Maxsa 20322 Metal Gripped Escaper Buddy Traction Boards for Off-Road Mud, Sand, & Snow Vehicle Extraction, Bendable, Unbreakable, Orange, 2 Pack

Great product!! Easy to use!

Worth the price, great quality. They strap together, are light weight and I’m able to store them horizontally in the front bed of my truck. However, they don’t come with a recovery rope. Used them once so far in soft sand and they worked great. Like all boards, don’t spin the tires and you will be just fine.

TLDR: they work great for me, even after many recoveries, but as with any tool you have to use them properly.I have a Promaster van and have traveled to many places in the US and Canada with it. I also like to go a bit off the beaten track so I do end up getting stuck from time to time. I have used these to get unstuck many times in many different conditions, from the middle of nowhere in Canada to behind the house in muddy ground.As with most tools, they're not a cure-all for any situation. Prevention is of course the best cure; if you think you'll get stuck, reevaluate and ask yourself if you really want to spend the next hour (or three) getting down and dirty. I keep these inside the vehicle so even in the best case scenario it's a whole process: Getting them out, setting them properly, using them, and then cleaning them off can easily take an hour.How to use them is pretty simple - if you're only slightly stuck, just kick the metal bit of these boards under your tires and slowly drive free. If you're moderately stuck, air down the tires first (assuming you have a way to pump them back up.) If you're REALLY stuck, air down the tires, jack up the vehicle, pile some more dirt under the tires and THEN lower the vehicle down onto the recovery boards. This method will get you out of even the worst situations. Ideally you will want to always carry a jack, a shovel, and an air compressor in addition to these boards.After two and a half years and quite a bit of use, they're holding up great. No damage, chips, cracks or anything at all.Four year update: Still holding up well. These have always been stored out of sunlight, which has certainly helped longevity. I don't see them starting to fail anytime soon.

Ive used them a few times to get my mother's car out of her driveway, and it has worked for that each time with no problems. Today I was on a mountain with my truck, in full chains, and needed a little bit extra while getting turned around. It did get me moving up the hill I was backing up and so I was able to then use gravity to get going forward and get out of the rut. Unfortunately, one of them submarined under the snow and Im convinced it must have travelled horizontally for some distance because I was unable to recover it. I spent 10 minutes poking and prodding the snow with a pipe trying to find it, and never was able to. I guess someone will find it come next april.

UPDATED Dec 31, 2020... added the 5th star today after getting a chance to use these for the first time. Stout came to the rescue!We were up in Tahoe and saw someone slide off the road (coming down icy/snowy road and didn’t make the right turn). She had enough hard snow wedged under the whole front that it required some digging (3 of us for 10 min) but even after we could see daylight under it, and even in low four, the newer Tacoma just couldn’t get any traction to back out. All four wheels were spinning.I had a rope I could have pulled her with, but my daughter suggested I break out the brand new traction boards. I wedged under the rear tires, asked her to go super slow, and it got her unstuck. I then threw them under the front tires and she was able to back out without drama.Zero damage to the boards. Super glad I got the version with metal teeth at the front. It allowed the tires to bite right away and I didn’t worry about nubs melting.ORIGINAL...Have not had to use them yet, but have not seen any good pictures or reviews of the version with METAL grips (no side or bottom views anywhere!), so I thought I would share to help others make their decision.The good... these are STOUT. The plastic is thick and metal section is an entire insert, not just a plate on top of plastic. I also like that these are ~34 inches long instead of 48 like their most common model. This allows it to fit easier in my wife's car, when not taking my truck. They also come with a leash which seems helpful.The compromise... these are STOUT, which means they are heavy and unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, they do not stack inside each other at all. What you see in the pictures is as close as they get.Notes and minor stuff: The maxsa website says these are 10.5" wide, but they are actually 9.5" at most. Amazon is correct that the BOX is ~10". I was a little concerned with these being narrow, even assuming only 10.5, but after seeing them in person, I have no concerns. Probably similar width to the center section of the bigger models. BTW, the color in the pictures makes them look more vibrant red than they really are. They are a bit drab/orange IRL.Anyway, glad to have these ahead of winter. Insurance for myself and likely a MUCH easier option to help others get unstuck instead of pulling out a tow rope.