I'm signed up for Moab. Coming from Houston with a stop over in Santa Fe.
I reviewed some of the posts from the October gathering; however, I still have questions. A bit surprised there hasn't been more chatter about the May event. Perhaps posting these questions will help kick off some discussion.
1. There are 15 different trails. Do you just do one per day? How do you pick which to do?
2. Airing down tires is easy, back up, less so. I don't own an air compressor. Do I need one?
3. I can pee anywhere anytime while multitasking. I might be going right now, you don't know. My wife? Higher maintenance. I'm assuming no facilities on the trails. Do I need a portable plan with pop-up privy privacy? I could just deprive her of fluids for a couple of days.
4. Paranoid of my lift/driveshaft lifespan, I've gone back to stock springs. But, I'm adding skid plates. Any other vehicle config I need? I've got extra gas & water, recovery gear, ropes, plastic sheeting, Gorilla tape and bone saws. Wait, sorry, sorry.. that is a different load out.
5. Bought a GMRS radio.. I have NO idea how it works. I just need some YouTube time.
6. My buddy is trying to get me to hook up StarLink as no cell coverage means no maps. Any suggestions?
Looking forward to seeing everyone.
I'll try to expound on what
@anand wrote above. I was a trail leader for the Oktoberfest rally and will be for the May Moab rally as well.
1. We plan for 1 trail a day. I had several folks who (on one of longer my all-day trails) who were pissed they didn't have time in the afternoon to go for a hike or bike ride. Time didn't allow that day and we got back shortly before dinner. But, the scheduled, guided trails will be one per day.
We're going to have so many participants that we're having to run 15 trails, because we want to keep each group to around 10 maximum, so that we don't take up so much space on the trails and become a safety hazard for other folks or ourselves.
Each and every Grenadier will have a tech and safety inspection on registration day (the day before the trail runs begin) to determine capability (stock Fieldmaster with Bridgestones vs Trialmaster with BFGs, vs. a lift, and /or larger tires, rock sliders, winch...). Recommended trail levels will be color coded to help keep you from damaging your truck by getting into a trail you really shouldn't be attempting.
2. Having your own kit is ideal but there will be enough fellow Grenadier owners who will be willing to help, that airing up will be a non-issue.
3. There will be limited pit toilets available. Sometimes, we may just stop for a bio break if someone needs to. There will be bivy bag toilets available as a last resort. No paper or solid waste can be left, buried or not, in Moab. You have to use a bag toilet. That said, I'd be getting your wife used to the idea of using something like a
portable urine bag. They sell bivy bags at the visitor's info center in the middle of town.
4. Whatever gear you have is probably fine. We're not going remote, so you'll barely use 1/4 tank of gas. Bring whatever water you plan to drink, and maybe an extra day just to be safe. You'll be traveling in a group, with radios and access to emergency services in case the need arises.
5. GMRS radios are the order of the day. We'll all get on the same channel (one channel per trail). Your trail leader or another attendee can help you get your radio on and turned to the right channel. GMRS radios are pretty much ready to go out of the package, as long as it's charged up.
6. Starlink Mini with Roam is awesome. I got one after I saw the guys at Moab Oktoberfest with one. But!!! You CANNOT CONNECT your phone to both the Grenadier and Starlink at the same time. The Grenadier uses Wifi and Bluetooth. If you have a second phone (tablet / laptop), you can use it with Starlink. But like Anand said, if you download offline maps, you'll be fine. Also, you can simply follow the Grenadier in front of you. That works, too. The Trail Leader will have the route / mapping info, and there will be a tail gunner who should be a more experienced off-road driver and their job will be to ensure that the group doesn't get spread out nor separated.
I guess my biggest advice is, don't overthink it. Plan, yes, but just come and have fun. We've taken care of the hard stuff.
-Alan
Tucson
ineoseventsusa.com
... I'm in the same boat, there's a reason we traveled with a cassette toilet as part of the back seat in our 4Runner and Tundra. The Grenadier doesn't have that option and my better half isn't thrilled.
