Off Road Tools Checklist - Essential Gear For Your 4x4

There are a ton of “interior accessories” for your vehicle. Items such as upgraded audio or entertainment systems help make long road trips seem shorter. Others add protection or comfort to your seats. Security and storage can be added to the inside of your vehicle. Mounts for phones or tablets are always useful. While all are great, they are, for the most part, optional. You can still hit the trail without them and be fine. Nobody we know of ever got stranded on the trail because their seats weren’t comfortable enough.

The interior accessories we talk about in this article are completely different. In fact, we wouldn’t call them accessories at all. Rather, gear that should be mandatory for anyone going off-road. This is the stuff you need to have in your vehicle, whether you are just going out for a quick afternoon run or a full-tilt expedition. Consider these items the bare essentials. If you have a winch, you’re going to need even more specialized gear.

What follows isn’t just recovery gear. While getting your stuck vehicle unstuck is obviously important, there are a lot of other factors to consider when hitting the trail. We don’t want to scare you, but things can go seriously wrong when ‘wheeling. Most of us worry about breaking down, but that’s actually the least of your concerns. You can become lost, stranded or injured. Hopefully not all at the same time – but it does happen. The more prepared you are for whatever can happen, the better you will be able to handle it. Let’s take a look at what we always carry when hitting the dirt.

A first aid kit and fire extinguisher should be on or in every vehicle. Just as important as making sure your extinguisher is charged, is making sure that you know how to use what is inside your first aid kits. Lots of places offer first aid training so make sure to take a class. Things can go very wrong on the trail sometimes and it can be a long wait for help.

Emergency blankets are a good idea to carry in your vehicle. They are small and don’t take up much space. While they won’t be as luxurious as a sleeping bag, they can definitely help keep you warm at night. They are also easy to hike with if needed. If you have enough room, a quality sleeping bag rated for the temperatures you will encounter is a solid option as well.

A fire extinguisher should be in every vehicle that hits the trail or the highway. With lots of flammable fluids and materials on board, vehicle fires are more common than you think. Make sure that your extinguisher is fully charged and also that it is securely mounted. This will help keep it from becoming a dangerous projectile in an accident or a rollover.

Staying Alive

A first aid kit should be considered mandatory for any vehicle. They come in all shapes and sizes so you should easily be able to find one that fits your vehicle, no matter its size. Just as important is knowing how to use its contents. We speak from experience when we say that getting medical attention to someone hurt on the trail can take a very long time. The deeper you go into the backcountry, the longer that wait gets, and often involves a helicopter rescue. You could be responsible for stabilizing an injured person for a while. Don’t just invest in a first aid kit, but the knowledge of how to use it. Attend a first aid class, at the minimum.

Keeping In Touch

With no way to communicate with the outside world when something goes wrong, you can be truly screwed. If you have a mechanical issue and are traveling with a group, your troubles make for a long day. But if you have an injury on the trail, it can be a very serious matter. Waiting for one of your group to drive back into cell phone-range can honestly be the difference between someone surviving or bleeding out. Most people don’t think about communication until they desperately need it. The deeper you go into the wild, the greater the need for some type of communication with the outside world. Whether it’s a ham radio, a Spot tracker, or a satellite phone, having a way to call for help when needed is extremely important.

Every vehicle should have some type of recovery strap. We prefer ones like this Bubba Rope that have some give to them. Not only do they help cushion the blow when yanking out a vehicle when they stretch, but aid in extraction when they contract. Soft shackles are also great because you can throw them in your vehicle almost anywhere without having to worry about them doing damage.

Small fold up military style shovels don’t take up much space and can come in very handy. We have spent hours digging when all we had was a bent Hi-lift jack and a shovel. Eventually we freed ourselves, but without a shovel we would still be there.

One of the most important things you can carry in your vehicle is some way to communicate to the outside world. Satellite phones might seem overkill, but we have been thankful to have them in remote areas. We rent ours online to cut down on the costs of a phone and airtime. A satellite phone may be too much for your needs, but the important thing is to make sure you have some way to communicate once you are out of cell phone range.

Recovery Equipment

You can go nuts with all kinds of recovery equipment, but we are just talking about the bare essentials here. Never hit the dirt without some kind of tow strap, along with solid attachment points on your vehicle. We prefer kinetic straps that cushion the shock load on a vehicle when yanking it out, along with providing some extra umph to help extract it. Carrying a shackle or two is a good idea to help you attach a tow strap to a vehicle. Soft shackles are great to toss inside your vehicle, because they won’t damage anything when flopping around off-road. We like to carry a smaller fold-up shovel; it often comes in very handy. During the Baja 1000 we spent two very long hours in the middle of the night digging to free our stranded buggy. Without a shovel, we would have been screwed.

Even if you don’t plan on being out at night, make sure to take some type of flashlight. We prefer headlamps as they leave our hands free to make repairs, recover a vehicle or hike out for help. A flashlight comes in handy too, but will keep one of your hands occupied. Just make sure whatever you bring works.

A compass might seem pretty old school, but that is exactly why we like them. When all the batteries have failed in all your other devices, a compass will keep on working. Knowing how to use one can be the difference between getting back to civilization or wandering around lost as bear food.

Knowing what tools to take will take getting familiar with your vehicle. Storing them in something rugged, like this MasterCraft Safety tool bag, is always a good idea as it keeps them secure. Besides tools, we also take duct tape, ratchet straps, bailing wiring, zip ties and rescue tape.

Fix It Kit

Go off-road enough and eventually something will break. You will need tools to fix whatever has come apart to get yourself back underway. There is no need to take your whole tool chest with you when you hit the trail. Familiarize yourself with your vehicle and carry the most common size sockets and wrenches that you need for it. It is a good idea to find out the common fail points of your rig and bring any specialized tools you might need to fix them (such as a wheel hub socket). We always carry some bailing wire, zip ties, and rescue tape, and they always come in handy. You’ll need to secure these tools so they are not flying around inside your vehicle. Heavy-duty tool pouches, like those from MasterCraft Safety, are great for filling with tools, and they can be strapped down and secured.

SHTF Gear

If things go really wrong, you may need to hike out or spend a lot of quality time with your vehicle. First off, you’re going to need water, which you should have anyway. We like using Camelback style reservoirs instead of a bunch of water bottles. We hang them off seats or strap them down somewhere. They carry a lot of water and can be used as backpack if you decide to go for help. Small protein snacks like Cliff Bars don’t take up much room, and can sustain you for a couple days if necessary. An emergency blanket is good in a pinch and doesn’t take up much space. We always carry a headlamp, both for repairs and if we have to do some impromptu night hiking. A quality set of gloves is good for protecting your hands while doing repairs or recovery, and keeping them warm on cold nights. Finally, if all your electronics die, an old-school compass (and knowing how to use it) can come in handy.