4X4 Essentials: Preparing your 4x4 Kit

The 4x4 Kit: What to bring when you head out on the trails
The summer 4x4 season waits for no man, and it's right around the corner. But before you pack up and head out for some four-wheeling and off-road exploring, make sure your 4x4 kit is locked, loaded, and ready to roll.

A 4x4 kit is a box of minimum recovery and repair goodies that can help keep you and your 4x4 on the trail and moving along--even when things go wrong. And although what you might need can vary by vehicle, season, terrain, and trip length, there are some basic essentials you shouldn't overlook for any 4x4 trip.

You could easily spend thousands on expensive 4x4 recovery and repair gear, but you don't have to--this 4x4 kit costs less than $400 to put together.

4x4 Essentials: The 4x4 Kit

1. Hand Winch
4x4 recovery gear can be as inexpensive as a tow rope or as expensive as an electric winch. We recommend a compromise: a mechanical hand winch. They're cheap (usually around $100), tough, easy to use, and powerful (often between 4000-8000lbs of pulling power). And best of all they work, rarely break, and can be used for a variety of tasks.

2. Recovery Straps, Ropes, and Chains
Make sure you have something long enough and strong enough to recover your 4x4 vehicle. Our kit contains two 30' tow straps ($30), a length of HD rope looped at both ends ($20), a 12' length of chain ($20), a tree saver ($40), and various recovery fasteners ($20).

3. Puncture repair kit and hand pump
A puncture is an easy repair if you carry a puncture repair kit ($10) and a heavy duty hand pump ($50). We don't recommend electric compressors that plug in to your 4x4's cigarette lighter or connect to a battery as they don't always work, rarely provide enough PSI, and rely on battery power--which might not always be available.

4. Hi-lift Jack
A more versatile and useful piece of 4x4 equipment has yet to be invented. A Hi-lift jack ($60) can be used to jack up your vehicle, move it over, pry apart bodywork, or as a hand winch with ropes, chains, or straps attached. Very useful.

5. Shovel
Bringing a shovel when you head to the 4x4 trails is as obvious as it is forgotten. So here's a reminder: bring a shovel ($15). It doesn't need to be huge, shouldn't be tiny, and is best kept accessible inside the vehicle, not bolted to the bumper or spare tire carrier where it can be damaged or stolen.

6. Full size spare and lug wrench
This is also obvious, but it's surprising how many of us take our 4x4's onto the trails without ensuring we also have a full size spare ($60) and lug wrench ($20). This is as essential as it gets: a shredded tire or popped bead will stop your 4x4 in its tracks--unless you have a full sized spare ready to bolt on.

7. Traction Aides
Sand ladders, as they're commonly know, are perforated pieces of flat aluminum, steel or heavy duty rubber that give your 4x4 a traction boost in sand, mud, or snow. New they can cost $100 each, but you can also build your own easily, quickly, and cheaply ($20) from a variety of materials. Whether you build or buy, keep at least two in your 4x4 recovery and repair kit and have the confidence to keep on keeping on.

8. Spare Belts
If a drive belt snaps on your 4x4, you're done. Keep two spares in your 4x4 kit at all times, and you'll be back on the trail in no time. And by changing your belts before they wear out or break, you'll always have spares on hand and won't have to buy extras.

9. Basic tools
Know thy 4x4 vehicle, and know the basic tools you need to repair it. Older Land Rovers could be torn down with three wrenches; many new 4x4's require a mobile computer science department. If your 4x4 falls somewhere in between, pack along an appropriate set of basic and versatile tools--multi head screwdriver, vice grips, pliers, hammer, crescent wrench, spanners, socket set.

10. Oil and filters
Drain bolts come loose. Filters get damaged by wayward rocks. Avoid the big ugly of a seized engine, cracked head, or frozen transmission by carrying at least 4 litres of transmission oil ($15), 4 litres of engine oil ($10), and a spare oil filter ($10). And if you don't need them, you've be able to lend them to someone else.

11. Engine Water
Water is as essential to an engine as oil, four litres of water clearly marked "not for drinking" should be in your 4x4 kit at all times. Whether your cooling system develops a leak or not, it will come in handy at some point. Separate water for drinking should be in your essential 'survival' kit as well.

12. Essential 4x4 Sundries
Fill the empty spaces in your 4x4 recovery and repair kit with duct tape, zap straps, rags, work gloves, an old coat, hand cleaner, rain gear, bug spray, flashlight, lighter, first aid kit, hunting knife, a towel, a few power bars, and anything else you can squeeze in that might come in handy.

This might sound like a lot of gear to pack in to a 4x4 recovery and repair kit, but it doesn't take up a lot of space. Everything on this list packs neatly into a large plastic bin that can be strapped down with ratchet-straps inside your 4x4. This way it won't slide or crash around, and the old blanket and jacket keep everything nice and quiet. You won't even know it's there until you need it...and that's the point.

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