Photos by Dean Larson and Jeff Bruss

There's a simple joy in off roading that I think most anyone can enjoy given the right context. Whether it's picking the right line up a bolder-covered slope in Moab, spending a couple days on the Rubicon Trail, or simply pounding through some mud holes down your nearest dirt road; four-wheeling can be a rewarding way to spend time and a fun skill to build. The sport can be both challenging and accessible, cheap or specialized — it is what you make it at the end of the day. My ideal day four wheeling is a cheap, full-size truck, blocky tires, low range and a cooler strapped in the back.

4x4 and off road makes up a huge part of the SEMA Show these days, in fact, there's an entire hall dedicated to it. Much of what you'll see caters the glitz and glamour of 4x4, rather than real trail capability, but you will find some great capable rigs also if you know where to look. (That means avoiding all the mall crawlers and giant lifted duallys out front in the American Force wheels display.)

We've assembled this sample of SEMA 4x4s for your enjoyment and promise you'll find a minimal amount of mall crawlers, bro dozers and pavement pounders.

If you've got more humiliating names for fake 4x4s, send me an email at dean.larson@colepublishing.com.