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2025 KoH; Attending for nOOBs: How/What/Where/Why
- Thread starter CDA 455 II
- Start date
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
I've always been a fan of Sat. phones; so having one is a future given.
My son told me his fellow gamer buddies, during their hunting season, subscribe to Starlink while they're out hunting.
That got me thinking.🤔
Brad
Jackass
Starlink is all that got me through the10 days we were there. Camp, race car, pit, chase truck all had them. My texting signal was fine almost everywhere. Hammertown my ability to send pictures went to shit if I wasn’t in the pits. I have xfinity mobile and it uses Verizon towers. I was out at Desert 2 area and was able to watch the live stream of the race on regular 5g.
Brad
Jackass
Our team used starlink instead of race radios this year. With the app we had it was just like radios/walkie talkie.
Starlink still works well there. Before long they may not unless Musk dedicated more satellites to the area…. Which doesn’t qualify for more coverage except for during KoH.
I’m thinking for selling mine and getting one of the new bigger ones that works while driving the RV
I’m thinking for selling mine and getting one of the new bigger ones that works while driving the RV
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
nOOB questions:
During qualifying and race week; how do you guys typically spend your day?
Out all day in the field, and then return at dust?
Go out, then return to camp or Hammertown/repeat throughout the day?
Hang out at camp or Hammertown most of the time?
During qualifying and race week; how do you guys typically spend your day?
Out all day in the field, and then return at dust?
Go out, then return to camp or Hammertown/repeat throughout the day?
Hang out at camp or Hammertown most of the time?
2big bronco
Og irate
Trying to sleep off my hangover/ waiting for it to get above 40, then to hammer town for my morning poo, back to camp for breakfast, fix whatever broke the day before, maybe go watch qualifying and look for friends, drink some beer, mild wheeling, dinner, fix more shit, go out for night time shenanigans... rinse and repeat
We ended up in the Can-Am members lounge area for a good chunk of the trip. They had a pretty sweet setup near the S/F line. Had the live feed up and a set of bleachers. We ventured out to Backdoor and Chunder a few times but seemed to end up back in HT. Hanging in town is not cheap and is BYOB.
Sandy Johnson
Harry Member
When I used to volunteer:
Leading up to recovery days
Wake up with hangover
Head to hammer town for morning poop/social media check
Back to camp to make breakfast and fix anything I may have broke the previous day
Head over to hammer town to check things out now that the rest of camp is awake
Lunch
Load up and prerun some trails
Back in time for dinner.
Go watch some night shenanigans from a distance, go night wheeling way out away from crowds, or head over to Ultra 3 if it's Tuesday.
Bed
On recovery days
Wake up early with hangover
Head to hammer town for morning poop/social media check
Back to camp to make breakfast, pack a lunch, and refill the cooler
Load up rig and get out on trail to before racers
Setup ez-up/chairs, and watch racer on trail
Eat lunch
Watch lower talent racers become trail tampons and help them un-tampon/flip back over
Cook some sort of dinner/snack
Watch all the racers who had the bad luck to be out on course late. Offer water/emotional support to their co-dawgs.
Pack it up and head back whenever race-ops calls it (ealier for UTV/everyman, ~11pm for 4400)
On the way back to camp, get re-directed by race ops to check on racers that haven't moved in a long time and no one has heard from. Sometimes find a rig that needs to be drug out to a main road so their team and get them back to the pits/camp
Roll into camp super late and eat some sort of late night dinner/snack and have a cocktail.
Bed
SurfnSnow
Moderator
pretty much the same here with the exception of going out for scouting photo shots, getting photos and going from point to point.
What usually kicks my ass is the last day or two; during the main race, up early and made it out to the first spot of the day then spend the entire day going from point to point, getting photos, race back to camp at dusk, get a quick bite to eat, go to get picks at the finish line. Then go back to camp, drink, relax and hang out with friends. go to sleep around 1am, wake up at 4am, pack up and start the 9 hour drive home.
Get up in the morning. Go to hammertown for morning poo. Head out and watch some racing/qualifying.
Come back to hammertown around lunch for a monster and food and check out the rigs going through tech.
Head back out for more spectating in the afternoon.
Swing back into camp for more clothes and supplies before heading to chunder for night time spectating.
I would like to do some wheeling but i cant seem to find anyone local to go with or meet up with anyone there.
Would like to camp with a group in '25 instead of just me and a buddy.
Come back to hammertown around lunch for a monster and food and check out the rigs going through tech.
Head back out for more spectating in the afternoon.
Swing back into camp for more clothes and supplies before heading to chunder for night time spectating.
I would like to do some wheeling but i cant seem to find anyone local to go with or meet up with anyone there.
Would like to camp with a group in '25 instead of just me and a buddy.
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
Can/does Hammertown keep you occupied/interested throughout qualifying/race week?
Or does one or two two-hour walk arounds do it?
Are there a lot of vendors?
The shitter is definitely a popular attraction!
Or does one or two two-hour walk arounds do it?
Are there a lot of vendors?
The shitter is definitely a popular attraction!
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
1) Is Hammertown foot traffic only?
Or can you drive around inside?
2) If not; Is there a parking area right outside Hammertown?
Or can you drive around inside?
2) If not; Is there a parking area right outside Hammertown?
2big bronco
Og irate
Foot traffic only
Enteraining enough to walk through once or twice a day to see new stuff, people, check out contingency, ect
Enteraining enough to walk through once or twice a day to see new stuff, people, check out contingency, ect
Parking right outside Hammertown and walk in.
Plenty of stuff to see in hammertown most days. Also the pits are close also and a lot of cool stuff going on there to check out. Quite a few vendors but you could prolly check them all out in a couple hours but if you stop and visit that time can increase dramatically lol. I will say if you are looking to build/upgrade your rig going in an asking the vendors is a great way to learn what will/wont work for you.
Plenty of stuff to see in hammertown most days. Also the pits are close also and a lot of cool stuff going on there to check out. Quite a few vendors but you could prolly check them all out in a couple hours but if you stop and visit that time can increase dramatically lol. I will say if you are looking to build/upgrade your rig going in an asking the vendors is a great way to learn what will/wont work for you.
SurfnSnow
Moderator
Walking around tech inspection days is pretty cool if you're not out watching the races as you get to talk to the drivers & teams.
Normal hammers day for my group is
wake up 7-8ish
grab a breakfast burrito/coffee/take a dump
10ish restock ice chests and head out to watch some qualifying/racing
5ish back to camp for dinner/hangout
9ish chunder/backdoor/ultra 3
some of the days we'll replace watching qualifying/racing with checking out hammertown (usually 2 days of walking around for about an hour) or getting lunch or wheeling, we do a trip into town for lunch on one day, this year we drove out to see the big rock on the way to yucca valley
we really dont watch alot of the racing, we try to get around and have some food, look at rigs and just hang out
Save the Date email today.
Jan 23-Feb 8th
King of the Motos on weekend one and then diving straight into the Desert Challenge, UTV Hammers Championship and Every Man Challenge - concluding with the Race of Kings on the final weekend.
Jan 23-Feb 8th
King of the Motos on weekend one and then diving straight into the Desert Challenge, UTV Hammers Championship and Every Man Challenge - concluding with the Race of Kings on the final weekend.
Scooter
walk home clown
Sign me up.
Honky Lips
Welcome to the shit show.
Much excite
SurfnSnow
Moderator
Have it on my calendar
cambo357
Member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2024
- Member Number
- 7974
- Messages
- 6
Hammers noob here, planning on going this time. Have a few questions to start with, and I know I will have more.
1. I am mostly planning on watching the Desert Challenge. I need to request off from work way ahead of time. That should be the weekend of Feb 1-2, right?
2. Assuming those dates are correct, how should traffic, parking, camping, etc be if I roll in mid day on Friday before?
3. Tent camping, is it viable for just a couple nights? Does the wind make it miserable? I just have a small tent, and can take it down during the day. An RV is just not in the works for me. I dont have one. Even if I had one, my rig is far from ideal for towing much of anything. I pull trailers for a living, the last thing I want to do when off is tow a trailer.
4. How is Hammertown during this time? Are all the vendors there, or do they wait for the main race weekend?
I will pester again when I think of more things.
1. I am mostly planning on watching the Desert Challenge. I need to request off from work way ahead of time. That should be the weekend of Feb 1-2, right?
2. Assuming those dates are correct, how should traffic, parking, camping, etc be if I roll in mid day on Friday before?
3. Tent camping, is it viable for just a couple nights? Does the wind make it miserable? I just have a small tent, and can take it down during the day. An RV is just not in the works for me. I dont have one. Even if I had one, my rig is far from ideal for towing much of anything. I pull trailers for a living, the last thing I want to do when off is tow a trailer.
4. How is Hammertown during this time? Are all the vendors there, or do they wait for the main race weekend?
I will pester again when I think of more things.
1. Most Likely the 1-2 correct
2. Crowds are very reasonable in comparison to the following weekend
3. W*** comes and goes. Temps could be anywhere from 10-90F, so who knows. For a couple nights and rolling around with an enclosed cab vehicle, it’s way doable. Heck, I’m liable to do the backseat of a full-size truck for 1-2 nights.
4. Almost all vendors are setup for both weekends. Maybe different staffing or hours until mid-week.
The first year I went I towed the Unimog and used one of the RV rental sites to have a RV delivered to the entrance of KOH. We got a much bigger one than we needed, but it was only about $200 a night. Given the unpredictable weather, I’d lean towards this option if you can
1. Not sure
2. It'll be busy but not bad, sunday and monday exiting gets pretty busy, alot of people come just for the desert race, plenty of space for parking and camping even on the main weekend, traffic in and out is the more frustrating part
3. Completely do-able, just remember it gets cold windy and dusty which isnt fun in a tent, also remember that idiots drive around at night way too fast with little visibility, so dont set up your tent in the middle of no where to avoid the noise, youre better off being within a stones throw of a few other people
4. hammertown is 90%-100% set up and functioning, if anything is missing you wouldn't know it
2big bronco
Og irate
Most likely those dates
Parking/ camping/ access will be relatively non crowded
I've owned some form of rv and almost never bring one for myself. At least 8 of 10 trips have been tenting. If you have a good sleeping bag and can stay comfortable down to 10* you will be fine.
Hammertown will be 60% and not crowded.
Scooter
walk home clown
I used RVShare.com last year and an option was to have it delivered to Johnson Valley CA(near Hammertown). I was by myself so it made no sense to rent a car at LAX and then meet the rv out near the lakebed. I ubered the 45 mins to pick it up and the reversed that when I dropped it off a week later.
SurfnSnow
Moderator
You going in 2025?
1. I think so
2. Not too bad, but like folks have said, getting out on Sunday might be a pain
3. Never tented KOH. The wind is hit or miss, plus rain as well. Even when it's not windy, it's dusty and you might get a case of Hammer-lung.
I sleep in my rig and use it to get around for the week (Sunday to Sunday). You won't need anything hard core to get around just 4WD
4. Most of the vendors should be set up by then. But as a side note, I've noticed that there's been a drop in the number of vendors over the years. There's more that are setting up on or near the entrance to Hammertown which is kind of cool.
Always on the lookout for other Irate folks but haven't really run into anyone during KOH.
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