home made sand mats?

[leverett]

well i may be needing a set of san mats soon but dont have alot of money to spend ive seen sone thick rubber mats at the hard ware store and was thinking abot cuting them to the width i need has any one tryed this and has anyone made sand mats at home before

 

[7wt]

Kinda, I have used my bed mat once and it worked out well but I sure wasn't going to cut it. Other ideas are the strips of carpet. Check with a remnant shop and see if you could pick up some, you should be able to get something like a 12"X 4-5ft strip for next to nothing. Where are you going that requires sand mats?

 

[rezdiver]

find an old snowmobile track and cut her up to size, they make the best sand mat for basically free.

 

[leverett]

Kinda, I have used my bed mat once and it worked out well but I sure wasn't going to cut it. Other ideas are the strips of carpet. Check with a remnant shop and see if you could pick up some, you should be able to get something like a 12"X 4-5ft strip for next to nothing. Where are you going that requires sand mats?

the coast here in texas there is a very good fishing section called big shell beond a seran point is 4x4 only and it way only be me and another truck but if carpet works im in luck cuz i can get carpet for free most of the time thanks for the advice everyone

 

[leverett]

find an old snowmobile track and cut her up to size, they make the best sand mat for basically free.

wat is this snow mobile you speak of lol. i dont get snow where i live so wouldnt have any luck thanks anyway thought

 

[7wt]

the coast here in texas there is a very good fishing section called big shell beond a seran point is 4x4 only and it way only be me and another truck but if carpet works im in luck cuz i can get carpet for free most of the time thanks for the advice everyone

I know it well. I never had to use any mats for anything. Low tide, you could get a Yugo down there, high tide is a different story. Just air down and you will be set. Be sure to read this, as it is just about everything you need to know about PINS. Honestly, depending on what you drive you just about have to try to get stuck. I went up and down that beach more times than I could count in a stock Tacoma with 265/70/16 BFG Rugged Trails at street pressure. I am not saying you can't get stuck there but ya gotta be looking for it. Also there is always plenty of flotsam that washed up. You will have your choice of palm trees, coconut trees of any other non native logs and various other things at your disposal to aid in recovery if needed.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33567

 

[leverett]

thanks for the info i have never been ther but i want to make sure i make it back out so just want to be prepared i drive a 89 bronco and its preatty heavy but if there are trees i should be fine if not i can always make a deadman ancor

 

[alexrex20]

haha, another PINS thread.

there are no trees there. you're lucky if you get stuck near a washed up buoy or some of the other large debris, which you can use as an anchor. an 89 bronco will be fine out there. i always see plenty of full-size trucks and SUVs. like 7wt said, it's all in the technique. you can for sure get stuck out there, but usually only if you want to.

when will you be down there?

 

[leverett]

haha, another PINS thread.

there are no trees there. you're lucky if you get stuck near a washed up buoy or some of the other large debris, which you can use as an anchor. an 89 bronco will be fine out there. i always see plenty of full-size trucks and SUVs. like 7wt said, it's all in the technique. you can for sure get stuck out there, but usually only if you want to.

when will you be down there?

no idea if everything goes well in the summer

 

[winkosmosis]

What about floor mats already in the vehicle, as a last ditch? Especially the kind with the deep grooves.

 

[7wt]

They would work but only as a means to help create pack. It works like this, after you dug yourself a hole, which you shouldn't have done in the first place, jack up that tire to fill the hole. Use the floor mat as a means to stabilize the loose sand you just put back in the hole and off you go.

 

[mochodurazo]

im planing to build one from small old ladders.

 

[winkosmosis]

BTW, I've seen people using boards. To me that seems like the worst option... Boards are smooth, heavy projectiles IMO

 

[Lichen]

Asphalt roof shingles work if you're not stuck too bad. I always carry 4 of them.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Or a bucket and a shovel! Scoop dry sand out from in front of your tires and wet what is underneath... has worked for me in the past.

If there is no anchor point available, and you are really stuck, you can bury the spare, and use it as a recovery anchor. There is a thread on here somewhere that details the technique.

Stay away from the dunes and I seriously doubt that you will have a problem, other than getting airborne at shell beach. Stay slow through there! :sombrero: