Our goal at Bronco Nation is to make owning a Bronco easier and more enjoyable, and one way we try to make your Bronco ownership experience better is through hosting Bronco Basecamps at major off-roading or overlanding events. These member-only gatherings give our community a landing spot for meeting up with and making new friends, complete with camping sites, catered food, Bronco Off-Roadeo Trail Guide-led drives, and more.
We recently closed out our King of the Hammers Bronco Basecamp in Johnson Valley, California, and if you couldn’t join us, here are some highlights from the week. While this is the only event we attend that’s centered on races, we follow a similar setup at all our Bronco Basecamps. If you’ve made it out to one, you’ll feel decently comfortable of what to expect at the next!
Camping, Catering, and Fires
At most Basecamps throughout the year, we secure a spacious area right on the event property, making it easy to get to the activities, vendors, and classes plus leave on trail drives.
Come with your tent, trailer, RV, or sleep in the back of your Bronco. Sometimes, like at the Overland Expos or KOH this year, we go even further and have furnished glamping tents or RVs for you to reserve –– just show up with your preferred camping gear.
The Bronco Basecamp at King of the Hammers was our biggest Basecamp to date. Having 200 Bronco fans in one spot makes for some great conversation (and build/trip inspiration). Come to Basecamps in a group of family and friends or arrive by yourself; you won’t be alone for long. At KOH, we provided catered breakfasts and dinners, and like past camps, at the tables and around the campfires were a good mix of friends and new faces. With at least one common topic to land on, getting to know each other is easy.
Trail Drives and Race Watching
At every Bronco Basecamp, we bring in Bronco Off-Roadeo Trail Guides for our daily drives. This means you’ll go on runs scouted and led by experts, with recommendations on difficulty and which Bronco setups the trails are best for (35s, lockers, etc.). If you’ve attended an Off-Roadeo already, you may end up with one of your favorite guides at Basecamp, or the ones you meet there may inspire your choice of which of the four Off-Roadeo locations to attend. This year, we got to have Blake Torgersen from Moab, Evan Liotta from New Hampshire, and Melissa and Brian Clark (also at Moab).
Feel confident going out in our groups as you grow your skills or have fun tackling tougher lines with the guides spotting you. Melissa guides level 9 trails, and while we won’t be doing stuff better fit for a buggy at Basecamp, rest assured you’ll be in good hands and all set to have a great time.
This year at KOH, we took trips to Bronco Knoll and Bronco Sport Summit, played in the dunes and rocks (and some in the mud), and followed the races from viewing point to viewing point as we cheered on the Broncos. Congratulations to all the drivers for taking some of the world's toughest one-day races: Bailey Cole and his co-driver Cole Johnson placed first in the Every Man Challenge for the 4600 class. Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy came in second. Unfortunately, Brad Lovell had to call the race early due to a ring and pinion failure in his 4600 Bronco, and Loren had the transmission input shaft break as he was closing in on winning the Nitto Race of Kings in his 4400 truck. Maybe in 2025 we'll see another sweep from the Broncos in the Every Man Challenge plus a King of the Hammers champion in a Bronco as well.
Like the last two years, the winners brought their trucks up to Basecamp, talked with members, and let us pull our Broncos up next to them for photos.
Additionally, we had two VIP drive offerings for early arrivers: Vaughn and Loren took 18 Broncos out on a Wednesday morning run across the lakebed and through the hills and valleys of Johnson Valley, and on Wednesday night, PROJECT X hosted a drive through Rattlesnake Canyon. Twenty-plus Broncos joined their group of Broncos and other makes for a night run.
Classes and a Cleanup
Most Bronco Basecamps have at least one class. Last year, Melissa hosted a navigation class, and this year, she and her husband Brian Clark hosted an in-depth recovery class at Basecamp. They explained techniques and demonstrated equipment –– soft shackles, traction boards, and additional gear you might not see as often but can be incredibly useful, like the ARB Bushranger X-Jack. Find these recovery items and more with member pricing in the Bronco Nation store. If you like attending hands-on classes, drop a note in the comments with what you’d want to learn.
We also did a trash cleanup on Chocolate Thunder with Tread Lightly! and support from the Built Wild Fund on Sunday. A good-sized group of off-roaders combed the rocks for cans and items left behind.
Please do your best to leave trails/campsites better than how you find them and join in on cleanups whenever you can. You can find them on the Bronco Nation events page, organize and add your own, or do individual work removing items marked on the Sons of Smokey app. As shameful as littering is, we’re usually having fun on the cleanups as a community –– you’re out of your vehicles together, chatting, laughing, and doing some good.
And that’s what the Bronco community is all about, isn’t it? Enjoying our vehicles and getting to know others doing the same.
Ready to attend a Bronco Basecamp and get in on the fun? We’ll be having more throughout 2024. Keep an eye on our calendar and news section for announcements. Need help with your Bronco Nation membership so you don’t miss out? Join, or send us an email at [email protected] if you need assistance with renewal.
We’ll see you at camp!
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