Tools/Equipment to Keep in your Jeep

[Sal-XK]

As AJ already knows I carry my complete kit of dewalt power tools when I hit the trails. But that's not good enough if you have no way to charge the batteries. Installing at least a basic inverter is a good idea for all sorts of stuff. When I finish the wiring I will install a second more powerful inverter in the back somewhere maybe a 2000 watt one. On my fairy tale wish list is a water tank with a pump. Also on board air would be handy as well. These are things you can just carry with you and hook up they don't need to be installed so I think they count as a packing list.

[Holaday07 4.7]

My AAA card, I cant say that I have ever really grabbed more than my Dewalt, a set of sockets, my Gerber multi tool, jumper cables, and a tow strap. I dont know where Everything would go if I had that much stuff in there before the dogs, kid, bags, and fiance.

[ScorpionCrawler]

The only thing I have that's not mentioned yet is a fan belt. I saved the old one at replacement time and carry that.

[Adondo]

Most of that list with a few additions.

Seasonal items: In summer, I carry a 3 gallon blue water bottle with a pump. (Office water cooler bottle) I modified the standard 5 gallon bottle pump by cutting it down in length to fit the shorter bottle. That water is in addition to the usual stashed bottled water. In winter, I add a duffel bag full of parkas, rabbit caps, gloves, insulated Carhart overalls, snow boots, etc. etc. In contrast to the guy in Oregon a few years ago who tried to walk out with tennis shoes and a windbreaker in heavy snow, I'll probably overheat.

A Spot Satellite Messenger. As far as I'm concerned this should be standard issue equipment for jeeping/hiking/biking/skiing/snowmobiling/mountain climbing etc. There is NO EXCUSE to not have a Spot on your person AT ALL TIMES. http://www.rei.com/product/784892/sp...-gps-messenger Frankly, I'm getting tired of reading news stories of people lost or trapped somewhere for days/weeks, and sometimes dying when rescue is just a button push away. It's the 21st century, people! Even the guy the movie "127 hours'' was about could've been tracked with a Spot. Even if the 911 button didn't work from the deep canyon slot he was stuck in, the okay messages sent before he got there would've told rescuers which way he was heading and/or the area he was in. And... when his stream of OK's suddenly stopped coming in, his family would've been on the phone to 911. I do the same thing with the Jeep. If we roll down a hill and are knocked out, the last geotagged OK message will show where we are within maybe 2 or 3 miles or so. (Depends on how many OK's you send out) And WHEN you get one, be sure to sign up for the Lloyds of London insurance option. It's only about another $15 a year and will cover up to $100,000 of chopper flight time and the like should you fall and break a leg somewhere. And remember, DO NOT play with or test the 911 button. If the sheriff or SAR team (Complete with hovering Bell Jet Ranger) descends upon your house where you're playing with your new Spot Messenger in the living room, you might be in for jail time and reimbursement costs. Once you hit an OK, help, or 911 button, it's like a fired bullet - there's no calling it back.

Emergency bivvy bags. They're not to expensive, and can keep you warm. They're also great for when your sleeping bag ain't makin' it. Just wrap up in a bivvy then get in your not-warm-enough bag. http://www.rei.com/product/813513/sol-thermal-bivvy

An X-Jack. These will get you loose from sand, mud and soft stuff as well as lift the rig for anything else. It will lift almost 9,000 lbs. and can be used to rescue someone trapped. They inflate by either a compressor or the vehicle exhaust. http://www.arbusa.com/Products/Tow-S...-Jacks/46.aspx I've seen (and laughed) at people with shovels etc. working for hours to get out of sand. It's soooooooo easy... just lift the rig, fill in the holes under the tires and set 'er back down on top. An X-Jack makes this as easy as it can get. High Lifts also work, but and however, the sheer amount of lift to get a tire up and out of the sand makes them unstable. Many a body panel or side window had been crushed from a High Lift kicking out or from the upended rig shifting over. The higher the rig is up, the worse it is. An X-Jack is much better and safer.

High volume compressor. You can either spend $400 from ARB or the like, or get just about the same unit from Harbor Freight Tools for $75. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt...sor-66399.html The key word here is VOLUME. Forget $29.95 compressors that will go ''up to 200 PSI" because they're crap. What does that do anyway for a tire that holds 50 PSI?!? They have little output in volume and usually go up in flames long before a before a 265/70R17 tire would get enough air to be useful. This compressor is about as big as a small 120 volt tank-less you might run a airbrush gun with. It's kind of big and needs direct battery connections to run. Don't waste time with anything less.

[Sal-XK]

My AAA card, I cant say that I have ever really grabbed more than my Dewalt, a set of sockets, my Gerber multi tool, jumper cables, and a tow strap. I dont know where Everything would go if I had that much stuff in there before the dogs, kid, bags, and fiance.

The idea is what would you have if you were wheeling in the middle of no where, were walking out would take about 7 days or so. A thousand mile trip thew the wilderness takes a lot more gear then a day or weekend trip to the local trail.

[Adondo]

It's pretty simple really.

You need some recovery gear. I forgot to mention a full sized shovel up on the roof rack. I use big tension springs to keep it secured. (Bungee cords sun rot and fail) Tow straps work when someone else is there to pull you out, otherwise you need a good jack and digging stuff. If nothing else, the U.S. Forest Service requires you to have a shovel for putting out fires.

Tire repair kit and a way to re-inflate a tire. (Compressor) Tires are pretty much 98% of what gets you down a trail, you can't keep going on a rim. Maybe on pavement, but not off-road very far. If you're deep into the wilderness, and carry one spare like most people do, you should be able to repair what's already mounted rather than switch to the spare and have no other backup.

The rest is for comfort. If you get stuck for a while, do you want to freeze? Go hungry? Or die (literally) of thirst? Or... break out the MRE's and bottled water and bivvy bag? You DO have a Spot Messenger don't you?!?

Mechanical tools are nice 'n' all, (And a good idea) but after 30+ years of 4-wheeling, I've noticed that no matter what you bring along, what needs fixed is something you don't have tools or parts for anyway. (Other than common stuff like a fan belt) The only way that idea really works is to be on a Jeep rally where there's enough stuff from all the rigs on the trail to have a better chance of having the something you might need. Hardcore Crawl people might even have a welder aboard, but for a single rig to pack all that's needed for breakage would exceed the Jeep's cargo capacity. JMHO.

Heck, even at the rally I just came from last weekend, one lost their steering pump. The pulley cracked and broke. Of course, the serpentine belt needs that pulley for everything else, so it got towed back to camp. And, that was a MAJORLY modified Crawl rig with 44'' tires. Like I say, no matter what gets packed along short of a duplicate Jeep behind you, something will fail that you can't fix. Better to have a tow strap and a buddy(s) along to get you back out.

[AJeepZJ]

Like I say, no matter what gets packed along short of a duplicate Jeep behind you, something will fail that you can't fix. Better to have a tow strap and a buddy(s) along to get you back out.

Of course, the flip-side of this statement is something will also break or become loose that could have been tightened or fixed - rendering a tow-strap useless. At the very basic level - even most novice off-roaders know to bring a tow-strap and tow hooks or shackles. This post was more geared towards gaining some insights as to the various itemizations that moderate to advanced level of cross-country journeyman equip.

[DBH1911]

I keep a hand tool box with wrenches, screwdrivers, etc, energy bars, 3 liters of drinking water, couple of flashlights and plenty of extra batteries, blanket, towel, change of clothes, work boots, towstrap,paracord, rope, 100mph tape. I am sure that there is stuff I am missing

[AcidCold]

Let's see..

ViAir OBA
Air lines
1/2 breaker bar
3/4 breaker bar (For front hub axle nut)
metric & standard socket set
wrenches
pry bar
tie rod separator
big C clamp
Small C clamp
vice grip
crescent wrench
More tools I can't think of.
ARB snatch strap
spare hub
3 ton floor jack
Jack stand
Electrical parts/tape/fuses
Can't think of the rest
I am currently running on all my spare parts

[AJeepZJ]

Let's see..

ViAir OBA
Air lines
1/2 breaker bar
3/4 breaker bar (For front hub axle nut)
metric & standard socket set
wrenches
pry bar
tie rod separator
big C clamp
Small C clamp
vice grip
crescent wrench
More tools I can't think of.
ARB snatch strap
spare hub
3 ton floor jack
Jack stand
Electrical parts/tape/fuses
Can't think of the rest
I am currently running on all my spare parts

Thats no good. How ya been by the way. You still gearing for that move to the south?