4WD "stuff to have with you list"

Since I just picked up a 4WD and am an off road newbie I would like to get a good list of things to have along.

Seems there is a lot of things to have to get you out of problems and I would like to go about this in a prepared fashion.

Not ready for rock crawling but want to have a well stocked truck for getting unstuck.
Thanks

 

A good thing to have: experience. If you don't have it, bring it with you (in the form of a friend )

 

First aid kit. Phone. Booster for the phone. Extra food and water. Shovel, jack, extra fuel and oil. Extra airfilter. Simple tool kit. Tire repair kit and pump. I'm guessing your tires are stock so you can just use the spare but if you get two flats you're fucked.

Oh, and leave your ego at home. People get hurt when they use that.

 

Tow rope, some sort of jack system, beer, food, flash light, small tool box, maps, lighter/matches.

 

Good electric air pump... quick air type... Harbor Freight and Costco are places to get ones cheap... about $50-$70. They work much faster than the cig. lighter ones and the clip right onto the battery.

The reason is if you get stuck or want to cross deep sand (and don't have the new TRACTION goodies), you need to deflate the tires to 10-15 psi... Then must re-inflate once done in the sand.

Also some bad roads are best traveled with some air out of the tires (like at 20 psi), but you would want to fill them back up when you are back on the highway. Get an accurate 0-60 psi pressure gauge.

I also keep a tow strap, jumper cables, socket set and other basic tools, a tire repair kit (plugs).... a first aid kit, too.

Welcome and you will love the truck in 4WD... TRAC and A-TRAC are awesome in the desert, you will have a hard time getting stuck in an Off Road TRD 4WD... I keep trying and failing!

 

Also check the off roading forum, a lot of good info there

 

+1

If you aren't breaking shit, you aren't trying hard enough.

Just kidding OP, it is more than possible to go out and have fun without breaking stuff. I did it for a long time before I started pushing it beyond "that point" and started breaking things more often.

Bring enough supplies to spend a night out wherever you are. Warmth, water, and food in that order. Bring a pack so you could walk out, bringing those supplies with you.

Bring a GPS and a compass. Know how to use them. I always note a panic azimuth before heading out. A panic azimuth is a direction on the compass that I know I can go and hit something recognizable no matter what. For example, if you know that where you will be, you will hit a freeway if you head NE, that's your panic azimuth. No matter what, if you're completely lost, head NE, and you'll hit whatever feature you've chosen.

Always top off fuel at the closest station to where you leave pavement.

Bring a shovel. Bring a recovery strap. Know how to use them.

Bring common sense.

Bring a cool head. Getting stuck is not the end of the world. You will get it out. Don't panic and do stupid, desperate things that will damage your truck.

Bring a phone with some numbers of guys who can come help pull you out. Or a tow truck's #, but they're gonna charge you an arm and a leg.


With this forum, particularly the SoCal and AZ crowd, there's enough of us always out there wheeling that there's no reason to not have someone with you.

 

recovery strap and d-ring, water, basic tool kit, first aid kit, cell phone, good shoes/boots, and ANOTHER friend w/ Vehicle...

never offroad alone!

 

A Ford.






















Oh shi- did I say that?

 

BEER!!!! so when you dont have shit to get you unstuck,at least you have beer

 

Recovery Strap - HF has a 2"x30' thats a good one for $30
D-Ring Shackles - Off-road store $6-$12 each depending if they are on sale
First aid kit
Shovel
Tool set - Costco has this one that I bought just for the truck and it has a ton of tools and a case. -$100 Anything will work though
Water jug - Plastic jug will work Walmart has a 6 gal one that works well for $10
Tire Compressor and Plug/repair kit - Walmart has this SLIME brand one that work AMAZING better then a lot of others I've used. I had to plug a tire with it and use the compressor all the time. Its a full kit and its only $55
Lighter and matches
Flash light
Zip ties
Bailing wire
jack that can lift the truck up

 

Great lists here gentlemen.
Much appreciated.

 

Here is a good list, http://www.offroaders.com/tech/Offroaders_Checklist.htm

 

wood. 4x4 and 2x6 pieces for jacking and placing under tires
gloves

 

A lot of good suggestions..but no situation is perfect. What if your engine blows 50 miles from anywhere? What good will a strap, hi-lift, winch..or anything else do for you? ZERO!!

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. It is not always possible to have someone with you, so you might find yourself on your own and needing to get somewhere to get some help..or get help headed your direction.

Considerations:

• Let someone know where you are going: the route, time, weather..ect...AND ESTIMATED RETURN TIME!!
• That person should know YOUR plan in case you do not return on time. They should know your experience and capabilities..and what you have with you to survive an extended stay.
• If you can, stay with your truck. Easier to find than a dude/dudette walking around the woods or desert.
• What will YOU need to spend the night..or 5 in the outdoors? Did you check the weather before you left? Did you plan accordingly for it..in case you get stuck, lost, broke down..ect? Do you wear a light jacket (in October) for a days trek? What happens when that trek turns into you humping out of the woods..through the night?
• Do you know how to signal an over flying airplane or helo that might be looking for you? Do you have a signaling device? Do you know how to use it? A mirror flash can be seen from 20+ miles away! How about at night? Got a handful of chemsticks? Tie a string on the end of one and start spinning it over your head...I have seen those under NVG's from quite a ways out. Keep a whistle in case you get hurt and can't move. You can almost always blow a whistle..blow it three times in a row and then wait. You can hear those from over a mile away.
• If you leave your truck, leave a note saying which way you are heading, what you are wearing and how much food/water you have. How you are dressed, how many in your party, anything pertinent..are you injured, leave it in the note. Someone might find your truck first and your note will give them a head start and know which way to go and what to expect.
• Stay on roads, trails, anything well traveled, even power lines. They are checked every so often so you might get lucky. Someone might being driving by and find you.
• Know the area your in, where Ranger Stations, residential areas, military bases..anything with people and a phone.
• Carry a map and compass...if your GPS goes tits up, you can still use a map with compass. Know how to use them.
• If you find your self walking, do so at an easy pace. You do not want to wear yourself out. Stay hydrated!!!!!!!!! Lack of water will kill you in a few days and make you see shit in even less. HUGE HUGE!!!
• Pack energy food...you will need it. (Beer is NOT an energy food)
• Even if your out for a drive, you might need a backpack. Carry one in case you have to hike out. Camelback type would be preferred. Easier to carry water that way.
• Basic first-aid kit..plus some aspirin or other pain killer. (Keeps your mind off the pain and on the mission of you getting out.)
• Good knife (leatherman)..and in some places, a sidearm (law permitting...but who gives a shit when you are trying to survive.)
• I like these and carry one when I am out, it could save your life: http://www.findmespot.com/en/

Keep your head and your spirits high! Be dedicated to the mission of surviving. A positive attitude is a 90% of surviving. Give up and you are SCREWED!!! Think of the people you want to go home to. Wife, husband, kid...dog..goldfish...whatever. THEY WANT YOU HOME AND YOU OWE THEM THAT!! That should be all the motivation you need.

I am sure there are a ton of things I am missing...but I just got back from a trip where I got a flat tire and was 20+ miles away from civilization. I was with my wife and 4 year old daughter and had we not been prepared, we would have been screwed or in a bit of trouble. I had a good spare and kept a cool head...even in the desert (go out RIGHT NOW AND CHECK IT!! Is it serviceable and at the proper pressure?)

When the rescuers come, and they will if they know you need help, LISTEN TO EVERYTHING THEY TELL YOU TO DO!! Be a good survivor..and LISTEN!!

We could have a class on this...and if there are some folks in AZ who want to do it when it cools down, I can get a USAF Survival Instructor to give a class...for not a ton of money!

 

Great lists and ideas

 

#1 is Knowledge...... Everything else is icing on the cake.
if you dont know how your truck works and I mean if you dont wrench on truck you will never be safe. It is having skills that allows you to "figure out" things on the fly that are needed in situations like that. When things go wrong usually you don't have what you need exactly so to survive you need to use what you have.

 

Watch all 3 seasons of Survivorman and you'll be set for anything! (do not rely on bear grills bull crap. He sleeps in hotels and eats twinkes when off camera)

 

Les is the MAN!!!!

Bear not so much.

Great stuff Survivorman show, I saw Les doing a sonoran desert survival show here in Az. The only problem was it was not summer and he had a creek nearby??

Can't say I blame him. It is not fun in the summer sun here.