What to put in a minimalist tool bag

I do a lot of remote travel alone with my wife in our Tacoma. I usually bring my whole tool box ( large roll around Pelican case with all the tools I own lol ) it's nice because I literally have everything I could ever need BUT it takes way too much room and it's heavy. So I've set out to build a minimalist tool kit that may not have every tool but, at least enough tools to get the job done. So what would you bring along if you were to build such a tool kit?

 

interesting thread... subd

 

Beer

 

A hammer

 

Well I will start it off with some things I have already thought about. You can get a lot done with two adjustable wrenches so those to me are a must. As well as a large short handled hammer. Some unconventional items would be heavy duty zip ties and a short length of pipe for a cheater bar as well as a good sturdy flat tip screwdriver or for prying and scraping and such

 

This is more or less what I carry when I go on long long solo (the long trips list is a little shorter) trips to the middle of no where. A lot of this stuff just lives in the truck too. I don't have much storage where I live so the bed is also a storage unit. I commute by motorcycle and only drive the truck on the weekends so this arrangement works well.

I use a tool roll bag, a cloth tool bag and some other things to carry this stuff. I have a camper shell with a sleeping platform. One side has a drawer the other side uses bins.

45 degree long reach pliers...I use these a lot
Channel lock pliers
vice grips
3/8" socket set with various extensions
3/8" hex socket set
assorted screw drivers and picks
Deadblow hammer
Pry Bar
Opened ended/ratcheting wrenches
Adjustable Wrech
Multi Meter
scraps of wire and crimps
wire cutter/crimper

Telescoping magnet
Sharpy market
Extra Fuses
Spare relay
small funnel

some shrink wrap
electrical tape
Duck Tape
Fiber Fix (I just got this, I really want something to break so I can try it)
JB Weld.
Small variety of hose clamps
some extra bolts, nuts and screws

35mm socket, 1/2" drive for replacing a CV Axle (I carry a spare CV axle)
1/2" drive breaker bar for CV Axle
22" mm socket for lug nuts
1/2" drive torque wrench for the above
1/2-3/8" reducer socket thing

various ratchet straps

Hi Lift Jack
Spare Hi Lift Parts

PB Blaster

Extra Engine Oil, Gear Oil, Coolant, Trans Oil and 5 Gallons of water just for the truck.

zip ties....lots of zip ties in various sizes

Tire patch/plug kit

2 spare tires

compressor

ARB tire deflator
Tire Pressure Guage

A moving blanket for all kinds of things..sleeping on, rolling around on the ground under my truck.
Small tarp for the same reasons

Fuel Siphon

Extra lighter (I keep lighters stashed all over the truck)

 

Most importantly BEER.

 

What's your maximalist kit have in it?

 

Wow! lol that's a awesome set! No too different from what I used to take but again, I'm trying to downsize, can you post pics of everything packed up in the tool bags? I like the socket for the cv axle! That's one I don't have and frankly haven't thought of ( probably because I haven't replaced one yet )

 

That's a good idea. I'm big into checklists. Currently the truck doesn't really have a list. I think it would benefit from having some pictures and just keep them in a binder in the cab.

More Beer...just kidding...well not really. This is the maximalist kit. The lesser kit has only 1 spare tire, less on fluids and electrical stuff.

Actually this is the medium Kit. Once a year I go to Baja with some friends. We bring motorcycles and the truck. The truck is the kitchen and support vehicle. So I end up carry spare motorcycle tubes, spare tires, all kinds of spare parts and specialty tools. I have an auxillary fuel for 91 octane gasoline for the bikes. I ride too so we kinda switch off riding and driving. Last year we did 1300 miles of dirt in 10 days. So stuff breaks and we're in the middle of no where with zero hope for support.

Here's a video we made from last November's trip -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTzjxs6_8WA

 

along with this great list, I would add:

2 tubes of gasket maker sealant (in case one dries up or gets smushed)
2 tubes of adheasive glue (in case one dries up or gets smushed)
2 good LED worklights (in case one dries up or gets smushed)
a box of MRE survival food (in case your stuck overnight somewhere)
a roll of stainless steel wire (1 million uses including tying on broken tie rods and ball joints to get you back to civilization)
assortment of various size hose clamps
foot operated air pump (in case the powered one fails)
emergency roll of toilet paper sealed in zip lock bag (you never know how valuable it is until you have to go without it)
valve core remover with spare valve cores for tires
spare roll of 16g wire and a "good" crimp on wire connector kit with all the most needed male and female connectors
ball joint tie rod separator tool
good split pin set

 

Good call on the MRE's. I carry a bunch of dried foods but I think the MRE's would be better. The stuff I have still needs a stove to boil water.

 

Guys-

If you've never had experience with MREs, I would stay with the dried food stuff. It's lighter, I think healthier, and it doesn't "stop you up" like MREs do. MREs are LOADED with calories and heavier (weight wise). Since you have to carry water anyway, I'd bring a small titanium bowl and one of the packable type stoves that boil water super quick. The fuel canisters are cheap, the stoves are light and easy to use (Google: "snow peak" and "REI"). They are light, easy to take down/apart and pretty simple and self lighting. I know you have to clean the bowl, but a small amount of Dawn dish soap (remember... it helps save wildlife) is pretty easy to carry. MREs are also heavier (since they are a full meal) and I *BELIEVE* have a shelf life that is less than freeze dried food. Yes, I've seen them go bad...

That's just my thoughts, and this is coming from someone that lived at in Iraqi Police Station in downtown Mosul is '09 and ate MREs straight for damn near 9 months....

*EDIT* I carry my SnowPeak stove, fuel canisters, bowl, a couple cups of dog food (lab is always with me) and a couple freeze dried meals in the cubbies in the back seat (1st Gen Extra Cab).

 

Hmm....good points. Which reminds me I carry a coleman 2 burner stove with a 5# propane tank plus a 1#er for back up as my primary vehicle based camping cooking heat source. I also carry an MSR Whisperlight and a bottle of white gas in case I decide to go on an impromptu backpacking trip (also works as back up to the main stove)
. Which by the way I carry a backpack so I can stick all my gear in there and go for a walk away from the truck if I want.

 

Ryan = Avoids MREs at ALL Costs (to include going hungry... haha)

Also, if you carry one of these, you'll be able to boil water to drink in case of an emergency, and won't be totally relying on other methods for drinking water- for the "just in case" and the "when it all hits the fan" scenario. A few of the fuel canisters are light, super packable, and will last you a "good long while". Super scientific, right?!? Kinda like "calibrated eye ball"...

If you want to do a "test" to see how long different fuel canisters last, the best way to do is at sea level, but I realize that's just impractical for some of us. Here is what you can do:

Weight Fuel Canister
Fill the pot you are going to pack (regardless of volume/size) and fill it with water
Ignite Stove
Place water pot on Stove
Start Stop Watch
Bring Water to Boil
Stop your Stop Watch
Let Stove Cool
Take Stove off Fuel Canister
Weigh Fuel Canister

For greater accuracy, repeat as many times as desired.

 

Start really paying attention to the tools your using when your normally working on the truck and start putting only those in the mini box.

Id say something like this for tools only.

3/8" roto head ratchet, 1/2" 18" breaker bar
35mm hub socket
10,12,14,15,17,19mm sockets in deep and shallow, with a few wobble extensions
same as above for wrenches
10" Knipex plierswrench
vise grips
wire cutters/stripers
crimpers
needle nose pliers
philips and flathead screw driver
carpenters knife
multimeter

 

Lol...I'll take your word for it regarding MRE's.

There's lots of published tests on boiling times as well.

I've done the same test you mention but with crushed ice in a walk in freezer to see how much fuel I need to take to melt snow for X days and X people at X altitude.

I also have a life straw, a katadyn filter and carry tablets. I mostly use these for backpacking but figure if I have them why not toss them into the truck? Most of the time I'm backpacking in locations where I can drink the water untreated anyway so they don't see a whole lotta use. I should make sure they still work!



Yup. I have too much stuff at the moment.

 

Haha. Trust me on the MRE thing. If you guys have questions about MREs, I have extensive knowledge... Just Kidding.

Dude. X2 on the Life Straw. That's just good kit.

 

I realize we got a little off-topic in the discussion, but in all seriousness, I would take a long, hard thought about what you actually need (the point of this right). Meaning, what are the most likely points of failure... Where do most people have the most problems with the type of generation I have, based on the types of mods I have? That's what I'd ask myself first.

I think after reading a lot of the posts in here about your specific Tacoma generation you'll get a good idea of what you need to plan for (soup to nuts) of what those are. I can tell you that for me- owning a 1st Gen- I'd be starting out with CV axles and Lower Ball Joints. I'd probably keep a full set of impact sockets (10mm-24mm), breaker bar, different sized ratchets, various extensions, impact universal joints, 35/36mm socket, various plier types, and I'd also keep a set of front brake crush washers (little crap like that is hard enough to remember when you're at home, much less when you're in the the back-country) in case you have to do something that serious to get the truck back in good enough working order to make it back to civilization. From that point, I'd go out to my truck and check all the socket sizes/connections to make sure they work and that will also give you an idea of when it happens, what you'll be doing and what you need.

As far as fluids go, I'd keep a can of Brake Clean, a small spray bottle of pure alcohol, some type of synthetic grease, and brake fluid. I use synthetic EVERYTHING on my truck, but that's me.

Keep in mind, if you want to keep your parts clean for a long period of time, and help cut down on the space extra parts take-up, you can always use vacuum bags/freeze storage bags. Ziploc make HUGE vacuum bags that would keep just about any part needed clean.

I just scrolled back up to see what Generation you had, but couldn't find it quick.

The any successful back country journey, especially when it hit the fan- like any mission- relies on planning, competence, training, and the "tools" you need.

 

Very well wrote! Thanks! I have a 02 1st Gen V6 double cab. I'm not new to mechanic work but fairly new to 1st gens so I was just looking for some insight. What I am going to start doing is every project on the truck, I'll try and use as few tools as I can and make note of what I use, that way I can successfully "trim the fat" from my tool kit without sacrificing a indespensible tool