4x4 / SUV car hire in Las Vegas, for OFF-ROADING

Just finished another amazing two days in Death Valley NP - and instead of taking the Avis SUV down the back-country roads to old abandoned mines and ghost towns etc, this time we took a proper modified Jeep Rubicon from Farabee's Jeep Hire in the Park. Well worth it - we got to see some really remote places - and all without the worry of whether Avis' 'on-road' set of boots would survive the journey...



But my question is this: is there anywhere in Las Vegas, or close to McCarran Int, which will hire a 4x4 for genuine off-roading? Next year I'd like to come back for another weekend of back-country exploring, but instead of doing the back-roads in the Park, I'd like to see more of the old mining remains and 4x4 tracks over near Area 51 (which would make it pretty inconvenient to have to start over at Death Valley, just to get the Jeep).

But I'd really like to do it in a proper 4x4 / SUV with off-road tyres, not try just break the Avis rental agreement and hope for the best! Have done that too many times before!

Advice much appreciated.

Cheers

747_not_777

PS - NOT looking to join a Jeep tour or anything of that nature. I like to explore out there on my own, to my agenda - not as part of a group...

And PPS - I have not made a spelling mistake. It IS tyre, never tire! You Americans and your spellings...

All this wealth of Las Vegas expertise in one place and no one has the answer??? I guess this must mean its simply not possible to do?

Hi,

Excellent photo 747_not_777!^

I do not know about hiring 4x4s as I do not drive.


Regards

TBS

I don't know about jeep rentals here but I just want to make sure you know to carry plenty of water on such trips and let someone know where you're going.

The summer heat can be a real killer.

Like this kind of killer (taken on a previous trip off-road in Death Valley!):


Don't worry - I carry a million bottles of water (very nearly), always tell someone where I'm headed, don't travel in the car alone and have a satellite phone with me for such trips.

Really wish someone could help on the 4x4 hire from LAS though - would make next year's trip so much easier!

Yeah, it sounds like you know what you're doing. Too many people come here and don't know how fast things can go bad. Plenty of the desert is out of cell range.

Honestly, for this kind of expertise, you'd be better off asking on the multitude of 4x4 enthusiast forums out in the interwebs.

You are probably right... And there was me thinking FT had the answer to everything! Cheers for the advice.

Well, almost everything.

There is one thread in OMNI where someone was trying to find an 70's album based on some extremely vague details. I think someone posted the answer within 20 minutes.

Did you ever find a solution to this 747_not_777?

Looking to do the same thing in April

Afraid not SRG. The best option seems to be a rental SUV at the airport to Death Valley (if that, indeed, is your location), and then pick up a dedicated Jeep off-roader in the park from http://www.farabeesjeeprentals.com/ - you can rent in the park from September through to May.

But if Death Valley's not your intended off-roading destination, then obviously this isn't going to work out too well...

Whatever you do, hope you enjoy.

Thanks 747_not_777 - we're going to Las Vegas for a few days near the end of our US trip, and fancied a trip over to Death Valley. I'd been before in an Avis Toyota Rav4 that was surprisingly fun, although we didn't try anything serious like getting to the racetrack. Fancied something a bit more up to the task this time, but it sounds as if Farabees Jeep Rental will be the answer.