What do you really NEED for self overland trips

I know traveling on your own is generally a bad idea, but unless my friends and family take their corollas and accords, I’m on my own with the girlfriend (and MAYBE dog.. she’s loony)

With so much influence form social media, and people driving 100k+ rigs, I’ve forgotten what basic even means anymore. So instead of what I want, I’d like to start with what I truly need.

-recovery gear
This is one area where I don’t exactly know how much or what recovery gear I need.

-satellite phone (since I’m on my own).. not sure if it’s overkill but good for peace of mind.
-ground tent, food, things to cook the food with.
-Good ol’ classic cooler..
-basic first aid things..
-cheap little air compressor
-tools?

-As for tires, are the stock tires sufficient? I think this is one area where it may be more of a want than a need. I was looking into dick cepek extreme country 255/85/r16.

-And lighting, only because last time I was out on a dirt road I couldn’t see anything. It was so dark I felt like all my lights were turned off.

-sliders/armor, necessary? I have a front skid plate. Don’t plan on rock crawling but I’m afraid of running into a situation where I’ll need them.

I’ve done thousands of miles of “on-road” road trips, not so much off-road. I’m planning a trip to Death Valley which sparked this thread. I suppose I should call it explorative camping lol. I’m sure my mind wanders off into the Himalayas, but the truth is I’m in the 95% on road, 5% off road (if that) we do 1-2 roadtrips a year.

So I don’t really know how to go about making it great on/off road without going overboard on something I don’t need.

 

brother, I have a blast with just a sleeping bag, some firewood, and stuff to eat

oh yeah, make sure you have gas

 

Pretty much going to be going across country like this but with a tent. Cause I got a dog

 

I have the same truck and questions as you. It seems like a common approach to off road is: (1) Buy a capable off-road vehicle; (2) Spend a lot of money and effort modifying it to be even more capable; (3) Go out with a bunch of people and try to get it stuck. I just want to be able to get places I wouldn’t dare take a car, and still get back. I live in the east but love to hike in the west; I’ve noticed that most of the good trailheads are miles down a “road” that would pass for off road in the east.

I stumbled across this article a while back which presents some unorthodox opinions; I’m sure it will be met with wrath amongst the hard core wheelers but it’s good food for thought for those of us who want to get off the beaten track for a while and still be able to get back:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2193931/do-you-really-need-modify-your-truck-go-road

The OR stock tires are AT rated and from what I’ve read considered decent for off road.

So far I’ve bought a Viair compressor (stepped up to a larger one than my first choice when I realized it won’t reach the rear wheels without kludging an extension with jumper cables) and a cheap plug kit (want to replace it with a better one such as Arb). Plan to add traction boards (since these are for the rare emergency rather than a regular occurrence I’ll probably go with the $100 ones on Amazon rather than Maxtrax), hitch receiver recovery point, a tow strap or two (no hooks) with shackles, and -maybe- a Wyeth Scott Power puller and tree saver. Also leaning toward an aluminum front skid plate. And, of course, need to carry sufficient water for multiple days for myself, wife, and kitty - looking at WaterBricks for that. Already have a Spot if I need 911.

Hoping for feedback...

 

Sat phone is over kill. If you're concerned about getting help in an emergency, a SPOT or an inReach will do the trick. I have an inReach and really like it.


Other than that, as the others have said, keep it simple. Some of my best camping has been off a motorcycle with very little storage space, it doesn't take much.

 

I’d say all you might want is a Vair 88 air compressor (65 bucks) so u can deflate your tires. Deflating really helps with traction and prevents getting stuck in most situations.

A shovel to dig yourself out is also a great idea, also useful for many other things

Also a headlamp and extra batteries is great

 

Also***
This guy is the man and very knowledgeable

https://youtu.be/4GmV7Yh4lns

 

4-wheeling necessities would mean:

• First Aid Kit (w/ bandages for light trauma)
  
• Shovel
• Snatch Strap
• D-Shackles (for said snatch strap) with hitch mount (or at the least a pin so you can stuff the strap end into the hitch and secure it)
  
• Compressor (
  $98 Viair 88p Portable Compressor Kit (12V, 120 Psi, Forup to 33" Tires)
  Viair 88p is the bare minimum, I'd suggest the 400/450 if you can afford it)
• A good bottle jack, preferably with axle cradle attachment
  
• Handheld dual band radio for emergencies (can't use otherwise without license) instead of sat phone. Baofeng is acceptable, Kenwood and Yaesu better
• First Aid Kit (w/ bandages for light trauma)

Notice which was mentioned twice. Then add in your typical camping gear for food, water (1 gal per person per day minimum), and shelter.

Everything else is a nice to have that many of us have for one reason or another - typically because we enjoy the company of someone who is less open to roughing it or because we've learned things while on the trail.

 

Piece of at least 3/4 plywood to stabilize your jack should you need it. Maybe a jumper pack like a gooloo.

 

The more stuff you take, the more stuff will break. Survival is being able to adapt and improvise, not load up with a bunch of stuff and hang on.

 

That guy and his hooptie

 

Whats a hooptie? Ronny Dahl in his Land Crusier 79 series puts us Americans to shame

 

I see that my sarcasm wasn’t conveyed

 

I do have the X-Bull traction boards that I got from Amazon. They don't stack all neat and low profile like proper maxtrax, but they've gotten a few vehicles unstuck from the mud. Always been super handy. Just keep that skinny peddle in check, and they work like a charm. I've got a set of 4 boards.

 

i think the next step would be just make sure you have basics

holy smokes no.

what someone in Australia needs for 4 wheeling is seriously different than what someone camping needs, especially in the United States

 

Just saying he has a lot of good tips and is a cool dude- very down to earth, also i live in New Mexico so it can get very remote out here

 

yeah, I used to live in the desert too. I just brought water, a full spare, a cigarette lighter compressor, and a full gas can

other than that, It's just like camping anywhere else

and as an aside, I like his videos too. he's pretty funny sometimes.
but if you watch them, him and his friends are getting into situations just to get out of them. which is the basic premise of four-wheeling if you think about it. other than that, it's car camping

 

Oh cool! Yeah i find there’s a lot less cell service and gas stations here than other parts of the country. And thats the gear i bring too, extra water and a full plastic gas can, and a little board for the jack base. The compressor has been key, ive been going way out in the stock sr5 street tires and been fine haha

 

One thing that I don't think I saw mentioned anywhere yet is a fire extinguisher. Its seems like this is one of the most overlooked items, but if/when needed, one of the most valuable.

 

yeah, I gotcha.

Let's see, when I lived down in the desert (St George, Utah) and I wanted to shoot long-distance (which means I need a lot of space) I had stuff I used for running desert roads
a little VIAIR compressor, good for airing up ATV tires or airing back up if I hit super-soft sand
a pair of maxtrax clones
2.5 gallon water can
x2 5 gallon fuel cans
and... I made sure I had a cell phone charger

I always leave a big carhartt in the bed, along with jumper cables, fluids, tool bag, like that. so the "extra stuff" is just what I used to top-up what I already carried

and all of the people I recovered in the desert were doing shit they knew they shouldn't be doing. Mostly teenagers doing dumb stuff with quads and utvs. but sometimes it'd be a middle-aged woman from fucking Virginia trying to wheel a river bed (not joking on that one). she slept in her Durango and marked her path on her walk-attempt with (again, I'm not joking here) whole foods canvas shopping bags.

my son and I found her truck in the river bed. lemme see if I can dig up a photo.