Snow / Mud Chains

No idea!

I haven't used them, but when in Europe years ago, in some areas roads were signed that you had to have snow chains. I thought it to prevent skidding - not to climb out of the bog.

Being typical Aussies who find roads signs a challenge, we took our camper van with it's little English tyres over a snowy mountain pass between Switzerland and Italy quite successfully without them.

We've fitted a winch to the Patrol in case of boggy moments.

As most of the roads that you would be buying the chain to use on are usually closed after rain and have very heavy fines for driving on them when closed, I think I would just sit and wait for the road to dry out.

Having said that the snow chains would assist greatly to give traction, so long as you didn't dig yourself in too deep and belly out. BUT they would make one hell of a mess of the road or track that you used them on and the local authorities would be out to hang you if they caught you.

Have you considered carrying an air bag that can lift the wheels out of the mud while you place branches etc under it to give traction. The airbag could then be used in any number of situations.

I have two sets now, and in the past have used them for at least 30 years... High Sierras to Idaho in the mountains in snow and such... And I have news for you, once you are stuck in the muck, it is a nightmare to get them on. In my opinion and there is no definative scientific answer so this is just an opinion: They are not worth buying or worth the weight of dragging them around with you and for the far and away majority of people... Not because they do not work well in the mud... But because you cannot use them very often as tears up the ground like a Catepiller tracked vehicle.... Serious digger like a little tank track...

In most places it would be illegal or undesireable to use them, do to the extreme cut. So mine are for an extremely rare situation and they stay home for all my trips... So in a word for mud, No for most... Too heavy and too rare of possible use.

But snow and ice, yes of course, mandatory probably to get into the snowed out mountain pass at times... But I have no experience in the snow and legal road use here...

Cheers, stg

Chains are excellent for mud and would get you out of trouble although the BT would be sliding all over the place in those conditions and as most have said chains make a mess of the road or track and are heavy dirty things to stow,far better to set up the BT and wait a coulpe of days for the track to dry out then your on your way again.,
In most cases it only takes a short time for the road to dry out once the rain stops in that country.