Overland Expo west 2017

Jan 3, 2005
11,745
70
On Kennith's private island
The traction mats and bridging ladders work great as well. Regularly spending 10 seconds to throw a mat down, will save 10-15 min of getting the winch out. Again it's a matter of "hey I got this", vs. let me take a few seconds to prep the site.

LOL. 10 seconds to rip out the mats and 10-15 minutes to use the winch? Hmmmm.
 

SCSL

Well-known member
Apr 27, 2005
4,144
152
Who would want the hassle of a winch when you could bask in the convince of a Hi-Lift come along?
 

emmodg

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2006
4,273
1
Who would want the hassle of a winch when you could bask in the convince of a Hi-Lift come along?

You are so right. However; if you instsist on using your winch, for heaven's sake - avail yourself of this handy app brought to you by the I4WDTA!

Here are the simple instructions:

" Safe-Xtract has launched a "lite" version of their Vehicle Recovery Android Application. One can search for "winch extraction" or "Safe-Xtract" and the App will be revealed.
Alternatively one can go to this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?
An iOS version will be released shortly too.
Safe-Xtract is a veteran owned company. The Safe-Xtract Vehicle Recovery Android Application price is $1.99 and Safe-Xtract intends to donate part of the proceeds to select not for profits to support, among other causes, veterans with TBI and PTSD.
Herewith the instructions of using the Safe-Xtract Vehicle Recovery Android Application launched on Google Play Store.
Inputs
1) Enter the stuck vehicle weight if known or select an appropriate vehicle from the drop down menu
2) Enter the slope / gradient in degrees of the stuck vehicle
3) Enter the total number of wheels of the stuck vehicle
4) Enter the number of missing/damaged/buried (above the wheel centerline) wheels of the stuck vehicle
5) Enter the stuck vehicle winch capacity or the winch capacity of the extract vehicle
6) From the drop down menu, enter the ground condition of the stuck vehicle
Outputs
The Safe-Xtract Vehicle Recovery Android Application outputs provide:
1) The Total Resistance "TR" measured in lbs.
2) The recommended winch layer for either single and/or double line pull sufficient to overcome TR to winch xtract the stuck vehicle
Help Menu
The Help Menu provides:
1) Safety Tips
2) Winch Hand Signals
3) About the Safe-Xtract App "
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
I hope that apparel contains lots of velcro and zippers! You better have some coyote brown and black clothing as well! Did you get a floppy wide-brim hat? How are you fixed with lots of shit attached to your belt? Multi-tool, knife, and cell phone. Got some soft shackles you can dangle off of your tactical pack? It better be a Mystery Ranch! Maxtrax, do you have your Maxtrax ??? Are you slumming it on the ground or do you have a RTT? Don't expect many people to walk by your rig and ask stupid questions if you've just got some old tent on the ground beside it! And for shit's sake - DO NOT go around with some plastic water container! If you don't have a YETI or Hydroflask than just keep your narrow ass at home!

I saw the need for a jacket with velcro on the the sleeves. Where am I to put my patches?
I do have a floppy hat; ex military boonie hat in Digital Woodland. Helps keep the sun off my neck.
My tactical pack is a kid's backback with a green reflector from Glendale Family Bike Ride. I use it when riding my bike to work. Small so I don't overload it with stuff.
Yeah, I'm a ground dweller. Only a Kodiak Canvas tent.
I forgot my hydroflask at home (along with the butter and measuring cups). Had a Ozark Trails cup I won at a raffle for drinks. Only used it for my Coke headed up.
Yes, my ass is narrow. :)


Mongo said:
used it a lot, worked out great to work the suspension on the d2 after deciding that 28" inches of wheel travel was cool...but also have seen it almost rip the the jaw off someone who shouldn't have been allowed to use a bottle opener, let alone a hi-lift, it was a pretty expensive helicopter ride for the dude and now speaks with a permentant lisp

I have literally watched Frank and co winch a D1 back on it's wheels using a hi-lift.
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
So a wrap up of OX2017West.

Holy Shit was it huge! It was a mile from my camp to the main exhibitor area. Couple hundred exhibitors and vendors in three areas. I think the booth arrangement could have been better, especially in the grassy area. Some of the rows kind of melded into one or dead ended. I walked a couple of miles a day, opting for the shuttle at the end of the day. 7000 ft altitude really killed me.

Food would have been better if I remembered the butter for the scalloped potatoes. Food trucks were on site for lunch. Montana BBQ and 3s in the Trees being my favorite. I found out brisket tacos are a thing and delicious. Food trucks were overwhelmed with people, lines for each one. Some shutting down early for lack of ingredients. I heard rumors of a small store on-site but I didn't see it. I made do with smoked sausage and spaghetti/meatballs for dinner.

The bar. Holy Hell The Bar. Old Time Tanker Beer had their gorgeous Mack truck with 5 local beers on tap. Plus a fully stocked liquor bar. It was the main attraction for Happy Hour. The film festival was good, although I had to leave early so I didn't fall asleep in my chair.

Camping... oh my. There was a fenced off area around the (empty) horse stables, an area for over-sized vehicles that couldn't fit between the trees plus an overflow camping area. Since I had a small trailer, they directed me to the overflow. I was up against the fence, so it was open woods behind me. I had 6 neighbors (very) close by. When I walked through the main camp area I considered myself luck. They were crammed in like sardines.

By mid-day Saturday, the parking lots for day passes was full and they were using the sides of the roads and the over-sized lot for parking everyone. Grace H told me they expected 12k people. I wouldn't doubt if there were more. I left Saturday evening, so I don't know how packed Sunday was.

Classes were good. Overall good information given. I didn't have too many classes booked because of scheduling late in April. It took all of the 5 minutes allotted to get between stuff, especially if they were on opposite ends of the show.

Land Rover and BFG were onsite with test tracks. They were in the center of the old horse track (hence the stables in the camp area). Camel Trophy hands-on area was in the same area. I took a new RR on the trail. Had massage option for driver and passenger. I could get used to that shit. I didn't have a chance to get on the BFG track. The wait was too long when I checked. CT had a trench dug and some advanced recovery areas set up. I saw their roll-over vehicle was a 4-runner with an exo-cage.

I wished for club or OX sponsored trail runs. We were 50 miles from Sedona, but I'm sure there were trails nearby to run.
I made it home with no major purchases. Got some ideas for packing the trailer or combining gear. Some minor bugs to track down with the truck, but it was a good time.


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Mongo

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
5,731
2
59
The bar almost made it worth it, was up on Friday and while it wasn't that crowded then, still ended up parking about a mile from the site. Had a couple of meetings that went as expected and took 5 trucks, including a earthroamer thru Broken Arrow. I'm floored by the amount of companies fabricating big dollar shit. Some of the shit was going for more than 2k for a poorly made POS bumper. Bailed Saturday AM, but as I was leaving the line to get in was backed up almost 2 miles. Stopped at one campsite where literally 6 trucks were parked in a typical Park Service tent site, And next site over had even more trucks packed in...why people didn't just go for the thousands of acres of dispersed camping within 2 miles was beyond me...
Much better site, they still need major help on dealing with crowds, how to park them, how to move them and how to provide adequate food for the masses. The line for food was 20 to 40 minutes on Friday, so I couldn't imagine how long it was with a big crowd.
Same classes, same experts and I'll only say the Camel Trophy guys desperately need some new material...
 

emmodg

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2006
4,273
1
Did everybody learn how to right a rolled Discovery? Huh? Did they?
 

Mongo

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
5,731
2
59

In what sense? the experts? watched a guy try and show proper use of a winch and was holding the cable (not rope) near the front of the winch while he was spooling it in, had gloves on aand was inches from destroying his hand if the gloves caught on a spur in the cable...

The CT stuff is cool, but not practical...but its the same old same old
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
In what sense? the experts? watched a guy try and show proper use of a winch and was holding the cable (not rope) near the front of the winch while he was spooling it in, had gloves on aand was inches from destroying his hand if the gloves caught on a spur in the cable...

The CT stuff is cool, but not practical...but its the same old same old

Maybe it was "proper use of a winch, 28 years ago lost in the jungle after three days endless mud and no sleep and no one gives a damn"
 

emmodg

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2006
4,273
1
In what sense? the experts? watched a guy try and show proper use of a winch and was holding the cable (not rope) near the front of the winch while he was spooling it in, had gloves on aand was inches from destroying his hand if the gloves caught on a spur in the cable...

The CT stuff is cool, but not practical...but its the same old same old

If I were Trump - I'd ban any and all off road "instructors". I was one for years and I came to the conclusion that NO ONE is an expert. Everybody and his brother buys a truck, drives MOAB and then hangs a shingle. It is this or they write a check, take a test and get a certificate from someone like I4WDTA. The "industry" is perhaps the largest collection of men and women trying oh-so-hard to create some kind of relevance in their own lives.
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,643
244
If I were Trump - I'd ban any and all off road "instructors". I was one for years and I came to the conclusion that NO ONE is an expert. Everybody and his brother buys a truck, drives MOAB and then hangs a shingle. It is this or they write a check, take a test and get a certificate from someone like I4WDTA. The "industry" is perhaps the largest collection of men and women trying oh-so-hard to create some kind of relevance in their own lives.

Don't you dare talk about Garet that way!
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
I personally know several I4wdta trainers and consider them my friends. I would trust their judgement over anyone else's. They have proven their knowledge in my presence on more than one occasion.