A novel use for your slackline- using our slackline to get our skoolie out of the mud

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 I have always loved Walking the slackline ever since I got my slackline for Christmas in 2020. We especially love setting it up over water and from tree to tree at our campsites. It was hard to balance on at first but after a couple months of practice I could walk the whole way without falling and then spin around and walk back. I also learned to kneel, sit down and stand back up on the line.

Slacklining in Eleuthera Bahamas. Island school


But on November seventeenth we discovered a interesting use for our slackline. It was getting dark, and We were driving in our Converted bus(skoolie) Basecamp to a dispersed campground to spend the night. Unfortunately google maps routed us on to a shortcut and we ended up on the Georgia backroads with our path blocked by a locked gate. But in the process of trying to reverse out of the single track dirt road. our rear tire fell into the swampy Georgia mud in a ditch by the side of the road. My dad tried to drive out of the mud but our wheels just spun loose spraying black mud everywhere. We tried putting boards under the tires but the tire sank too deep. It was dark out and we weren’t making any progress.


We thought we were going to have to spend the treacherous night camped out trying to stay in our bunk beds at a steep angle with our rear wheel in the swamp. 


My dad said he was going to try and dig out the climbing rope to make a pulley system. But I realized that we could use the Ratchet mechanism on the slackline to slowly pull the bus to freedom. “Wow, that's a brilliant idea” my dad said.


We connected the slackline to The bumper of the bus and anchored it to a stout tree across the road. My dad turned on the engine. I was in charge of using the ratchet to crank the slackline tighter whenever my dad drove a little farther out of the mud. 

It took a little while of driving and cranking the slackline. but inch by inch the plan worked beautifully. We were able to use the slackline to free our Bus Basecamp from the mud, and we made it to our campsite by nine. Who knew slacklines were so versatile. Maybe this piece of gear can come in use next time your car is stuck in the mud.

Camping in our converted skoolie Base camp
Camping in Base Camp



Location: Georgia

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