Ditch the Pavement: The Ultimate Guide to Off-Road Driving

Sailun Tire Canada & SHARP

Hitting the trails while there’s still summertime left on the calendar is all about getting into the real backcountry. All the usual spots are going to fill up fast, and what’s the point of getting away from it all if you’re surrounded by RVs and crossovers with trailers? Canada’s got one of the biggest outdoor playgrounds on the planet, and if you go just that little bit farther, you’ll have the place to just you and your friends.

But if you’re going to go it alone, you need to be self-sufficient, and kit out your transportation with the right gear to both reach your goal and get back safely again. Here’s a guide to some off-road basics, and what kind of equipment you might need to go exploring.

Off-Road Tires

Most people on the road don’t think about tires as anything other than round black circles, but they’re the only thing keeping you from sliding off into a ditch. Off-road, you’re going to want a performance envelope that goes beyond just on-tarmac grip, with a reinforced sidewall that can shrug off broken rock, and deep tread blocks for when the going gets muddy. Think of it as picking out the right hiking boots.

One great all-rounder that brings both effective off-road performance blended with excellent tarmac noise levels and wear characteristics is the Sailun Terramax RT. A rugged terrain tire, it’s made to take on everything from rock-crawling to stomping through a mountain blizzard, yet still is rated to last 72,000 kilometres. Just like those hiking boots, you want the kind that lasts. We put them to the test in the desert outside of Vegas last year and came away quite impressed.

Tire Pressures

At its most basic, a tire is just a balloon, with the part that touches the road called the contact patch. At recommended road-going inflation levels, that contact patch might only be as big as your hand, the better to offer good fuel economy. If you ever pedalled hard on a bike with soft tires, you’ll know why keeping your tires properly inflated is one of the best ways to maximize efficiency on the road.

Off-road, on the other hand, provides multiple situations where you need to move slowly and maximize your contact patch. Two essential pieces of off-roading gear are a good digital tire pressure gauge when you’re airing-down to take on an obstacle, and a compressor for inflating back up again when you’re past it. Some of the fanciest off-road rigs come with integrated compressors, but a portable one that can run off your vehicle’s electrical system will do just fine.

Recovery Boards

Big orange recovery boards are nearly the jewellery of the off-road world, as you’ll often see them conspicuously strapped to the outside of pretty serious-looking rigs. But they are 100% functional, able to give you just that little big of extra traction out of a particularly muddy or sandy section to come unstuck. Further, many kinds of these boards can serve as shovels if you need to dig your vehicle clear.

Winches & Recovery Straps

If all else fails and you find yourself properly stuck, it’s time to reach for the off-roader’s get out of jail free card. A power winch, with a tree-saver attachment, can let you pull your vehicle (or a stranded friend’s) into a position where you can get back on the trail.

Even if your machine doesn’t have a winch installed, carrying a recovery recovery kit is good insurance, especially when convoying with another vehicle. A set of stout straps and shackles will let you offer a helping hand, or get yourself towed out of trouble.

Jacks

For making repairs in the backcountry, you have to have the proper equipment at hand. There are multiple types of jacks available if you need to change a tire, from the standard scissor jack your vehicle probably has already on board, to serious-looking high-lift jacks. A little experimentation might be needed here to see what fits best – often, a decent off-road bottle jack can be the best all-round option – and having simple couple of chunky boards in the back to create a stable surface is never a bad idea.

Lighting

Off-roaders often fit auxiliary lights to their rigs, the better to soldier on through the night. However, don’t forget to have some powerful LED portable lighting for those times when you have to get out of the vehicle, either as a spotter or to fix a problem. Getting enough light on things is the first part of creating the solution.

Satellite Phone

Having a lifeline you can reach for when you’re far beyond cel service is easier than ever these days. It’s possible to get a full satellite phone if you prefer, but there are also satellite-enabled messengers that let you send out an alert with your GPS coordinates, if search and rescue help is needed.

Jump Starter

Nothing’s worse than packing up camp, ready to head back to civilization, and discovering that you’ve left some parasitic draw on, running the battery flat. Happily, carrying a backup is easier than it’s ever been, with plenty of lithium-ion jump packs on the market. Make sure you pick one with enough juice to get your vehicle’s engine turning over, and make sure you’ve charged up before you head out.

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