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Your DIY: "How to survive at KOH and have the time of your LIFE!"

Writer's picture: AngieAngie


Angie on the road to KOH.

hiii!

angie here with BABE, also known as iammtheprincess, and i am going to bring you the best checklist for how to survive at King of the Hammers (KOH), one of the largest offroad races and events in the US.


First, let's preface this with what you are going to be doing and the environment you are going to be in. KOH is an off-road race event that lasts for weeks during the winter. It is located in Johnson Valley, CA; pretty close to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park.


ENVIRONMENT:

During KOH, Johnson Valley turns into a small desert town that people love to call 'Hammertown.' With 100K+ attendees, the vehicles kick up so much dust that the haze you see everyday is... you guessed it... a dust cloud. For this reason, you absolutely need a Gator or mask. Speaking from experience, if you don't protect your lungs, you could get pretty sick.


Angie and her Bronco, Big Poppa, in Hammertown.

Once you are in Hammertown, there are people camping, food vendors, off-road parts vendors, trail rides, and a big community of racers ready to tackle the “hammers.” Most trails are named after different hammers: Sledgehammer, Jackhammer... you get the point!


During the day, the racers are out tackling trails such as the Boulders of Backdoor or pre-running through the desert while the attendees are watching, trail-running, eating, or networking with at the vendor booths.


Ford's Bronco racers at Bronco Nation Basecamp.

At night, the party happens! The attendees (usually the crazier ones) get the opportunity to hit the course at night while everyone watches. This means there are a lot of people standing on rock faces eating, drinking, and even popping off fireworks while the rock crawlers face their match against the course. If you aren't at a spot like Chocolate Thunder, maybe you are out listening to the Sublime concert or sitting around a campfire drinking whiskey with your fellow offroad friends. Either way, the party is happening! *cheers*


Night scene at the top of Chocolate Thunder.

SO now that you have the rundown, let's get to that checklist and how I was able to get to Johnson Valley and camp for over a week in my Bronco.


BRONCO CAMP PREP:

I DIY’ed a mattress platform for the back of my bronco to level out the back and also made black out curtains for all of my windows.


To complete my setup, I bought a twin mattress, 4-5” thick, and cut it for the dimensions of my 4 door bronco back trunk (you’ll have to measure width and length for your vehicle). This allowed me to set it in the back and fold down the back seats for a leveled back. I used pillows and blankets to make it comfier.

  • Cushion or mattress of your choice

  • 2 pillows

  • 1 comforter

  • 2 blankets to help cushion the hard part of the seats


Angie's DIY sleeping setup.

For the curtains, you will have to measure out your windows, and then put velcro sticky tape alongside the curtains so you can take them on and off as you please.

  • Black fabric

  • Velcro and fabric glue

  • Windshield visor

In the winter at Johnson Valley, the temperature during the day was about 50-70 degrees and at night it ranged from 20-35 degrees. Some winters are much colder; dropping down into the teens.


*PRO TIP: Turn the vehicle on while setting up for bed with the heat on so it warms up and is ready when you are prepared to go to sleep.


I did not bring a heater and was fine throughout the night. Other years, some have had to turn the vehicle back on throughout the night to reheat. Adjust accordingly, wear layers and be prepared. I slept in sweatpants, a long shirt and fuzzy socks every night.

Bronco Nation's basecamp.

PACKING:

For all my supplies, I bought two clear tubs with lids: one for my food supplies and the other for clothing and toiletries. These were able to fit in the front seat when I tore down the Bronco every night alongside all my other gear. I went with clear so I could see where things were without having to dig around. I chose plastic tubs because they are waterproof and wont get as nasty.

  • 1 large clear tub for clothes/toiletries

  • 1 medium clear tub for food supplies

While I was traveling to Johnson Valley from Texas, I put everything that I didn't need to sleep in the two front seats and floor board. When tearing down for the night and preparing for sleep at KOH, I used a small pop up tent to put things in so I did not have to keep taking it in and out of the vehicle everyday. Things I put in there were my tubs, folding chairs, and MaxTrax. Make sure you pack accordingly but not too much so you can move things around.


Angie at the Start/Finish line at KOH.

FEMALE NECESSITIES:

Camping is no joke, and if you do not come prepared, you may be straight out of luck. Here was my personal women's checklist. (Men you can ignore the women's parts because let's be honest, you have it easier!)

  • She-wee (uhhh what is that?.. Yep, its a womens.. Wee. you MAY need to use the bathroom when there aren't any around, so this is your portable wee. I used it on my drive when I was in the middle of nowhere and on trails. GET IT LADIES!

*PRO TIP: I would aim it into an empty water bottle so I did not get any on myself, have your toilet paper ready!

  • Toilet paper- For 10 days I used maybe 1 roll but I had the luxury of using toilet paper provided most of those days. I brought 4 rolls just in case.

HYGIENE:

There is a shower trailer that costs $20 per shower (2023). Most people do not use it. I used it once on the last day so I could get clean from the dust on the way out.

  • Trash bags: You will want it for those days you have trash (toilet paper, food waste, etc.)

  • Ziplock bags: Put everything that you don't want to get dusty/dirty in ziplocks and seal them

  • A box of tissues: I used them so frequently!

  • Baby wipes: great for those no shower days, just wipe yourself down every night before bed (thank you black out curtains)


Angie and Big Poppa at the top of Chocolate Thunder looking down at Hammertown.

SAFETY:

It's better to be safe than sorry and so much can happen that you do not expect. Here is my go-to list of things I bring on any camping trip in my bronco whether its injury related or offroad recovery related:

  • First aid kit: wraps, bandaids, Neosporin, scissors, etc.

  • Recovery gear: I put most of my recovery gear in a functional backpack so I can throw it in the Bronco and it doesn't take up much space.

    • Tow straps and shackles or hooks on your build

    • Fire extinguisher

    • Emergency water

    • Whistle

    • Traction boards (I use MaxTrax)

    • Zipties and bungee chords

  • GMRS Radio: I put this in safety because you will want a radio to talk to others in case you get stuck on a trail or in a bad situation. Most people have them and are running all kinds of channels to talk through.

  • Hiking boots: So important! People twist their ankles all the time climbing the rocks on trails if not wearing hiking boots.

  • Long compression socks with the boots, we do not need blisters!

WHAT TO WEAR:

My daily outfit at KOH was a Tshirt, functional leggings with pockets, long socks, hiking boots, and a ball cap to protect my scalp from the sun. At night, I layered up as the day got colder. Pack accordingly.


HYDRATION:

Water! I brought water bottles and jugs of water. It was more sanitary for me to use the disposable water bottles. Putting water in a cup everyday could get nasty. I would suggest at least one case of water if not more.

*Water is provided at Bronco Nation's Basecamp or if you are a VIP attendee.


Angie eating her camping meals on the road.

LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD:

You have a few options and I will go over them: Food vendors, the camping food that you bring yourself, and VIP attendee food options.


Food Vendors

If you want food at the actual event, you can buy food but I heard it was not cheap. According to friends, in 2023 a basket of chicken strips and fries was $20. There is an infamous pizza trailer that you will at least want to try once! I bought that and one other meal while I was there and it was a very large, delicious vegetarian burrito for $8. yum!


Camping Food

On my way to Hammers, I planned for the worst and brought at least 2 meals per day and snacks just in case I couldn't find food during my trip or needed it on the road. I'm also vegetarian so this made it a bit trickier :)

  • Camping food meals of your choice: A great solution for me was HMR meals, they are small meals that are already prepared, I just cracked them open and ate them cold.

  • Snacks! You will want snacks for the drive or on the trails and throughout your days.

VIP Experience

One of the options for KOH tickets, is to buy the $500 VIP ticket. This includes a buffet all day long with breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices until 5pm. This is a great option if you do not want to worry about food. There is coffee, soda, water, and even alcoholic beverages at the VIP lounge as well. Vegetarian options were very limited at the VIP lounge. If I did not get the proper nutrition that day from the lounge, I ate one of my camping meals.


*More VIP info on the Hammers website when you buy your tickets.


LET'S TALK ABOUT CAMPING TIPS:

On the actual drive, there were some things I learned that I wouldn't have known about without this camping and offroad community. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is land typically on the west side of the US that is owned by the government and is public. This is great for free camping. I would find it on an app called OnXOffroad and it would show me where I could find BLM land on a map. This is where I would stay on my way to and from KOH.


Now that you have the inside scoop on how to survive King of the Hammers, Come find me out on this adventure!


-angie + poppa




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