It's a good idea to take the time to practice using your winch and recovery equipment before you actually need them. Knowing how to properly and safely use a winch is paramount to performing your first successful vehicle extraction.
When your 4x4 is in near-rollover mode standing on end with the left rear tire jammed between two rocks, it is not the time to learn how to operate your winch. When your vehicle is teetering on a tree after sliding down an off-camber slope and is looking at pinballing 30 more trees on its way down the remaining 200 feet of slope, it is not the time to learn how to operate your winch. The time to learn how to operate your winch is in a safe and controlled environment before you need it, so that when "it" hits the fan you'll be ready for it.
Using a winch isn't all too difficult or hard to learn, but we still consistently see misuse that could easily result in injury or death. In two years of fairly consistent wheeling, I've used the winch on my rig just once for self-extraction and two other times to aid others who required recovery on the trail. However, I've also used it two times to help instruct friends on proper winch use, as well as to practice snatch-block pulls from awkward angles just to be ready for when I need to perform such a recovery.
ARB's large canvas bag features multiple pockets and a shoulder strap and is big enough to hold all of the recovery items shown and more. The ARB recovery items shown include the Speedy Seal puncture-repair kit, a recovery damper, a snatch strap, a tree strap, two D-shackles, and a snatch block.
Don't wait until you need it. Spend a few hours familiarizing yourself with your winch and other recovery equipment. Many 4x4 clubs require such knowledge before participating in club runs and activities. Even if you've used your winch and consider yourself a pro, take the time to perform a few practice pulls per year just to make sure everything is still functioning as it should.
To help us shed some light on proper winching and vehicle recovery practices, we looked to ARB 4x4 Accessories. The company offers a good deal of vehicle-recovery equipment and accessories designed for overland adventures where the nearest help is days, if not weeks, away. In order to display some basic winching skills for this article, ARB supplied us with its latest winching and recovery equipment, which included a heavy-duty canvas storage bag to keep the items stowed securely in the vehicle. Examine the following photos and captions for all the details on safe winching practices and get out on the trail and practice what you've learned so you'll winch like a pro in real-world situations.
One of the first steps to proper winch use is wearing gloves. When spooling or unspooling cable, it's best to feed it hand over hand to avoid catching a stray wire. You should also avoid placing your hands near the roller fairlead during winch operation. | 
When the time comes to winch your vehicle, you will need to find a suitable anchor point. A vehicle parked in a stable position with a driver in the driver seat with foot on the brake is one method, but a tree also makes a good anchor point. When using a tree, a tree-saver strap must be used. The strap is wrapped around the tree and joined with a D-shackle, and the winch hook is then secured to the D-shackle. Not using a tree strap will not only damage your winch cable but could result in injury or death to the tree - and maybe a bystander. The ARB tree-trunk protector/tree strap is made from 100-percent polyester with reinforced eyes. It is 10 feet by 3 inches and offers a 26,000-pound breaking strength. | 
All bystanders should clear the area before beginning a winching operation. If a narrow trail doesn't permit moving a safe distance away, you should position yourself behind a large tree or rock. Should the winch cable snap and recoil toward you you'll have an effective barrier against injury. Here, a single-line pull is demonstrated using a tree as an anchor point. |
An excellent winching safety device is the ARB cable damper. It's made from heavy-duty vinyl and has pockets for storing items such as D-shackles and a snatch block. The weighted damper is placed over the cable during a winching operation and is designed to absorb the energy in the cable if it snaps. If the energy is not absorbed, a broken cable could recoil toward the vehicle and/or its anchor point and render great damage or injury. The ARB cable damper is a must-have for anyone who owns a winch. | 
A snatch block can be used to double the pulling power of a winch. By routing a winch cable to the anchor point, looping it through the snatch block, and securing it to an anchor point on the winching vehicle, you decrease the number of layers of cable on the drum, thus reducing load on the winch and increasing pulling power. This is called a double-line pull. |  |