My First Off-Grid Off-Road Desert Sand Vehicle Recovery Experience with Traction Mats

When I first got out to my land, I had only a two wheel drive truck, it had all-terrain tires, however I quickly discovered that in this desert, I could only drive about 10 or 20 feet over relatively solid sand and rock before I hit a stretch of loose sand. I’d then immediately lose speed and traction, spin out one or both of my back wheels, and learn a hard lesson: once you barely notice the start of spinning out STOP! After a number of lucky escapes from squirming around side-to-side, back-and-forth, etc, I’d catch a bite miraculously after revving the engine up more than I like to and kicking up a cloud of dust. I hoped and prayed that making use of some of the wasteland driftwood scattered around the site would suffice, though it didn’t help much.

Ultimately my luck ran out, I got totally stuck, and wishfully thinking I kept fighting it, only to dig in deeper and end up at an angle with a pit dug in the back. Luckily I was able to ask a semi-local friend to receive an order of traction mats and bring them out to me within a few days before my water supply ran out. It wasn’t the most dire of situations, but a close call. I should have been sure to have at least one rugged vehicle recovery solution with me before venturing into this terrain.

I had been spoiled either by being a city slicker, or a farm slicker with enough other people or service providers around to help. However here, off grid, off road, in the wild, far from friends and unreachable by most service providers, miscalculations such as that can be fatal. It wouldn’t be my last such underestimation of gear needs. More stories are forthcoming.

Needless to say, once the traction mats arrived, I tucked them into to both back tires, got into gear, and was freed immediately. I was baffled how they could work so well and the boards I tried to use just got sanded off and chewed up. Definitely the polymer material and traction studs, did the trick. I would someday like to experiment with making all natural, yet equally effective mats that would hold up to the force, yet also be engineered so as not to puncture the tire.

I would end up using these mats many times until they got a rest, once it was finally possible and the right time to upgrade to a 4x4. It’s a story of it’s own, the magical mission and teamwork that went acquiring it. For now, suffice it to say, the experience of driving into my land for the first time with a 4x4 was as empowering and exciting as first successfully riding a bike. A dimension was opened, and since then, I realize I had really been missing out. So bless all those who share the skills and knowledge of vehicle recovery and the power of all wheel drive.

As I evolve in my life journey, I’ll be looking forward to exploring and mastering an array of vehicle recovery equipment, methods, and techniques.