Giovanni “Gio” Dumford

Giovanni “Gio” Dumford lives where the rocks bite back and the river crossings get sketchy — and he wouldn’t have it any other way. An off-roader since the mid-’90s, Gio cut his teeth in a 1980 CJ5 before bouncing through XJs, TJs, and a couple of ZJs by 2010, all built, broken, and rebuilt with his own hands. That same year he bolted on a set of 39.5x16 IROKs… his first taste of Interco rubber — and he never looked back.

By 2018, Gio leveled up. PJ at M&M Offroad built him a rolling Triple Threat chassis buggy, and that rig didn’t just change his driving — it changed his entire path. It was supposed to run 42" TSLs… until Gio realized there was only one answer for the kind of chaos he had in mind: 43 SX Stickies.

Those tires didn’t just grip the rocks — they built a community. With a core crew of similarly unhinged friends on mostly 43 SXs (and one random guy on 42s… bless his heart), Gio helped create the 43ish wheeling group. They run the hardest trails they can find, collect carnage as souvenirs, and drag more people into the sport every weekend like some kind of horsepower-powered cult.

Off the trail, Gio’s the force behind Rock and River Adventures, where he guides everyone from bright-eyed beginners at Jeep Jamborees to extreme-line junkies at major events across the country. Sand Hollow? Trail Hero? Yep — he’s guided there too. If there’s a tough line, a bad idea, or a group that needs a steady hand (or someone who’ll hype them into sending it), Gio’s your guy.

Whether he’s fun-running with the 43ish crew or leading groups through the woods one sketchy climb at a time, Gio brings skill, knowledge, safety, and just the right amount of chaos.