So, in response to hearing a lot of beautiful things mostly true about exploration fun in the Great Outdoors, you finally bought a four-wheel drive truck, intending to bring it deep into the realm of outdoors. In fact, you had it equipped with off road tires, and when some friend suggested you try beadlock wheels, you did that also. And to be fair, your rig was a good thing to see, and many say, in the offroading trips, too. Most probably, that is, because you also heard that much of offroading pleasure depends on the driver, and you are a newbie…

So?

The most appropriate thing for you is to start your offroading lessons slowly. Initially you have to master controlling your truck, so drive it around and get an intimate feel of its features. You need to know the strength of the brakes, its speed and power in the various gears, turning characteristics and so on. When you feel you can play around with the vehicle, go offroad. There are a lot of trail systems tested and mapped for four-by-four tourists such as in the Eastern Sierra area. If those are too far for you, get acquainted an experienced offroader and ask him to guide you to a nearby location to learn offroading.

What to bring

Advanced offroaders take a winch, but as you will not go in too deep, a levering bar and a shovel would be sufficient to get you off many small errors, plus the usual provisions for a long trip. Although the weather may be warm, take along some cold-weather clothes, for the ‘just in case’. Reserve water and preserved food will not hurt; you need some load in the truck anyway. If there is, go with other offroaders in teams, even neophytes like you, for safety. At the very least you are assure of a ride home.

Easy does it

Once you get to the unpaved road, the compulsion to floor the gas pedal will be very powerful and most yield. Do not. Even four-wheel vehicles behave differently on unpaved roads, and you are as yet unacclimatized with the dissimilarities in control and performance of your vehicle in such situations. Ditto with the area; you could be, in other words, in ‘hostile environment’. If the terrain gets a little difficult, switch to four-by-four mode right away: it beats getting out of the two-wheel form when you are losing traction. This is your initial run, so be very wary about all things around you, the truck and the trail.

Some reminders

When climbing a steep gradient, the rule was to use the lowest gear for good tire ‘bite’, but it also means change to the highest gear that gives good progress without stalling the engine. Too low gear may mean too much power and hence, spinning traction-less wheels and vanished control. When moving down, use low gear to let the engine to act as brake. Constantly pushing down on the brakes can {lock|stiffen] them and make you slide downwards, particularly on slick surfaces. In unknown and difficult terrain, scouting ahead will let you know which way and how to go, or maybe if you have to proceed at all. There is no law against moving back and going another way.

Last, bear in mind you are there to enjoy the trip, not punish yourself.