Padre Island National Seashore

Q: John, thank you for the feedback on the "air down" question I submitted, I like the way you describe it, makes total sense to me... We dont have too many beaches to worry about up here in the prairies of Kansas. Last thing I want is to be that guy stuck in the sand on low tide with nothing to secure my winch to, I think I will air down to 30 and see how that goes. One more question for you sir, I am taking two weeks to explore south Texas at the end of March, plugged in your GPX route for the Padre Island National Seashore trail and will camp for a couple days before heading over to Big Bend. I will take in the National Park and have all the routes plugged in for Black Gap, River Road, etc., going to take in most of what you laid out there as well, this will be my 2nd trip to Big Bend. For the last portion of my trip I plan to spend a few days camping in Big Bend Ranch State Park directly across from the NP, I have never been there before and honestly there is very little information at least that I can find on the internet related to this massive park. While Texas State Parks has a PDF called "the Road to Nowhere" that describes the off-roading areas in general (seems like a trail lovers dream), I cannot find a single GPX route or even make heads or tails with Google Earth of what is road trail vs. hiking trail, you know the drill... Probably a loaded question given the size and opportunity here for off-roading, but if you have blazed trails here or may be aware of others who have and would be willing to share advice on ideal camping spots and/or GPX routes, I would trade that experience in exchange for some authentic Kansas City BBQ. Sorry to post this question here, probably a better spot for it but I figured at least you would see it here.

Q: As long as I have been running trails, I have never been on a beach trail like this. I have been through sand before in short stretches and just sort of maneuver my way through it without getting real fancy. But, I can "feel" it when the tires are not in synch and some slipping is going on, and then I am just happy to be done with the strip of sand... So, now that I am gearing up for a trip that will take me through nothing but sand, I figure I should pay more attention to what I have normally avoided, how to address sand... I drive a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with 33" Nitto Trail Grapplers on 18" wheels. The Jeep, rooftop tent, gear, me and the dog will come in around 5,000 pounds. Normally, I keep my PSI between 38-42, higher end of range when Im surfing highways to get to trails, and lower end for off-roading. I have read numerous times about this "air down" concept for navigating through sand. What I can't really seem to find is how much I should "air down" to give me the proper traction. Is there a rule of thumb for this, like a simple formula based on weight and tire size, etc? I know the tire will take up to 80, I run half of that, but what should I target for my trip to the sand? Any suggestions appreciated.

Q: Question for anyone recently running PINS. I have a fully equipped overland F250 6.4L. 51 gal tank, front and rear lockers on a 6" lift running 37 tires including all the recovery gear. I am not that used to soft deep sand so the question is: My son has a 2015 2wd TRD and would like to join us at the end of July; would the stretches of soft sand be too long and impassable with an occasional yank from ours? thanks, Darren