Essential recovery gear for overland and off-grid camping trips?

I’m looking into getting some recovery gear to head further off-grid for camping trips and realized I ought to consider picking up some essential recovery gear. I’d likely be keeping to forestry roads.

wondered what you would consider essential, and whether they serve more than one purpose. Currently considering the following:

GoTreads recovery boards.
Air compressor.
Kinetic rope. Do these attach to existing points on the truck?

This is specific to vehicle recovery.

 

I would get one of these (https://www.factor55.com/c-hitch-receiver-shackle-mounts) to put in read hitch to help others help you get out.

ARB recovery point for the front because it can handle the load of being pulled out of sand/mud better than the "flat level towing points" that come with the truck: https://store.arbusa.com/recovery-point-17-600lb-2823010/

Post in your regional forum to get an education in recovery so you can tell the amateur who may have more gear than you how to use it safely. Case study in "stupid amateurs:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/kingman-az-man-died-in-offroad-recovery.774094/

Folding saw to cut tree limbs off more safely than axes. Shovel (normal shovel, not midget) to remove debris.

Tire plug kit to at least crudely fill a hole in the tires.

2x10 or 2x12 segments to place under jacks in soft material. Harbor Freight sells a $300 "Badlands Offroad Jack" if you have remaining cash.

I have a hand-held CB radio in case I need to call others and it JUST MIGHT reach.

NOCO GB40 (they make bigger) to jumpstart your own vehicle.

 

Soft shackles, tree strap, winch, Geolander M/T, and full ARB lockers. Throw in some chains for icy conditions

 

Learn to use what you carry. People die when a static-load tow-line is used like a kinetic rope.

 

I’ve been on my own since the middle of April. Canada, Alaska, Central America, and now South America. I’m at 78k miles in a year on a new truck. Started this trip around 6800 miles. Here is the number one piece of recovery/safety gear you can have on your truck if you are traveling alone: Common Sense and the ability to listen to a gut feeling. Nothing you can buy will ever come close to being as valuable.

 

A few tips for those who aren't familiar with recovery as i see this happen way too often

1. Don't use recovery straps with hooks on it.

2. Don't attach a recovery strap to a tow ball hitch on either vehicle. The ball can snap and become a deadly projectile. Get something like this which you can use on your or another vehicle if they aren't equipped for recovery
-

$26 SALMAN 5T Aluminum Alloy 6061 Hitch Receiver and Bow-Shackle and Pin with R Clip Winch Accessories (Grey)

https://www.amazon.com/SALMAN-Aluminum-Receiver-Bow-Shackle-Accessories/dp/B0B3972LL1?crid=YG0M32H5CXTA&keywords=shackle+Hitch+Receiver&qid=1703678516&s=automotive&sprefix=shackle+hitch+receiver%2Cautomotive%2C89&sr=1-9

3. If being recovered, always attach the tow rope to your own vehicle yourself. Don't let an idiot whos never recovered someone before hook it up and damage your truck

 

Thanks for the post. I too am a newbie to the finer points of recovery. I am having a Warn semi-hidden bumper and Evo 12S winch installed in a few days, so I'm in need of experienced advice as well. I currently have an ARB recovery strap, a Factor55 Hitch link 2.0, 2 Factor55 3/4" steel shackles, a Smittybuilt tire repair kit, small shovel, hatchet and that's about it as far as gear. I can see getting a snatch block/pulley and a soft shackle or two for now. There is a company somewhat local to me in Pennsylvania that has a recovery class in an offroad park, that's on my "acquire list" as well.

 

#1 - Know how to use ANY gear you purchase. Recoveries require a great deal of force and energy. Things can go from calm to deadly in an instant

#2 - Common sense, don't do stupid stuff

#3 - Don't go alone - if you can go with a friend then it will be a lot safer if something happens

#4 - I disagree greatly with the poster quoted below. CB radio/GMRS/HAM is NOT a emergency communications solution. Unless it's a hobby you are into you should not even entertain the thought. It's much less capable then people would like to think. If you want true backcountry communication get an Inreach or an iPhone 13+ with satellite SOS.

#5 - Actual gear - A good tow strap, a real set of soft shackles/ or decent bow shackles, tire inflator and patch/plug kit. And unless you are in the sandy desert then traction boards are mostly a fad.

 

this all really depends on the situation, vehicles, hazards, and people involved.

stuck in the sand is different from mud, which is different than snow, which is also different than the other 40 types of snow, and all of it is different if any sort of significant incline hazard in any direction is involved. but all of it is really dependent on the vehicles involved. trying to recover a newer sedan, they all have belly pans with limited attachment points.

i don't want to steer you wrong, but there's times where a gentle nudge with a kinetic rope is plenty fine, but also times where it's a serious slow/stop/repeat doubled-line winch job(heavy thick mud-- you need to stop often to break suction, otherwise you're just trying to pull the recovery vehicle into the mud hole, or kill people with flying hitch balls).

the biggest thing is to take a deep breath, try to understand the forces involved, and if gentle-tug plan 'a' isn't working, rarely is "plan 'a' BUT MORE VIOLENT!!!!!111!! HIT IT BUBBA!!!!" going to be a better solution.

if plan 'a' doesn't work, stop, reassess the situation, come up with a plan b--attach/pull a different direction, remove obstacles, or admit to defaulting to plan z and call for help, preferably from a reputable company with insurance if they muck something up.

 

iPhone to make for sale ad and recover money

 

Calm down ... easy ... you clearly missed your last week worth of your medication ...

 

Look around on local 4x4 Facebook groups, there is occasionally a recovery tutorial 'class' meetup that you can attend to get a better idea of what you need.

Personally I'd skip the recovery boards and a hi lift jack for the time being.

Get a few hitch pin spares, a hitch receiver or two, two soft shackles, a kinetic rope, a tow rope.

A jack that will work for you off-road but stay away from a hi lift farm jack for now. I started with a

$82 Powerbuilt 3 Ton, Bottle Jack and Jack Stands in One, 6000 Pound All-in-One Car Lift, Heavy Duty Vehicle Unijack, 640912

powerbuilt jack from Amazon and still carry it with me off-road, but others get by with a tall bottle jack and a few pieces of 2x4. If you go the bottle jack route or plan to use the stock one, you can use a hi lift base plate/pad with the bottle jack for extra stability.

A good air up/air down system. I keep preset Coyote auto deflators on hand as well as a cheap mechanical deflator.

A good way to remove a wheel, or patch it. I keep a 1/2 breaker bar and digital torque adaptor in the truck, but on adventures I'll usually bring a 1/2 dewalt impact and a torque stick for the lugs.

Always keep a pair of mechanix style gloves in the truck.

I'd carry both jumper cables and a battery jump pack. At least carry the jump pack.

 

If you are mostly on forestry roads, you don't need much. Recovery gear I consider essential - HiLift (with wheel lift strap), kinetic strap, air compressor, shovel, tire blocks, 4”x6” wood boards, hitch tow hook/shackle, and soft shackles. Not so essential but helpful - traction board, bottle jack, snatch block (with tree strap), winch …

 

get a tool roll and all the common wrenches for a taco, a voltmeter, spare fuses, wire strippers, some crimps, a roll of electrical tape and some zip ties. that should serve well as a small go-to for any minor/major mechanical/electrical issues.

 

From a perspective of "recovery from ANYWHERE", regardless of where/if you off-road ...

$100 NOCO GB40 : 1000A UltraSafe Jump Starter – 12V Lithium Battery Booster Pack, Portable Jump Box, Power Bank & Jumper Cables - For 6.0L Gas and 3.0L Diesel Engines

NOCO GB40 to jumpstart when no one else is around to help (also has USB plugs for devices). Air compressor (I have a

$105 Viair 88P Portable Compressor Kit (12V, 120 Psi, Forup to 33" Tires)

Viair 88P) that clamps on the battery because car-lighter-plug-in ones may overheat pumping even stock 30s to 35 PSI. Tire plug kit because nasty big/little screws and bolts live everywhere. Spare fuses just because fuses may die anywhere. A tool roll like Inhaer suggests for minor wire mishaps.

Useful even on the freeway at a rest stop.

 

I always wonder why a good power pull isn't in the kit? Seems like a more versatile solution than a winch.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...NCnp5uGAxVcM1kFHerSCo8Q9aACKAB6BAgHEA4&adurl=

 

$400! a harbor freight winch is cheaper then that. (Granted you have to have a place to mount it)

 

If a HF winch suits you, Who am I to say nay? I have found the quality pullers to be very helpful in many situations that a bumper mounted winch would fail.

 

Don’t forget the rotopax with gas and water. Comes in handy more often than you would think

 

Back when I lived on an unploughed 2.5 mile road with a 2wd HiLux I carried three 50ft lengths wire rope with shackles and three come alongs. You only get a few feet pull with each puller.

When a Wyoming BLM road culvert collapsed I was left high centered. No problem, got my gear and looked for a tree to winch off of...
Nearest tree was over half mile away. Just scrub and rocks. Just me and the coyotes.
A day and a half later I'd finally built a wedge shaped rock buttress that held up to pulling.

Travel with a second vehicle in remote areas.