How Much Stuff is Too Much Stuff?

[JL MADDOG]

Definitely add a first aid kit for all trips. Defecation occurs ya know. One other suggestion is a Trasharoo or similar item for longer trips.

I don't take the fridge on day trips or even an overnighter. I will load it up and plug it in for longer camping/overlanding trips.

I have two jacks and don't consider it overkill. I have a Hi-Lift & a bottle jack. Having both covers me regardless of the situation.

I agree with the rest of your list.

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[roaniecowpony]

Well thank you for all the comments. I knew I was bringing an excessive amount of gear, but just wanted to hear all the perspectives.

The fridge was just bought a week ago, so I was basically just testing it out for an upcoming several weeks long trip to Montana in the fall for a bird hunt out in the middle of nowhere. When I returned home this morning, my nextdoor neighbor and his family were going "camping" so I loaned the fridge to them. They rented some kind of tent like accomodation at Lake Cachuma with 120v. They're good people and we do neighborhood things with them often.

Too many tools? Well, I guess I've repaired enough stuff that has broken on the highway or trail in my younger days that tools are a critical item to me. They are high on my list along with recovery gear. I just don't leave home without tools, even on a regular highway trip in my other vehicles. I even brought tools with me on a lot of trips in my airplanes over the years. ~50lbs of tools is not a lot. Fits in a bag behind the seat.

Once the fridge was out, it looked more reasonable... That box has two modified 24" scissor jacks that are part of my kit. I didn't bring the HiLift.

The only piece of equipment I used was the big Viair 440 compressor. I aired down to about 20 psi for the Rocky Gap BOH. I bought that compressor for my pickup kit years ago. It pumps up tires pretty fast.

 

[Jhawth]

I was out on a trail this past Saturday and cut the sidewall of my tire on a rock, thankfully I had all my tools with so putting the spare on was easy. I'd always recommend bringing more tools than less, better to have it and not need it than the other way around imo.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Looks like your kitted out, just keep the stuff in your Jeep and enjoy being well prepared. Throw in a air compressor and a patch kit for good measure.

Thanks. Yes, I put a basic kit in the rear cubby a few years ago. Treesaver, snatch strap, chain, snatch block, etc. and a tire repair kit. I had a little mini compressor in there, but I brought a big compressor instead.

Probably time to go through that cubby and get rid of some things, like the chain and snatch block. Heavy steel stuff. I have soft shackles, and a couple of donut pulleys now.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I always have a small assortment of tools in my truck and my Jeep. Key word is small. There are only so many things I can attend to without an auto parts store nearby, so I keep my tools limited to those common sizes that I would need to make an improvised repair to get me out of there. I have a recovery rope and tow strap in each vehicle. Gloves are a must. In the winter, an extra jacket or a blanket. A Milwaukee M18 inverter, small and surprisingly powerful, would allow you to keep a phone charged until help can arrive.

A small pack to throw a couple of bottles of water in, in the event that you have to hike out. Wear clothes and shoes that allow you to do that too, so no flip flops. If you don't wear a hat on a regular basis, keep one around.

I get not going into the back country alone, but sometimes you have to. It's great to get away form everyone and everything and just decompress. I like to poke along out there and take it all in. Others have a single minded need to get from point A to point B and feel that they accomplished a trail, not having taken the time to truly enjoy their surroundings.

A refrigerator? Not unless I was out for more than a few days. A soft sided cooler is all you need for a day or overnight.

 

[AcesandEights]

I'm going out this morning to run a BOH trail. This is probably my first intentional recreational trail run in a jeep that's mine. I bought my Jeep 3 years ago to bird hunt with. But in the past few months I've been thinking I need another year round activity. I've been with Jeep groups with my brother and his friends over the years, but I didn't have a Jeep in those days.

So, I loaded up the JLUR yesterday and suddenly realized I have a lot of stuff. I know having the right equipment at the right time could save the day. But this is getting out of hand in a hurry. it's a 2-3 hr trail. Probably well traveled. I'm guessing I have about 250lbs of stuff (not counting the winch). I suppose I could ditch the fridge for a day trip, but I'd still have to bring a small cooler bag. I'm just bringing the fridge for it's inaugural voyage.

• 55qt fridge
• 50lb tool bag
• cordless impact
• 2 off-road jacks (50 lbs)
• traction boards
• recovery gear (snatch straps, treesavers, shackles, pulleys, kennetic rope...)
• shovel
• Jump pack
• camera
• roscoe
• water

Did I go off the rails somewhere?

Good Lord, yeah, you went off the rails. That's nuts. At what point does the prep take longer than the trip. How about a soft-sided cooler bag that fits two waters, and a couple of mozzarella cheese sticks? I would leave almost all of that behind. I'd take a rope and a roscoe as recovery gear.

"it's a 2-3 hr trail. Probably well traveled." -emphasis added

 

[Megawatt]

Your the guy I wanna hit the trails with so I don’t have to bring all that stuff.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

One thing I do have in my Jeep and all of my vehicles is a long handled 1/2" flex head ratchet with the proper sized 6 point socket for the lugs nuts. The OEM tire iron is a poor tool for lug nut removal. Also, if you get your tires rotated in a shop somewhere, loosen your lugs and re-torque them prior to going. Actually, always do this. It's better to discover that you have a lug nut problem at home than out on a trail or on the side of the highway.

 

[Sydwaiz]

Sounds similar to all the stuff I have for mine minus the jacks. I have a few basic tools. Fridge is dependent on how long the trip is. I also have a dog so I take a separate first aid kit and food and water just for him. I feel like I need a better jack than just the factory scissor jack.

 

[Bmeister]

You need to fill that fridge with a plethora of beverages and food and also pack a portable gas grill, then you'll be all set.

 

[Industrialwrench]

I’d ditch the traction boards(totally junk imo and a massive waste of space)ditch the fridge too for a day trip anyways. Tool set is good. I wheel alone mostly. I bring a shovel, air compressor, a hi lift, some straps for the winch, extra food and water. If you’re going on a BOH trail it’s doubtful you’ll be the only rig out there. I was just out and passed a guy with a modded out rubicon on 37s worried about running a trail solo that I’d just finished running solo on my basically stock Jeep. I told him to go for, I wasn’t about to run it again. Live a little people, part of the fun is getting super F’n stuck, right?

 

[vegasblue]

You forgot tee-pee and baby wipes. Always in my Jeep.

Traction boards to me are the 2022 windsheild light bar. Useful about 5% of the time. If.

I take my fridge every trip. I BBQ half way through and because "Desert". No ice water and soggy materials is just too nice to pass up.

 

[cornercanyon]

Each driver is the captain of their ship. Sailing, backpacking and jeeping solo is the penultimate in journeying; as long as you accept the risks and rewards

I have been on very few BOH trails, none so far compete with true wild country—

 

[John VonJeep]

Every time I go to Overland Expo, I come away thinking “Less is more.”

 

[CT_LFC]

That's what i keep asking my wife every time an amazon box is left at the front door

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