Contending with Extreme Conditions
Traveling during the winter is often an unpleasant task even for the most experienced drivers. Whether you’re dealing with unplowed roads, reckless drivers, or corrosive road salts, problems are ever-present during this cold and dim season. While we cannot control the weather, or how other people drive in it, we can mitigate some of these problems by being well prepared. Coats, food and water rations, and a well charged cell phone are the typically advised items one should carry in the winter. However, this is what should be considered the bare minimum. I didn’t buy an off-road oriented vehicle (in my case a Jeep Wrangler) to meet the bare minimum and I’m guessing you didn’t either. I would much rather rely on my own rig to get me out of trouble or prevent a problem in the first place. In the list below I have outlined some of the things I do or bring to stay ahead of the game;
Check the weather report
-A simple, but often overlooked, tactic is to see what conditions will be like on the roads you wish to travel. Many states have websites or phonelines dedicated to showing traffic conditions and allowing you to look through freeway cameras. Even with every possible upgrade done to your rig nothing will allow you to drive through 50 miles of backed up traffic.
A quality winch or come-a-long
-A sturdy winch is one of the first upgrades I do to any vehicle that’s not a grocery getter. Not only does this allow you to help yourself out of otherwise helpless conditions, it allows you to help others and gives you more options. Your first line of defense should always be a tow strap, but when you’re 15 miles from pavement with no chance of rescue, a winch can save your bacon. A farm jack with straps will also work as a come-a-long albeit with a lower load rating compared to proper winch. It doesn’t hurt to have both.
Spare Fuel
-Extending your range via auxiliary fuel tanks is never a bad idea. Whether it’s one gallon or 10, adding at least 20 miles to your range can, quite literally, get you out of the woods. Our Folding Jerry Can Mount places a five gallon tank behind the rear axle. This gives you extended range with the bonus of adding weight which helps your rear tires get traction in ice or sand.
Shovel
-Entrenching tools (folding shovels) are must-have for extricating your potentially stuck vehicle. In many cases when someone slides off of the road their vehicle digs deep furrows into the snow/dirt. In situations such as this digging your wheels free is essential before using your winch or tow-strap. Otherwise, you’re more likely to rip your bumper off or tweak your frame than you are to get free. On the worst days, or when intentionally seeking out rough roads, I opt to take a full sized spade shovel as well. Moving hundreds of pounds of dirt with a little e-tool can be frustrating to say the least.
Traction Boards
-There’s two different schools of thought on traction boards. Some will say that name-brand traction boards are essential due to their load ratings, tactile surfaces that are easy on your tires, and ease of storage. Others will claim that pieces of split wood or thick branches found on the trail will suffice to pull your way to freedom. I have used both and will say that good traction boards from a reputable company will allow you to recover your vehicle in a fraction of the time compared to finding or sawing off branches. Also, good quality boards wont scratch your wheels or shred your tires.
A Friend
-Four hands are better than two, and two properly outfitted vehicles beat the heck out of going it solo. A well spaced convoy of vehicles can help pull each other free with much less effort or downtime compared to doing it yourself. Equally distributing the work load of, say, digging out will also lessen the fatigue you experience from doing so. This allows you to comfortably take trips for much further distances in much rougher conditions knowing someone has your back. Not to mention off-roading by yourself can be fun, but it’s always a blast with some equally experienced and easy going buddies.
