Offroad Class Instruction

Who here has participated in an offroad instructional course?
Which class did you attend?
What did you like/dislike?
Did you learn anything that you couldn't from an internet forum, video, or trial and error?
What did you learn?
Do you feel like you got your money's worth?

From a practical standpoint, my truck is my daily driver and I'd rather not test my self-educated knowledge, go past my limits, then break something expensive, or just look like a goof. If I did do something wrong on the trail, I'd want to know why and how to prevent it from happening. Furthermore, it's because I'm drinking and I can't go for a drive right now.

 

Go out with a group, let them know you are inexperienced.

That seems to be the general suggestion around here.

 

Watch some good YouTube videos of what to do and what not to do, especially in situations where you might get in over your head or stuck. Panicking with the steering and/or throttle is one of the worst things you can do.

I've never really heard of 'offroad classes' our training but the best way to learn is to just get out there and do it...start off easy and work your way up. Never go alone when you're still new to it, and always bring your tools with you. So many people don't bring their tools with them and I don't understand why...there are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong on the trail and having even just a basic tool kit can save you a lot of headache.

Once every few trips or so I always end up needing my tools on the trail, either for my own truck or someone else's in the group that didn't bring any.

 

Just send it..

 

Hahaha got it! Knowing me, this will lead me to getting more and more parts for my truck. Not upgrades, but repairs. LOL

There are some companies out there that teach offroad driving skills that have experience on how to get the information across in a learning environment where there's no pressure to keep up with a group. In my mind I imagine going on a trip with a group will be just like group mountain bike rides. The ones with more experience tend to leave the pack with the noobs behind playing catch up, missing important lessons along the way. A lot of pressure being the inexperienced one in those situations, where you start to lose focus on learning, and just try to not slow anyone else down or embarrass yourself. Not that I would never go out with a group or unprepared. I've taken my truck to an OHV park before, and been in the dirt several times. I was just seeing if anyone on here has done an instructional class and what their experience was like.

 

That's how one breaks stuff. OP go out and take your time, the most important thing is knowing how to pick a good line to get you over/ threw an obstacle. I love driving threw a giant mud hole and coming out with only mud on my tires when everyone else tore threw it and are covered. Or crawling up a loose rocky hill where others had to bounce their way up it.

 

Sounds like the more fun way to go about it!

 

slow is smooth, smooth is efficient, efficient is fast

 

Far and away the "best" thing to do is to take a class, but that's not always practical for people. A close 2nd is just going out and driving. There's only so much you can get from a 4 hour class at your local off-road park. The more you drive, the more comfortable you'll get with wheel placement, line picking, and the limits of both you and your truck.

If there's a 4x4 club nearby, that's a great way to gain experience as well. Most clubs have trail days where you don't even really need to bring your rig, you can just ride with others and check it out, see their lines, and witness recovery techniques.

Warn, Hi-Lift and other recovery equipment companies usually have classes they sponsor as well.

Going out and learning from others is great, but has limitations. Who's to say those people are doing it "correctly" or even "safely". I guess all that is relative, though. Some people think using a chain on a dynamic recovery is safe...

So just go out and drive some forest roads with friends. Have recovery options and know first aid. Don't start out on the black diamonds because you have a 3rd gen with crawl control. That stuff doesn't make you a better driver. Start on the easy trails and work your way up.

Take it easy. Take it slow. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

 

It all depends on the group dynamics. I've never been one to leave a straggler behind, mountain bikes, trucks, whatever. If the group I was with is fast, we ride fast, but if there are a bunch of noobs, we go slower. I've had just as much fun riding balls to the wall with fellow racer buddies (back when I raced) as I have tooling around with my wife or my son.

The point isn't to leave people behind just so you can push your own limits. The point is for everyone to have a good time. You can't do that if you leave the noobs behind and rail.

If you're on a group run and there isn't a clear "hard trail/easy trail" type distinction, don't ride/drive with those people again, they aren't any fun and won't teach you anything.

 

Thanks capt obvious...

 

your welcome

 

Through...FTLOG!

 

You don’t say where you live or what you are driving (auto vs manual trans, 2w vs 4x etc). However, driving on the beach is fairly easy way to learn. Much of what you learn (and buy) is transferred to off-roading. Air the tires down (e.g., air pressure gauge, portable compressor), emergency extraction (e.g., shovels, tow ropes, shackles, jack, gloves, traction board, etc).

Go with a group and let them know up front that you are a novice (they will figure it out anyway). YouTube has a lot of good and some bad videos.

 

Just Do It!

 

I don't learned good spelling.

 

I would watch youtube videos as mentioned above, both on safe recovery techniques and wheeling tips and tricks as well. Then use that good base level of knowledge and expand on it at the class. I say attend it, because worst case scenario you waste 4 hours and maybe $100 but I don't think that'd be the case at all. Then start going out with local guys who are aware of your skill level and build up from there.

That's what I did (minus the class) and it's worked out great.

 

If you live somewhere that off-road training is available, then I'd think you could find groups or clubs of experienced drivers to go out and 'wheel with. I'd rather learn through OJT than in a class. That said, if a class is your only option, do it and have fun.

 

For driving skills, there's certainly no replacement for just going out and driving, however, that's honestly only a small portion of the skills you should have as an off-roader. The other skills are recovery and first aid. And for that, there is really no replacement for a professional class.

The problem with youtube or other random people is that who's to say they're experts? I've seen videos of self professed experts telling you how to use a chain in a dynamic recovery. If you didn't know any better, you might see that and think it was an acceptable method.

 

Overland Experts (OEX) classes in N.C. are awesome! They will give you more than you can even handle and be happy to help you with your questions long after the class is over. My dad and I took the course years ago and they let me sit through it again a while later. The next year after that my wife took the course and loved it. I've taken their 1/2 day winch course and am signed up for their 1/2 day hi lift course in October.
They have developed a great 101 class that will show you what you and your stock vehicle is really capable of.
I cannot recommend them enough.