Backcountry Vehicles

Great! I think this all should give Zep, the initiator of this post, a good idea of what vehicle to get.. teehee. We sure have evolved this thread off topic. Zep, now you know what to AVOID.....
 
I would just like to thank Zep for starting this thread. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Who's going to start the next one? And do we need to change the name of this to something like "How to get to the trailhead - show us your ride?"? :)
 
nick said:
I would just like to thank Zep for starting this thread. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Who's going to start the next one? And do we need to change the name of this to something like "How to get to the trailhead - show us your ride?"? :)
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Not me, I am scared of starting threads. Look at what happened to Zep ! :cautious:
 
DAA said:
Dude, you need to get a new thread going and tell us about that Poison Springs Poseidon Adventure! Like Jared said, worst fears come true...

- DAA
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I will do that. Look for a Poison Springs trip report in the next week or so, embarassing as it will be.
 
I guess I never did mention what I drive...

When I need room for the whole family, the dog, the ATV, all our gear etc., my '08 Dodge Megacab CTD.

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Seats five adults comfortably. The back seats recline and have more leg room than the front, DVD player in back for the kids, even when reclined there is room behind the back seats for a couple fully loaded backpacks, plus a full size truck bed. Being a diesel, it gets 17 MPG cruising 85 MPH with the whole family plus a thousand pounds of cargo on board. Really more truck than I need anymore, since I don't have anything to tow with it these days. It's for sale, I'm looking to get into a new half ton of some flavor instead.


When I don't need that much room, or do need more offroad capability, or just plain feel like it, my '06 Jeep Wrangler.

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Really only seats two when loaded for adventure. Gets about 12 MPG. Has no power. Rides like a covered wagon. Loud and obnoxious from both inside and out. Expensive to own and maintain. Favorite vehicle of all I've ever owned, by far!


- DAA
 
DAA said:
Yeah... And the reason is, those people are HIKERS. Not people who drive dirt roads very often or very far :D.

In all seriousness, I owned a Subaru for years and it was one of the best cars I ever owned. Good on gas, fairly reliable, very easy to work on when it did break, GREAT on snowy roads etc. And surprisingly capable offroad - it was nothing short of amazing what it would pull itself through with the fronts chained up. And I fed it a very steady diet of offroad the whole time I owned it. Took it more places, more often, than most Subaru owners would believe a Subaru capable of. Stuff that makes the Blacks Fork TH look like a ride on the back of a transport truck. That said, a steady diet of dirt also made for a steady diet of new CV joints/half shafts, ball joints, hubs, clutches and tires. I had to replace each of those components multiple times while I owned the car. The CV joints especially, using it offroad it just ate those things up, I think the car spent more time clicking-clacking it's way around corners than not while I owned it. Broke upper ball joints twice, before I started replacing them regularly just to avoid having them break at a bad time. It spun hubs several times too - an ugly sound but a relatively cheap and easy fix. And lacking a true low range or low gearing, the clutch couldn't help but get worn out quickly with offroad use. I changed it often enough that I got to where I could do it by myself in under 4 hours - including pulling the engine out and putting it back in. I held none of this against the car, I was using it beyond it's design and accepted the consequences.

But I think the biggest drawback for offroad travel to a Subaru or anything else like that is the small P rated tires. The small size makes for some rough riding on any kind of dirt road, which is hard on many other components. But the P rating means weak sauce and lots of flats, shredded sidewalls and just generally ruined tires. I used to carry two spares for my Subaru and ended up using both at once several times. Even "good" graded dirt like the Pony Express trail or the North Slope road could be bad ju-ju on those little P rated buggers. Especially right after the road had been grated, exposing fresh sharp stones. But, on the bright side, a couple of times I had to change tires on that car I didn't even bother with a jack, I just lifted the back corner up while a friend pulled the old tire off and put the spare on :D.

At any rate... I'm actually a Subaru fan, great little cars. But, my opinion, based on my experience, if more than just an occasional mild dirt road is on the menu, I'd look for something a bit more robust.

- DAA
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And all those reasons are why my 99 RU wagon has 2 inches of lift and Yoko Geolanders AT/S's on it :) -- still wishing for low range though, and I miss my jeep but not the 12MPG
 
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Not sure if I have posted this, but this is my current rig. I have added a roof top platform for camera work and sleeping, if needed.
88 325ix awd. Maybe I should ad a winch.

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gnwatts said:
Not sure if I have posted this, but this is my current rig. I have added a roof top platform for camera work and sleeping, if needed.
88 325ix awd. Maybe I should ad a winch.
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X version. AWD. I love it. Is that the road out to the airport for the start of the Boulder Mail Trail by Boulder Utah?
 
Sheiks Canyon, right before the car park on Cedar Mesa.
 
My current vehicle is a 12 Subaru Forester. It replaced a 03 Jeep Liberty. Has almost 9" of ground clearance and gets 30+ mpg - almost twice what the Jeep got. I plan on adding skid plates and Yoko Geolander AT/S tires. As to what Subies can do, there is a video on offroadsubarus.com of a 05 Forester doing Black Bear Pass in the San Juans outside Telluride - amazing. IMG_1707.JPG
 
I dare anyone to tell me that my "sabbath breaker" isn't the best backcountry vehicle here. it's affordable, gets great gas mileage, and forces me to pack light. and best of all - it makes me start walking sooner or make better friends, because i can't get to half of the trailheads.

'96 honda civic for the win.

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Subie life!

Dominated the 4x4 road to Halls Creek Overlook

Subie Love by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Dominated The Henry Mountains

Henry Mts Camp Pano by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Got dominated by Skatumpah Road

Skutumpah Road Wound by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Dominated BLM land North of Moab

BLM Spot by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Dominated BLM land East of Capitol Reef

Secret Spot by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Subie trip #2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Dominated H.I.T.R. Road

Grand Staircase Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
I love my Subie!
 
This is a great thread. I'm in the same boat as Zep. I love my Corolla, but you're definitely limited on where you can go without clearance and 4WD. I'm really enjoying hearing everyone's opinions, and it's reaffirming my top choices of backcountry vehicles.
 
pixie1339 said:
I love my Corolla, but you're definitely limited on where you can go without clearance and 4WD.
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I've seen some low clearance vehicles (like Corollas, Accords, Metros, etc.) get to places that have amazed me. I'll spend an chunk of time driving on some rough* road into some remote destination thinking, "I'm sure glad we drove the <insert high clearance vehicle>!" Then we get to the destination and find some "low rider" there! It always amazes me and cracks me up. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?
 
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