MAXTRAX

If you read our how-to articles or vehicle reviews you’ll know that we’re huge fans of recovery equipment. We think there’s nothing better than getting off road and exploring Australia’s wildest landscapes, but when you’re standing beside your wagon looking at wheels buried up to the axles in sand or mud it can be hard to remember what a great time you’re having. If you try to dig yourself out using your bare hands and the jack that came with your toolkit the enjoyment can wear off pretty quickly. On the other hand if you have the right gear in your vehicle you can haul yourself out of most stuff in no time and get on with your trip. One of the most effective, and simplest, recovery tools is a good set of sand channels.

Sand channels come in all shapes and sizes now, and there are some great models to choose from. Some of the best we’ve seen recently are from Maxtrax. These are tough, stackable channels with a few clever touches, and they’re made in Australia.

Maxtrax concentrate on their recovery tracks, and you can tell a lot of effort has gone into getting the design just right. They’re based in Queensland and work with the state university’s labs to test their designs to a really high standard. They’ve also come up with some top quality accessories for their channels. One that impressed us was their pin mounting system. Why stow your muddy Maxtrax inside the vehicle when you can mount them externally on lockable pins, leaving them easily accessible when you need them in a hurry? Of course you can also get a stowage bag if you do want to throw them in the back, or a harness to strap them to a rear-mounted spare tyre. A lot of attention to detail has gone into these products, right down to orange telltale leashes to help you find your Maxtrax after your escaping vehicle has rammed them down into the mud.

Recovery gear isn’t somewhere you want to cut corners – you want the best quality you can find. You’re not going to go far wrong with a set of Maxtrax in your recovery kit.