Northeast Rivian Club – NERC Spring 2025 Off-Roading event

[2kwik4u]

I signed up for this a few weeks ago. Haven't heard anyone else here mention it. Thought I would start a thread in case there were others that planned on attending.

https://northeast.rivianclubs.org/events/northeast-rivian-club-nerc-spring-2025-off-roading-event/

I spent a good portion of my life driving in/on/around farms in the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area. I have a "little" off road experience, but nothing like you see online, so I'm coming in as a pretty green individual. Hoping to use this event to gauge my interest in off road driving/exploring, and if it goes well we already have plans formulating to head out west next summer ('26) for a 2-wk trip to explore off-road out there.

Have a couple questions for the group. Going to tag in @R1Thor and @Jazzyjeff139 I've seen some of your other posts elsewhere on the site regarding this event. Hoping to get some visibility here.

1. I have EVBase running boards installed now. Should I take those off for the weekend? Can't seem to find a ton of pictures from the events. The few pictures I've found online I only see one truck with running boards on it. I've got a '24 R1T with the 20" AT tires, with the All-Terrain Upgrade package. Any chance of damage here?

2. I went ahead and grabbed a hotel for Thurs-Sat night. Plan is to drive down Thursday. Do the off-road event Fri-Sat, then drive home Sun. Coming in from Buffalo, NY, so it's about a 4.5hr drive for me. Not the end of the world in terms of distance or time, but don't want to try and cram that in before or after a day off-road.

3. What's the family situation look like? Have a wife and 2 boys, and she's on the fence about coming. Boys seem excited, but I'll have to pull them from school for 2 days. Not sure she's real thrilled about that, but if it's a decent family scene I'll at least talk her into letting them come along, even if she doesn't

4. What's the trail food situation? I'm guessing we should pack lunches and drinks and snacks to be away from civilization for the day. Anything special on the trail? Do we have time to cook lunch or should we consider something easier/faster like sandwiches/chips?

I'm here for any and all tips/tricks you guys might have for the event as well. Thanks in advance.

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[R1Thor]

I signed up for this a few weeks ago. Haven't heard anyone else here mention it. Thought I would start a thread in case there were others that planned on attending.

https://northeast.rivianclubs.org/events/northeast-rivian-club-nerc-spring-2025-off-roading-event/

Yeah, I /we should probably post these things. I always hesitate because the first emails that go out specifically go out to NERC/adjacent Rivian Clubs of America Chapter Members (people who paid to be a part of Rivian Clubs of America). I believe since it's first come first serve, the intent is to make it first and foremost available to those members and then allow others access. I haven't received communication one way or another from Jazzy, Rob, or Romy, so I do the 'wait and see.' I don't like to step on toes...

Glad it's out there now, though!
To answer your questions:

1. I have EVBase running boards installed now. Should I take those off for the weekend? Can't seem to find a ton of pictures from the events. The few pictures I've found online I only see one truck with running boards on it. I've got a '24 R1T with the 20" AT tires, with the All-Terrain Upgrade package. Any chance of damage here?

- Any/all configurations are valid. We've had people with dedicated-purpose built ATs on aftermarket off-road developed wheels with the Reinforced Underbody Shield, sliders and the whole shebang. There have also been just as many vehicles with the 22" Sports and zero extras.

-The best and foremost intent of these courses is to instruct you to pick the BEST possible paths, focus on tire placement, and be completely aware of your surroundings and to the best of your ability predict where the entirety of your vehicle will be at any given time based on your course, throttle input, brake modulation, etc.

This is a long winded way of saying: the *driver* is the instrument here. Not all of the added goodies. To my knowledge and experience, there've been 0 severe incidents with any Rivians. To date, a few blown tires (spares are encouraged--and Jazzy or Rob generally have a few extras they borrow from their nearest SC to bring along if you don't have one of your own), and some VERY light pinstriping has literally been the worst of it. You'll be more than fine.

2. I went ahead and grabbed a hotel for Thurs-Sat night. Plan is to drive down Thursday. Do the off-road event Fri-Sat, then drive home Sun. Coming in from Buffalo, NY, so it's about a 4.5hr drive for me. Not the end of the world in terms of distance or time, but don't want to try and cram that in before or after a day off-road.

I'm not sure there's a question here. It's a solid plan, and you'll be in good company! There's typically a group dinner the first night at the Old Forge Brewing Company in Danville.

3. What's the family situation look like? Have a wife and 2 boys, and she's on the fence about coming. Boys seem excited, but I'll have to pull them from school for 2 days. Not sure she's real thrilled about that, but if it's a decent family scene I'll at least talk her into letting them come along, even if she doesn't

- I can't speak for everyone, but I can definitely say that my wife and kiddo VERY thoroughly enjoyed our time with these events.

- My wife helped me as a spotter, and my son did some amateur photography while we were busy navigating. GREAT times had by all.

-My wife enjoyed it so much that we signed HER up to drive my truck in the most recent offering. She now has her own R1S because of it (we plan to hit the trails together--TBD if we're going to make this course, however. Still in debates )

-Others have brought their wives and kids, and to date, no one has complained. That said, I don't know what kind of debrief they had after the event. But all-in I do believe most of the kids for sure enjoy it. Worst best case, you still get internet and your wife can bring her phone..... But seriously, having a copilot helps immensely, and she'll learn almost as much as you even from the passenger seat. Plus occasionally catering to the kiddos and reminding you that you're driving a $$$$$$ vehicle

4. What's the trail food situation? I'm guessing we should pack lunches and drinks and snacks to be away from civilization for the day. Anything special on the trail? Do we have time to cook lunch or should we consider something easier/faster like sandwiches/chips?

The day starts out, breaks for lunch, and ends up in the same place. There is often a small trailer that serves some food, but we've always been cautioned not to rely on it. In other words: bring a brownbag lunch. If you don't have the time since you're staying in a hotel, that's cool--some have driven off campus during lunch to find some food and return shortly thereafter. Lunch break is 60-90 minutes (generally). The faster everyone gets finished, the sooner your instructors will get you back out for the afternoon session (but they don't rush).

We have brought lunch and snacks for in the truck for the kiddo and wifey. I enjoy my coffee too--just not too much as there are no trail facilities. Occasionally you'll be stopping and getting out of the truck to check out some obstacles/terrain/objectives and there could be unsanctioned opportunity to jog into the woods to use a tree...if the need arises.

There are porta potties that are pretty well kept (for such facilities) at the muster grounds, so you'll have access to those before heading out, during lunch, and when getting back to air your tires.


Let me know if this covers your questions and if you have any other thoughts/comments/concerns.

BLUF: Don't fret it. Offroad-Consulting is AWESOME, and their instructors are a wealth of knowledge. We can debate the actual need for 'lockers on Rivians' when you get back

 

[2kwik4u]

@R1Thor

Thanks for the detailed response. Appreciate the time. I think this covers everything I had. I'm sure some more will come up once it gets closer.

Oh.....Any idea how many trucks will be there this year?

 

[Thunderbolt Adventure]

sounds like someone in the group should bring a Kitchen to make some grilled cheese sandwiches. I know where you can find one ;-)

 

[technerd]

I went to the 101 course last year, just the 1 day, didn't do 2. But it was a blast, and helped me learn the capabilities of my R1T, even on the 22" tires. My only other off roading experience was the Bronco Off-Roadeo, which was only 1 day, so still a novice. Kyle and Off-Road Consulting were great, they made you feel confident in making choices.

I would probably remove the running boards, they could definitely get caught on something, and I personally wouldn't want to worry.

As for food, there was nothing that I can remember that was open, so I'd plan on bringing whatever you'd want. And I only remember 1 vehicle with kids, but they seemed to have fun.

I just grabbed an AirBnB, so I just enjoyed the scenic views and relaxed the rest of weekend, it was a nice little getaway, enjoy it!

Here's a few pics from last year.

 

[KBabione]

This looks like so much fun - I wish I could make it but our calendar has other plans for us. I hope you all have a great time and maybe I'll be able to make it for a day next year.

 

[R1Thor]

sounds like someone in the group should bring a Kitchen to make some grilled cheese sandwiches. I know where you can find one ;-)

Are you guys offering to throw one in as a sponsorship show and tell???!



We (my wife and I) finally got around to signing up for the 2-days again, since we both have Rivian's now we want to go for one last guided learning op before we decide to venture out on our own.

Now we're trying to figure out camping in the area (trying to find nearby campgrounds that might allow us to charge overnight if we pay for the RV spots).

See you guys out there!

 

[2kwik4u]

Are you guys offering to throw one in as a sponsorship show and tell???!



We (my wife and I) finally got around to signing up for the 2-days again, since we both have Rivian's now we want to go for one last guided learning op before we decide to venture out on our own.

Now we're trying to figure out camping in the area (trying to find nearby campgrounds that might allow us to charge overnight if we pay for the RV spots).

See you guys out there!

Glad to hear there will be some others there.

Let me know if you find a camp spot. I have a hotel in Bloomsburg reserved, but my wife has decided to stay home for the weekend. Just going to be me and the boys (13 and 7) for the weekend. We could make a camping thing work, maybe.

 

[Thunderbolt Adventure]

Are you guys offering to throw one in as a sponsorship show and tell???!



We (my wife and I) finally got around to signing up for the 2-days again, since we both have Rivian's now we want to go for one last guided learning op before we decide to venture out on our own.

Now we're trying to figure out camping in the area (trying to find nearby campgrounds that might allow us to charge overnight if we pay for the RV spots).

See you guys out there!

Unfortunately, we're in California and it's difficult for us to get away during the spring since that's Mountain Bike season for our high schooler! But, I hope you all have an amazing time! Sometime we'll get our rig out for an East Coast event. So far, the farthest we've driven it was to Chicago at Thanksgiving. We have sold some kitchens to folks out your way - maybe one of them will be at the event!

Don't forget we're running our Anniversary Sale. Save 15% on Thunderbolt brand products with 2025ANNIVERSARY at checkout.

 

[R1Thor]

Unfortunately, we're in California and it's difficult for us to get away during the spring since that's Mountain Bike season for our high schooler! But, I hope you all have an amazing time! Sometime we'll get our rig out for an East Coast event. So far, the farthest we've driven it was to Chicago at Thanksgiving. We have sold some kitchens to folks out your way - maybe one of them will be at the event!

Don't forget we're running our Anniversary Sale. Save 15% on Thunderbolt brand products with 2025ANNIVERSARY at checkout.

?
Yeah, I was totally not trying to get you to send me one to show off for you ?

While your product is totally kickass and probably worth it, it's a tad over my already irresponsible budget given I'd use it all of 3x/year.

But I do hope you're right--someone at the event may have one that we (and the rest of the NERC/MARC/NJRC) who join us can check out. My wife's a trained/certified/degreed chef, so she might nerd out on it anyway.

 

[R1Thor]

Glad to hear there will be some others there.

Let me know if you find a camp spot. I have a hotel in Bloomsburg reserved, but my wife has decided to stay home for the weekend. Just going to be me and the boys (13 and 7) for the weekend. We could make a camping thing work, maybe.

I came up empty on camping.
Neither Irish Valley nor Knoebels are open before the end of April.
(Which is extra unfortunate, because Irish Valley was open to the idea of allowing us to get some metered juice while we were camping there. I should've asked when they opened for the season *First* but...live and learn).

Going into the next phase of research: whether there are any local hotels or airbnbs with L2 EVSEs.
It's not...needed. It'd just be verily convenient.!

 

[2kwik4u]

I came up empty on camping.
Neither Irish Valley nor Knoebels are open before the end of April.
(Which is extra unfortunate, because Irish Valley was open to the idea of allowing us to get some metered juice while we were camping there. I should've asked when they opened for the season *First* but...live and learn).

Going into the next phase of research: whether there are any local hotels or airbnbs with L2 EVSEs.
It's not...needed. It'd just be verily convenient.!

Womp Womp.

I'm currently setup at the Fairfield Inn in Bloomsburg, and at this point I'll likely keep it that way unless something else drops in my lap easy like that. Looks like they have a Tesla Destination Charger. Who knows if it will be available when I get there though.

Boss setup some training, in person, in Buffalo for Thursday between 2 and 4. So I'm not going to get on the road until ~6pm on Thursday. Puts me into Bloomsburg around 10:30-11:00pm. Probably not the best setup for camping for certain.

Guess I need to figure out what kind of adapter I need to use that though. Off to google.

*edit* I googled. Hotel has 4 chargers. 2 Tesla, 2 Non-Tesla. Checked plugshare and there's some entertaining pictures. Lots of ICE vehicles parked in the spots. Looks like a Lightning Owner had to find his own solution. I suspect this will end up being the first off-roading I do for the weekend

https://www.plugshare.com/location/136125

 

[R1Thor]

Womp Womp.

I'm currently setup at the Fairfield Inn in Bloomsburg, and at this point I'll likely keep it that way unless something else drops in my lap easy like that. Looks like they have a Tesla Destination Charger. Who knows if it will be available when I get there though.

Boss setup some training, in person, in Buffalo for Thursday between 2 and 4. So I'm not going to get on the road until ~6pm on Thursday. Puts me into Bloomsburg around 10:30-11:00pm. Probably not the best setup for camping for certain.

Guess I need to figure out what kind of adapter I need to use that though. Off to google.

*edit* I googled. Hotel has 4 chargers. 2 Tesla, 2 Non-Tesla. Checked plugshare and there's some entertaining pictures. Lots of ICE vehicles parked in the spots. Looks like a Lightning Owner had to find his own solution. I suspect this will end up being the first off-roading I do for the weekend

https://www.plugshare.com/location/136125

Good call; and not a bad option.

I'd copy your homework, but we're coming up from the south, and we're only ~90 minutes from AoAA, so driving extra-north isn't ideal. Still looks like almost 45 minutes from the Fairfield to AoAA.

We have a chargepoint along our route. As of now, I'm half tempted to just stay at home and make the trip. Stinks for going to dinner with the group and then following up next day. We'll see.

I'm going to map it out. Likely, we won't even need any charging. So, maybe we'll stay at TrailHead afterall. TBD.

See you out there!

 

[2kwik4u]

Still looks like almost 45 minutes from the Fairfield to AoAA.

Yea, I'm not super jazzed about that part of the setup. I picked that hotel because I had Marriott points to use, and it has free breakfast. It having a charger for overnight is just icing on the cake. I fully expected to have to charge at the EA station at Sheetz in Bloomsburg before heading to AoAA.

If this destination charger works out, I should be able to make the trip on one stop on the way down, then get to nearly full overnight. Fingers crossed right?!?

 

[R1Thor]

Yea, I'm not super jazzed about that part of the setup. I picked that hotel because I had Marriott points to use, and it has free breakfast. It having a charger for overnight is just icing on the cake. I fully expected to have to charge at the EA station at Sheetz in Bloomsburg before heading to AoAA.

If this destination charger works out, I should be able to make the trip on one stop on the way down, then get to nearly full overnight. Fingers crossed right?!?

We found a VRBO that checked out boxes that's about 15-20 out from AoAA.
They have a dryer.
I might see about piggybacking off of their 240 for a small top off, if it's feasible.

If not, I did the ABRP planning, and assuming we use ~10% a day at AoAA (conservative estimate), we'll be golden to make it there, and all the way back home with 13% remaining SoC, including our small field trip to Quaker Steak & Lube.

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