I did it a couple times with my rock buggy, but mostly my wife and I bring our Jeeps. I have probably been about 25 times. We usually camp at the springs during the middle of the week to beat the crowds. As always, it is best to go with a group, as your cell phones will not work there. Some tips:
* Always top off your tank on Hwy 50 BEFORE heading up Icehouse Road. From the turnoff, you will be driving for 45 min to an hour up a very steep grade to reach the actual trail-head and will burn through a lot of fuel.
* Lots of off-camber / tippy spots. The only vehicles I see roll are the ones with roof racks full of crap.
* If your rig is well built (37s, lots of travel), it is sometimes best to leave the doors/tops on. The trail can get very dusty, mosquito infested, its rains frequently in the summer, and you sometimes must cross water that is above the door line. The times I have my top/doors off, I wished I had left them on. When I leave my doors/top on, I am always glad I did. Last year I ran "The Con" with my air conditioning on the whole first day (it was 85 degrees). If you plan to play on side obstacles or run old sluice, you may want to leave the doors off.
* It is probably the most crowded off-road trail in the world. It is best to do everything in your power to avoid the crowds, otherwise a 5-hour run into camp could take 10 hours, and campsites fill up VERY fast at Buck Island and the Springs. Avoid event weeks and the weekends. People tend to be extremely rude on this trail in particular; blocking the trail with a broke rig instead of pulling it to the side, loud music all night, groups of stock Jeeps and barely running Toyotas that refuse to let faster groups pass, trash and piles of human shit everywhere off to the side of the trail. If you ever want to lose faith in the future of off-roading, the Con is an easy place to do that.
* Definitely enjoy Lake Tahoe after you run the trail out. We always stay a night at Stateline for a hot shower and a little bit of gambling.
* IT is VERY RARE anymore when they allow campfires on the Con. You can use propane camp stoves to cook, but need a Forest Service fire permit that can be obtained for free online. Don't plan on having any campfires.
* Make damn sure you rig is California street legal if it is plated (non green sticker). The trail is full of county sheriffs and rangers that love to write tickets for anything they find. We have had members in our party get tickets for windshield that got cracked on the trail, and a near "open container" ticket for a rig that was packing out his empty beer cans from camp. To the LEO's credit, they deal with a ton of assholes on this trail and don't have a lot of patience.
