First Road Trip Out West - advice?

Hi TW friends,

I'm located in Connecticut. My wife and I are are planning a road trip out west for September with our Taco TRD OR and roof top tent. Hoping to hit Badlands, Jackson (Teton/Yellowstone), Utah (tbd), Arizona (grand canyon), and Denver (Rocky Mountain). Working remotely through week (Air BNB/with friends) and staying in parks on long weekends.

This is my first trip like this. I'm going back and forth if I need a prinsu roof rack for extra storage (e.g. plano cases, recovery tracks, etc). I'm also wondering if I need recovery tracks/lights bars or if those are just nice to have. I'm not sure how much we will overland vs. just go to main campsites. Consider this more of a weekend warrior rig, but we could get comfortable with getting off the beaten path.

If you have recommendations/advice for places to go, camping, or any gear in general - please share. I have done a ton of TW forum reading, but it's always nice to get some direct advice.

Thank you!

 

I don't know of anyone who regretted being over prepared as far as recovery gear goes, but that said you can always find places to camp that don't require ORV trail riding if you plan ahead.

What tools are you using for finding places to camp when not at AirBnB, etc?

 

Pack a shovel and way to air up / down and you’ll be plenty prepared

 

Watch out for a sweet old lady on a motorized cart. She'll rob you blind

 

This is true - especially the latter. But there may be a budgetary limit to being over-prepared - especially if you find that it's really not your 'thing.'

If this is your first Taco and possibly your first off-road experience, get to know both a bit before going full-bore over-prepared.
Best advice - know your and your vehicle's limitations and stay within them. As you find the things you might want to do you will gain a better sense of what to prepare for next time.

 

I like this comment a lot. Maybe not take too much with you. You will be traveling in an area with really great off road shops, resources and gear. So you can always buy what you need along the way as you need it.

I am a big fan of getting a nice cooler (I have the Yeti, but most coolers work well) and a nice little car camping kit (propane stove, dishes, etc.). That way you can stop along the way and enjoy a nice lunch. Lots of practical suggestion here no doubt, such as simple recovery gear, extra water, etc. so I won't get into that to much. I do think good swim trunks, water shoes and a nice absorbent towel is worth it ... nothing like a good lake or river swim to cool off on a road trip.

What a great trip ... have fun !

 

I've spent summers in Jackson Hole, WY from 1959-1972, and still visit. You're going to have a lot of fun, check out the Cowboy Bar in Jackson. Lots of dirt roads to the east (Togwotee Pass and Gros Ventre canyon near Kelly), south (Pinedale), west. North would be Yellowstone, a must-visit but no off-roading in national parks. Jenny and/or Jackson Lake are in Grand Teton NP and worth a stop, former homes to some Rockefellers who donated large parts of Grand Teton NP to the park service.

 

If you haven't been off road before, then you should find the experienced drivers that could go/follow with you to the trails. Otherwise you may be stuck in the trail. If stuck, the experience drivers with the winch that can pull you out.

If going to west for camping only, that is fine as long as you drive on easy gravel/trail. Not the rock crawling type trails. If you want these types of trails, then ask more drivers to go with you instead of going alone. I recommend that you get the drivers go with you in case you may make mistake by roll over. I have seen truck/trailer roll over in west on YouTube. Before you go out on a trip to west, contact drivers on here to meet up for practice runs at the trails in your area. They will give you tips/advice.

If you are talking about camping at the campgrounds such as rv campgrounds, then ignore my suggestions mentioned above. You can get camping stuff such as stove, lamps, all that stuff.

Roof racks are great.. you can add anything on there whatever suit your needs. Since you are leaving in September, you should order right now, because roof racks may take about 2 weeks before shipping if you don't have it up there. Here is info about lead times: https://prinsu.com/lead-times/ especially the bed racks which takes longer.

Good luck with the trip.

 

When you’re up in the Wyoming/yellow stone/ grand Teton /Jackson hole , north Utah area . There’s no cell service , so bring an old school map. I wish I would have known before

 

I would suggest focusing more on the car camping aspects than anything remotely challenging, in terms of wheeling. Aside from the essentials like food and water, the aspects of comfort, hygiene, and privacy will take priority with your spouse to ensure it's a memorable experience for the better.

With that said and assuming you won't be too remote, the best true upgrade for an offroad experience will be quality all terrain tires with a matching spare wheel and tire - mud terrain tires are overkill for the vast majority and highway tires shouldn't leave pavement. To echo @Shellshock, combine AT tires with a general idea of when to air down, a compressor to air up your tires if you air down, area maps (digital or paper or both), and a shovel.

Lightbars - will you be driving in remote areas at night? Most don't.

Traction boards - good to have, but the likelihood of getting stuck is low of you're prioritizing camping at established sites in parks. If coming up to a 4WD trail, is it rated beyond your skill level or does the terrain just look too challenging? Turn around. The best piece of recovery gear is a second 4WD vehicle traveling with you.

Roof rack - great for additonal storage, but your fuel economy will drop 1-3 mpg on average and there will be increased wind noise, regardless of brand. Pros and cons.

My opinion, but try not to buy into the hype that you need thousands of dollars in gear to go car camping. Keep it simple and have an excellent time!

 

I’m super happy to read everything everyone has said so far. Keeping it simple is key. I’m by no means an off-road expert but I did a 6 day trip over 750 miles off-road and we slept in the dirt and lived out of our rucks. A winch, recovery straps, shovel and air compressor is about all we had. I tell ya that to tell ya this, too many people go way overboard spending/overmodding their trucks trying to bring their whole house and “just-in-case items” with them off-road. Roughing it means not bringing a lot, glamping is not camping. Enjoy your time, bring what you need to live and a handful of comfort items and call it good. Have a good trip!!!

 

^yup exactly

I’ve been all over the country with a fairly basic setup. You don’t need to buy tons of stuff and staying light means you’ll still get reasonable fuel economy. 20mpg vs 10 makes a huge difference on a long trip, plus let’s you cover more ground without having to worry about where your gonna get fuel next.

after I get back from a trip I always look at what I used and didn’t and if there was anything I needed and didn’t have. It’s so easy to pack lots of things “just in case” and never ever use it

 

Nothing beats a paper map. But what I usually do out here is download entire regions/states on Google Maps (free) and Gaia (subscription) locally to my phone. It really helps when service is poor.

 

Also consider a tire repair kit.

 

Zion National Park in Utah is my 3rd favorite after Yellowstone and Yosemite.

 

I like the idea of good coolers, campstove, dishes, but for most look at a small trailer you will come up with things you will want and wish you had space is limited. September will be just outside of the main tourist time so getting camp sights should be not to much trouble. My guess is this trip will be more than a month long. My wife is more with the idea of everything and the kitchen sink. I tend to pick up things along the way sort of look at it as weekend packing but back to back. The trailer will give you a chance to pack things without always handling everything you take along. Enjoy the trip and plan for wildlife encounters. The badlands have buffalo, they are big and more mobile than you think. Some extra clothes evenings tend to be cool and a paper map as mentioned you will run out of cell coverage.

 

Yellowstone = Bear spray
Grand Tetons = Moose / Elk B-Gone

 

Also if you do get lost have a place you want to go. Most locals a friendly I've been laughed at by several people looking at the service truck I drive in western ND only to be told oh, that's Jon's place he's in a different county 25 miles away, good luck turning that thing around here. 8 point plus turns are no fun with a 20' box cube van 11'6'' in a thight wooded yard is sometimes challenging. Happened a couple times especially when they get it All the time by FedEx, UPS. fire post number same but different county.

 

My wife and I did a similar trip from SC to MT in my 4wd 04, which is basically stock. We took a regular tent and a couple of sleeping bags. You know regular stuff.

Driving around park and fire roads, I’d say 90% of the stuff people put on their trucks doesn’t get used like they think it will. I’m also a firm believer only a small percentage of people actually hit trails where that stuff is needed.

Basically, I think a cooler and your tent will suffice for what you two are intending.