For years, I thought a two-wheel-drive (2WD) van wasn’t capable of getting me to the places I like to camp the most: dispersed sites at the end of long, rough forest service roads somewhere in Northern New Mexico. But last summer, I spent a month driving one on backroads and was pleasantly surprised by where it could go. More importantly, I took a hard look at where I actually spend the most time traveling and realized that while yes, there are absolutely situations in which four-wheel drive (4WD) is necessary, most of the time I didn’t need it.

　　After my time in a Ram Promaster van last summer, I spent the fall hunting season playing “4WD or Not?”—a game I made up to estimate how many times I actually put my truck in 4WD during hunting trips (when I spend the most amount of time driving off pavement), and whether a 2WD vehicle would’ve sufficed. Between seven different trips, I threw the truck in 4WD only three times—once when I encountered wet and sloppy roads, once when unexpected snow storm moved in, and once when I drove up an incredibly steep section of road while scouting for mule deer. There was only one situation in which I’m certain a 2WD vehicle would not have made it.

　　While a 2WD van can’t go everywhere a 4WD vehicle can (which has more to do with ground clearance, approach, breakover and departure angles, and suspension flex than it does with the vehicle’s drivetrain), it can get you most places. To make it better suited for off-road travel, I’ve made some modifications to the Promaster in the last six months while keeping a van’s inherent limitations in mind. If you own a 2WD van and are interested in making it more capable, here’s what I’d recommend.