What can't you live without?

Basiasadie

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
130
Location
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
What gear can't you live without, on or off the trail? I'm still a total newb and am making a wishlist.
Post links and photos if you can! Include the reasons you can't live without it of course!
 
One thing I won't go wheeling without is a compressor. Even if wheeling close to home, I like to have it with me incase anyone else needs it.

Another thing is my ASR recovery rope. Makes doing recoveries so much nicer.
 
Recovery strap, Franks list o' stuff above, and some sort of Multi-tool. I have and like a Leatherman Wave, but anything similar is pretty handy to have. Oh, a roll of TP in a plastic bag. A couple of shop rags. A quart of oil. 50' of paracord. A small first aid kit. A water bottle, something like a nalgene liter bottle. A couple of heavy duty garbage bags. Ear plugs. A box or two of ammo in your favorite caliber.
 
For convenience, I like having my front/rear selectable lockers and onboard air system.

I always have the following with me as necessities and to not be 'that guy' who is ill-prepared and expects others to bail him out. I also drive my Jeep to each trail and want to have a reasonable degree of certainty that I can drive back, in the event of a breakdown. I have a nice wheeling tool box that fits in the back (I don't run a back seat) that contains the following:
  • Tools - 1/2", 3/8", 1/4" drive socket sets in SAE and metric. Box wrenches, torx wrenches, a pipe wrench, rubber and steel mallets, vice grips, breaker bar, screwdrivers, etc.
  • Fluids - Diff oil, motor oil, tranny oil, and coolant. JB-Weld.
  • Spare Parts - I carry front Dana 30 shafts complete with hubs. Also Dana 44 rear shafts. Serpentine belt, radiator cap, battery terminal.
  • First aid kit
  • Recovery Gear - Winch, hi-lift jack. Tree saver, extra snatch straps, D-rings, gloves, hi-lift attachments.
I also have room in the back to carry my camping gear; obviously for when I'm going camping, or if I'm doing an intense trail and want the extra-measures.
 
I don't carry any of this shit! I just wheel with people who do. Makes life so much more simple
[I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and hoping you're being facetious].

Sure...one might say being irresponsible is much simpler...

I personally have a huge problem with that mentality. Mainly because I see drama at least once a week from 'wheelers' all over Colorado who go out ill-prepared and need help in getting unstuck or recovering from a breakdown. Almost always, they have zero tools, zero gear, zero water, zero food, and oftentimes have their children with them. This particularly occurs in the winter, or when people are playing off-trail.

I understand that one can't always prepare for everything, but knowingly heading out and assuming that someone will bail you out is flat-out irresponsible. It also places those brave enough to offer assistance in danger themselves...
 
I'm pretty sure that we are getting our collective chain jerked there...

On the serious side. Here's what goes out with me each and every time I'm not going to the mall, in no particular order.
1) Recovery points front and rear.
2) Ax and shovel (not needed everywhere, but really nice to have around here)
3) Recovery gear. Snatch strap, chain, appropriate sized shackles.
4) 550 cord (50' - 100' or so in a fun color)
5) Water (everyone has at least a liter bottle of their own along)
6) Leatherman Wave multitool with the set of attachments.
7) 48" Jackall, base and attachments (lifting, pulling, clamping) This is a pretty controversial tool to bring along, but I like, and use mine a lot for various things)
8) Air pump, sized for your tires. Mine's a Viair 880P.
9) Quality mechanical dial air gauge that reads down to 5# pressure
10) TP in a plastic bag
11) Couple of large garbage bags
12) Couple of zip lock freezer bags in quart and gallon sizes
13) Tools in a tool bag
14) Overnight bag.
15) GPS with high resolution mapping chip installed
16) Sidearm and spare ammunition
17) Coat and liner
18) Moccasins (I wear jump boots all the time so something light is nice to have along)
19) Wool shirt and spare wool socks
20) Lunch and munchies
21) Flashlight
22) Spare batteries
23) 2.5# ABC fire extinguisher

That sounds like a lot of stuff, but it's not really all that heavy and doesn't take up all that much room.
 
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Here's what the overnight bag contains:
1) Internal frame pack, bigger than a day bag but smaller than a weekender (Still looking for a good one, I must have four or five floating around the house, or given to the grandkids / kids)
2) Buck 119 fixed blade knife and two sided diamond hone
3) Buck 140M fixed blade knife
4) Additional liter bottle
5) Engineer's compass
6) First aid kit ( cloth band aids, sunblock, bandages, analgesics, tweezers, small EMT shears, sanitary napkin or two, misc first aid crap)
7) Stainless steel cooking eating set (pot, plate, bowel, cup, fork, spoon salt, pepper, mini bottle of Tabasco sauce etc.)
8) MSR Dragonfly multi fuel stove and fuel bottle (burns the same thing the TJ does, plus just about any other liquid fuel you can get your hands on)
9) MSR water filter
10) Tea bags, hot chocolate, bullion cubes, a couple of MRE's or Mountain House meals
11) Gun cleaning tools and supplies (pull through style)
12) More 550 cord in green or black
13) spool of trip wire
14) Heavy safari style shorts
15) Heavy short sleeved shirt
16) Sock liners and more wool socks
17) Wool "finger" gloves (the ones without the finger ends)
18) Small bible
19) SAS survival guide (compact version)
20) Magnesium fire starter with flint and steel built in
21) Strike anywhere matches in a waterproof container
22) Flashlight
23) Spare rechargeable batteries
24) Goal Zero solar recharger
25) Write in the rain notebook and pen
26) Deck of playing cards
27) Pair of small ten power binoculars
28) Good quality space blanket
29) 12' x 16' sheet of plastic
30) Miniature folding camp stool
31) Couple of bandanas
32) Wool watch cap
33) Balaclava
34) Candle lantern and extra candle
35) Fire starter sticks
36) Wood saw, the one that looks like a chain saw chain.
37) Gorilla tape (works on everything including torn soft tops and cloths)
38) 12" x 12" piece of thin veneer to set stove on

I'm sure there is more small misc stuff in there as well. Some stuff changes with the season as well, but this is pretty much the base of it.
 
I'm pretty sure that we are getting our collective chain jerked there...

On the serious side. Here's what goes out with me each and every time I'm not going to the mall, in no particular order.
1) Recovery points front and rear.
2) Ax and shovel (not needed everywhere, but really nice to have around here)
3) Recovery gear. Snatch strap, chain, appropriate sized shackles.
4) 550 cord (50' - 100' or so in a fun color)
5) Water (everyone has at least a liter bottle of their own along)
6) Leatherman Wave multitool with the set of attachments.
7) 48" Jackall, base and attachments (lifting, pulling, clamping) This is a pretty controversial tool to bring along, but I like, and use mine a lot for various things)
8) Air pump, sized for your tires. Mine's a Viair 880P.
9) Quality mechanical dial air gauge that reads down to 5# pressure
10) TP in a plastic bag
11) Couple of large garbage bags
12) Couple of zip lock freezer bags in quart and gallon sizes
13) Tools in a tool bag
14) Overnight bag.
15) GPS with high resolution mapping chip installed
16) Sidearm and spare ammunition
17) Coat and liner
18) Moccasins (I wear jump boots all the time so something light is nice to have along)
19) Wool shirt and spare wool socks
20) Lunch and munchies
21) Flashlight
22) Spare batteries

That sounds like a lot of stuff, but it's not really all that heavy and doesn't take up all that much room.
I think you just wrote up my shopping list. [emoji13] I'm definitely a newb when it comes to wheeling stuff, but the farmer and former boy scout(not a girl scout ugh they suck so I got into the local bsa) in me knows to carry some essentials.
 
So my pretty short list is:
-Tractor jack (it was free since someone stole my original jack)
-at least two gallons of water.
-extra windshield wiper fuild.
-Leatherman(archery edition tho)
-my little .22 revolver.
-if on safe blm I bring one of my bows.
-a jeep bag from aspen xgames that I got. It has a rain jacket, two monsters and some jerky in it.
-snow shovel.
-emergency roadside kit my mom gave me.
-jumper cables(they never leave me,my friends buy cheap cars. I am the rescue vehicle )
-snacks. I always have snacks since I work at a candy store and I'm hypoglycemic.
-I have a stuffed raptor that lives on my back seat.
-tarp and bungees for my trailer.

My dad was making me a toolkit with some of his extra tools but we accidentally left it in texas. D: hopefully it will come to Colorado with him in may.
I don't do a lot of offroading yet,I mostly rescue my friends during bad weather right now.
 
I think you just wrote up my shopping list. [emoji13] I'm definitely a newb when it comes to wheeling stuff, but the farmer and former boy scout(not a girl scout ugh they suck so I got into the local bsa) in me knows to carry some essentials.
Did the whole scouting thing as well, I earned something like 4 or 5 fifty mile patches for little road trips in the Olympics and on the PCT. JLIT at Philmont. Staff at the 1973 National Scout Jamboree. Did some stuff in the Military. Been off roading for work and play since I was driving while sitting on an uncle's lap. Got some bonafides on the resume.

You are probably going to find that what is on that list is not going to exactly match up to what you will actually use or need in your area. Shop around at the local farm store for most of it. If you want a photo or more details on anything, let me know and I'll post it up. My set up is designed so that I can be out in the hinterboonies anywhere in my wheeling region for 48 hours in relative comfort and complete safety.

Edited to add: Oh, I forgot the 100' hank of 10mm line, sometimes two. It gets really steep around here in places, and I've needed to go down and peel someone off a ledge a time or two. Tow hooks are a great place to belay to.
 
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Did the whole scouting thing as well, I earned something like 4 or 5 fifty mile patches for little road trips in the Olympics and on the PCT. JLIT at Philmont. Staff at the 1973 National Scout Jamboree. Did some stuff in the Military. Been off roading for work and play since I was driving while sitting on an uncle's lap. Got some bonafides on the resume.

You are probably going to find that what is on that list is not going to exactly match up to what you will actually use or need in your area. Shop around at the local farm store for most of it. If you want a photo or more details on anything, let me know and I'll post it up. My set up is designed so that I can be out in the hinterboonies anywhere in my wheeling region for 48 hours in relative comfort and complete safety.
I've been to a bunch of ranch stores looking for stuff so far, Luckily my dad seems to have duplicates of everything and gives them to me if I come up to see him and bring his girlfriend chocolate (they live in the middle of nowhere texas)
I was one of four girls in our bsa troop. It was fun til the leadership went south and very sexist. I grew up on a farm and was able to beat the boys at anything. I definitely could out shoot them (guns and archery) it upset a lot of the parents that the girls learnt quicker. In reality it was just that we didn't get as distracted as the boys. Girls can't get badges tho. We were called ventures and could earn these medal things. Our highest rank(ranger) was more work than an eagle scout. the troop we were a part of hated that.

Amazon has been pretty helpful too as far as gear goes.
 
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I'm pretty sure that we are getting our collective chain jerked there...

On the serious side. Here's what goes out with me each and every time I'm not going to the mall, in no particular order.
1) Recovery points front and rear.
2) Ax and shovel (not needed everywhere, but really nice to have around here)
3) Recovery gear. Snatch strap, chain, appropriate sized shackles.
4) 550 cord (50' - 100' or so in a fun color)
5) Water (everyone has at least a liter bottle of their own along)
6) Leatherman Wave multitool with the set of attachments.
7) 48" Jackall, base and attachments (lifting, pulling, clamping) This is a pretty controversial tool to bring along, but I like, and use mine a lot for various things)
8) Air pump, sized for your tires. Mine's a Viair 880P.
9) Quality mechanical dial air gauge that reads down to 5# pressure
10) TP in a plastic bag
11) Couple of large garbage bags
12) Couple of zip lock freezer bags in quart and gallon sizes
13) Tools in a tool bag
14) Overnight bag.
15) GPS with high resolution mapping chip installed
16) Sidearm and spare ammunition
17) Coat and liner
18) Moccasins (I wear jump boots all the time so something light is nice to have along)
19) Wool shirt and spare wool socks
20) Lunch and munchies
21) Flashlight
22) Spare batteries

That sounds like a lot of stuff, but it's not really all that heavy and doesn't take up all that much room.
 
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Good list there StG58- pretty much same as what I carry except all I have are long guns so I leave them behind. I have taken High Adventure Boy Scouts up into Colorado several times- usually SW around Silverton. (Our High Adventure troop also can have girls if a female leader is along)- HA is age 14 and up and kinda different from Venturing- we tried to go extreme. Your packing list is near identical though I prefer my old 70's ethanol stove over the MSR's or Wisperlights. Because we did not carry arms and did not wish to lose scouts to Grizzlies- we normally stayed out of the northern Front Range. I did that once in the Indian Peaks and we could smell the Grizz so scout pockets and tents were checked- food high into the trees, and cooked away from camp (cooking clothes went into food packs way up the trees too).
Basiasadie- I loved it when the girls came along- not only were they generally awesome hikers but any boy who felt like complaining or slacking off kept his mouth shut and 1 foot in front of the other. We did 2 man buddieteams- 2 people shared one tent, one stove, food, all gear to survive for days in case we had to divide up due to injury or any other reason. This worked no matter if we were doing 120 miles of the CD, doing long loops and Fourteeners, biking in Scotland, or doing 100-150 mile canoe trips in Canada on the Allanwater or Bloodvein river systems. I hated leading regular scouts but loved High Adventure Scouting.