gear for trails

[cannondale@juno.com]

I am a kind of newbie on trail runs. I live in the south plains... good ol west texas so lots of my "off road" adventures involve mud. So... I am going to the thrill on the hill in Ruidoso NM. Any suggestions on any types of gear, 2-way radios or cb's, stuff like that. I have never been on a organized trail run before.
thanks for the help,
Matt

[Canito is1]

cannondale@juno.com previously said:

I am a kind of newbie on trail runs. I live in the south plains... good ol west texas so lots of my "off road" adventures involve mud. So... I am going to the thrill on the hill in Ruidoso NM. Any suggestions on any types of gear, 2-way radios or cb's, stuff like that. I have never been on a organized trail run before.
thanks for the help,
Matt

If your into mud, first and foremost, get a jerk strap. Also get a CB Cobra makes a sweet one that i have in mine (see my signature) Radio Shack had them on sale for $80 when they are normally 140ish
BIGBILLCOMBO
Also if your just testing the waters of off roading, stock tires should be fine, but going off road on any type of regular basis, you will want a good set of mud tires. BFG and Goodyear MTR's are great. Also make sure you know where to mount the jerk strap for when you get stuck. I would recommend getting 2-3 D-Rings or some call them Shackles to hook the strap up to your tow points with. Another useful tool, not as much in mud though, is a hi lift jack.
Most importantly, and I cant stress this enough. Know where you are going to go, if you dont feel comfortable with it, dont do it. check the depth of the hole with a stick. Also, mud screws up stuff with repeated outings, so take it to a pressure washer and spend a lot of time getting stuff out from the underside of your car. You will find more nooks and crannys that you ever knew were there.

HAVE FUN

[Kansas Law Dog]

This subject came up many months ago in this thread Wheeling tool list, for a novice.

Of course, if you take everything listed, a trailer will be required.

[cannondale@juno.com]

thanks guys, I just play around in the mud here in west Texas, but I am pumped to be going to an organized trail run in Ruidoso NM, the thrill on the hill rally lets us choose a scenic trail, moderate, or advanced and run those trail with the Toyota trail team. I also just heard that ARB will be there with some giveaways, should be fun, and thanks again.

[helocat]

Top three in my book:

Another truck. Always try to go out in pairs, preferably with someone who has some off road experience.

Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back home. (plan for an extra 4 hrs to winch your buddy out, change the tire etc.)

Always take a gallon of drinking water with you. You or the truck can use that, and both of you when you need it will not go long with out it.

Extras: Pick up some MRE’s to just keep stashed in your truck. When you get hungry enough the tast outstanding. (NOTE: I usually end up handing them out to some dude that did not have anything to eat and 5hrs into fixing his truck on the trail)

[k9crazy]

Here's some helpful info I haven't seen posted yet (although I didn't look very hard). This is the TLCA (Toyota Land Cruiser Association) checklist for vehicles to attend TLCA sanctioned events.

TLCA Vehicle Inspection Requirements

Vehicles registered for participation in a TLCA, or TLCA sanctioned, event are subject to a 'Vehicle Inspection'. And though TLCA makes no representation as to the impact of such an inspection upon 'safe' participation in an event, failure to pass such an inspection will disqualify the vehicle from participating in the event.

All determinations pertaining to the 'Vehicle Inspection' shall be at the sole judgement of the event committee, and/or its designates, responsible for such inspections. If a vehicle fails to pass an inspection, correction of any deficiencies may be attempted and the vehicle reinspected ... provided such correction and reinspection can be conducted without impact to event schedules.

minimum vehicle requirements
The following are minimum vehicle requirements which, if not met, disqualify a vehicle from participating in an event:

Vehicle Registration: Must be current Liability Insurance Coverage: Must be current, and meet applicable governmental requirements.
Service Brakes: Must be able to stall engine when idling in 2nd gear (1st gear if 3 speed)
Parking Brake: Must be able to stall engine when idling in 3rd gear (2nd gear if 3 speed)
Brake Lights: Must be functioning properly
Tires: All tires, including spare, must have at least 2/32" of tread. Spare tire must be fully inflated. Air down to a maximum of 15 psi prior to safety inspection
Roll Bar: Any open vehicle must have a roll bar firmly attached to the vehicle
Seat Belts: Required for driver and each passenger
Fire Extinguisher: Must show full charge on gauge and/or have seal intact
First Aid Kit: Recommended to be as complete as is reasonably possible
Antenna Length: Not longer than 54", unless both ends are firmly attached to the vehicle

evaluated items
The following are evaluated items which, depending on severity and/or quantity of deficiencies, may disqualify a vehicle from participating in an event:

Headlights
Running Lights
Turn Signals
Windshield: No dangerous cracks
Wipers
Horn
Exhaust System: Must be intact. No open exhaust, excessive noise or excessive smoke
Steering: Check play in wheel, condition of column and mounting hardware, knuckle arms
Hoses & Lines: Water, gas, brake lines (Please do not bring a vehicle with excessive leaks to an event. Such leaks can be damaging to the environment.)
Vehicle Jack: Hi-Lift type recommended
Tow Strap, Tow Rope and/or Chain
Winch

items to consider
The following are recommended items which TLCA encourages you to consider:

CB Radio
Tools
Fan Belt, Radiator Water, Battery Cables
Tire Gauge, Tire Pump, Tire Patch Kit
Rags, Hand Cleaner, Litter Bags
Axe, Shovel
Flashlight, Spare Batteries, Spare Vehicle Key

[cannondale@juno.com]

sweet, that was exactly what i was looking for, I formally guided backpacking trips in NM and CO, so most of the gear lists look like common sense, we never really had to go offroad to get to any of the trailheads, and we obviously had all of our backpacking gear with us. I wanted to know what my fj needed or what was expected for me to have to run an organized trail run, ex. walkies or a cb, etc...
Thanks so much,
matt

k9crazy previously said:

Here's some helpful info I haven't seen posted yet (although I didn't look very hard). This is the TLCA (Toyota Land Cruiser Association) checklist for vehicles to attend TLCA sanctioned events.

TLCA Vehicle Inspection Requirements

Vehicles registered for participation in a TLCA, or TLCA sanctioned, event are subject to a 'Vehicle Inspection'. And though TLCA makes no representation as to the impact of such an inspection upon 'safe' participation in an event, failure to pass such an inspection will disqualify the vehicle from participating in the event.

All determinations pertaining to the 'Vehicle Inspection' shall be at the sole judgement of the event committee, and/or its designates, responsible for such inspections. If a vehicle fails to pass an inspection, correction of any deficiencies may be attempted and the vehicle reinspected ... provided such correction and reinspection can be conducted without impact to event schedules.

minimum vehicle requirements
The following are minimum vehicle requirements which, if not met, disqualify a vehicle from participating in an event:

Vehicle Registration: Must be current Liability Insurance Coverage: Must be current, and meet applicable governmental requirements.
Service Brakes: Must be able to stall engine when idling in 2nd gear (1st gear if 3 speed)
Parking Brake: Must be able to stall engine when idling in 3rd gear (2nd gear if 3 speed)
Brake Lights: Must be functioning properly
Tires: All tires, including spare, must have at least 2/32" of tread. Spare tire must be fully inflated. Air down to a maximum of 15 psi prior to safety inspection
Roll Bar: Any open vehicle must have a roll bar firmly attached to the vehicle
Seat Belts: Required for driver and each passenger
Fire Extinguisher: Must show full charge on gauge and/or have seal intact
First Aid Kit: Recommended to be as complete as is reasonably possible
Antenna Length: Not longer than 54", unless both ends are firmly attached to the vehicle

evaluated items
The following are evaluated items which, depending on severity and/or quantity of deficiencies, may disqualify a vehicle from participating in an event:

Headlights
Running Lights
Turn Signals
Windshield: No dangerous cracks
Wipers
Horn
Exhaust System: Must be intact. No open exhaust, excessive noise or excessive smoke
Steering: Check play in wheel, condition of column and mounting hardware, knuckle arms
Hoses & Lines: Water, gas, brake lines (Please do not bring a vehicle with excessive leaks to an event. Such leaks can be damaging to the environment.)
Vehicle Jack: Hi-Lift type recommended
Tow Strap, Tow Rope and/or Chain
Winch

items to consider
The following are recommended items which TLCA encourages you to consider:

CB Radio
Tools
Fan Belt, Radiator Water, Battery Cables
Tire Gauge, Tire Pump, Tire Patch Kit
Rags, Hand Cleaner, Litter Bags
Axe, Shovel
Flashlight, Spare Batteries, Spare Vehicle Key