Driving Tips for Overlanders: Sand Driving Part 2

In the first part of this story we talked about tire size and pressure while driving through soft sand.  We continue with how to get out of a bog.

So you are at absolute minimum pressure, the tire is threatening to pop off the rim and you are still stuck. The next step is using sand mats; they come in all sorts of shapes and materials. All of them are good; even just a wooden plank would do the trick.  Being stuck simply means you cannot get enough traction to move forward. Any hard surface under at least one wheel does exactly that.

never drive up a sand dune this big, always go around no matter how inviting it looks!

Lift up a wheel and put it under it and off you go.  Never stand behind a wheel while the vehicle is trying to take off, there is a possibility that the other wheels are still holding the car firmly in its position; in that scenario the sand mat is the weakest point and the turning wheel will spit it out under the car at a high speed.  You can easily take your leg off especially steel sand mats.  On our longer desert trips were we are expected to use our sand mats all the time we attach them with a cable to the rear bumper that way it cant go far when thrown out from under the wheel and the best thing is we can just drive out of the bog without having to stop and collect the sand mats.  We just leave them on the cable and drag them along until we need them again.

And another little trick.  We found the best way to lift the vehicle in soft sand are the blow up bags that just connect to the exhaust.  Works brilliantly in sand as they don’t sink like any other jack, they are light, small when deflated and have no sharp edges so your hands are safe.

Africa Expedition Support offer guided self drive expeditions between Cairo and Cape Town, for more information check out www.africaexpeditionsupport.com or email Debs info@africaexpeditionsupport.com