When we go 4-wheeling, we believe that everyone sticks together and gets out together; nobody gets left behind. For this reason, we have a minimum equipment requirement to help avoid potential problems on the trail due to improperly-prepared vehicles.

A trip listed as suitable for "stock" vehicles assumes a stock Toyota 4x4 pickup or 4Runner; ie. factory 29" tires, no lift, no lockers. Vehicles must be mechanically sound, must have the same or better clearance than a stock Toyota 4x4, and must have a transfer case with low range.

All vehicles attending our trips must be equipped with the following:

Fluids

Anti-freeze (during winter.)

Automatic tranny fluid (if applicable.)

Brake fluid (same as clutch fluid.)

Engine oil (I use 10w40 all year.)

Gear oil (Pennzoil containers have a handy spout for pouring directly into the diffs without the use of a funnel.)

Power steering fluid (if applicable.)

Water

WD-40 (great for displacing moisture in distributor caps. Note: WD-40 is a cleaner, not a lubricant.)

Parts

Form-a-gasket (or "The Right Stuff")

Full-size spare tire (checked for pressure before the trip.)

Fuse kit (including fusible link and CB fuse.)

Spare fan and alternator belts

Spare headlight (or bulb.)

Spare radiator hoses

Safety

ABC-rated fire extinguisher

First Aid kit (and first aid manual. Spend some money and get a good one, or better yet, build a custom one yourself.)

Flashlight (and spare bulbs and batteries. I use a Streamlight Stinger XT rechargeable tactical light; it has a 15000cp xenon bulb, adjustable beam, tailcap switch, rubber grip, is machined from aluminum, is 7.7" long, and weighs 11.1 oz. It's brighter than my MagCharger, and is considerably smaller.)

Gloves (inexpensive leather-faced gloves are great while sawing, shoveling, winching, climbing, lifting heavy parts, and unstacking rocks; mine have saved my hands from severe injury on several occasions. I bought anti-vibration gloves from Princess Auto; the extra-thick palms provide added protection from broken winch cable strands.)

Recovery points front and rear (tow hook or clevis attachment; a trailer ball is NOT a recovery point.)

Tug strap (different than a tow strap; a tow strap has hooks on the ends, while a tug strap just has loops and will stretch, reducing the shock load to both vehicles.)

Tools

Appropriate jack for tire changes

Basic hand tools (screwdrivers, pliers, crimper, hammer, etc.)

Duct tape

Electrical tape

Shovel (for recovery purposes.)

Socket set, including spark-plug and diff-drain sockets

Tire pressure gauge

Toyota crank and rod assembly for tire winch (if your Toyota has the spare tire in the factory location under the vehicle.)

Wheel lock key (if applicable.)

Wheel wrench (for star-type wrenches, I find that painting the side of the wrench that fits your lug nuts will make things easier.)

Wrench set

Miscellaneous

Garbage bags (pack out what you pack in.)

Medical items (if applicable, ie. insulin, contact lens solution.)

Toilet paper (in a waterproof plastic bag, ie. Ziploc, in case your interior gets flooded during a creek crossing.)

Don't forget things like your driver's license, vehicle insurance papers, and a phone list of your winch-equipped friends.

Highly recommended

Aerial flares (useful for signalling search planes when you are in immediate need of emergency medical assistance; do not misuse.)

Air compressor (whether you have on-board air, an ARB compressor, or a little portable unit that plugs into your lighter socket, these are useful for airing up tires and air mattresses, and are needed for use with that tire puncture repair kit.)

Axe with long fibreglass handle (useful for splitting logs for the fire, removal of deadfall, and recoveries.)

Battery booster cables (get a decent set of tangle-proof cables with good-quality clamps.)

Benadryl or equivalent

Bow saw (and spare blades. Used for cutting deadfall on the trail and firewood at the campsite.)

Butane soldering iron (and solder, spare butane. Weller makes a nice unit; a 12v soldwering iron is the next best alternative. The butane can also be used to refill your miniature torch/lighter.)

Camera (not only for getting the evidence of your buddy's stuck situation, but also for insurance purposes if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident. Also useful for taking photos of beautiful scenery to show your non-wheeling friends, to entice them to take their SUV's off-highway. The disposables take a decent picture; they store easily in the glovebox, and you don't have to worry about dropping them or getting them dusty or dirty. Get the ones with a flash. If you're into digital cameras, Canon's Digital Elph is an excellent, durable unit that is small enough to be worn on your belt on a continuous basis.)

CB radio (a useful method of communicating between trucks while on the trail, as almost every 4x4 has one. They are license-exempt in Canada.)

Cellular phone (great for coordinating meeting places in town before a trip, and for obtaining for help as long as you are in an area covered by your cellular carrier. Handheld phones have a 0.6w RF power output. Mobile and transportable phones have a 3.0w RF power output and can use a high-gain external antenna. Larsen makes a nice directional beam antenna which greatly improves your coverage area; you can temporarily mount it to a collapsible mast or to a tree when you are stopped; perfect for your SAR MCP. Don't rely on it in the bush though, as remote areas rarely have cell-site coverage.)

Compass (a liquid-filled unit with a clear base is best; I recommend the Silva Ranger. Use it outside and away from your metal vehicle.)

Coveralls

Crimp kit (butt, spade female, spade male, large ring, small ring, and tap connectors. I find that the "blue-insulated" connectors are fairly universal, but you should have some "yellow-insulated" connectors for heavier-gauge wires. Whenever possible, remove and discard the plastic insulator, crimp the terminal, solder the connection, and cover the joint with rubber heat-shrink tubing.

Dunnage (for jack base and recovery purposes. Can even be used as emergency dry firewood.)

Flagging tape (to mark a trailhead or to warn of a hazard. A permanent marker is sometimes useful for writing on the tape. Note: SAR tape can be identified by the holes drilled into it.)

Folding knife with serrations (preferrably the type that can be opened with one hand, in the event you need it while you are hanging from one hand or you have broken bones or other injuries which prevent you from using both hands.)

Hearing protection (useful when using a chain saw, or when you break your exhaust on the trail.)

High-Lift or Jack-All jack (High-Lift's come with an attachment for using the jack as a clamp. Get the 60" version; with my new suspension, a 48" jack is no longer tall enough to lift a rear tire off the ground. I don't recommend Farm Jacks as they appear to be of lighter construction.)

Hose clamps (assorted sizes. Have a look under the hood to see what sizes you're using.)

Ice scraper/snow brush (extremely useful while winter 'wheeling.)

Maps (Recreational and topo maps are available from BC Ministry of Forests in Nanaimo, topo maps are also available from BC Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks, and Backroad Mapbooks by Mussio Ventures are available at most 4x4 and book stores.)

Matches or lighter (I have an Alpen "Hurricane" refillable butane lighter; it's waterproof, has an adjustable 2300ºF windproof flame, and a translucent case so you can see how much fluid you have. Pick one up at Outbound Products in Vancouver; has a 5-year warranty (p/n 53-690AST).)

Plastic tarp (small, for under-vehicle repairs in the rain.)

Radiator stop-leak (ie. Bar's.)

Ratchet straps (can be used to secure items, to circle a tire to help re-seat the bead, and to tie one side of an axle-housing to the frame when you are trying to High-Lift your truck up to change a tire and you have too much droop for your 48" jack.)

Repair manual (the factory Toyota manual is far superior to the Haynes or Chiltons manuals.)

Resealable drip container for fluids (ie. for catching and storing old oil from an oil change. Canadian Tire and other suppliers have inexpensive plastic containers designed expressly for this; it allows you to change fluids without wrecking the environment.)

Road flares (can be used to provide advanced warning to vehicles when you are performing a recovery ahead.)

RTV silicone (RTV is adhesive; regular silicone is not. Try to keep it away from your paint (causes fisheyes when painting).)

Shop towels (aka clean rags. You can never have too many of these, especially when you are changing a Birfield.)

Spare air filter

Spare distributor cap and rotor

Spare eyeglasses and/or contact lenses

Spare fuel (may be "required" on long trips. The NATO military-surplus jerry cans are the best, but finding good spouts for them is difficult. Steel Blitz-type jerry cans will leak when filled to capacity. I have experienced three failures with plastic jerry cans, so I cannot recommend them. I am presently investigating aux gas tank ideas.)

Spare keys (and alarm remote if applicable. Give these to your navigator. Note: too many keys on your keyring will cause unnecessary wear on your ignition key cylinder due to the weight.)

Spare leaf spring U-bolts (if applicable.)

Spare lug nuts

Spare spark plugs and spark plug wires (I recommend NGK V-Groove plugs and factory Toyota wires)

Spare tug strap (can be used for stabilization during a recovery, also in case your break, lose, or are forced to cut yours.)

Spare valve cores

Spare valve stems

Tire puncture repair kit (requires an air compressor to be totally useful.)

Tylenol or equivalent

Wire (a few different rolls of various gauges; good for field repairs or for tying up a broken exhaust pipe (if you strip the insulation off first).)

Wristwatch

You should also carry spare food and a sleeping bag, in case you have to spend the night on the trail.

You should also carry a change of clothes and spare footwear, in the event of a messy recovery or an unplanned dunking.

Recommended Camping Gear:

After-Bite pen (apply it to a mosquito bite for instant relief of itching.)

Air mattress or sponge mattress

Bear bangers

Cooler and freeze packs

Cyalume light sticks

Dish soap, scrub pad, steel wool, plastic wash bin, wash cloth, drying towel (an old margarine container is good for storing the scrub pad and steel wool.)

Fingernail clippers, tweezers (for slivers.)

Fire starter or kindling, newspapers (Do not use "coloured" newspapers; the ink may contain lead.)

Foam pad for sleeping bag (The best source in the Lower Mainland is Dave's Military Surplus in New Westminster; he has new green military foamies that are longer and wider than the camping-style blue or yellow ones, and they're cheaper too. Discounts for LEOs, military, and security personnel.)

Folding chair

Frying pan

Hatchet (for making kindling for the campfire.)

Hiking boots (waterproofed, plus spare laces.)

Leatherman tool (actually, the Gerber equivalents are nicer.)

Machete (useful for clearing a trail when brush is encroaching on the travelled portion of the roadway. Chop branches at a 45° angle and not a 90° angle.)

Matches (or lighter, or portable torch)

Mosquito repellent ("Deep-Woods Off" is fairly good, but needs to be reapplied after a couple hours. Too much Deet content is probably bad for you.)

Paper towels

Propane bottle, propane distribution tree and hoses (or several of the smaller 465ml / 16.4oz bottles)

Propane lantern, "no-tie" mantles

Propane stove, 2-burner (I have a Coleman Grille/Stove (p/n 9921-700C), which has a 10000 BTU burner and a 10000 BTU grille.)

Rain gear (ie. Gore-Tex jacket, pants, and rain hat.)

Razor or shaver (electric shavers are really nice, especially if you have a voltage inverter to recharge it.)

Rope (for tying your tarp down)

Sleeping bag, with appropriate temperature rating (I use a -13ºC bag all year.)

Snake-bite kit

Soap, shampoo, face cloth, towels, comb

Stainless steel pot with handle and lid

Swiss Army knife

Tarp (large-size, to create shelter at camp. Collapsible poles are also nice.)

Tent (the simpler, the better.)

Tent pegs (for your tent or tarp.)

Tupperware container for utensils

Unbreakable plates, cups, bowls

US Military Entrenchment Tool (aka folding shovel; if you are not on the BC4x4 mailing list, ask me why, and buy a real one, not a cheapo import one. Try to get the German rubber case, as the cloth US case will rot when it gets wet.)

Utensils: forks, knives, spoons, can opener, and spares (also plastic burger flipper (won't damage teflon coating of grille or frying pan), marshmallow toaster, etc.)

Water (in addition to the water mentioned under "Fluids".)

Zip-Loc bags (great for storing opened food, cut & washed vegetables, etc. Also good for keeping the toilet paper dry during water crossings.)

Additional Recommended Tools:

10mm flare-nut wrench (for removing/installing brakeline and clutchline fittings.)

Adjustable wrenches (various sizes)

Allen-key set (aka Hex keys.)

Assorted nuts, bolts, screws, washers, cotter pins, etc.

Aviation snips

Battery terminal brush

Bolt cutters

Brass drift

Breaker bars (3/8" & 1/2" drive)

Cordless drill & drill bits (and screwdriver bits. Also, some companies offer a flashlight head for the battery packs; quite handy, and even better if you have a voltage inverter to power the charger.)

Digital multi-meter & probes (Fluke makes excellent units, with a rubber casing to help protect when you reach the end of the leads and pull it off your hood.)

Emery cloth (for sanding paint and rust to create a good ground.)

Feeler gauges

Files

Funnel

Grease gun (I use Castrol synthetic grease for better retention in water.)

Hacksaw (and spare blades.)

Jeweller's screwdrivers (useful for tightening eye glasses screws, and many other things.)

Nylon wire ties (aka Zap Straps.)

Paintbrush (a 0.5" or 1.0" wide brush is great for removing trail dust from your stereo and communications radios faceplates, without scratching the plastic displays.)

Pop-rivet tool & rivets

Pry bar

Slip-joint pliers

Snap-ring pliers

Spare ratchet, extension, and popular sockets (in case you break or lose them.)

Tape measure

Teflon tape (for re-sealing air lines.)

Torque wrench

Vise Grips (the real ones, not the cheapo skin-grabbing clones.)

A note about tools: Cheap tools with a lifetime warranty are great, but won't do you any good when they break in the middle of nowhere. Invest in quality tools, and carry spares of the tools you use the most frequently in the event of breakage or loss.

Another note about tools: I've heard this a lot: "I keep this cheap set of tools in the truck, and leave the good set of tools at home."  Why? If you need to use your tools when you're a hundred miles from the nearest city, you'd better make sure the tools you're carrying are up to the job. And if you are at home, chances are your truck's at home too, so you'll still have access to your "good" tools.

Additional Spare Parts:

On multi-day trips when we are far from civilization, I like to carry these spare parts as well; good thing Toyota's have some cargo space! One advantage to 'wheeling with similar (and similarly-equipped) vehicles is that many parts are interchangeable. I store many of these parts in an ammo box, which is waterproof.

4wd hub (and gaskets and appropriate grease.)

Alternator

ARB airline & fittings

Ballast resistor

Battery terminal connectors

Birfield joint (and moly grease, and wheel bearing grease.)

Brake master cylinder

Clutch master cylinder

Clutch slave cylinder

Coax connectors (for the CB & VHF radios.)

Coil/igniter

Distributor

EFI computer (in waterproof container, packed with padding.)

Front driveshaft

Fuel-filler cap (have you ever left one at a gas station, or had a locking one fall apart on you?)

Lug nuts

MAF sensor

Rear driveshaft

Second full-size spare tire

Second High-Lift jack

Starter

TPS

VHF antenna w/ shock spring (John and I have both lost antennas on the trail.)

Wheel studs

Luxury Items:

I know that many people consider some of the above items "luxuries", but after travelling or camping with them for a while, you'll wonder how you ever got along without them. Same goes for the items listed below.

Automatic tire deflators (these things save tons of time when airing down. Screw them on, and eat a sandwich in the comfort of your cab while everone else is out in the rain airing down one tire at a time with their key and pressure gauge. I set my Oasis deflators to 10 psi; if I want more pressure I just remove them a bit earlier.)

Binoculars (useful for bird watching, trail spotting, sign reading, star gazing, and other things.)

Chainsaw, fuel, 2-stroke oil, bar oil (not only does it make clearing deadfall a lot easier, it may also be used for recoveries on the trail, and for firewood at camp. I picked up a Craftsman 36cc chainsaw with a 16" bar from Sears during one of their frequent sales; it came with a spare chain, bar tool, 2-cycle engine oil, log carrier, and carrying case, for Cdn$199 (p/n C944.411370). Also carry a spare chain and a chain file.)

GPS (a useful navigational aid when you are in unfamiliar territory, or for marking a trail or location for future exploration. The US Gov't no longer introduces a deliberate error, so the accuracy is quite good. Get one with a 12-channel parallel receiver and a computer data output jack. Lowrance has a nice hand-held unit that's reasonably priced, as well as a really nice permanent-mount marine unit with a large display and an external antenna. If you are using mapping software and a laptop, Garmin makes a nice GPS engine integrated into an external antenna, for considerably less than the price of a stand-alone GPS.)

Hand-held spotlight (useful for night runs, for when you are trying to spot landmarks when lost on the trail after dark, or even for changing a flat tire at the side of a highway at night. Many automotive supply places have units ranging from 250000-1000000 cp for around $20-$50.)

Long-handled pruning shears (don't laugh; these are great for brushing out an old overgrown trail, and are quicker than a bow saw on branches and saplings up to an inch in diameter. They are also useful for stripping a large fallen tree of its branches to allow for easier removal from the road. The good ones are constructed with a mechanical advantage at the jaws, and have lightweight fibreglass handles. I don't actually own a set, but have used them during a trail maintenance run.)

Powered cooler (I have a Coleman PowerChill 12v cooler (40-quart cap, p/n 5640B807); it works great and will even ice up the contents if left on for around 24 hours. It will drain your battery overnight, so either unplug it while you sleep or install a dual-battery system. Brad has a Koolatron 12v/propane cooler, which is even better because he can run it on 12v during the day and plug it into his propane distribution tree at night.)

Propane catalytic space heater (I have a Coleman BlackCat (3000 BTU, p/n 5033-700C) which works great for preheating the canopy during winter excursions; it's designed for indoor and tent use and runs for about 8 hours on a 465g cylinder. For safety reasons, I do NOT recommend leaving the heater on while you sleep.)

Self-inflating mattress (ie. Thermarest, Jack Wolfskin. I have a Jack Wolfskin mattress; it came with a repair kit and a sack, although I've never been able to get it back into the sack. Very comfy.)

VHF FM radio (vastly superior to CB; greater range, better clarity, less noise and interference. Another alternative is a 2m amateur radio, as long as all members of your group have their amateur radio licenses. Also, many groups are switching to FRS radios; these are 14-channel hand-held UHF-FM radios suitable for short-range comms, and are license-exempt in Canada.

Voltage inverter (converts 12v DC to 120v AC; useful for powering your laptop (for mapping) and charging batteries for your cordless screwdriver, camera, electric shaver, etc. Get one with a rating of at least 250w. Mine is a Statpower Portawattz 700, a 700w continuous / 1300w surge unit from Xantrex.)

Remember to secure everything. If you should have the misfortune to roll your vehicle, you don't want the added aggravation of your cooler falling onto your head and discharging it's contents onto your headliner.

Did I forget anything? Let me know!

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