Subaru Forrester 2001

I have a Forrester and you will find you are able to go most places with no difficulty remembering ground clearance and wheel travel are the limitations. I would suggest fitting an Aluminium sump guard as the only necessary modification but you may like to also consider a switch to isolate the radiator fan for water crossings.

Really your major limitation in your lack of experience. Let caution be your guide (but be a little adventurous) and you will have a grest holiday.

Ozie

I second that about the sumpguard, I smashed the plastic one the first time I hit some serious ruts so now I have an alloy one from SubaXtreme which seems fine. The other thing I plan on getting is manual winch just in case. I know they are not easy to use but as insurance they are worth it. Lack of clearance is the price you pay with a "softroader" but otherwise they are great

Happy travels

DaveNJude
http://home.iprimus.com.au/daveju/Caravan/Caravan.htm

The Forester will cope with conditions harder than you would probably ever dream of tackling!.
The Subaru Club in your state could offer you good advice.

As mentioned, a sump guard is important - it is a pity that Subaru don't fit them anymore, or even offer them as an option. A steel guard is preferable, they bend and don't crack like the cast aluminium one recomended above. A guard off any older model Subaru can be easily modified to fit.
Tyres are another weak point on ALL 4WD's - change from the standard H/T to A/T - your car has 15" wheels and there is a lot of choice in A/T tyres available.
If your car has self leveling suspension, be careful not to overload the rear suspension, the SLS is prone to fail if heavilly 'stressed' - SubaExtreme make suspension options for most Subaru models.

Good luck

Thankyou for your replies. We now feel confident we can do a few extra tracks along the way.