What do you have in your toolbag?

Toilet Paper and a shovel.

 

Tools appropriate for a Tacoma. I will second the skill to use them. They say you should use the right tools for the job. For many, and most won’t admit it, the right tools are a phone and credit card.
They will likely end up using those anyway and it’s possibly cheaper to do so from the start.

 

AAA card

 

Not in my tool box but spread across my truck and exactly gen 3 specific

Fixed blade knife
Duct tape
Electrical tape
Silicone tape (though with a brand new truck I don't think I need to worry about a coolant hose leak for some time)
Baling wire
Jumper cables
Leatherman multitool
Mechanix gloves
Entrenching shovel
Tow strap
Magnetic flood light (definitely one of my favorite lights for working under a car because you can just stick it in place where you need it.)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...VE77ACh2yGgQYEAQYAyABEgLDmvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Of course some metric sockets/wrenches, along with an adjustable wrench, pliers, needle nose pliers, and side cutters.


And what I use the most often that I keep in every car I own...a large towel and shop rags

 

Metric socket set
Long handle swivel head 3/8 ratchet
Brushless Milwaukee 1/2 impact
Impact sockets
Zip ties
Machete
High lift
Bug spray
Tow strap
Snatch block
Flares
First aid kit
Water
Gorilla tape
Hi-lift rim attachment for ( cars I guess)

If I can’t make it back to the shop or the house

 

The right tools for the job are whatever you have that will get the job done.

 

And folks wonder why so many fasteners get buggered. Like most I’ve had to make do. And we can’t carry an entire garage of tools. But, thinking you can rebuild an engine with a leatherman will leave you very disappointed when you try.

 

Sounds like a challenge.

You can still do the job correctly without a bunch of specialized tools. Sometimes it just takes longer and involves more creativity. If I rebuilt engines for a living, I’d definitely have all the tools to make it easy. But I don’t, so sometimes the leatherman might be my best option.

 

Let’s be more realistic about what actually typically breaks on a trail. If someone’s never done a brake job or swapped out a coil over and blows a cv - even by chance next to a fully loaded unlocked abandoned Snap On truck, there’s 0.1% chance they’re fixing that. Breaking a spindle won’t be fixed with basic hand tools. That’s why I had put a welder, flat stock, and an electric grinder in my original post on here. There are certain things you can not fix unless you have a redundant set of parts or fabrication skills.

The problem is with the OP’s question being vague. The kind of skills he has don’t seem to be what you’d need to fix stuff on the trail because if you know how to disassemble and reassemble these things at home, then you will already know the best tools for the job on the trail. Even when on a long road trip that’s 90% on road I like to bring a floor jack and a set of jack stands if possible since if I have to lift the vehicle at home that’s what I’d want to use, so of course if I pop a tire in the middle of the night or in a rain storm I’d want to have them. Communication with civilization and a complete set of redundant parts (another working vehicle) are the best ways for getting out of a jam out in the wilderness. This goes for your other vehicle that’s much more sophisticated too, your body. A capable, redundant unit is going to be the most useful repair tool there too if you break a limb, sprain an essential ankle, have an allergic reaction, heart attack, etc. If you like going by yourself you must be very capable in repairing your inorganic and organic vehicles at home too.

I’d recommend diy’ing as many maintenance jobs at home as possible and get familiar with pattern failures off road - cv axle replacement, flat tires, dead battery, possibly breaking a spindle (you’ll need spares or a lot of ratchet straps and luck if you’re not packing a welder for that level fix), bent bodywork rubbing tires and other vital components, and getting stuck in mud or sand. Even with recovery gear you must know how to use it - and not in theory but practicing in your driveway or somewhere with intentionality first before you get stuck accidentally. Ronny Dahl and Matt’s Recovery put out some good quality videos on recovery. I’m sure there’s other high quality videos out there as well. Still it helps the most to practice this stuff in a position where you’re the one in control vs. the trail accidentally.

 

I've rebuilt and swapped engines in my life. I think my description of what I'm looking for wasn't very good though. I might take shit to rebuild CV's on a trail, but that's more like an "add on" tool box from daily driving/light trail driving main toolbox.

 

By saying you would rebuild a CV on a trail rather than bring a spare I don't think you're as experienced as you say you are. Why don't you just bring the tools you'd need to disassemble any part of the vehicle you'd need to access with a typical off road repair.

 

Have you guys found a replacement for the cheesy crank to drop the spare tire?

I used it one time and I can see it’s not going to last or fail.

 

Sigh..... nevermind

 

You want two sets of long handled wrenches for each size 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, and 22 and flare nut wrenches 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14. You want a breaker bar for 3/8 or 1/2. You want at least one set of sockets in 1/2 or 3/8 sizes 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22 and a range of regular and wobble extensions for both drive types. You'll need a special socket for cv's. If you like you can bring an impact in each of the sizes if you want those. You want two lug nut keys if you have a special key needed for removing wheels. You want a welded 10 x 1 mm hard line fitting if you need to plug a brake line. You want a pair of channel locks. You want a good hydraulic jack either big bottle jack and / or floor jack. You want a piece of wood, tire, or metal to make a solid base for the jack if you're going in sand, super rocky terrain, or mud. You want a shovel. You want a plastic mallet, a bfh, and at least one brass drift type energy transferring implement. You want hose pliers in different sizes. You want needle nose pliers. You want a load of experience in a lower-stress environment so you already see the easiest way to repair things that can happen. Please spend a little more time clarifying what you are interested in having people give you.

 

I've used mine tons of times and never had an issue with it. The best thing is seeing what you're aiming for with a phone or flashlight. Making a sturdier one out of some medal rod would work, but at your discretion. Carrying a spare in the bed or on the bumper is usually what most serious off road trucks end up doing.

 

That's why i said it's probably a bad description i was giving for what I was looking for. I was specifically not looking for trail gear. I just wanted a reasonably complete truck toolset that I could supplement additional tools for specific tasks depending on the need or event I'm pre-planning for. I don't know how else to explain it so I'm just going to gracefully say it's my bad, and move on.

There have been a few things that I read that I had forgotten about in my tool build out so thanks everyone.

 

Invaluable tools to have in general: hammer/rubber mallet/mini sledge. I've found myself in many of these situations where using a pair of vice grips or tire iron as a hammer simply won't do. You just never know. Also, maybe a collapsible shovel unless space is no object for you. And a knife/multi-tool. Pretty much everything else has been said a lot already.

 

The long bed is small as it is, the last thing want is a tire taking it up.
Eventually I'll get a high clearance but my problem is when I have two dirtbikes with the tailgate down then the swing outs won't work.


So what's "tons of times", were you getting that many flats?

Here's what mine looked like from dropping the oem and putting up the 255....and not abusing it either.
It's pretty low quality meTal.

 

An inexpensive multi meter. One that you won’t cry too hard if it’s lost or damaged & definitely some good quality shop rags & a can of brake clean too.