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Comment by RichardCA | Hacker News Reader

"There are some who will say that any backcountry travel in Death Valley using a normal street vehicle in Summer is inherently foolish. This is certainly a debatable topic."

No, it's not.

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The author was being understatedly polite to the Germans. He knows that you need to be prepared. Notice from the pics the heavy offroad vehicle he was using. A standard consumer 4x4 is also likely to be inadequate, with stret tyres and too-low clearance. You will also want a full size spare and also preferably a kit and the ability to patch tyres yourself. And emergency food and water for a few days, and preferably a GPS locator and portable shade.

And at least a second person with you!

The last wild flower bloom(not this year, 5 or so years back), a buddy and I only had a 2wd Tacoma at our disposal. The back roads we were used to (out to Butte Valley, for instance), which aren't all that bad were a challenge and we opted to play safe.

Any time of year, parts of DV back country are not to be taken lightly. You may not see anyone for days if something goes wrong.

The key thing is knowing when to turn around. I've taken some drives out into the Mojave and Death Valley that weren't all that smart in a 2wd sedan, but I also turned around the instant the road made me feel uncomfortable. And I had a couple pallets of bottled water in my trunk, but I always do. Calculated risks.

Still, it can be really hard to turn around when you're far enough in to be "committed" to the road. Sunk costs and all that.

Tacomas are tough little trucks though... I've seen them go into and out of places they really have no business being.

They are, but tires play a big part in being able to handle terrain as well. And typical tires on a 2wd Tacoma aren't usually that rugged.

I personally have gone as far as Warm Spring Canyon and in my case I have a Tacoma with full 4WD. But I don't have a winch or boards or any of the other survival stuff so that's as far as I'd go on a solo (one vehicle) trip. Even in December.

Here, if you find this stuff interesting: http://confluence.org/confluence.php?id=223

It probably depends on your definition of backcountry. There are some reasonable unpaved roads. But in general I agree.

EDIT: And summer certainly raises the stakes.

I took that statement as being firmly tongue in cheek. It seems to feel that way with the flow of the rest of his writing at least.

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