ATV or Side-by-Side? What’s your weapon of choice when diving into the mud?

Mudding is an off-roading experience like nothing else. Those in the sport will often spend big bucks to outfit their rig to take on conditions that would force just about everyone else to turn around and head back to camp.

Today, you’ve a selection of two types of machines for the task – ATVs or Side-by-Sides. Pick your camp, plant your flag, and prepare to get dirty.

ATVs are a heckuva lot lighter than their bigger cousins and, ridden properly, can go into far smaller places than a normal SxS, especially one that’s configured as a rig with two rows of seats. Light and nimble, an ATV arguably stands a better chance of squeaking through than a larger machine that’s laden down with cargo and passengers.

Successfully riding an ATV through the mud takes more skill, though. Where a SxS driver can simply stomp on the loud pedal and hope for the best, ATV riders need to throw their weight around in a bid to gain just the slightest bit of traction and make it to the other side. Stand on the side … no, wait … lean back … hang on – I’ll push off this bank with my foot … tackling a tough mud pit in an ATV takes some real talent.

That’s not to diminish SxS drivers and the challenges facing them and their machines. Sure, being heavy with the throttle is fine in some instances but without carefully reading the situation and careful steering inputs, it’s alarmingly easy to have the run go completely wrong. All that extra weight can be an initial advantage for momentum but quickly turn into a liability if the rig starts to sink or turn turtle.

What’s your weapon of choice when taking on the mud stuff? Vote below!