Rec gear vs sliders, wild animal survival tips and short stories, confusion, and things!

+1 for getting recovery gear before sliders or armor.

Also I noticed some talk about using a hi lift as a winch. I've done it. It sucks but it saved my fucking ass big time and if I had to I'd do it again. I was using a kinetic recovery strap because it's all I had. It was dangerous and I took 1-2 feet of stretch out of the strap before I even moved my truck an inch. That night when I got home I bought some looped low-stretch polyester tow/recovery straps. They're cheap and it's important to have both.

 

Sure it was Sequoia and not King's Canyon? Where the 180 ends? About 1/4 mile from the Wilderness Permit Station?

Anyway, that's where we saw a bear and 2 cubs. I took a video and I think I hear some Filipinos in it. At the time I was watching the bear but there was about 8 people around.

 

I got these traction boards off Amazon, they're basically knock off X Bulls...same design. 100 bucks, I've used them a few times and they've worked well, no damage to them.

CPOWACE 2PCS Snow Sand Mud Recovery Traction Track Boards Mat Emergency Tires Traction Mats Track Trapped (Orange)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07N2LKS6Z?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I wouldn't spend $300+ on Maxtrax

 

Ye, it was a trail leading to Moro rock.

 

So close, but not quite. Of course there are lots of bears & cubs in Sequoia & Kings, so I guess while you spotted one in Sequoia we saw another in Kings Canyon.

 

My wife and I were out there in Seqouia and Kings Canyon a few months ago, beautiful area. Didn't get to explore much offroad though unfortunately, although you're pretty much limited to fire roads inside the park. But the dispersed camping out there is amazing.

 

When I drove all the way down to King Canyon I read a sign saying it was " Bear active"

 

It was my first time dispersed camping I had to borrow some Wifi from a lodge few miles south so I can get my fire permit.

 

I was probably at the same lodge using their Wi-Fi for the same reason haha. I already had my permit but forgot to print it out so I had to download it.
That lodge gave us a dispersed camping map for the Kings Canyon area that was super helpful. Except we initially found a spot right along the river, and afterward discovered the sign that said no fires allowed. So we packed up and headed up a ways to one of the fire roads off the highway and camped back there.

Unfortunately alot of other people had the same idea so we had to drive all the way back to where the road ended (was closed) and camp there but it was still really nice

 

Ahh I just took a screen shot of my fire permit. I wish I camped in Kings Canyon!!! The drive was beautiful!!! Best part seeing bunch of modified Taco jeeps and other trucks driving up and down the Canyon!!! What other national parks have you been to?

 

With my truck? Not too many unfortunately. Been to most of the CA state parks, there's some great camping up in Big Sur, the Redwoods, and just about every state forest down here in SoCal. And of course the desert but that's my least favorite place to be.

My favorite so far has been out by Mammoth...Coyote Flats has some beautiful views, tons of remote camping and some really good offroading. Everything from easy fire roads to black diamond trails.

 

I only been to Big Sur once! few years back, But I have soo many other places I want to visit like Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Death valley, Moab, Sedona and MORE!!!

 

Yeah Moab and Zion are on my list to do sometime soon (hopefully)...we have a baby on the way in January so I'd better hurry lol

 

Zion wasn't that great (imo) TOO MANY People!! they packed us in the shuttle like pigs LOL. I didn't mind but after a long hike sweating in the hot heat you feel some type of way LOL. But when we got there most of the big trails were closed due to high water levels " Narrows" and a rock slide "observation" Sooo everyone went to angels landing. Our last night we had 30MPH Winds felt like someone was shaking our tent ever 10min. But don't let me experience ruin it for you!!! I would give it another shot! maybee.....

 

Yeah we did Zion as a family reunion thing a couple years ago on Thanksgiving...it was pretty crowded. We hiked the narrows through the river and did Angels Landing (scary as f*#@) Didn't take my truck, we just all packed into a big rental van lol. But I remember hearing you could drive the park and camp throughout in some areas I think. But yeah crowds are usually what ruins most any camping experience.

 

Congratulation!! hope the baby comes out healthy and strong!!!! and drives a tacoma or a 4runner please. XOXO

 

I got one night in at Zion luckily people were leaving. You guys should check out Zion Kolob! its not busy The drive is amazing and crazy view at the end. make sure you go during the golden hour.

 

"good" and "cheap" rarely go hand in hand. I certainly wouldn't rely on one of the "cheap" ones as my primary recovery gear.

The come-alongs that are strong enough to actually be useful for pulling out a stuck vehicle (i.e. MORE than your vehicle weight) can be pretty damn expensive I've seen them for over a grand (actual recovery gear, not the crap you find at harbor freight). I found this one for <$300, and has a 5300 pull rating. That's less than the minimum recommended winch weight rating, but it's better than nothing. I saw one on Amazon that supposedly has an 8000# rating, and only costs $50. I think I'd pass on that one, lol...

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/arb-m...ogle_1751565291_68431452157__pla-738008500984

Several others cost the same or more than a good electric winch. This one cost more than my 10,000# Warn.

$1,050 JET 3-Ton Grip Puller with 66-Foot Cable (JG-300A)

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...prToken=-psscczX8MOAh4Ela.468Q&slotNum=2&th=1

 

I have been thinking of these subjects with respect to my shiny new Tacoma. I own a couple Hi-lift jacks and used it to save my ass in a 2wd Dodge I once owned (in the early 80s). I had a front receiver hitch on the dodge, was bad stuck and had the desperation thing well covered. I jacked the front up to the top rung of that Hi-lift (scary dangerous beasts) and pushed the front of the truck over to the side. 2 more cycles of that and I was out of trouble. I did bend the jack into a bit of an arc. It still works.

 

I just got back from a 3300+ mile road trip with the family to Yellowstone/Grand Teton, then up thru ID, WA, OR coast, then down to Redwoods NP and back to Sacramento.

Only thing we didn't see in Yellowstone were wolves. Bison are cool at first, then start looking more like cows after a while. Traffic jams for bison (ones OFF the road) got old real quick. I suggest seeing the geyser basin with everyone else, then getting away from the crowds for at least a day or two. We took the kids to the way north area of the park to the Bacon Rind Creek Trail. There was NO ONE until we saw one couple hiking in as we were leaving. It's an easy couple miles to the park boundary, but that's as far as we made it. Had a GIANT Elk eyeing us for a while.

Crater Lake is cool, but honestly didn't seem like there was lot to do there, we only had a day there so couldn't really "explore" much - hiked around the rim a little bit, then headed back (this was before kids). In the end, it's a big lake. If you like sticking your head in ovens, you'll like Death Valley and Moab. Visit those in the winter! And if you see Moab, see Arches, too! If you go to DV, definitely hit up Devil's Racetrack. Craters of the Moon is surreal, it really is like being on the moon. Don't go in summer if you don't like heat, though. Great Basin was cool too. We went for dark skies for a meteor shower, got rained out, lol...

Glacier, Zion (but I hear this is a real zoo), Bryce, Grand Staircase are next on my list.

Anyway, back to recovery gear...