Is night wheeling a bad idea?
 

I kind of assumed that it would be like hiking - you're not supposed to go after dusk because it's more dangerous for you and those who have to get involved if you need to be rescued. Also might piss off the campsites if they're along that trail.

On the other hand I see a lot of Wranglers with extra lights and light bars and read a few threads about how awesome it is. I'd love to give it a try on an easy trail to see the stars and good views but was not sure if night wheeling was a bad idea.

It's a little more challenging, but I find it much more enjoyable. It's cooler, there's less people, and it's kinda eerie at times. Just make sure you're either traveling with another vehicle, or that someone back home knows where you are in case you get into trouble. Having a winch and/or shovel, while knowing how to safely recover yourself, is mandatory in my book. In my opinion, wheeling at night will make you a better driver as well. Try it out and you'll understand why jeeps have a lot of lights!

Never wheel a trail you've never done during the day at least once.

And the Oklahoma guys don't realize that wheeling in the mountains isn't hot in the dead of summer, so that's not an issue either. But seeing cliffs is. Also wildlife might be a little more active which might not be a good thing either. But what's the point of wheeling in mountains at night anyways? You're there for the views. Moab night wheeling is pretty cool though.

The club I wheel with rarely wheels in the day during the summer. 11X degrees out there. But we're only going 25 mph to the trail and 4 mph on the trail. X2 on not wheeling alone or be familiar with the trail.

Are you kidding me, it's still 100+ at midnight there in the summer. If I were you guys I would find some caves to wheel in. :beer::hitfan:

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Night wheeling is a blast. It adds a new element of difficulty to any trail. We recently went on a night run at our favorite rock crawling trail. Here we are staging up.
Don't go alone, have adequate lighting, and use your head.

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night wheeling is awesome, like others said it brings a whole new element to off roading. Just be cautious of your surroundings (especially reversing).

I've never been a fan of night wheeling. You lose some of your depth perception and (for me) it's tougher to see holes and dips in the trail. :eek2: I prefer to see exactly what I'm doing while I'm Jeeping.
To each his own...:thumbsup:

Hey, people have to put their expensive mall crawler lights to good use haha

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bam!!!

Sometimes one simply has to go somewhere, at night.

A couple of extra lights can help.

Not all of us with light bars are mall crawlers. I do night photography and the headlights just don't cut it when you're out in the middle of nowhere on a moonless night. If it's someplace I haven't shot at before I definitely scout it out during the day but a good 50" light bar really makes finding your way back to road a lot easier.

Love night runs :)
Recommend rock lights. I went with these

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LEDENET® 5M Double Row 600LEDs SMD 5050 LED Flexible Strip Lighting DC 12V Cold Cool White Waterproof Outdoor Use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MEHR5EG..._0zrVvbPD3W9PE

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can you send me a PM or post how you wired these in? Cheap bright rock lights awesome idea!!

Huge fan of night wheeling. Completely changes the difficulty of a trail. I always look forward to the first major snowfall of the year so we can head up Friday after work to tear up virgin snow before the masses can get to it on Saturday. :thumbsup:

Never done it but expect it is a fun challenge.

Here's a writeup I did for WF.
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/ch...s-1365865.html

I personally don't like night wheeling. Even with my aftermarket lights I can't see what's on the sides of the rig or behind and it just stresses me out. Plus without rock lights it almost impossible for someone to spot you over some difficult obstacles. Yes they could have a flashlight and everything but still not as easy as in the day. Yes people say it's fun to add too the challenge but I can only imagine the stress of having to repair a broken part in the dark even with flashlights. I only go night wheeling if it is a easy trail and I know it forward and back. Also NEVER be the only rig

I have to agree with a few guys on here personally I don't like night wheeling I did it once really easy stuff but I couldn't see anything! Even with aftermarket lights! The dust alone made it hard to see!

I've been doing night wheeling here in southern Mali, Africa but it's a whole different ball game from home! First, once you are outside Bamako city limit, the next lit road is in Guinea! And to get to our favorite campsite in Sibi it's a 40 minute ride, with occasional animals in the road and locals who for some reason think it's okay to wear black walking along a road at night. Once you get to the national park, it's a 30 minute trail up 1500 ft to the base of the giant stone arch, but the view of the Milky Way is incredible!

I love night wheeling. Rock lights are, in my opinion, a must for any technical night wheeling. The light up the terrain for the driver AND spotter to see what you're crawling on. I'm usually only parking lights and rock lights on when on an obstacle...because everything else blinds the hell out of your spotter. You've gotta trust their spot if/when you can't see as a driver.

All the Gucci lightbars (and I have a Rigid 50") were really designed for Baja applications, high-speed desert running where you need to be able to see far enough ahead of you. If you're rock crawling, you don't really need a lightbar that can see a mile down the road...you need to be able to light up when you're traversing.

ALSO, when in doubt, dismount. I've come up to places at night not knowing if the trail drops off a cliff or just into a small ditch. Get out and look before you leap if you don't have a ground guide/spotter.

:beer: