writer: Sean P. Holman
photographer: Sean P. Holman
How many times have you found yourself on the trail digging through your recovery box, or found yourself in a position where one simple item could have saved you from a cold and lonely night in the backcountry? We've all experienced that one sudden moment where we look around and hope our friends are better prepared for the situation than we are. Here is our list of 10 of the most overlooked items you may want to pack in your recovery box or take with you before you hit the trail. You never know, it just might save your backside one day.
Serpentine Belt
Definitely one of the most overlooked items is the serpentine belt. No longer do you have three or four belts running the underhood accessories, and if you break a belt, you re out of luck-no more charging system, water pump, or power steering. Also, there are so many different sizes, it's unlikely that someone wheeling with you is going to have a spare for your specific vehicle, and usually the tensioner doesn't have enough movement to compensate for even mildly different sizes if you do get lucky and someone happens to be carrying a belt. It's true that belt breakage is rare, but we are planning for the worst-case scenario here and we think you'd be smart to include a vehicle-specific belt with your recovery gear.
Spare Valve Stems and Cores
We carry these just because our buddies-ever since they figured out that their mini-screwdriver had a valve-core remover on the back of it-like to mess with us on the trail. But the real problems can occur if your valve stems are ripped off on an obstacle, or if you develop a slow leak because of dirt contamination in the core. Keep a set of these on hand and you'll be able to keep rolling.
Plywood for Jack Base
How simple is this one? Just bring a piece of wood that your jack can rest on, spreading the load of the jack over a broader area. We can't tell you how many times we've spun a bead off the rim in the sand or mud, only to share blank expressions with each other when we find out the jack is sinking in the dirt and we have no support for the base.
Pull Pal
What is a guy to do when he is stuck and has nowhere to winch from? Might we suggest a winching aid, such as the Pull Pal? In a situation like this, the Pull Pal is worth its weight in gold, because no matter how cool or capable that winch on the front of your rig is, it is worthless if you have nothing to hook it to.
Vehicle-Specific Tools
Does your vehicle hail from the old school with standard nuts and bolts, or are the fasteners metric? Better yet, do you drive a late-model Ford? In that case, be prepared to add Torx and hex tools to your list. Another commonly overlooked tool is a lug-nut socket. Ever realize that those new forged wheels you just bought require a deep socket to remove the wheels? If a shop installed them, you might not realize this until you have a flat in the woods and your factory-supplied lug-nut wrench no longer reaches your lugs. Vehicle-specific tools are an important addition to any box.