Rock Crawling - Please Help Me Understand the Appeal

[Ryuk]

Im the same way.
I don’t understand why anyone would want kids
I mean why would you want to commit to years of financial burden. Years of them potentially hating you. Them not moving out at 18 etc.
I mean I don't get it.
no offense
Im just trying to understand

Actually I dont care, but I wanted to paraphrase the OP in a way that would offend a ton of people and show how judgy this entire post sounds to me.

Sponsored

 

[Garemlin]

I guess I can understand the appeal of the challenge. Just don't get doing it in a $50k+ vehicle. Getting dings, dents, scratches, broken suspension components and calling it all part of the experience. I guess if you have the money and don't care what your vehicle looks like go for it. I'll stick to the beach and light trails. Still places most people can't drive.

 

[ausherpharmd]

This is not meant to belittle anyone’s love of this type of off-roading, instead it is a genuine question. As someone who is new to off-roading I just don’t understand why someone would want to put their $50k ride in jeopardy from driving up big rocks. I can see the appeal of everything else, especially driving sand/beach but just want someone to tell me why you like it so much.

Because people like different things. Some people I'm sure can't understand why someone would want to just drive in sand. Others love to stripe up their car on heavy brush on thin trails and feel a sense of pride.
I think the answer is you like what you like.

 

[Gamecock]

I guess I can understand the appeal of the challenge. Just don't get doing it in a $50k+ vehicle. Getting dings, dents, scratches, broken suspension components and calling it all part of the experience.

That’s what the truck is made for...that’s the fun of it. Putting it in bubble wrap doesn’t create great times and memories, but taking it everywhere does. Do what you want with it, but that $50k is wasted if you don’t use it like it’s intended...not if you do (as you allege).

 

[ausherpharmd]

Im the same way.
I don’t understand why anyone would want kids
I mean why would you want to commit to years of financial burden. Years of them potentially hating you. Them not moving out at 18 etc.
I mean I don't get it.
no offense
Im just trying to understand

Actually I dont care, but I wanted to paraphrase the OP in a way that would offend a ton of people and show how judgy this entire post sounds to me.

For what it's worth, I agree with all the statements about kids.

 

[RonM0710]

This is not meant to belittle anyone’s love of this type of off-roading, instead it is a genuine question. As someone who is new to off-roading I just don’t understand why someone would want to put their $50k ride in jeopardy from driving up big rocks. I can see the appeal of everything else, especially driving sand/beach but just want someone to tell me why you like it so much.

Why do people: Hike; climb mountains; camp? Enjoyment, see things you might not otherwise.

 

[WadeWolf76]

If done with patience and care I find it to be less destructive than "mudding" and more enjoyable.

Plus the clean up is way easier.

 

[AZshot]

It's to impress girls. It's an extreme thing, like sky diving, pushing the envelope to see if you can survive (or if your vehicle can). It's not necessary any more than racing your corvette at 160 MPH is. I have a friend that does race, wears the flameproof suit and helmet, drives a Vette. But just because a Bronco can rock crawl, doesn't mean that's what it's "made for."

I've lived out West for 31 years. Gotten stuck in a box canyon so narrow the walls were about 3" from either side. Had to build pillars for each tire, jacking it up, moving 2 feet, for about 6 hours to go 50 yards. That was enough for me. After that, I just used my vehicles to get to good Elk hunting areas, cross wide streams to get to the favorite remote camping spot, drove up 120 year old mining roads to visit old ghost towns. That's not extreme, that's just using high clearance and 4WD to get to WHERE the fun is. I guess rock crawling IS the fun for people that do it.

 

[The Dmv]

Because it’s fun to take 5 hours to drive a 1/2 mile.

I once took a new (friends wives) Jeep Wrangler up to the Rubicon Trail. We had a 6-pack of beer, a couple bottles of water and some jerky, and no clue what we were getting ourselves into. We ended up getting stuck between a rock and a very large tree. After several hours of cussing we made it back up the hill we just had come down and back to pavement. Ended up with several dents, scratches, bent rim, dented fuel tank and learned a few things. Needless to say next time we went we were slightly more prepared, and driving 1970s Blazers.

Extreme Rock crawling is not for the faint of heart and not good for new daily driver vehicles.
Areas like Moab are nice because you can do some great off-roading without the danger of severe damage if your careful.
The appeal is the journey, and the camaraderie, and testing your skills, and vehicle against the elements, hopefully coming out of it with good memories.

happy trails

I’ve never done it and didn’t get the appeal, but I’m smelling what you’re cooking now.

 

[MaverickMan]

For what it's worth, I agree with all the statements about kids.

Here here. I always hear people saying how you change when you have kids. It does, it makes people have really annoying opinions and demands. Call me proud to not have bred. Too bad I dont get a tax credit for the school taxes I pay

 

[Razorbak86]

This is not meant to belittle anyone’s love of this type of off-roading, instead it is a genuine question. As someone who is new to off-roading I just don’t understand why someone would want to put their $50k ride in jeopardy from driving up big rocks. I can see the appeal of everything else, especially driving sand/beach but just want someone to tell me why you like it so much.

My friend, Rob, and I went wheeling a couple of weekends ago in the San Bernardino National Forest near Big Bear City, California. We did a little rock crawling to get to our destination at a majestic overlook from a peak above Horse Thief Flat. I recorded some video footage on my iPhone, and it turned out pretty good, so I thought I would share it.

Gold Mountain Trail and Overlook Above Horse Thief Flat




Note: Rob was the driver of the white Rubicon with the Metalcloak wolverine graphic, and I was recording. Rob spliced three of my video clips together and uploaded it into one video on his YouTube account.

TL;DR — Needless to say, we had a blast that weekend. It was all about the camaraderie, the journey, and the destination. That was why we went rock crawling!

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

Im the same way.
I don’t understand why anyone would want kids
I mean why would you want to commit to years of financial burden. Years of them potentially hating you. Them not moving out at 18 etc.
I mean I don't get it.
no offense
Im just trying to understand

Actually I dont care, but I wanted to paraphrase the OP in a way that would offend a ton of people and show how judgy this entire post sounds to me.

I may use some of this in my discussion with the wife when she brings the topic up again lol.

 

[Bodge Garage]

Why do people take $50k+ cars around a race track? Why do people race sail boats? Why do people chase golf balls? If it has to be explained then you won't understand. Just do what you enjoy.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

I guess I can understand the appeal of the challenge. Just don't get doing it in a $50k+ vehicle. Getting dings, dents, scratches, broken suspension components and calling it all part of the experience. I guess if you have the money and don't care what your vehicle looks like go for it. I'll stick to the beach and light trails. Still places most people can't drive.

I guess I should tell my wife who owns a GC Trailhawk that was north of $50k to stop crawling over rocks and driving narrow trails with the vehicle that Jeep marketed for offroad trails and even included a mode for “rock crawling” and offroad 1 or offroad 2 suspension setting before GOAT modes existed.

besides, living in CO, I get more dents/dings on all 3 offroad vehicles from hail every year than anything else. Those be popped out and/or repaired. Scratches from tree branches on narrow trails buff out. Paint chips get touched up. When they are cleaned up they look like they just left the lot.

I lived in FL for 15yrs, why do you think we moved to CO? I couldn't stand the beaches, FL summers are brutal, mud is the devil and the rockies were calling us. I built my jeep in hopes to wheel it and I dont mean up in Ocala, FL.

 

[MaverickMan]

Why do people take $50k+ cars around a race track? Why do people race sail boats? Why do people chase golf balls? If it has to be explained then you won't understand. Just do what you enjoy.

So someone hits the golf ball and you go chase it? Is that some sort of caddyshack game? Im confused.


Also why exactly is there so much mud hate here? Is it some high society thing about not getting dirty? A fear of cleaning out diff fluid? Did yall not but serviceable u-joints? Mud cleanup is actually fairly easy. Go to the self serve carwash plunk in a roll of quarters and go to town. Then put in another $1.75 to clean the stall so they dont get pissed at ya. I get that rock crawling is hard but so isnt climbing hills in the woods in the rain and snow. Its all fun to me, I just have an affinity for my tires spinning faster than I move across the terrain. Mudding is like drifting, using wheel speed to manuever around. I dont know I looked up the ancestral meaning of my family name and it means people of or near the bog or marsh. I guess its in my blood to play around down in the holler.

Sponsored