Battery Terminal - Photo 60288005

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Is your battery securely held down? During one trip, the ground cable kept popping off the negative battery terminal. Why? The battery hold-down was loose and the battery kept sliding around in the tray. It’s a good thing the cable popped off the terminal, instead of the terminal breaking off. Put a wrench on the hold-down and make sure it’s correctly snugged.

2004 toyota 4runner three quarter in motion back view

Tires need proper pressure, U-joints and suspension pivots need grease, and vital fluids need to be topped off.

Off-road camping trips involve two kinds of preparation. There’s vehicle prep and camping gear prep. We’ll talk vehicle prep first, and then move on to storage solutions and camping gear strategies.

Crawling under a vehicle is awkward, but U-joints thrive on fresh grease. Would you rather spend time with a grease gun in the driveway, or spend time trying to replace a worn-to-death U-joint out in the dirt? Even properly greased U-joints can fail catastrophically when combined with big tires, low gears, and big rocks, so carrying a spare U-joint is still a good idea.

We try to hit the trail with a full Powertank on board. We don’t have an air compressor in the garage just yet, so to make this possible a second Powertank system stays in the garage most of the time. The second Powertank tops off the air pressure before, after, and in between off-road trips. On longer trips, or in larger groups, the second Powertank (with a fresh charge of CO2) goes along for the ride.

Is your battery securely held down? During one trip, the ground cable kept popping off the negative battery terminal. Why? The battery hold-down was loose and the battery kept sliding around in the tray. It’s a good thing the cable popped off the terminal, instead of the terminal breaking off. Put a wrench on the hold-down and make sure it’s correctly snugged.

A spare axle shaft and a fire extinguisher are nicely secured and easy to access.

Engine oil and ATF (or gear oil if you shift for yourself) should always be checked and topped off. Check fluid levels habitually, even when you have no off-road trips in your immediate future.

Silty trails can clog air filters in a hurry. Consider carrying a spare air filter.

Like your engine oil and transmission fluid, you should habitually check your brake fluid level. If the fluid level drops quickly, you could either have a leak in the brake lines, or you’ve worn your brake pads or shoes down to nothing.

The large lockable storage area inside an SUV means you can keep most of your tools and gear in the vehicle all the time. Those with open-top rigs should consider purchasing lockable storage containers.

Easy access to your gear means trailside meals are more convenient to prepare. We wish more vehicles still came with real fold-down tailgates.

Roof racks like this Baja Rack are great for storing gear. Roof-racked items usually need to packed inside weather-resistant containers.

Ronald Dunkleberger’s 1997 ZJ Grand Cherokee (featured August 2013) is one of the best-prepped trail rigs we’ve seen. For instance, the Hi-Lift jack has a solid home on the front bumper. This is better for storage and also better for safety. A loose Hi-Lift can do quite a bit of damage if it’s just floating around inside. One more thing: It’s silly to carry a Hi-Lift if your vehicle doesn’t have any Hi-Lift compatible lifting points. Ronald’s got sturdy bumpers, and he’s got stout rock sliders as well.

Always carry a fullsize spare tire and make sure it’s properly inflated. The sun’s UV rays can break down tires that sit out in the sun, which means a spare tire cover is a great idea. If you don’t want to run a cover, you’ll need to apply Armor All (or a similar product) regularly. Rotating your tires, including the spare, also increases tire life.

Not enough has changed inside our ’04 4Runner, but we’ve been meeting deadlines and fabricating the ’Runner’s front bumper. Even so, a lashed-down Baja Basket has worked extremely well for storing tools and supplies. Note the spare tire is carried inside, away from UV rays and mischief makers. All of the stuff in the photo lives inside the 4Runner day in and day out.

Ammo boxes are perfect for carrying fluids. We take this a step further by putting the fluid containers inside individual plastic bags. Duct tape is a preparedness must-have, and a funnel is almost always necessary for filling automatic transmission fluid.

If you don’t have a spare CV shaft for your IFS rig, at least carry spare CV boots and the tools to change them. Replacing a torn CV boot avoids running the CV joints dry and burning them up.

The gloves stash nicely inside a door pocket.

Wipes stash nicely under the driver’s seat.

A little progress: We’re going to tie the yet-to-be-fabricated internal storage rack into the stock second-row seat back latches. We don’t have the stock fold-and-tumble second row seat anymore, so the unused latches make a perfect anchor point. We trimmed the plastic away in order to unbolt the latches without ripping apart the interior.

Grimy, cut hands are no fun in the garage or out on the trail. Disposable gloves and wipes are good things to bring along. Gloves keep your hands clean, but odds are your arms and face will get grimy: Hence, the wipes in addition to the gloves. Baby powder makes it easier to slide the gloves onto sweaty hands.

Heavy-duty paper towels go inside another door pocket.

The glove box carries a flashlight, an LED lantern, pepper spray (carried while hiking to defend against marauding critters with big teeth), sunglasses, and safety glasses.

Zip ties, butterfly bandages, and insect repellant are stashed in yet another door pocket. We carry sunblock in the center console.

The Craftsman aluminum floor jack doesn’t have a permanent mount yet, so it is wrapped in foam and placed on the floor behind the driver’s seat.

The fire extinguisher is wrapped in a cloth towel and placed in the Baja Basket. Again, secure mounts are a better way to go. Always, always carry a fire extinguisher.

Even if you’re not into backpacking, it’s still smart to purchase backpacker-style gear. This backpacking first-aid kit takes up almost no space.

The ham radio has a permanent mount. You can see our ARB Air Locker switches above the radio. Yes, we still need to finish hooking up our Air Lockers—more on that later.

The Powertank gets wrapped inside a floor mat and placed on the floor behind the passenger’s seat. If you don’t have secure mounts for heavy items, at least store them down low like this. Better yet, build or buy secure mounts.

Bottled water is convenient and readily available. We own a backcountry water filter and carry it when a trip calls for it. Snacks are also always on board.

Ronald Dunkleberger carries this Spot Tracker in his ZJ. The Spot Tracker is all the more valuable if you go on solo trips in the backcountry. If you get into deep trouble, you can hit the SOS button and help will be sent to your location.

Unfinished installations can leave you stuck. My winch bumper wasn’t finished, and my Air Lockers weren’t hooked up in time for this trail run. I went anyway and got mired in deep, sandy rain ruts. The trail gave way on the passenger’s side, so Matt, Dave, and Dan pulled on the recovery strap while I tried to get free.

Creativity can pick up where preparedness leaves off. We ran the rear Air Locker line through the back window, and Matt pressurized the Air Locker using the Powertank and an air nozzle. It worked. Still, it’s not a long-term solution. The Air Locker installation needs to be completed, and my Warn 9.5 XP-S winch needs to be bolted in and connected to the battery.

Backpacking-style kitchens make good sense and are lightweight, too. Dave and Matt Cawley heated some water, poured it into a freeze-dried pouch and enjoyed a quick, hot meal.

A dedicated set of shelves can serve as a ready room for camping equipment.