Self-recovery is one of the most important things you can prepare for with a 4WD. That's because its not a matter of if you will get stuck, but when. That being said my options are a little more limited with the sport than with many other suvs and trucks on the market. There are no aftermarket bumpers available for the vehicle, and the Land Rover genuine winch mount although cool, is not worth the going rates of $4800 that I've seen recently. So essentially winches are out. For this reason I've looked at the primary terrain types I find myself in and determined that 90% of the time my main concern is going to be soft sand or mud. The obvious answer to tackle this issue is a sand ladder.
I ended up choosing a set of black Maxtrax recovery ladders for a few reasons. First is that we've had a positive experience in all sorts of recoveries with these units in the past and I'll always choose a proven product first. Second, they're a perfect combination of light and strong, not sacrificing too much of one for the other. Lastly, I love all the little touches and features built into them.
Instead of a flat surface to just stick under your tire, you have a shovel shaped end to dig out the space before placing the tracks, a ramp wedge with the large rounded teeth for extra traction, handles for carrying instead of having to grab sharp edges, and keyholes to link tracks together or mount them easily onto a vehicle.
With a core piece of recovery added, and the remainder to be purchased soon, I turned to my camping arrangements. When I purchased this vehicle I was using a Front Runner pop tent and can honestly say I love it. It sets up and breaks down in about ten seconds and stores in your vehicle as easily as a sunshade for your windshield. That being said though, a ground tent in general is not my first choice when it comes to camping.
Call me spoiled but there's something about the convenience and comfort of a roof top tent that has hooked me. After a long day either driving, hiking, or exploring, its nice to quickly open your tent and have a mattress and sleeping bag right there ready to go. While I haven't purchased a long-term option yet, I was lucky enough to borrow this fantastic Eezi-Awn 1400 tent in the mean time. Being the first time I had used one of their tents I can honestly say I was impressed. I've owned an autohome as well as a howling moon in the past and neither of them was as comfortable for me or felt as well built as the 1400.
