We have all heard the saying that no good deed goes unpunished.

As members of the Jeep and of Offroad communities, our instincts are to lend assistance to stranded vehicles that we may encounter along our path, especially if they are stuck offroad.

We have all heard the lectures, “When you break down offroad, it can be a very long hike back to town. So wear good hiking boots, proper clothing, and bring lots of water…”

NOPE! Although the advice about good footwear, proper clothing, and water is correct — ignore that talk about hiking back to civilization.

Friends of ours are members of SNORR (Southern Nevada Offroad Recovery) as well as Red Rock Search & Rescue. Repeatedly, they have lectured our club and other local clubs about the danger of wandering away from your stranded vehicle.

Winches adhere to Murphy’s Law. If you have one, odds are that you will not need it. Don’t have one, and you will get stuck and wish that you had one.

Unlike a kinetic recovery, where another vehicle catapults you free from being mired down in mud, sand, or snow – winching is a slow and steady pull.

Introduction to Winching will explain the basics for recovering a stuck vehicle as well as self-recovery — including selection of a winch, steel v synthetic line, and three types of pulls: single line, double line, redirects.

Jeep’s have a lot of storage space, but it seems like we fill most of it with offroad recovery gear, tools, safety gear, air compressor, and all sorts of stuff for the trail. By the time we are prepped, there is hardly any room for personal items.

Ask any offroader to list what we carry, and no two responses will be the same.

We carry a lot, probably way more than we are likely to need. But it is smart to be prepared for as many contingencies as possible when you are wheeling out in the wilderness.

In addition to our dedicated Recovery gear, we carry a variety of emergency equipment in our Jeep when we offroad. Of course, ask any offroader, and you will get an infinite number of responses. So this article is only intended as one example – not the gospel.