Maiden Solo Off-Road and Camping Voyage in Bronco

I finally have everything needed for a solo off-road and overnight camping trip. I generally wheel solo and do not go out unprepared to 'unstuck' myself if needed. Winch, recovery gear, air down tools, air tank to air back up, etc..

The weather looked good so off I went.

Got the the trailhead and aired down to 20psi..



My ultimate destination: (more on that later)



Along the way:













Back after a short hike down a small trail to investigate:



The Bronco in all it's glory!





Spent a few hours on the 1st day investigate the trial and a lot of side trails. Got to my intended destination, the lake area, late and all the good dispersed camp site I found were either taken or full of widow makers so I doubled back to one I had found earlier. Got there right before dark and set the tent up as fast as I could. Before i know it, it was dark so I passed on cooking and ate a tasty MRE for dinner..

Woke up next morning and brewed up some coffee (read: Life Support Juice).. Plowed down 2 cups, and off I went. Spent a lot of today just investigating side trails and small hiking trails I'd find in my general camp area.

I was debating staying a 2nd night but noticed the wind picking up and clouds forming mid-afternoon so I decided to head back to camp and pack up, then head back home..

Airing back up at trail exit:



All in all It was a great time, and why I purchased the Bronco..

I had some old, cheap and crappy air down tools that I used and I doubt they are very accurate anymore so I just kept an eye on the in dash TMPS readings..

When airing back up, the Power Tank was awesome! it took about 1 minute per tire to go from 20 to 38 and that was with me stopping several times to check pressure while filling...

Interior of Bronco, specifically the rear seat and cargo area, got a little dusty but that was expected as I am running with hard top off and Bikini only.. The Rain Gear Trail Cover was great (forgot to snap photo of it on, will do so next time). While it didn't rain overnight, it did keep the dew and the critters out of the interior..

Looking good and sounds like a very zen trip!

I gotta ask, given the state of those trials/roads, why did you air down?

Bschurr said:

Looking good and sounds like a very zen trip!

I gotta ask, given the state of those trials/roads, why did you air down?

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Lots of ruts and small rocky terrain not shown. More for a comfort type thing than a wider grip.

I generally always air down if going off road unless it's a very short trail.. I'd rather already be aired down before I realize I should have already done it..

Takes a few min to air down and a few min to air back up so why not is my thought?

Looks like a fun trip. I’ve got the Rain Gear trail cover for my 4 door and it will definitely keep rain out. I had it on mine for a two week stretch last summer and it rained really hard overnight one time. Came out in the morning to about 10 gallons of water overtop the back seat area. In was a pita to push the water off but there were only a few drops on the seats.

Classic28 said:

Looks like a fun trip. I’ve got the Rain Gear trail cover for my 4 door and it will definitely keep rain out. I had it on mine for a two week stretch last summer and it rained really hard overnight one time. Came out in the morning to about 10 gallons of water overtop the back seat area. In was a pita to push the water off but there were only a few drops on the seats.

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In my previous Jeep, I use to do the same overnight camping topless.. A few times I'd find that critters got in overnight which I guess is to be expected. However, this one time, as I was driving off the trail, a snake came slithering out from under the pass side seat. Freaked me out and I almost crashed! LOL..

Pulled off to the side of the trail, found a stick and got it out but man that freaked me out.. Now I always take a stick and poke it around under the seats to make sure nothing is chillin' under them..

The trail cover will not only keep any rain or dew out but it'll also keep the critters out..

I still poked under the seats of the Bronco with a stick to make sure no uninvited guest were relaxing under them, but I think the cover will also help to keep the critters out...

Nice trip report!

I often air down when it's not absolutely necessary - makes the ride more comfortable on wash board roads. My wife appreciates it!

Scoop said:

I often air down when it's not absolutely necessary - makes the ride more comfortable on wash board roads. My wife appreciates it!

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I agree.. I don't really do any difficult trails and mainly stick to easy-moderate trails. Even those can get rough at times. I also like to investigate side trails and those are usually an unknown with no trail reports on them. It takes very little time to air down or air back up so figured why not, even if just for comfort..

I agree with the overnight cover. Made the mistake of leaving my top and doors off on Ocracoke island NC one night in my jeep. Just thought hey it will be fine we're just parked at our rental house. What could happen. I made the mistake of leaving a bag of pork cracklings in the rear floor board. The local feral cats the island is known for had field day. Thought I'd never get that mess cleaned up.

Awesome trip! Looked like WA state to me so checked your profile location to see where you were from. Where was this at? What elevation did you get up to? I was going to head up in the mountains above Index on Stevens pass but looks like there’s still too much snow for me to want to deal with.

Looked like a really cool road, my kind of exploration!

tock13 said:

Awesome trip! Looked like WA state to me so checked your profile location to see where you were from. Where was this at? What elevation did you get up to? I was going to head up in the mountains above Index on Stevens pass but looks like there’s still too much snow for me to want to deal with.

Looked like a really cool road, my kind of exploration!

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Lake Merwin area.. The Powder Horn Trail is a good spot to start at and then explore from there. There are a lot of side trails to take off of the main Powder Horn trail and you can branch off into numerous other areas from it if you wanted.. I took several and they were fun.

Elevation wise, I think you get up around 2800 feet so nothing massive..

I didn't see much traffic on the main trail until I got to the Lake Merwin area. A few buggies and off road motorcycles and a few other 4x4's but not much considering it was a Friday and into Saturday. On the side trails I didn't see much of anyone else...

I started the trail a bit to the NE from Woodland, WA...

raqball said:

Lake Merwin area.. The Powder Horn Trail is a good spot to start at and then explore from there. There are a lot of side trails to take off of the main Powder Horn trail and you can branch off into numerous other areas from it if you wanted.. I took several and they were fun.

Elevation wise, I think you get up around 2800 feet so nothing massive..

I didn't see much traffic on the main trail until I got to the Lake Merwin area. A few buggies and off road motorcycles and a few other 4x4's but not much considering it was a Friday and into Saturday. On the side trails I didn't see much of anyone else...

I started the trail a bit to the NE from Woodland, WA...

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Thanks for the info!!!! I’ll add it to my list of places to checkout this summer.

tock13 said:

Thanks for the info!!!! I’ll add it to my list of places to checkout this summer.

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If you have onX you can search for Powder Horn..

It's a cool trail with some pretty sweet views.. Numerous dispersed camp sites, especially if you wander off the main trail. You could also camp at the lake..

The main trail is easy'ish but some of the side trails bumped up to moderate'ish. Nothing difficult but worth mentioning..

Enjoy!

In the future I recommend airing down to at least 15psi. Sounds like you have CO2 so no big deal airing all the way back up to 38. At 20psi, it's still going to be a lot more rough than it will at 15 or even 12. I did some research last year and here is the thread with some valuable data.

That looked like fun. I'm going camping for a week over the 4th with my brother and sister, and while we almost always get some rain, I'm thinking of leaving the roof at home if the temp makes sense, and rain isn't expected every day.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ling-to-run-offroad-without-bead-locks.75894/

Very nice!

I just got back from a weekend trip myself.

mike8675309 said:

In the future I recommend airing down to at least 15psi. Sounds like you have CO2 so no big deal airing all the way back up to 38. At 20psi, it's still going to be a lot more rough than it will at 15 or even 12. I did some research last year and here is the thread with some valuable data.

That looked like fun. I'm going camping for a week over the 4th with my brother and sister, and while we almost always get some rain, I'm thinking of leaving the roof at home if the temp makes sense, and rain isn't expected every day.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ling-to-run-offroad-without-bead-locks.75894/

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I generally air down (well, at least when I had Jeeps) anywhere from 15-20 psi. I am going to try 15 next time I am out and see how much of a difference the comfort level is between the 2 with the Toyo A/T III's..

My next trip will be end of the month'ish as I am planning on doing section 1 of the WABDR.. I'll eventually do all 6 sections but just one at a time. I've already done sections 1 and 2 in my previous Jeep JK but am going to do them again in the Bronco..

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/wabdr-section-1

It's about 122 miles long so I prob need to get a 5 gal Jerry Can. The 2dr has a smaller gas tank and off-road MPG will obviously be reduced. Plus I like to explore side trails.

I've tried to find any reports for the WABDR Section 1 with a 2dr Bronco but came up empty.. Guess I'll be the test dummy for fuel range with a 2dr Bronco and a 5gal Jerry Can..

I plan on doing it on weekdays to avoid the possible weekend traffic. The less people i see, the better!