My Cheap Essential Offroading Equipment / Gear List

[geem03]

newbie to offroad here, what's the difference between recovery vs tow strap?

What end of the rope you are on

Seriously, not making fun...i actually am not clear on it either...

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[emptyminded42]

Might want to add bailing wire or wire coat hanger - had to rescue someone with a busted exhaust hanger on the dunes a couple years ago. Duct tape will melt right off.

 

[emptyminded42]

newbie to offroad here, what's the difference between recovery vs tow strap?

Recovery has some "give" to it - a slight bungee effect to reduce the shock loading when pulling.

Tow is a non-stretching strap. If you try to use one in recovery, the shock loading can easily break it and cause serious damage to either vehicle and anyone nearby.

 

[quietpeen]

reading this I could only think....geese you put all this together and you need a trailer to carry it all

 

[PyrPatriot]

reading this I could only think....geese you put all this together and you need a trailer to carry it all

That's why I got a Gladiator

 

[James_a]

XG cargo bags to make room for all these essentials.

 

[Ultron]

XG cargo bags to make room for all these essentials.

Those look so good, I wish they were in the price range of cheap gear. But they look heavy duty and built to last.

 

[Ultron]

reading this I could only think....geese you put all this together and you need a trailer to carry it all

I think the majority of people won't be doing much offroading that would require crazy fixes. I imagine that the people posting more repair kit stuff are doing harder than average trails and pushing their Jeep to the limits and are more experienced/advanced off-roaders. They won't mind carrying that extra gear because they have a higher chance of needing it.

I also see a lot of people that drive way too fast off-road or floor it to get over obstacles and bounce around that will wear out their parts really fast. If they'd take it slower and crawl through stuff they'd be a lot less likely to break things. And knowing the limits of both their Jeep and themselves as a driver. I've skipped obstacles because I didn't want to risk breaking anything, no shame in it.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I also see a lot of people that drive way too fast off-road or floor it to get over obstacles and bounce around that will wear out their parts really fast. If they'd take it slower and crawl through stuff they'd be a lot less likely to break things

The worst breaks I have seen are when folks go slow and fall/slip off of stuff. That is where on YT you see brackets break. My theory, from what little physics I recall, is if you use momentum to get over a rock or obstacle yes you bounce but that shock is temporary and disipates more through the tire. When you land hard and dont give the normal forces from a hard surface pushing back against your rig anywhere to go but IN TO your rig, that is where things break. Think of it like parkour, you can do crazy stuff and jumps from bouncing off of walls and rocks. The worse times when it hurts is when you land and dont move. Same with general jumping from heights: you want to land and immediately roll forward to avoid ruining joints.

 

[Ultron]

The worst breaks I have seen are when folks go slow and fall/slip off of stuff. That is where ok YT you see brackets break. My theory, from what little physics I recall, is if you use momentum to get over a rock or obstacle yes you bounce but that shock is temporary and disipates more through the tire. When you land hard and dont give the normal forces from a hard surface pushing back against your rig anywhere to go but IN TO your rig, that is where things break. Think of it like parkour, you can do crazy stuff and jumps from bouncing off of walls and rocks. The worse times when it hurts is when you land and dont move. Same with general jumping from heights: you want to land and immediately roll forward to avoid ruining joints.

That makes sense. Most of the breaks I've seen were people driving like they were in a trophy truck. There's a reason those things are $1M+.

 

[72Blazer]

Extra beer. Or if room is at a premium, go full throttle with a bottle of whiskey.

 

[kogar]

I have a large chunk of things I've built up over a few trail runs. I will tell you that I _generally_ drag along the same stuff that Brad (Trail Recon) hauls around. This video is a great start, but he has GOBS of great videos. A word of warning: Adjust your gear for the duration of your journey AND your remoteness. If you're near "civilization" and wheeling with somebody else (if you aren't, START), you probably don't need to carry as much stuff. On the other hand, do NOT underestimate the things you should have -basic human needs such as weather protection, water, and access to basic first aid are FAR more important than tools.

Note: I have the same toolkit that Brad has, the one from Blue Ridge Overland Gear. It's pricey ($135), but VERY well-built (and made in USA -- that's important to me, supporting in-country businesses wherever I can).

 

[ThirtyOne]

Want to know what tools to carry? Spend an afternoon and torque down everything on your Jeep. I try to do it every time I go wheeling. Write down every tool you needed and buy a second one and put it in a bag in your trunk. That is what I did and I have everything I should need. Until I run into something I don't have and then I buy a second one and add it to the bag.

I just wheel with Jakob so I can borrow his tools.

 

[jdubya421]

I just wheel with Jakob so I can borrow his tools.

And our winches

 

[Danny123000]

Any specific ones you had in mind? This is actually next on my list to purchase so that I can stop taking tools from my garage all the time

I have one of those Kobalt tool kits from Lowe’s. Has sockets in both metric and standard along with a slew of bits. It was 100 bucks. Has something like 200 pieces total.

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