I agree with many of the comments on low tire pressures, but do some research.
For me getting to single digits was much better, but some tire/wheel combinations I’d lose a bead under 8 psi, or sometimes a wheel would spin inside a tire and then tire foot print doesn’t matter anyways.
So, figure out how low your tires will happily run (the hard/fun way). Might want to have a can of ether on hand and a good air compressor, also some ratcheting tie down straps. You’ll figure out why you want to have those on hand when you lose a bead.
Kinetic energy can be your friend and a lot of fun, or it can be a nightmare. In soft fluffy powder sections, it’s worth walking through to make sure there is no boulders or tree stumps. Then send the lightest vehicle in first like a lawn dart to flatten down the trail and get a path started.
Having recovery straps to pull people backwards tends to be so much quicker and easier than winching especially with straps that have good stretch for the weight of vehicles used.
Chains are good!! But not always ideal for low tire pressure in soft snow. Better for steep or side hill terrain and icy stuff. If you are trying to get up icy shelf on river banks they are great, if you have wide large aggressive lug tires and run at low pressures in flat and deep snow they may seem unnecessary.
Lockers are also nice, in snow you can easily lose traction on one wheel. The nice thing about snow is it’s easier on your rig than bouncing in the rocks. Much less body damage too. Bring a good shovel or two, my preference is a D handle spade, it won’t scoop as much soft snow as a big snow shovel, but it will chip away at hard packed when the snow shovel will bend.
Always bring enough warm gear and calories to walk out and spare gear for others. If your feet get wet an extra set of boots is a big deal.
Up this way the days are short and nights are cold, if you get stuck there are some real risks, communicating your trip and having backup plans is definitely no less important than any other trip.
For me getting to single digits was much better, but some tire/wheel combinations I’d lose a bead under 8 psi, or sometimes a wheel would spin inside a tire and then tire foot print doesn’t matter anyways.
So, figure out how low your tires will happily run (the hard/fun way). Might want to have a can of ether on hand and a good air compressor, also some ratcheting tie down straps. You’ll figure out why you want to have those on hand when you lose a bead.
Kinetic energy can be your friend and a lot of fun, or it can be a nightmare. In soft fluffy powder sections, it’s worth walking through to make sure there is no boulders or tree stumps. Then send the lightest vehicle in first like a lawn dart to flatten down the trail and get a path started.
Having recovery straps to pull people backwards tends to be so much quicker and easier than winching especially with straps that have good stretch for the weight of vehicles used.
Chains are good!! But not always ideal for low tire pressure in soft snow. Better for steep or side hill terrain and icy stuff. If you are trying to get up icy shelf on river banks they are great, if you have wide large aggressive lug tires and run at low pressures in flat and deep snow they may seem unnecessary.
Lockers are also nice, in snow you can easily lose traction on one wheel. The nice thing about snow is it’s easier on your rig than bouncing in the rocks. Much less body damage too. Bring a good shovel or two, my preference is a D handle spade, it won’t scoop as much soft snow as a big snow shovel, but it will chip away at hard packed when the snow shovel will bend.
Always bring enough warm gear and calories to walk out and spare gear for others. If your feet get wet an extra set of boots is a big deal.
Up this way the days are short and nights are cold, if you get stuck there are some real risks, communicating your trip and having backup plans is definitely no less important than any other trip.
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