Snatch straps and soft shackles are great. This weekend I saw a beater Prius help recover a portly 4 door Jeep on 37s. Then we dropped them (the overlanders) off in town to buy parts and drove four hours back to Chattanooga.
A couple of notable vehicle recoveries I've come across or been involved in have driven home several key points. 1. Try to back the vehicle out of the stuck/off camber/whatever situation if possible. It's not as cool as pulling the winches, maxtraxx and stuff out and doesn't look nearly as cool on social media but is safer, quicker and works way more often than most people realize. 2.Have a spare of some sort and make sure it has some amount of air in it. Also, have a jack of some sort and make sure it works. Figuring out that you have neither, one but not the other or that they don't work is something to discover at home, not on a side trail in the Cohutta Wilderness when some strangers are trying to get you back going in the pouring rain as it gets dark. 3. When the person directing the recovery tells you to stand back, stand back. And shut up unless you see something unsafe others aren't seeing. Anyone can yell stop and everything should stop but there needs to be a good reason to yell stop. 4. A newer Dodge minivan is quite versatile offroad, especially when the driver is pissed off and it's a rental. They can get a lot of places, but getting back to the pavement might turn out to be a ten hour ordeal with angry spouses and annoyed/mildly entertained kids.
