First Time Off-Road: Lessons Learned

David: "Hey babe, why don't you come out and help with the Bronco Nation Booth?"
Mrs. @David: "Like sell shirts and such?"
David: "Well, there might be some other stuff too."
Mrs. @David: "Anything dangerous?"
David: "Um...nah. I mean, we've got all sorts of risk mitigation measures and I have this whole matrix filled out and.."
Mrs. @David: " I'm in. Call a sitter."

Great read, Thanks!!!

Laura

My question to you all: What impressed you about your first times off road? Who got you started, and what advice were you glad to receive?

I'll answer my own question, too :LOL:

For me, it took just one time of going out with an experienced off-roader. The vehicle was stock, so I realized you don't have to go wild in mods to get off the pavement (I started in the forums studying builds, and it skewed my perspective). It's not nearly as complicated as I first believed, but do expect the unexpected.

While I’ve done a fair amount of driving off-road, having worked on farms and done some time in the military, my first real taste of off-roading for the sake of the activity itself was in Moab with @tzuercher. I had rented the Rubicon that the team was using as the chase vehicle for Bronco shoots so I had to be the one behind the wheel.

I was turning it back into the rental place (Barlows in Moab, awesome folks BTW) when I got a call from one of our team members that a Bronco was doing a Top of the World run and we needed to follow. I looked at the staff member from Barlows and asked if we could have the rental one more day. He said that would be fine and asked which trail we were doing. I said, “Top of the World, that’s not on the restricted list is it?”. He gave me a hard look and said that it actually was. We talked for a bit while he sized up whether he was okay with me taking one of their Jeep’s down the trail. I told him that I would have a guide with me and that I’d be conservative in which line I chose. Finally, he said it’d be fine and wished me luck.

So, I took Todd to be my adult supervision. Todd’s a legit off-roader who has raced in Baja has been crawling trails his whole life but he was super encouraging, patient, and helpful. As we climbed the trail he gave pointers on when to turn on my lockers, disconnect the sway bar, and shift into 4L. Seemed to me the best course for someone new is to bring someone experienced, heed their advice, go slow, and listen to the spotter. Brought back the Jeep the next day and the fella at Barlows gave it a good looking over and then asked if we’d actually done the trail or not. I showed him the pictures to prove it.

That was a great read. Thanks for posting @Laura and thanks to Mrs @David for writing it!

My Bronco and the off-roadeo will be my first real experience in driving offroad. My previous vehicles ('85 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, '97 Mustang GT, and '14 Ford Escape) are not the most conducive to the hobby. I will be a novice, but I know I'm a novice. I will happily read all that I can and absorb as much as I can from any instructors or experienced folks that I meet on this journey.

When I was in high school in the mid-90's in Dallas, I had a bunch of buddies with Gen 4/5 Broncos, K5 Blazers, Jeeps, etc that I'd ride shotgun or backseat when we could find places to go "mudding". Just about every time we went, somebody either got stuck, broke something, or both. I spent enough Saturday/Sunday mornings helping friends dig out a stuck vehicle before the owners' parents realized their son's truck "wasn't home", that I definitely understand the value of good recovery gear. I'll think back on those experiences as exactly what NOT to do! Although, being in AZ now, getting stuck in mud isn't quite the same risk it was then :) .

David

While I’ve done a fair amount of driving off-road, having worked on farms and done some time in the military, my first real taste of off-roading for the sake of the activity itself was in Moab with @tzuercher. I had rented the Rubicon that the team was using as the chase vehicle for Bronco shoots so I had to be the one behind the wheel.

I was turning it back into the rental place (Barlows in Moab, awesome folks BTW) when I got a call from one of our team members that a Bronco was doing a Top of the World run and we needed to follow. I looked at the staff member from Barlows and asked if we could have the rental one more day. He said that would be fine and asked which trail we were doing. I said, “Top of the World, that’s not on the restricted list is it?”. He gave me a hard look and said that it actually was. We talked for a bit while he sized up whether he was okay with me taking one of their Jeep’s down the trail. I told him that I would have a guide with me and that I’d be conservative in which line I chose. Finally, he said it’d be fine and wished me luck.

So, I took Todd to be my adult supervision. Todd’s a legit off-roader who has raced in Baja has been crawling trails his whole life but he was super encouraging, patient, and helpful. As we climbed the trail he gave pointers on when to turn on my lockers, disconnect the sway bar, and shift into 4L. Seemed to me the best course for someone new is to bring someone experienced, heed their advice, go slow, and listen to the spotter. Brought back the Jeep the next day and the fella at Barlows gave it a good looking over and then asked if we’d actually done the trail or not. I showed him the pictures to prove it.

You did great, David! And thanks for the opportunity to ride along! Now I wish I had gotten a chance to meet your lovely wife!

Thanks for the post and many kudos to Mrs. @David for sharing her adventures and perspective.
What impressed you about your first times off road?
It's been a while, ok decades, but for me it was and is about the adventure. There is something very intriguing and invigorating about getting off the beaten path and experiencing nature in this way. My Bronco will be my RAV - Retirement Adventure Vehicle.
Who got you started, and what advice were you glad to receive?
Brothers and friends but we did not have anything near the capability of the Bronco. Back then it was about "Run what you 'brung!" That is how we really learned to drive. I learned how to negotiate sand and mud, how to use all of my senses to drive my vehicle. I learned to discover and respect the limits of my vehicle because I had to get back home. We did not have cell phones back then, so if your vehicle got stuck or broke you were walking out. As I write that I remember a '70 something Toyota that we buried in sugar sand in an orange grove; I'm from Florida. It was at night of course and obviously a memorable story after all these years. And that, to me, is what it is about, embracing adventure and creating stories.
Ok, done for now; thanks again for all the great content.

What a great article. Thank you for posting and thank you to Laura for sharing her lessons learned. I particularly enjoyed the image of cultivating patience.

I am a newbie to off-road adventures. I have a habit of changing my journey every five years so I can learn new ideas and experience the joy of being a newbie all over again. It is my hope the Bronco will facilitate entry into a world of memories to last a lifetime. What I most enjoy is discovering new concepts. The best ones seem obvious.

In the recent video created by Chase documenting his ride along with Vaughn I found myself intently focused on every image and every spoken word. There is a moment when Vaughn is teaching the use of the trail cam is aiding placement of the tires while navigating a rocky trail. He simply states how you use the camera to place your tire on the rock thereby protecting your tire sidewall from accidental puncture. The amazing part for me was how the concept rolled off his lips so easily. For me, that was like finding a diamond on the ground.

This journey we are on will be amazing!

Excellent article! Thank you to Mrs. @David! (y)

My first time off roading was in 1963. I was in a late 50's model Jeep Wagon. I had to be very careful because it belonged to my dad. It is fun to find out just what your skills are along with the ability of your 4X4.

@Laura, very nice write up! I enjoy hearing about Broncos (or off-roading) from folks who experience it for the first time. As someone who has been in the Bronco community for a number of years, I have always enjoyed leading trail rides for first-timers. The first time they drive over a relatively small rock that looks huge to them they get a great feeling of accomplishment. The look on their faces is usually priceless and followed by a series of high-fives from everyone watching! The friendship and teamwork experienced on a first trip is usually an eye-opening experience. Of course there are a few unadventurous folks who don't like it but in my experience they are few. (Most people who wouldn't like it never bother to give it a try.)

Anyway, you need to come with @David to Super Cel West this year and we'll let you experience Holy Cross City Trail or Chinaman's Gulch!! (If we can get @David to step away from the BN booth for a while!

I've done all my off roading in the military, from the mountains of Hawaii, to the desert of Saudi/Iraq, to Bosnia which includes a fully combat load, TOW - up-armored Humvee and jumped a small bridge with all 4 wheels off the ground and only losing 1 water container. The Bronco will be my first personal vehicle to do anything like that, well, maybe not that crazy...I did get the same Humvee stuck in mud, it was deep enough that it covered half the tire and had to get a tracked vehicle to pull me out. Oh the fun

Zero off roading experience here. Going from Mustangs to this will be a huge change, but I have been soaking it all in.

TCopp

Zero off roading experience here. Going from Mustangs to this will be a huge change, but I have been soaking it all in.

Don’t give up the Mustang! (y)

TK1215

Don’t give up the Mustang! (y)

I already did. I should have waited due to these delays, but I didn't want the value to lower (even though used cars prices are ridiculous right now). My wife just bought a new car, so I'm using the money I got from the Mustang to put a big down payment on the Bronco.

I'm pretty seasoned with off road driving but this will be my first new vehicle with newer technology. What great insight on the features! I can't wait to make my husband grab the "oh $h!T" handles in my new Bronco!