A love for Off roading can take you to the weirdest of places, it can easily have you climbing sand dunes in Dubai, making your way up the Rockies in Colorado, and blasting low tides at a sunny beach in California. Off roading is a pretty magical activity for sure. However, there are planet of ways it can go wrong too. You can get stuck in a bog, and experience a steaming engine meltdown. Experience a waterlogged engine bay and a seized engine. All kinds of horrors await the over enthusiastic learner.

When going off the road there are certain things that you should expect and prepare for, and the foremost one is a breakdown. A breakdown is basically when your car refuses to budge an inch because it wants to take a break, or rather already took one. This is not a rare event, cars break down off-road all the time, which is why you need to bring all the essentials such as recovery boards, snacks and a snatch block. The snatch block is a device that will help ease the load on a rope. Often used in recovery situations, it is an absolute lifesaver.

So, let’s get into it. What are some of the tips for off-roading? Well, the first is that speed is your enemy. The problem with speed when it comes to off-roading is several folds. Speed promotes careless mistakes and will also damage your equipment and vehicle. Sure, some speed may be necessary in moderation in order to climb a hill, however an obstacle should not be so devastatingly dangerous that you think the only option is to floor it.

Another tip for you is to put your pride aside. Pride will have your car stuck in a rut that you can’t get out of. Even if you’re a fantastic driver, equipped with the best vehicle, sometimes it’s just not possible to take a certain route. You had might as well swallow your pride and just take an alternate route.

The next point is directly related to the previous one, and it is to stay on the trail. The concept of staying on the trail is important because, trying to make your own path will undoubtedly get you stuck in the mud feeling helpless. In addition, you will do less damage to the scenic nature. Remember that the trail consists of all the people that have come before you. And you would do well to follow it for yourself.

Another point for consideration is that you should probably walk it for yourself. Walking a particularly scary section of the trail not only helps to build your confidence, but also helps you calibrate your inner map, and consciously reinforces what parts of the obstacle to go for. Use this principle liberally when you encounter a water-covered section, if you can’t personally hike through it on foot, there’s no way that your 4×4 will be able to so you had might as well just find an alternate route.