Off road camping

Driving around Australia means you often come across 'four wheel drive only' roads. I'm inclined to take these in the sprinter as long as they don't look too difficult. I would however be interested to know if anyone has considered using snow chains to get out of mud or sand or other slippery conditions. I could make up a set and keep them in the back as insurance against getting bogged. Has anyone ever tried this, or heard about anyone who has tried this?
 

Rock Doc

Active member
keestafe,

I have about 3 decades of experience in off-roading in the US with a very heavily modified Jeep, and have driven my fair share of challenging surfaces, from deep mud to sand dunes to steep off-camber sandstone on the most challenging trails in Moab. I don't know your level of experience, so if you do have good experience, please excuse my extra recommendations!

Snow chains can indeed help with slippery mud, but the greatest challenge will be with the depth of the mud. If it is deep enough to catch your axles or shallower, the chains will likely help. If the mud is deep enough to catch your undercarriage, the chains won't help.

For sand, the issue is flotation and the "footprint" of the tires more than anything else, and the chains are likely to be of minimal assistance. What will help you more is deflating your tires until you get a mild bulge in the sidewall. (However, don't go too far, or you the tire bead can separate from the rim!) It can be truly amazing how much letting air out of the tires can improve traction. However, to do this it is vital that you have some means of re-inflating your tires, either with an on-board compressor or with a Power Tank system.

Another item that can help is to have a winch and a suitable winch anchor, such as a Pull Pal (http://www.pullpal.com/), which works pretty well. If you are worried about getting stuck with any frequency, I'll strongly recommend an electric winch over a come-along winch. The come-along style can work, but they are frightfully slow and require tremendous exertion. Also, if you do use a come-along and need to extend the length, use either adequately-sized wire rope or synthetic winch cable, and don't use a recovery-snatch-strap. All they will do is stretch without actually pulling you out. (Don't ask me how I know...)

Overall, the best piece of safety equipment if you're going out into remote backcountry where you have concerns of getting stuck is to have someone else in another vehicle with you. That way, if you're inextricably stuck, you can send the other person for help. Second best would be to have some type of satellite communication device, such as the inReach Communicator from DeLorme (http://www.delorme.com/). However, at a minimum, let someone know where you're going so they can send help if you're not back when you think you'll be!! The most important thing of all is to have good judgment--and be safe!

I hope this helps a little bit!

Rock Doc
 
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Eric Experience

Well-known member
Kestate.
Rock doc is spot on. The other issue is weight distribution, as light as possible with the all heavy items at the back. Snow chains can be useful but probably not worth taking. Low pressure is as good as chains. Eric.
 

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