Overlanding
Below is a bunch of information from various overlanding trips
The Basics:
1. Protect your car. While the trail isn’t technical, riding aggressive or wheeling is always tempting. Feel free, but just bear in mind, if you have a failure, or breakdown, the whole group slows down.
2. Trip Odometer resets at every scheduled stop. We reset at towns, or at fuel locations. Obstacles, on-coming vehicles, trouble spots, and most importantly, turns, are called out over the radio referencing trip odometer mileage. For example, point car relays the following: “Make left, 30 decimal 6”. Or, “White truck, 22 decimal 8”. That means we’re making a left to another trail on odometer reading 30.6, or watch out for the vehicle at 22.8. Easy enough. Obviously, not everyone’s odometer will read the same. This is just a reference. These calls have to be relayed through the group via radio. If they aren’t people will miss turns, and that is a problem we want to avoid. Typical trips, we check in every 10-20 miles, depending on the number of machines.
3. Gaps. Goes without saying that it could be dusty. If we disperse about a 1/4 mile apart per car, the riding should be clear. This cements the need for good radios. I’ve had comms get received on a run out to 20 miles. The high wattage cars will be able to communicate well. If you don’t have a 25+ watt setup, 5 and 7 watt handhelds are an OK option so long as you take the following into consideration. Handhelds are extremely difficult to hear over the motor unless your unit is clipped to your collar. If you can run a headset to your handheld, it is highly recommended. Handhelds are good for about a day on battery. Plan a charging solution. Also, with a handheld, you might be able to hear the point vehicles, but they won’t hear you if you're a ways back. If you have to relay traffic, relay to your closest 25+ watt driver (you will know who that is), and they can pass info along.
4. Clean your air filter 1-2 times per day. Your machine will thank you.
5. Be aware at all times. Where we’re going will have steep grades both ways on narrow roads. One slip up, not paying attention, and you’re going down a ravine. And some of these ravines are a loooooong way down. I’ve seen it happen to inattentive drivers. We want this trip to be epic. Pay attention at all times and it will be.
6. Last one. Be cool to everyone. Seriously.
Gear:
1. Food and water plus storage.
2. Cook setup.
3. Camp setup (tent, bags, etc.).
4. Down or winter jacket (I’m serious).
5. Spare tire (always a good idea).
6. Joey Chair or Camp Chair.
7. Basic Tools (Many will pack their entire toolbox, no need to go crazy as folks tend help each other out).
8. Basic First Aid Kit (my kit is ready to invade Fallujah, others will be too).
9. I highly recommend a thermal pad. Temps can get cold at night.
10. A filtration straw isn’t a terrible idea and they’re cheap on Amazon.
11. Stores will be dispersed throughout the run. Keeping 3-4 liters of water on you is a great idea. Packing a case of water makes sense if you’re in a 4-seater, not so much in a 2-seater. You could literally pack 2 Cliff Bars, utilize stores, and be fed on trail. I don’t recommend it, I’m just saying ice and food will be available.
12. With very few exceptions, not many of the towns “mom and pop” cafe’s are prepped to handle a large group. So having some basic plan for feeding yourself is a solid call.
13. Comms. Do it. Absolutely critical.
14. Sunscreen and bug spray are a must.
15. Trash receptacle. We aim to leave no trace.
TERRAIN/CARS
Pace for the rides can vary and most UTVs should be fine (from trail width to the 72+ wides). Typically there is a faster group up front and a more casual group in the back. Pick your spot according to your driving preference. Terrain will vary, but is mostly forest roads with some small obstacles. Cars will most likely be spread out over multiple miles with lots of space in between to combat dust. Air/Pumper systems are a good idea, but you should definitely plan for a lot of dust/dirt (face shields, masks, etc).
COMMUNICATIONS (COMS)
Each vehicle should have 1-2 radios. This can vary from a handheld 5W to a built in 50W. Because of the dust, the vehicles will be spread out and the leader will be announcing turns, obstacles and warnings. If you have a hand held it might be difficult to understand or hear others while both cars are going. Headphones or headsets are highly recommended. There are various setups from single radio/headsets to in-car intercom/vehicle to vehicle setups. There will be a designated VHF channel/frequency for the ride. Several people should also have Sat communication devices for emergency scenarios.
WHAT TO BRING
Overlanding is usually a multi-day trip with overnight camping. This is probably the most difficult part. Everywhere we go, there will be water, food, gas, etc. If you car has a 600lb payload and you put two 200 lb adults in it (you are going to Diet before the ride, correct?), you have 200lbs until you fully max out it out. Maxing it out and then riding in it will make for a poor ride, bad performance and generally is not good all around. Even putting 100lbs (spare tire, tools, food, whiskey, tent, sleeping bad, etc) of stuff in it is going to make it perform differently. Packing light and trimming down to essentials is a most. Seal tight bags and/or storage containers help keep the dust off all your stuff.
If I could recommend one absolutely critical item to bring, it’s earplugs for sleeping. If you fall behind on sleep on the trail, things will go downhill quickly. Take your sleep as seriously as you take getting your machine ready.
FOOD/BEVERAGES
Things to think about include "how do I boil water or cook something" in the middle of no where. Is a plastic bottle of whiskey better weight than a 24 pack of beer. Vacuum sealed food or in zip locks that can last several days might be a better choice that something that needs ice to not spoil.
PERSONAL PROTECTION
As far as personal protection, I wouldn't recommend packing much. You’re more likely to run into a free range Bull than a bear and the bear I’ve seen out there run for their life when you see them. Moose, always a wildcard but rarely a problem.
TOOLS
One important thing is to make sure you know you have the tools in your car to perform the necessary fixes.
Go through a practice of replacing the below items (taking your belt all the way off and putting it back on, dismount/mount tire, etc) so you are familiar and can do it quickly. Do this on a trail somewhere away from your garage/tools so that you know all the tools you need are in your car.
- Spare belt (or two)
- Spare Tire or tire repair/patch/plug. Something that can handle side walls as well.
- Replacement valve stems. There are kits that allow you to put a replacement valve stem in with out dismounting the tire.
- Air Compressor - Doesn't have to be anything extreme, just needs to be able to air a tire if you repair/plug it.
GROUP SHARED ITEMS
As time nears, coordinate between those actually going (rumor is only 25% of those who say they are going actually go) with shared items. These could be items like extra axles, tools, etc where not every person needs to pack every items to allow each car to reduce payload. Some people might have a four seater with extra room and you can "rent" some space, etc.
- Axles/belts/car parts
- Jacks/tools/tire plugs/air compressor
- Compatible spare tire wheel/size
Famous Quotes:
QUOTES
- Ian: My trail philosophy is simple: 2 is 1, 1 is none, 7 is dumb
- Brian: Practice your load out weeks before you go trust me!
Group Observations:
- Brian: Not about picking up the front or the rear just keep a good pace. The average speed on the last ride was not high speed just the ability to keep up within COMMS range. Your load out will make all the difference. The guys with the 4 seat cars that do not have back passengers have a huge advantage for sure. My advise is start planning soon. The small self inflating air mattress on Amazon work amazing, a small tent and a good sleeping bag that comes in a bag. If you are packing extra fuel make sure you buy a good fuel can you can secure or a fuel bladder. If you decide to not bring a spare tire make sure you have everything to fix a flat on the trail. Like a major sidewall failure, plan for the worst on you machine. My wife on the last trip made meals and vacuum sealed them so we just had a single burner stove on top of a bottle and heated water to make meals. Simple stuff like protein bars, granola bars and fruit snacks take up way less room and can make good lunch/snacks as well as ramen. Bring a bar of soap and a towel if it was like the last time the river bath was well worth the cold ass water!
- Ian: 4 dry bags, a small yeti, and a pelican. I had all my gear, a professional cinematographer/producer’s gear, and he rode shotgun. We were the lightest setup on that trip. Food for thought. If there’s a 20% you won’t use it, or you have to make an effort to use it, don’t bring it. It’s just dead weight, it’ll effect handling dramatically, and if it effects the handling so much that you can’t maintain pace, it’s going to really frustrate you.
- Ian: Combine the wear on rotating components. Every trip I’ve been on I’ve seen a machine on reverse squat. I don’t run at an Indy 500 pace, but I’ve rode with people that after I’m on trail for an hour straight, I’ve pulled over and waited 20+ minutes for them. We’ll definitely have some targets we want to hit so that we can see everything there is to see on the trail. Breakdowns, load outs effect those deadlines more than anything.
- Ian: The more you adhere to that knowledge, the lighter your SXS will be. The lighter your SXS is, the safer it is. The lighter your SXS is, the more you’ll be focused on scenery as apposed to herding your machine. The lighter your SXS is, the less the group gets slowed down. My philosophy is simple: ONLY THE ESSENTIAL. I want everyone to see Trinity Lakes. The only way that happens is if we maintain some pace and not get slowed down from breakdowns. Stress on your machine = Breakdowns. We don’t want that.
- Ian: Prior to leaving... Take your machine to Moses Lake or somewhere like that, and drive it pretty hard on a 90+ degree day. Stress the machine and make sure you aren’t leaking from critical places.
- Bejamin: For those with belts spend some time learning how to make that belt last. We had a rzr that pretty much at the end of each road section ate a belt because they didn’t let the belt cool before shutting down.