[Technocrat]

Amazing report Samurai. Makes me feel like buying a Jeep myself

Awaiting the other trip log

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by GTO

One of the main attractions of offroading is being at one with nature. Seems like you guys had plenty of time to do that too. I prefer relaxed offroading excursions over hurried full throttle ones. Getting to point B is not as important as making the most of the journey.

Exactly, although we often had to wait, it was not really a problem. I used most of such breaks for photography and to just chill with nature.

Originally Posted by Torqy

Did your wife also take pictures with the E3? ....i guess the ones where you are there are NOT from E3.

Not really since she doesn't like carrying the 1.3Kg contraption.

Originally Posted by DKG

I think smaller groups of five Jeeps max would make for more meaningful excursions rather than these large fests.

That is exactly what we did next day.

Originally Posted by NIP

eagerly awaiting the 'near virajpet' story something tells me i know where you guys went

You bet, I was thinking about your old Coorg travelogue as I saw the familiar town names as I drove by them.

Meanwhile, I forgot to thank lots of known/unknown people who constantly advised me on how to tackle a given hurdle. I was often unsure which gear to use for a hurdle or what techique to use. There were always couple of people close by who told me which gear and what approach eliminating the hesitation from my mind.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by DKG

For me this has been the primary motive in offroading and with each trip I come back home richer in exposure to nature at her pristine best. An offroader to me is just a tool to allow me to visit places I normally may not attempt to reach on foot.

You betcha! Its fascinating to experience sheer beauty that you never knew existed, and yet relatively close to an urban surrounding.

This past weekend some friends and I managed to track a lake in the heart of a forest using a GPS, and what a sight it was to discover it. It is totally hidden behind hills and few people know of it.

Which 4x4? Report & pictures please?!!

I think smaller groups of five Jeeps max would make for more meaningful excursions rather than these large fests.

True, but either has its advantage and disadvantage. Best to take part in both.

[Torque-ative]

All fairness I think the terrain and chosen track was an overkill with the chance of only one jeep out of 50 making it across !

Waiting for 30-60 mins for each jeep to be extracted could leave the most ardent fan literally left out in the sun to dry !

I am sure there are more pics. coming !!
Cheers Keep it rolling.

[rmonie]

Samurai San,

Great photo feature! I was absolutely captivated by pictures & descriptions. Looking forward to the other report with bated breath!

[DKG]

Originally Posted by GTO

Which 4x4? Report & pictures please?!!

My interest in offroading stems more from my passion for the wilderness and so far my Tata 207 with 275/70 R16 tyres, a gutsy engine and generous ground clearance has allowed me to handle trails a normal sedan won't. It gets me to places I wouldn't dream trying to do in a car. Toying with the idea of a manual diff lock for it . Eventually I do plan to get a new softop Gurkha so I can explore jungles in monsoons (where permissible) as nature is at it best then.

Will post pictures of these trips soon.

[headers]

Originally Posted by DKG

My interest in offroading stems more from my passion for the wilderness and so far my Tata 207 with 275/70 R16 tyres, a gutsy engine and generous ground clearance has allowed me to handle trails a normal sedan won't. It gets me to places I wouldn't dream trying to do in a car. Toying with the idea of a manual diff lock for it .

That one helluva engine. But you OFFROAD in a 207. Come on. i have a 207 DI and know its good for load hauling. Spins at the slightest of the slushy kinds.

I guess, you should look at a 4x4 with a 2 speed transfer case before looking at a manual diff lock.


The 207 DI is good for showing off though as we could make the vehicle slide easily.

[esteem_lover]

At best the 207 can be a bad roader, certainly not the kind of offroaders we are talking about here. Maybe you can make a 4x4 out of it.

[jp1]

Superb writeup Samurai, your photography with those magnificent vehicles + serene nature make it really addictive and intoxicating. I am sure lot more guys are going to get into off roading, we are going to have traffic jam in jungles shortly.

[Venom_rider]

Hey Samurai,

Congratulations for succesfully completing your 1st OTR in your Jeep. I am sure that the experience would have been very rewarding. It is truly amazing to see so many capable, macho Jeeps doing what they are meant to do

I am for sure one of those guys who've got inspired off-late to acquire a jeep... hope it happens soon!

PS: Didn't see Arka around in the photos... I am sure he would've been one of the guys to have a decent chance of clearing the first obstacle.

Not sure how the Nissan (1 ton) would've handled this course...

Cheers!
Goutham

[jacs]

Excellent Samuraiji....writup and snaps!!! very live feel i had on reding this.

Congrats on succesfully completing the terrain and for the unforgetable "Momento"

Your Jeep thrills!!!

[hrag]

Dumb question - was the Gurkha ever driven by any of those Jeepers with God Like offroading ability? Or was it only the owner who drove?

[DKG]

Originally Posted by hrag

Dumb question - was the Gurkha ever driven by any of those Jeepers with God Like offroading ability? Or was it only the owner who drove?

Just to place things in the right perspective no vehicle with open diffs can be considered a better option than one with lockable diffs in extreme offroad conditions. The Gurkha with lockable diffs has an advantage over a standard 4x4. That said driving technique makes a huge difference. I have seen local Arabs take a front 2wd battered old Isuzu sedan onto desert sand and drive about smoothly while many with a 4x4 offroader get stuck on their first outing onto soft sand.

[hrag]

What I'm trying to get at is whether the Gurkha was driven solely by an owner enthusiast (not an expert) not very experienced at off-roading. Maybe he was just learning. Maybe he was uncomfortable with others driving his vehicle (a lot of us are).

I'd be very surprised if one of the Gods drove the Gurkha and it still failed miserably.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by hrag

What I'm trying to get at is whether the Gurkha was driven solely by an owner enthusiast (not an expert) not very experienced at off-roading. Maybe he was just learning. Maybe he was uncomfortable with others driving his vehicle (a lot of us are).

I'd be very surprised if one of the Gods drove the Gurkha and it still failed miserably.

OK. lots of queries w.r.t Gurkha. Let me offer my perspective, from a viewpoint of a person who was there and saw how the Gurkha performed.

1. The owner, Mr Srinivas, was no inexperienced driver. He was driving quite well and must be given credit in not losing patience and being ever ready to push the Gurkha to it's limits.
2. No doubt, the manual diff locks (both on front & rear), would have helped. But in this terrain the need for these did not come into play because we hardly had scenarios where the one/more tyres were in the air/off the ground having loss of traction.
3. The issue with the Gurkha seemed to be it's immense weight and size. It's just toooo heavy.
4. The front bumper of the Gurkha, though looks mean, is way too low and hinders the approach angle while going into a stream. There were instances where the bumper was stuck royally in mud/slush and once that happened, the Gurkha with all it's mechanical Gizmos had no chance to me either forward/backward.