Thanks again @Jason Feuerstein ! That’s a good perspective and I hadn’t thought about the hazards of solo 4 wheeling.

 

@Jason Feuerstein I will disagree with the Hi-lift it is no more dangerous than a winch - when used correctly. The hi lift also has far more uses, and I have used a hi lift far more than I ever needed a winch in the last 10 years. But that argument can go on forever.

@cvhyatt I will add this the winch is optional - decide based on what you mean by off roading. If the plan is to simply go down a forest service or access road and you have no issue with turning around then pass on the winch. AAA is very useful just make sure what ever package you get they will go up a forest access road to collect or truck, no will go up a technical trail but a basic gravel road should be covered.

Leave a travel plan with a trusted person and check in whenever you leave the highway and get back on the hi way.
Set an amount of time when they have not heard from you to trigger a call to search and rescue.
Have a breakdown plan and I recommend a weeks worth of food and water, as well as any critical meds to cover all the people in the group.
A way to make an alternate shelter
A good 1st aid kit.
If in doubt about the route turn around and go back to the hiway do not try to push on
Last stop and use your brain if things seem iffy or not right

 

A piece of a 2x4 and a ratchet strap can also get you out of a serious bind if used properly. Whenever you off road by yourself make certain someone knows where you'll be, and never try something you aren't comfortable with. It can be the difference between life and death. I used to wheel by myself a lot back in the day when I had my Mitsubishi Montero's (Gen 1) or my Jeeps (05 TJ Rubicon/05 LJ). One thing I learned was never go beyond your skill level and don't push it when you are alone. When in a large group you can get away with pushing yourself and your vehicle, but not when by yourself.

When I had a Gen 1 Xterra 4x4 I was headed to a Halloween party. I ended up getting into town like 2hr early so I decided to go do a bit of wheeling. When I got out on the trail it was maybe 3PM and there were other people out there. A group asked if I was familiar with the area and I said yes so they wanted to follow me. Well when the terrain got pretty technical they all chickened out and didn't want to get their vehicles dirty. That left me on the other side of a very technical obstacle. By the time I turned around the group didn't wait for me so I was all by myself and it was now getting dark. When I had passed the drop off into a muddy creek it was on my drivers side so I was able to see where I was going. On the way back I tried to match my tire tracks, but as luck usually has it I slid a little which got me off coarse. Next thing I knew mud was over my hood and my LR tire was 3ft up in the air........ I beeped my horn hoping they'd hear me, but it was under the muddy water and hardly made a sound. I shut the engine off ASAP so I didn't suck any water into the engine. The mud was so thick that nothing actually came inside the passenger side which was great, but it also meant I was truly STUCK....

I tried my cell phone and of coarse I was down in a canyon with no signal. I then tried to stack rocks/wood under the LR tire, and dig out the RR tire. I cranked it up and tried it one time only to slide in even further! I decided to hike out and try to flag someone or get a cell signal. I hiked in the dark for 2 miles thru mud, and finally got a signal. My friend was 1hr away, but he was on his way to save me. It seemed like forever, but my friend finally found me, he hooked my Xterra to his 84 Blazer and out came my Xterra. He said I bet you'll never wheel alone again.... I said honestly I wasn't alone. I just wasn't with people I knew so they just left me out there. Well needless to say I was extremely late to the Halloween party, and I had to stop and buy new clothes lol. I then got my Xterra home the next day opened the hood only to find it completely packed with mud, and I saw this little hole with steam coming out of it. The POS Xterra's oil cap had blown off and I could look down into the engine and see mud/rocks inside my valve cover!!!!! Nissan later had a recall for oil caps falling off, but geez what a lovely time to have that happen. I changed the oil and hoped for the best! I eventually sold that POS as it was awful off road.

I was lucky unlike that dude with the 4Runner that got stuck out in the middle of no where, but the lesson is the same!!!! Be extremely careful and be prepared when wheeling alone!

 

Great story @Best4x4 ! I am a experienced solo backpacker so a lot of the same principles apply: give someone a map, let them know when to expect your call, know your route.

For what it's worth, the Grand Staircase is well documented and I plan on staying on the dirt roads. Not looking to do anything extreme - just take the family to a place they can't get to by car. The views here are spectacular and plenty of places to camp.

 

I would tend to agree, but the point about using them correctly is a big caveat. If you just buy a farm jack and think you can jack an unbalanced truck off of a bunch of unlevel rocks, there's a real chance of serious injury or death. At least if things go wrong with a winch, there's a chance you won't be in the immediate vicinity.

At any rate, based on what you've said, I would say a winch isn't necessary, and obviously a $250 winch isn't a small investment, but I would still consider it. If everything goes fine, you'll be in great shape, but you never want to be waiting for a stranger to pass by if things go wrong.

 

A couple things not on your list of work done that can fail on an older truck are the alternator and starter. I don't know that I'd replace either of them preventively, but I'd be sure to have the tools with me to do the replacement on the road. The starter is mounted with hex head bolts. Only God knows why. And some perverted British engineers

The alternator on my truck conked out at 169,500 miles and the starter is still going strong at 177,000.

 

A winch
100%
No way I'de go offroad without one, by myself...with the family.
You don't know what you're going to encounter.
Who's going to pull you out if you need it?
If you are "off roading", and Not being in situations where you might or Do need a winch...then you're doing it wrong, lol.
You can also use a winch to pull large trees and rocks out of the way.
Spend the money, buy the winch.
Don't go unprepared.

 

As for the winch, please remember it's frequently of little or no value if you don't have the important accessories like appropriately-rated D-shackles, a ****** block, and probably a tree strap and also some good leather gloves.

 

Absoloutely

 

Thanks guys!