I was never a Scout, but the “be prepared” motto has always made sense to follow, in daily life and my outdoor adventures. When I learned my Bronco Nation teammate Cameron and I would be headed to Bronco Off-Roadeo New Hampshire at the beginning of October to go through the Bring Your Own Bronco Advanced Recovery and Next Level Off-Road experiences, I was thrilled for a few reasons:
- Reason #1: I love trail drives, and when I go, I want to be ready to assist if someone needs help, as well as avoid issues myself the best that I can. It’s always good to off-road with at least one other vehicle, but it’s even better if you and the other driver(s) know what to do if things go sideways. Until this trip, I hadn’t used a winch. Head knowledge is one thing, but doing it is another. I’ve sat on the sidelines of recoveries, unbothered about how it was going down because I knew capable people were in charge. But one day, it might just be me as the only available help. I want to go out with my friends and acquaintances knowing they can depend on me to give a good spot and rig equipment properly. Additionally, my skills sit comfortably around a level 6 trail with good spotters. I know all the right settings to be in, how to drive out of a tippy situation, and how to read a trail and choose a line, but it’s seat time in my own vehicle that will keep growing my confidence and give me that silky throttle control and brake action I want to perfect.
- Reason #2: It’s my job and my pleasure to share information about “all things Bronco” that will benefit other owners. I’ve done many trips to Off-Roadeo, for work, on media trips, or using my own owner credit. I haven’t gone through the owner program for Raptor Off-Roadeo, but I’ve lost count of my times visiting Moab, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. I don’t say this to rub it in, but many of you have been to multiple locations as well and will be wondering if Bring Your Own Bronco is right for you. Cam and I were out to see how this new program differed from the owner experience: what was it like, who in the community would benefit, and how could we help you have the best time when you go.
- Reason #3: Finally, I’ve simply never had a bad time at Bronco Off-Roadeo. On the contrary, each time I go, I learn more, get better, and meet cool people, without fail. Even though I’ve been in Michigan’s 4x4 world for nearly two decades, Off-Roadeo’s locations and trail guides at our Bronco Basecamps have provided me with more concentrated growth than anything else in all those years, introducing me to new terrain and techniques to use on them.
So, as you can imagine, when asked to pick a location and day to attend, I couldn’t clear my schedule fast enough and chomped at the earliest date we could go.
Bring Your Own Bronco: What Is It, and Who Can Attend?
The key element of Bring Your Own Bronco is, as the name suggests, doing Off-Roadeo trails and training in your own vehicle, with expert guides leading the experience. It’s an awesome way to learn your Bronco better: how your transmission, tires, hero switches, and any modifications can perform off-road. Manual owners, rejoice!
The program was introduced in June of this year, and by July, 2021 and newer Bronco and 2022 and newer Bronco Raptor owners could begin visiting three Off-Roadeo locations –– Moab, New Hampshire, and Texas –– for 4 hours of fun and learning with their own Bronco on the trails. Please note that New Hampshire closes for the ski season on November 1, but awesomely, Tennessee was added to the roster right after we went.
Read: ‘Bring Your Own Bronco’ Kicks Off at Bronco Off-Roadeo
There are two experiences to choose from, Advanced Recovery and Next Level Off-Road.
Advanced Recovery –– Handling the unexpected in your Bronco
This immersive experience focuses on essential recovery tools, techniques, and real-time decision making. Hands-on and realistic, you’ll get dirty learning how to winch safely, rig properly, and recover responsibly in a variety of real-world scenarios. Remember, if you off-road enough, it’s not if you get stuck, it’s when.
Key Skills Covered
- Perform trail assessments and risk evaluation
- Execute winch recoveries (with spotters)
- Use soft shackles, tree savers, snatch blocks, and recovery boards
- Understand recovery geometry (angle, anchor points, tension)
- Recover safely with or without winch equipment
- Maintain recovery gear and know your rig’s limitations
Next Level Off-Road –– Take command of the terrain in your Bronco
This experience focuses on skill-building for real-world trail driving and terrain response strategies with the expert guidance of a Bronco Off-Roadeo Trail Guide. Take a deeper dive into top-requested topics, like line selection, spotting, and maximizing the use of the technology in your vehicle.
Key Skills Covered
- Read terrain and pick safe, effective lines
- Use G.O.A.T. Modes and Trail Control with intent
- Engage and understand electronic locking differentials
- Maximize visibility with Rock Crawl Camera and spotter communication
- Execute smooth ascents, descents, and breakover management
- Maintain mechanical sympathy (throttle/brake finesse, traction control)
- Content will be modified based on vehicles present
Both programs are priced at $495 (plus tax) per vehicle. This registration fee includes bringing up to three guests to share in the adventure. If you’re a Bronco Nation Premium member, you get exclusive savings with the code provided on your subscription page! If you’re not yet a member, you can sign up and gain benefits like this plus others including X-Plan pricing, tire and hotel discounts, and more.
Our First-Hand Experience
Cameron and I chose New Hampshire, since the other options at the time were going to be more of a hike from our home bases in Michigan. For local(ish) events, I’ll take my Bronco, but usually, we have a Bronco Nation Bronco to drive off-road. This is what happened for Bring Your Own Bronco. I didn’t bring my 2-door; instead, we completed the day in a 2025 Marsh Gray 4-door Badlands with Sasquatch Package known as Kale by mid-day. The name is an important detail, as you may be asked to use a call sign on the radios, and you don’t want to be caught off-guard like I was! Good thing everyone helps everyone at Bronco Off-Roadeo, and one of our group mates spiced up “tail” for me, turning my last-Bronco position into the Kale Tail.
When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by onsite staff, and they will help you get checked in. Make sure you arrive with a full tank of gas and a digital or printed version of your reservation confirmation email. Bring your license and proof of vehicle registration/insurance into Basecamp with you so you don’t have to go back out to your Bronco.
After Cam and I completed check-in, we met with our guide, Evan, and he directed us where to park while we waited for the rest of our group. You can use this time to air down (ask your guide recommended tire pressure if you’re unsure or need help). If you have a trailer hitch, bike rack, or even removable mud flaps, you’ll want to take these off before arrival; there’s limited time for vehicle adjustments, so pull any roof panels or put your soft top back if you like to ride that way before you show up, as well.
Know before you go: Bring Your Own Bronco FAQs
From there, we did introductions, and Evan did a quick walk-around inspection of the vehicles to make sure nothing was leaking or dangling. Like the owner experience at Bronco Off-Roadeo, you will be provided with a radio. We did a quick sound check, and within minutes, we were in our Broncos headed out on the trails to start Advanced Recovery.
Takeaway #1: You get right into the action.
For both programs, there is no ORX course where you watch and learn from station to station. Instead, your guide will call out reminders about transfer case settings, G.O.A.T. Modes, and how the Bronco toolbox of sway bar disconnect and lockers work as you roll. Getting right into it is great for those familiar with their Bronco and off-roading, and it’s not alienating for those still gaining experience thanks to a guide on the radio helping each step of the way.
Takeaway #2: These programs are hands-on, personal applications for your experience, equipment, and Bronco.
Within about 10 minutes on the trail, Evan had already purposely dug his Bronco into loose soil so we could start the recovery training, and we were gloved up, getting dirty.
Traction boards were first. Since the groups are kept purposely small, every owner and guest can get hands-on with the fun. Recovery tools and techniques were handled the same way as using your Bronco: Know a lot? Move on to what you don’t know. Have questions? Your guide and group will work through them together. Our time was extremely 1:1 feeling, well-worth the price of admission for that alone, because the experience was honed to taking us from the level we were at and bumping that up. Nothing felt slow or redundant.
Next, we moved on to winching. The lead vehicle will have all the necessary recovery equipment, including a winch, so don’t worry if your Bronco is not equipped with one.
Sidenote: Do bring your own gloves though, so they fit well. If you don’t have a pair and have some time, you can find recovery equipment in the Bronco Nation gear store, which you can use your member discount on. Otherwise, buy some locally and bring them with you.
Evan walked us through the mechanics of the winch, making sure we were comfortable pulling line, and gave us safety reminders while we practiced and asked questions. Then it was time to get stuck again.
We worked through rigging and single and double line pulls, using our own Broncos and his. I’ve read a lot about winching and watched others do it. But I learn best and feel best when I can complete something with my own hands. Within the hour, I went from “I am unsure I could actually do this right” to “I could correctly assess what I need to do and safely winch a vehicle.” I’m a perfectionist, so after the program, I immediately messaged my friends saying we need to pick one of the locations and do it together. Practice cements learnings and makes perfect!
Finally, we finished with going over kinetic ropes and trying dynamic recoveries, again working through soft and hard shackles attachments, recovery points, speed, and safety. We got a feel for being pulled and doing the pulling, another thing I had head knowledge of but was not comfortable performing on someone else for the first time in an uncontrolled environment.
With that, we were done, and headed back to Basecamp. The four hours flew by, but I was incredibly satisfied with everything I had tried. I now have a physical baseline to go off of and improve on.
Luckily, the fun wasn’t over for Cameron and I or our group mates, as we were all signed up for the second experience, Next Level Off-Road.
Takeaway #3: There is value in either program, despite experience. You’ll learn, and you’ll have fun doing what the Bronco is meant to do.
For Next Level Off-Road, we were joined by two more Broncos, and we ran through introductions again. In both sessions, Evan made sure to ask us what we wanted to work on personally so he could keep that in mind, and we were quickly on our way.
We had a mix of 2- and 4-doors, Sasquatch and non-Sasquatch, dual lockers and rear only, and even manual and automatic transmissions. All the drivers had attended Off-Roadeo before, but that is not a prerequisite. I’ll cover best ways to attend shortly, so keep reading!
Next Level Off-Road is more of your classic Bronco Off-Roadeo experience, driving the trails and working over increasingly more difficult areas. We worked through 4H, 4L, and 4A areas, did climbs and descents, maneuvered ruts and rock gardens, and got the Broncos on three wheels.
We were in and out of our Broncos, looking at lines, cheering each other on, and by the end of the time, spotting each other. It was practice, but it just felt like fun, with happy owners and guests –– a great time doing things we love.
Is Bring Your Own Bronco for You?
So, should you attend?
If you’re like me and have not had in-depth, hands-on training with recoveries, absolutely do Advanced Recovery. Even if you’re self-trained and have completed real-life recoveries, you may still benefit, since the experience covers both self-recovery and vehicle-assisted recoveries, and all the basics of gear. Additionally, we all know recovery is a serious part of off-roading, where people can be hurt if things go wrong, so training in a more controlled environment will help you keep your cool when you or someone else gets stuck out on a drive, where weather, danger, and injury may be added in.
And with Next Level Off-Road, despite my experience, we were still doing obstacles I wouldn’t tackle without a spotter, and areas where I would want the front cameras on my own Bronco at minimum. For me, where I’m at in my abilities, this experience felt like less of a learning time and more like another great day on the trails where I could work on things I already knew. It was not boring; I am simply more familiar with what was covered. It was such a practical, enjoyable four hours.
Oh, and don’t be afraid about taking your own Bronco on the trails! There was no damage all day; no pinstripes or dents, and I didn’t even hear metal on rock, so if anyone kissed their underside on the terrain, it was nothing serious and outside what the Bronco is meant to do.
Would I pay to do both these experiences again? I would, and I will. Which brings me to strategies on attending.
When Should I Go to Bring Your Own Bronco, and Who Should I Go With?
My recommendations on attending: If you can, do Bronco Off-Roadeo first. If your credit was already used by a previous owner or has expired, and you don’t have experience off-road, you may want to try the Half-Day Adventure first, where you can learn the basics in one of Bronco Off-Roadeo’s vehicles.
If you’re ready to go to Bronco Off-Roadeo and want to expand your fun, do it the same weekend! Many people already drive their Broncos to the location, so you would be able to practice what you learned in Off-Roadeo’s Bronco in your own while the information is still fresh in your mind.
Or, make a trip out of it and try a new location! While I think you can have a great time no matter what, I’d suggest getting a group of friends together for two reasons:
- You may have less risk of the day canceling and having to be rescheduled because people dropped out. You can read the FAQs here, but there is a minimum number of vehicles required.
- You can arrange your group to have similar skill levels and even Bronco configurations, so you can escalate your skills in a way that lets you get the most out of the experience.
Call your friends, ask who is going in a forum thread, or make plans as a group in the Bronco Club discussion pages to get out there together. And if you are arriving on your own or with guests, like we did, you will still have a blast. I hope I get the chance to wheel with other attendees we met that day again, and considering that they had all been to other Off-Roadeo events and some plan for more, chances look good!
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