. Not only do I own 'a few' but I also have quite a bit of experience using them, clear back to my teenage years, with a set that my dad fashioned from a heavy duty conveyor belt, and I have learned a lot of lessons along the way.

Lesson 1: 4 is almost always better than 2. 6 is better than 4. 8 is better than 6. More boards means less work for everyone involved. Sometimes the vehicle only needs to move a foot or two to be freed. But more often than not in deep snow or soft sand, a vehicle needs to move a full car-length or more in order to be freed.

Lesson 2: Once on the boards, stay on the boards. I see so many use-cases, especially with only 2 or 4 boards where the vehicle gets unstuck for the length of the board and then re-stuck again as soon as it falls off -- mainly because people gas it and spin the tires. If you come off the boards, get OFF the throttle! With only 2 or 4 boards, it may be helpful to stagger them somewhat on opposite sides (locking diff's are particularly handy for this). Place them so that opposing boards are moved forward 1/2 or 2/3 the length of the boards so that you can get up onto fresh boards before stopping to reposition the originals.

Lesson 3: If at all possible winch, push or drive the stuck vehicle 2-4" in the direction opposite where you are placing the boards, then place the boards and let the vehicle weight settle back onto the edge of the board. Alternatively, jacking the wheel up enough to get the edge of the board under it can be just as effective. Again, I see so many use-cases where people just shove the board in the hole against the tire and then spin tires trying to grip the board, usually with no luck (often ruining the boards). All of the videos attached below have been staged in this way -- with weight on the board before I attempt to drive.

Lesson 4: Use ONLYenough throttle to creep yourself onto the end of the boards. In all of these videos you can see a 'very slow' start, then once solidly onto the board you can use more throttle to gain speed/momentum if necessary. Any amount of wheel spin, in addition to causing damage to the boards, is almost useless in terms of unstucking the vehicle.

Lesson 5: The steeper the angle that you can position a board against a tire, the better. It may seem counterintuitive and might not always be possible, but the more parallel the board is to the ground, the more likely it is to be caught by the tire and spit out the other side before the vehicle actually moves or becomes unstuck. If you are framed out in snow, sand or mud, a steeper angle to the boards will help lift the vehicle more quickly as well.

Lesson 6: If you have enough boards to make a track, do so. Overlap each successive board by about 4" or so, so that as the vehicle approaches the end the board carrying the weight begins to transfer some of the weight onto the next board.

Lesson 7: Dont forget that you can use traction boards preemptively to prevent vehicles from getting stuck. Like in #6, if you have the ability to make yourself a track, do so.

Lesson 8: Cheap boards 'will' crack and break (especially when very cold). This can be mitigated by making sure that the entire board will be in contact with the ground (snow, sand) as the vehicle is moving over it.

Lesson 9: Expensive boards 'can' crack and break (especially when very cold). This can be mitigated by making sure that the entire board will be in contact with the ground (snow, sand) as the vehicle is moving over it.

Lesson 10: Metal lugs or bolts on the end/ramp of traction boards is almost always a net positive for performance and longevity. Less necessary if you closely observe lessons 3 and 4 above. ActionTrax and MaxTrax both make boards with metal hardware, or you can just do your own like I did (photo below).

Lesson 11: While probably not practical for everyone, I carry cheapAmazon boards for getting strangers unstuck and expensive boards for myself or my friends. There are probably very few circumstances where I would volunteer my expensive boards to unstuck a stranger's vehicle. If they're being used as a traction aid, say to keep a vehicle on trail on a side slope, or to protect synthetic winch lines, then I have no issue breaking out the expensive boards. I've just seen too many situations where no matter how strongly you try to emphasize not spinning tires, the person will go with the when-in-doubt-throttle-out approach. Acomplete stranger burning up an $80 set ofAmazon boards is less painful than letting them burn up a $300+ set.

Lesson 12: I'm not entirely convinced that the brand of board you go with makes nearly as big of a difference as how you choose to use them. MaxTrax orActionTrax boards are unlikely to perform much, if any, better than other brands for actually getting a vehicle unstuck, assuming proper technique. Now if we're talking using boards for bridging, then these two brands probably do offer a significantly better product. Both brands are unlikely to crack or break while bridging in warm weather, but both can and have cracked and broken when used for bridging in cold weather.

Lesson 13: Use lanyards! If your boards didn't come with them, get yourself about 4' of sturdy brightly colored rope or nylon strap and attach it to each one of your boards. Once the boards are buried in hard packed snow, or they disappear in sand or mud, you'll be glad you did.

You can find Mike and his full write up in the Power Wagon Next Generation 2005-Present Facebook Group. Thanks to Steve Decker for getting Mike’s permission to share this informative piece as we’re all prepping for snow wheeling!

OFFTHE BACK

BYDAVIDZEMLA

Random babblings of an overland curmudgeon

Really need to work on that sub head. Or maybe not. Here’s the thing. We are all just prepper/campers.There, I said it. Before you start posting spicy retorts on Facebook, let me walk you through my thinking on this one. Prepper: “A person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies”. Now take a look at your gear and think about that definition in a camping context.

Starting to make sense? Don’t fight it. You are essentially a better, more prepared and more capable camper. You’ve seen stuff and been places most humans have not. No bathrooms or showers? Not a problem. No water? All good. Barely a road? Bring it on. Solar system gets froggy? Hardly even a challenge, because you likely built it and know every wire.

I’ll be honest, I’m secretly delighted when another rig breaks and I can perform an impromptu repair from my fully stocked spares collection. Like yourself, I’m prepared and that’s a good thing.

This is where it gets weird. You need to go practice. What? Here’s the deal, as your rig gets more complex and your gear collection expands, each of these systems needs to be proven out and after a bit of time, probably even exercised.

Preppers are no strangers to the practice range and you should consider looking at some of your camping the same way. Friends invite you to that group campground with the swingset? Do it and use it to test out how far your house battery will go before it dips below twelve volts. Far better to know where that point is when you’re a few feet from a fifty amp box than somewhere a hundred miles off grid.

That local campground that you’d never go to because, what’s the challenge? Do it and do it when there are big dark clouds on the horizon. Why? Weather is the ultimate test of your gear and what better way to get your head around that challenge than a location twenty minutes from your house?

You get it right? Keep the prepping up.Test your gear whenever possible and practice makes perfect. See you in the wild or maybe at the KOAtrying out my new diesel heater.