When you want to take your truck on some off-road adventures, you’ve got to take along the right gear and have a vehicle that’s situated to handle the trails.
Trucks and SUVs can come off the assembly line ready for action in the wilderness, but some require a few modifications to turn a stock vehicle into an off-roader. If you want to prepare your truck for off-road adventures, you’ve got to make a few modifications and take along the right gear to ensure you have everything you need to make it back to civilization once the adventures are over.
Tires make a huge difference
One of the easiest upgrades to your truck that will help make it ready for some wilderness driving is a set of all-terrain tires. In some cases, you might want mud-terrain tires that come with deep tread depths and large sidewalls. When changing your tires, you might also consider smaller wheels. The larger sidewalls help you have more tire to deflate to have better traction on the trails. You want tires that can get you through the mud, sand, dirt, and over obstacles.
Racks and hitches
When you go into the wilderness, what do you plan to do? If you’re going to spend a few days camping, hiking, and exploring the wilderness, you’ll want to equip your truck for your off-road adventures. This means adding a hitch for a mountain bike or kayak, adding a roof rack that can hold your stuff, or ensuring your tow package can handle a small trailer full of gear that you want to use during your time in the outdoors. The hitch also serves as a solid tow point in case you get stuck.
A lift kit takes you over obstacles
A lift kit that lifts the body and suspension higher than normal allows you to have more room under your truck for obstacles. Lift kits also allow you to have more room for larger tires, which means going even higher and enjoying more room to cover large trees and boulders that might be in your way. Adding a lift kit to your truck also works great when pushing through mud and muck, which could come up to your truck’s body without the lift kit.
Improve your suspension hardware
Some vehicles come with regular springs and rubber bushings, which work just fine on the road but can be pushed to the breaking point in the wilderness. If your truck wasn’t already rated for off-roading, you’ll want to add heavy-duty springs, hardware, and polyurethane bushings to your vehicle. This helps you create a truck that’s ready for your off-road adventures and can be strong enough to ensure you make it back home without incident.
Skidplates are a must
Some of the components of your truck are tucked in under the body and hang down toward the bottom of your ground clearance level. If these components, such as fluid reservoirs, become damaged on the trails, you won’t make it back home. Adding some underbody skidplates can protect these components and keep your vehicle intact while you traverse the rough terrain of the wilderness. Adding these items to your truck gives you a fighting chance at making it back home without too much damage to your vehicle.
Adding a winch is a good idea
Putting a winch on the front of your truck while also giving the winch enough power to pull your truck or another truck out of a ditch is one of the most popular and useful trail tools available. Sometimes, you need to use your winch to get through a rough area or around some obstacles, which makes it one of the top items on your truck. When you’re upgrading your truck for your off-road adventures, a winch should be near the top of your list, making it easy for you to have something on your truck that can pull you out of trouble without relying on other people and their vehicles.
Necessary equipment
Once you’ve got your truck outfitted the way you want for your time in the wilderness, you need to pack a few items that are essential to heading off the grid and being away from civilization while on the trails. Some of this equipment includes:
- First-aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Basic tools
- Portable air compressor
- Navigation system that doesn’t require data signal
- Communication devices (two-way radio)
- Emergency food and survival supplies
With the right upgrades and equipment that can help you survive in the wilderness if you get stuck, you can enjoy taking your truck on some off-road adventures and exploring areas that most people never see because they are stuck between the lines on the road.
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