Overland Expo west 2017

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
Ok, you guys talked me into it. I went to Cabela's and bought $300 worth of clothes. Khakis with lots of pockets , plaid shirts with lots of pockets, camo jackets and lots of socks. I'm ready for overlanding. I'm beginning by changing my oil. I'll document that in my blog.

btw, mid 30's for overnight temps.
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Ok, you guys talked me into it. I went to Cabela's and bought $300 worth of clothes. Khakis with lots of pockets , plaid shirts with lots of pockets, camo jackets and lots of socks. I'm ready for overlanding. I'm beginning by changing my oil. I'll document that in my blog.

btw, mid 30's for overnight temps.

It was 33F near Old Lincoln Highway in Nevada exactly a week ago.
 

emmodg

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2006
4,273
1
Ok, you guys talked me into it. I went to Cabela's and bought $300 worth of clothes. Khakis with lots of pockets , plaid shirts with lots of pockets, camo jackets and lots of socks. I'm ready for overlanding. I'm beginning by changing my oil. I'll document that in my blog.

btw, mid 30's for overnight temps.

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!
 

Mongo

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2004
5,731
2
59
I may go just to see the lastest cool overlanding attire...you forgot about the multi-color RotopaX water and fuel containers bolted all over the rack with Engel fridge mount that lowers to the ground
 

garrett

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2004
10,931
5
53
Middleburg, VA
www.blackdogmobility.com
I don't get the whole MaxTraxx thing. Sure, they work. But like a Hi-Lift jack, you'll never use them.

LOL. That's because you don't drive anything but some gravel roads.

The Hi Lift is likely the best money you can spend dollar for dollar if you spend a decent amount of time on the trails. Especially once you learn everything you can do with it and distance yourself from people that say it's a dangerous tool.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
I don't get the whole MaxTraxx thing. Sure, they work. But like a Hi-Lift jack, you'll never use them.

When you drive a truck that doesn't have much in the way of mods, these can have some practicality. I've only used them once on a trail that ended up being tougher than expected. Only they were the waffle boards, which at least have more functionality. It was a big time saver (relative to a winch) to get me past a slick spot on a climb - it just took a couple minutes to pull the boards out of my buddy's truck, stick them under my wheels, and return them when I got through the tricky spot. They are no replacement for a winch, but they are handy for times when you have a single, small obstacle to get over or are stuck in sand. The Maxtraxx are limited utility since they are only traction aids whereas the waffle boards are strong enough to use as bridging. That being said, I haven't found them useful enough to spend $200 on a pair of waffle boards myself.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
70
On Kennith's private island
I've owned a Hi-Lift for probably 15-20 years. I used it to jack up my storage building once.

In all the places I've wheeled, hard-core to recreation, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen the Hi-Lift come out. I'm not saying it can't do things, just as the MaxTraxx do what they do, it's just a tool you never use and only takes up space.
 

garrett

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2004
10,931
5
53
Middleburg, VA
www.blackdogmobility.com
Something like a Pul-Pal is what I'd consider a tool that has very limited use - not a Hi Lift. A lot of people mount the Hi Lift in the most ridiculous places, thus making it an inconvenience to use. It's like any other piece of gear - you have to know when and where to use it based on how safe the application. Of course we're going to use all these pieces of gear over a week of teaching vs. some recreational person out for the day.

People tend to default to the winch because they paid $600 for it and will always find a need for it, which doesn't mean it's the right tool for the job. But hey it worked, so it's all good.

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.

I've had groups show me traction mats they made overseas before their mission that only last a few days, but they worked. Some plywood and nuts/bolts works pretty good too.

MAXTRAX are a bit pricey and their lifespan is limited, since it's made of plastic. We use them a significant amount, but then again we're running 5-6 trucks a day, for 5 days. Our gear gets used more in a few trainings that the recreational person does in a year.
 

squirt

Well-known member
Nov 13, 2008
824
13
Los Angeles
Am I the only one that finds the Hi-Lift to be the most convenient jack for general use? No need to crawl under the truck and place a bottle jack. Stick it under the slider and have the whole side of the truck off the ground in under a minute. I wouldn't trust it with any part of my body under the truck, but the same is true for any jack.
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
I use my hi-lift quite often, around the house and yard. Never once off-road.

Do you guys use any of the various metal "sand ladders" available?
 

garrett

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2004
10,931
5
53
Middleburg, VA
www.blackdogmobility.com
I use my hi-lift quite often, around the house and yard. Never once off-road.

Do you guys use any of the various metal "sand ladders" available?

Yes have used them extensively. Along with "marshall mats"/landing mats, which are quite similar. They work fine, but you have to layer them up to bridge with them. The don't provide a lot of traction, but they do help in keep the suspension flat when laid out properly.
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
In all the places I've wheeled, hard-core to recreation, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen the Hi-Lift come out. I'm not saying it can't do things, just as the MaxTraxx do what they do, it's just a tool you never use and only takes up space.
+1.
I think I remember ALL uses of my Hi-Lift in close to 20 years. Every single use to lift a long-travel-suspension vehicle would be an OSHA violation were it for work purposes.
 

jim-00-4.6

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2005
2,037
6
61
Genesee, CO USA
Ok, you guys talked me into it. I went to Cabela's and bought $300 worth of clothes. Khakis with lots of pockets , plaid shirts with lots of pockets, camo jackets and lots of socks. I'm ready for overlanding. I'm beginning by changing my oil. I'll document that in my blog.

btw, mid 30's for overnight temps.
My camo socks have velcro-secured pockets.
And a place to put a small, useless shackle on each side.

I'm taking my "rig" to the dealer for an oil change; there's no one better than "factory-trained" technicians at the dealer!
Plus, I can wear all my tacticool gear at the dealer, and I fit right in with the rest of the douche-canoes and cockholsters!
 

Mongo

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