What else is in our Jeep, besides Recovery gear
In addition to our dedicated Recovery gear, we carry a variety of emergency equipment in our Jeep when we offroad. Of course, ask any offroader, and you will get an infinite number of responses. So this article is only intended as one example – not the gospel.
First Aid Kit is absolutely essential. Spend a few bucks and get a good one, so you are prepared, just in case. If it doesn’t include a tourniquet, order one and add it. Also, stock it with a few gauze long rolls or wraps. Cuts, scrapes, lacerations can easily happen out on the trail. In case of a vehicle rollover, you may have to deal with severe bleeding. Remember, Emergency Services may be hours away, so it is up to us to render first aid.
Again, the value of traveling in a group. In our club, we usually have one or more drivers who are trained first responders. Think about attending a “Stop the Bleed” first aid class. We recommend the classes taught by firefighters rather than ER nurses, since the fire/rescue EMT’s have more experience at accident scenes as opposed to controlled hospital environments.
Tool Kits can be simple general purpose “household” kits, such as those found in the big box hardware stores and Harbor Freight, or more extensive automotive specialty sets. It really all depends on how mechanical you are. In our Jeep, we carry two roll bags with an assortment of sockets, torx heads, pliers, wrenches, hammer, mallet, and lots of stuff that I have no idea about. I carry a variety just to have it available in case another person in our group is more mechanically knowledgeable and needs something
At one of the Winter 4x4 Jamborees, we found a vendor (Red Dog Tools) who sold us a roll bag stocked with correct tools and sockets chosen for our Wrangler JL.
Tire related tools, including a breaker bar, lug nut sockets (and lock adapter), bottle jack or unijack, OEM scissors jack (useful, even if you have a bottle jack). Tire plug kit, valve stem kit, electronic tire pressure gauge, Colby valves, TreadGlue.
Fastening stuff, like duct tape, electrical tape, bailing wire, zip ties, rope. And a motley handful of long bolts & nuts, SAE/Metric. Improvise to hold things back in place! WD40 or BreakFree to loosen things up.
Work gloves. Flashlights. Matches/lighter. Leatherman multi-tool. Heavy duty large knife.
Spare clothing, including pants, shirt, light jacket or sweatshirt.
Rotopax for water, gasoline
Weather gear, such as a rain jacket, compact umbrella. Winter coats, hats, winter gloves, scarves. Sunscreen. Bug repellant.
Creature comforts, such as personal wipes, hand sanitizer, paper towels, cloth towel, blanket or furniture pad, paper plates, cutlery. Small bottle dish detergent (for degreasing your hands, and for locating tire leaks). Ceramic mug (microwavable). Large plastic trash bags. Small trash bags.
Comms, including a couple of spare handheld GMRS radios, charger. A Garmin InReach for satellite messaging.
Fluids for the Jeep. This is PER GROUP, not per vehicle. Oil, coolant, brake fluid, trans fluid. Rotopax or similar containers of extra water and fuel.
Fluids for the humans. Water, more water, Gatorade. Other drinks per your liking, such as ice teas, vita waters, fruit juices, etc. Bottles are preferable to cans, since you can reclose them. We use a soft sided insulated cooler, with a frozen freezer pack or frozen water bottle, to keep things cold. Soft sided is preferable, since you can adjust its shape to fit in a foot-well or between cargo.
Snacks and food for the humans. We have a second insulated cooler for perishable foods, which we often stash in the rear cargo area. Drinks and light snacks we like to keep within easy reach.
You will need to figure out the best way to store and transport all of this stuff. Plastic tote bins are the least expensive and most popular solution. Label your bins and list their inventory.
We found some zippered utility pouches online. Store these pouches in the tote bins for easy organizing of smaller items, and to quickly load/unload those large plastic bins. You would be surprised at how quickly an empty bin turns into a back-wrenching anchor as it fills up.
