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Sprinter Recovery & Off-Road Mastery
Empowered to go farther, smarter
An immersive, hands-on recovery and driving course for Sprinter van and overland rig owners who are ready to tackle challenging terrain, remote travel, and real-world recovery scenarios with confidence.
Over three days, you’ll gain critical skills for navigating rugged trails, understanding vehicle dynamics, using recovery gear effectively, and making smart decisions when the trail gets tough.
Whether you operate a lightly upgraded van or a fully built overland rig, this course teaches you real-world techniques that separate experienced overlanders from weekend drivers.
You won’t just learn how to get unstuck, you’ll learn how to avoid getting stuck in the first place.
What You’ll Learn
- Techniques for steep, muddy, rocky, or unstable driving conditions
- Tire management: airing down, patching, reinflating in the field
- Winch operation: single-line pulls, snatch block use, safety protocols
- Proper deployment of recovery boards, soft shackles, and straps
- Utilizing vehicle weight, gearing, and momentum effectively
- Recovery gear essentials: what to carry and how to use it
- Risk management during recovery operations
What’s Included
- Personalized instruction tailored to your exact rig
- Multiple recovery drills in real conditions (sand, forest, mud)
- 3 chef-prepared meals per day for 2 people per van (BYO snacks and beverages)
- Two dispersed boondocking sites
- Post-event consult within 2 weeks
What’s Not Included
- Snacks, beverages, fuel, and camping supplies
- Recovery gear (a detailed recommended gear list is provided upon registration)
Location: Snoqualmie Pass, WA
Practice your recovery skills in diverse terrain. You’ll learn on soft sand, forest trails, and open dispersed camping areas.
Exact meet-up location and GPS coordinates will be shared upon registration.
Who Should Attend?
- Van owners with some experience who want to learn recovery skills
- Anyone who has a winch installed but hasn’t actually used it in the field
- Skill Level: Intermediate. Must be comfortable driving off-pavement
Skill Level: Intermediate. Must be comfortable driving off-pavement
Vehicle Requirements:
- 4WD (low-range preferred)
- Front-mounted winch encouraged
- Traction boards (2 minimum)
- Recovery kit: soft shackles, kinetic rope, tree saver, gloves
- Air compressor and tire plug kit
- Rated front and rear recovery points
- All-terrain tires and full-size spare
Schedule Overview
Friday: Sand Skills + Beach Camp Setup
- Meet mid-day near Snoqualmie Pass for group check-in
- Travel to dispersed site
- 4WD Theory (Sprinter-specific AWD va traditional AWD)
- Proper tire pressure (for sand, trail, and road transition)
- Spotting techniques and effective trail communication
- Sand driving techniques: air-down, throttle control, turning in ruts
- Winch familiarization and basic safety talk
- Caravan to bookdocking campsite
Saturday: Trail Recovery & Forest Techniques
- Morning coffee and breakfast
- Transition to forest trail system for mild off-road training
- Proper braking methods when descending loose terrain
- Obstacle negotiation: spotting, tire placement, turning radius drills
- Choosing safe approach angles, when to attempt a line, when to recovery, when to reroute
- Using momentum vs traction and how to protect your van from body and undercarriage damage
- Winching scenarios: self-recovery and buddy recovery
- Set up camp at boondocking campsite
- Group dinner, debrief, and starwatch
Sunday: Real-World Recovery Practice + Depart
- Morning Q&A and recovery gear inspection
- Guided scenario challenge: rotate roles (driver, spotter, winch op)
- Plan your next overland and off-road trip
- Pack-up help, final checklist, and departure coaching
- Optional group caravan back to paved road
Support Team
You’ll be supported by a certified recovery instructor, a wilderness safety lead, and a course assistant to help you get the most from each drill.
Why Choose This Course?
Most overlanders carry recovery gear they’ve never used. Our goal is to make sure you never have to wait for help. You’ll leave this weekend with:
- The confidence to self-recover without panic
- The ability to help others safely
- The clarity to know when not to attempt a recovery
- Personalized recovery coaching tailored to your rig and experience level
- Practical driving and recovery skills for rugged, technical trails
- The capability to explore farther, safer, and smarter
This course isn’t theoretical. You’ll get dirty. You’ll get unstuck. And you’ll leave with the kind of self-reliance that defines great overlanders.
This is where capable drivers become confident explorers.
About Your Pack Leaders
What if your van builder had already lived your dream? And survived your worse case scenario?
25+ years off-road recovery experience with overland vehicles, living in vans, boats, RVs, and expedition vehicles traveling off-grid, in all conditions.
40+ years combined camping experience from casual car camping to serious wilderness expeditions.
Survival, medical response, and field operations expertise. Skills honed over decades of training and real-world application.
15+ years of professional van building personally designing and constructing custom expedition vehicles for off-road travel and long-term living.
Our training is built from experience earned the hard way: on trails, in storms, and thousands of nights under the stars.
Interested in Private Coaching?
Frequently Asked Questions
Each Wolf Pack event is intentionally capped at a small number of vehicles (usually 5–10) to ensure a personal, high-quality experience. Registration is first come, first served.
We welcome Sprinter vans, adventure vans, Class B RVs, small overland builds, and similar adventure vehicles. Specific requirements are listed in each event description. Feel free to reach out if you're unsure whether your setup is a fit.
Yes! Passengers and partners are welcome unless otherwise noted for a specific event. We encourage bringing someone to share the experience.
In general, well-behaved dogs are welcome at most events. However, some locations or activities (like certain state parks, recovery trainings, or wildlife areas) may have restrictions. Pet policies will be clearly listed per event.
Wolf Pack events are designed to run rain or shine. We believe real adventure includes real conditions. In cases of extreme, unsafe weather (such as wildfires, floods, or severe storms), we will reschedule or refund as needed.
A packing list and tools list will be provided after registration, customized for each event. Expect to bring basics like food, water, fuel, sleeping setup, recovery gear (where applicable), appropriate clothing, and basic van necessities.
Some events include group meals or community cookouts; others are self-catered. Details are listed on each event page. We encourage participants to bring their own essentials regardless to stay self-reliant.
Due to the small group sizes and advanced planning, Wolf Pack event registrations are non-refundable within 30 days of the event. However, if you need to cancel earlier, or if we must reschedule due to weather or emergencies, we’ll work with you fairly.
Perfect! Our events are designed to help beginners and intermediate adventurers build real skills and confidence. No ego, no judgment, just growth.
If you can comfortably walk around a campground, crouch, lift light gear, and hike short distances on uneven ground, you’ll be fine. We adjust our pace to the group. No extreme hiking or climbing required.
Yes! Attendees of Wolf Pack events are invited to join future trips, advanced courses, and exclusive experiences.
