TOOLS TO CARRY, WHICH SPECIFICALLY FOR 2019 4WD ACCESS CAB WITH CAMPER?

I am just now having a *light* camper built and was wondering what tools to carry; I found a thread about 2nd Gen tools to carry, but I cannot find one for the 3rd Gen, so am starting one here.

NOTE: This is ONLY about tools, I will start another link for maintenance supplies, i.e., electrical tape, spare wire, fuses, relays, electrical connectors, etc.

AND I will start another list for proven needed vehicle spares to carry such as, "maybe" water pump, alternator, V-belt, key fob batteries, etc. That might be a VERY short list

AND I will put out a list of items I carry to repair punctures and gashes in tires, etc.


SO Tools ONLY, here we go:

I do not want to purchase and carry "sets" of sockets, wrenches, etc. as there is so much that does not apply and is therefore useless weight. Typically these sets come in plastic boxes that are too large so I will rely on individual wrenches, sockets, etc. that have a good, specific purpose. And carry in some kind of canvas bag or roll, TBD.

My Tacoma is a new 2019 access cab 4WD so I am not interested in nor will I hopefully need to change axles or wheel or axle bearings, etc. At this point I am not aware of any parts prone to failure in this model such as alternators, water pumps, tie rods, etc.

My vehicle will be traveled extensively and in remote places so I must be as self reliant as possible.

I believe in carrying proper tools that fit, so relying on a pair of Vise grips and a multi tool will not suffice.

I have heard that JIS screwdrivers work well and are appropriate for Japanese vehicles but if someone could send me some good insightful information about these and which ones to carry, I would appreciate it. That I do need help with.

I have found titanium tire irons and a titanium E-tool (E for entrenching) from Titanium Tools in Russia and I could not resist! They were at etsy.com Weight savings baby!

For lug nuts I will use a collapsable 1/2" ratchet from Harbor Freight, a 2-3" extension, and a 21mm deep socket. I will toss the factory wrench. This saves space, is a better tool than OEM and this HF tool is fine quality wise; i.e., Snap On for me, is overkill in this application.

I am skirting my own rule of "specific tools for the job" and will carry a 3-set of Knipex "pliers/wrenches" tools for working on "out of the norm" problems that cannot be planned on, so for the lantern that needs fixing, or the connector to my on-board air system that needs tightening, etc. Look 'em up, they are marvelous "do all" or most tools.

And if one needs to hold the other end of a tube, or to hold a wire steady so it can be soldered, I am carrying a small Vise grip.

For a tire pressure gauge I go with the simplest, cheapest "pencil" type. A friend with some 15 patents to his name did an extensive study on many tire pressure gauges and the cheap pencil type were the most accurate. Hard to believe, but if you can't resist the more expensive ones that also need batteries, knock yourself out, but they are more prone to failure, are less accurate, need batteries and cost more. Other than that, they are great

I'm not carrying a torque wrench, that is for use once I get out of the woods and back to civilization. You may feel compelled to carry a simple beam torque wrench.

For extra batteries, I use Malamute battery storage cases, it keeps them from touching and shorting, rolling away into a corner, etc.


TOOL LIST (The Start of), alphabetized for easy "finding" of tools.
"As short as possible, only as long as necessary"

2 by 4, 16 inch
Axe, can choke up in lieu of also carrying a hatchet
Breaker bar, 1/2 & 3/8 inch
Bolt cutter, Olympia, 24 inch, w/folding arms
Chainsaw, Milwaukee electric, 16 inch bar, 18 volt, w/battery, charger bar oil, sharpener
Drill, Milwaukee electric w/charger above and small drill bit assortment
Electric connector assortment
Eye glass screwdriver and screws
Flashlight, lithium rechargeable, magnetic, extra batteries? if not rechargeable
File set
Gloves, work
Grinder, Milwaukee, electric w/charger above
Hacksaw and extra blades; omit and wrap duct tape around blade instead?
Hammer, small sledge
Headlamp and extra batteries
Knipex 3-set pliers/wrenches
Light, magnetic, HF "Quantum"
Multi meter
Needle nose pliers (in lieu of fuse puller)
Pipe, for breaker bar
Pliers, needle nose
Ratchet, 1/2 inch, collapsible, from Harbor Freight, with 2-3 inch extension and 21 mm socket, for lug nuts
Ratchet, 3/8 drive, with several short extensions (can be hooked together for extra length)
Ratchet adaptors/reducers
Screwdrivers, standard as needed, (JSI?, see above), guidance needed
Screwdrivers as needed, Phillips? JIS? (see above), guidance needed
Sockets, which sizes?, 3/8 drive
Tarp for laying on ground, in mud?, etc., piece of Tyvek?, light, expendable
Tire pressure gauge, pencil type
Torx set
Vise grips, Grip On?, small & big
Wire cutters & strippers
Wire, mechanics
Wrenches, ratchet type?, which sizes and open end, box?, etc.

Look for these subjects shortly:
Maintenance Supplies Needed For 2019 TRD Pro With Camper
Spares Needed For 2019 TRD Pro With Camper
and
Tire Repair Items Needed For TRD Pro With Camper

 

Remote places: extraction equipment, communications, water, plus most of the above goodies.

 

The list doesn’t need to be specifically for certain models. As specific as it should get is 2wd and 4wd. Even then, it’s just a matter of omitting certain tools form 2wd.

 

Specifically the socket or wrench to tighten your cap mounting brackets.

mine takes 2- a 14mm and a h1/4

 

If you've got a load in the bed, a bottle jack.

 

Knipex pliers are the tits! Well worth the $. I recommend Grip On vice grips and if it was me I’d carry some wire cutters & strippers, they are always handy.

 

I went with a Milton tire pencil gauge off Amazon. Checked it several times and seems very accurate. Have had them last many years when I was a mechanic.

$10 Milton S-921 Pencil Tire Pressure Gauge, Passenger Car, With Built-in Deflator Valve, Durable Plated Brass, Pressure Measured In PSI & kPa

https://www.amazon.com/Milton-S-921-Single-Pencil-Pressure/dp/B0002SQYTG

 

ancient11: Comm, extraction, water will be in other lists. It is confusing, sorry but for me tools is tools, but all your suggestions are good, thanks.
cosmic65charlie: Wire strippers and cutters, thanks. Gotta look into Grip On Vice Grips.
OxDEADBEEF: My bed is removed, replaced by a cradle on which the camper sits, so no bed to load Thanks, good thought.

 

I saw a guy with a 2500 Dodge in Canada destroy his stock jack due to the camper in his bed. But I noticed you've got the h1 jack listed in the other thread, which is probably good enough.

 

I noticed you plan on replacing the factory lug nut wrench. Are you getting rid of everything in that bag? If so, how are you going to lower your spare tire?

 

Couple comments on your list.

The HF ratchet has moving internals that can easily fail as a lug wrench. I would go with a straight up breaker bar. Then it can serve duty with the socket set if needed too. Simple and almost bombproof. But if you’re going to be remote I would have 2 means of wheel removal because this is probably the number one casualty you will have. Also a pipe of some sort to use with said breaker bar.

You need a big set of vice grips or channels locks.

Torx and Allen wrenches or bits.

Tire repair kit with spare valve cores.

OBD2 port reader tool or adapter.

For your flashlight I would get something magnetic. And that plugs into the 12v or usb to charge. Lithium rechargeable is too good to deal with all those extra spares.

Omit the fuse puller. Needle nose plier work and they should already be included.

Omit the hacksaw handle. You can wrap duct tape around a blade as a handle and go to town.

Be careful getting too many separate lists with heavy overlap concerns. Sometimes they get too specific and you miss the obvious. And pretty soon you’ll need a list for your lists. I like to do one massive list that kinda organically goes in all sorts of directions. Then categorize and fine tune/add/delete items. It’s given me the best results for not overdoing it or forgetting shit.

 

Also a hammer. Or if you’re camping a hatched/axe can serve double duty. The fiskars stuff is pretty legit.

 

Thanks guys, your suggestions that work for me have been added to my list in the first post.

Can anyone tell me which specific sizes of wrenches and sockets are needed?
and
Which JIS screwdrivers are needed, and if they are appropriate to use in lieu of regular screwdrivers?

 

Not sure I see the value in not carrying the few extra sockets/wrenches for a complete set. A few pounds?
You say you're going remote.. what happens when you omit one too many things? What if you need to (want to?) Help someone else on the trail.
In a remote are - lose/break a bolt.. local replacement may not be the exact same.. do I have the tool to make it work?

Just saying you lose a TON of versatility for a few pounds of weight savings.

If weight is that important, I would lose the grinder and keep the full socket/wrench set

 

Second the .5" breaker bar with 3" extension for tire lugs, takes up little room and excellent for lug nuts. I also carry a 3/8" breaker bar & ratchet with adaptor/reducers. The 3/8" breaker bar is great for tight areas and takes up little room. Might also consider the ratchet type combo wrenches instead of regular wrenches, they are more versatile.

For light I stash a led headlamp and magnetic work light which both use AAs. Headlamps are great for any night work. And keep some fresh batteries in the console.

Magnetic base LED light from Harbor Freight for about $6, uses 3 AAs, sticks well and provides decent lighting. 2 are even better.


About Harbor Freight. Twenty years ago their hand tools were a joke, pretty rough. Nowadays the quality is pretty good on their hand tools, sufficent enough for occasional work and repairs. Just inspect each item carefully and make your decision, some of their stuff is still questionable.

 

OxDEADBEEF: The bed of my truck has been removed (so that weight is off) and the camper and other fixin's such as air compressor, propane tank, water jugs, clothes, fridge, food, clothes, bumpers, winch, etc., should not make the Tacoma go over GVWR. Plus I have a Hummer H1 jack instead, as you saw, because it has a larger footprint, and I am not carrying MaxTrax, the H1 jack will suffice for that purpose as well, be smaller and lighter, etc. But I will carry some sand rails, good enough for bridging small ravines, getting our of mud, etc., and standing on for a shower, etc. Thanks.
GBR: My spare will be moved and sit on the cradle, between the cab and the camper. That freed up space plus removing the large X in the rear of the frame will make for a large-ish storage space between the frame rails, accessible from inside the camper. Thanks.
Barnitz: Good points, changes made, thanks.
Navigator1: All good logical points, changes added. Thanks.
Mtn Fisher: Points noted, changes made and added. Thanks.

 

I agree , full sets of metric and sae wrenches and sockets . I know this trucks are metric but I love having my hand tools . I would hate to try and hand pick which to take .