Offroad Checklist

The Off-Road Warrior’s Checklist

Gearing up for an off-road adventure can very easily turn into a logistics nightmare. Of course you can never accurately know what things you will really need once you’re out there. What may seem inconsequential right now might just mean the difference between getting home in one shape or getting stuck for days out there in the open.

An apt maxim for off-road warriors during the planning stage is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. While this may result in you carrying a lot more luggage than you’ve originally intended, remember that the more you plan and prepare for the trip, the less you will despair in your time of need. So read on and check off the things you need to bring.

What’s under the Hood may Save You out There in the Woods

It’s true; your best survival tool out there is your car. When planning to pit your strengths against Mother Nature, be sure to keep your escape vehicle in tiptop shape in case you need to get the hell out of there in a jiffy.

1. Check the Fluids: Yes, your car’s fluids are almost as important as those you bring for yourself. Check and/or replace the following fluids before getting out in the road: Brake fluid, Transmission oil, engine oil, water and coolant, windshield wiper fluid and transfer and differential gear oils. Moreover, grease all the fittings like steering and u-joints.

2. Check and Tighten the Nuts and Bolts: It’s better to tighten them now than reinvent metal working out there when something comes loose. So tighten the drive shaft u-bolts, the lug bolts, check the shocks, and check for loose nuts and bolts from top to bottom of your vehicle.

3. Check every moving part: Yes, as long as you’re at it, you might as well check every moving part of your vehicle. Remember, sometimes it only takes one part out of the thousands that make up your car to ruin your trip. So check and replace the fan belts if there are cracks, check and/or replace the air cleaner, check seatbelts, check tire for wear and damage and for proper air pressure, check the hoses for any leaks or damage, check braking pads and shoes, check for any cracks in the frame and check the winch if its operating nicely.

The Bare Minimum

The items in the bare minimum checklist are those that are the most important to have at all times in your vehicle. This includes your first aid kit, your basic survival items such as water and food, your spare key for your car (of course you must not leave it inside), a basic tool kit for your car, Come-alongs and a tree saver, a tow strap, a spare tire and of course a jack and a tire iron to make bringing along the spare tire worth your while.

The First Aid Kit

The first aid kit is basically medications and emergency treatment items that are used to treat minor wounds, cuts, sprains or bruises. Sometimes though, this kit can spell the difference between life and death. So make sure to bring along a complete first aid kit when you go off-road.

The first aid kit includes hot packs and cold packs, treatment for snake bites including but not limited to syrup of Ipecac and activated charcoal, a disposable emergency blanket, a gel for burns, scissors and tweezers, a flashlight with extra batteries, bandages and gauze pads and roller gauzes of different sizes and shapes, adhesive tape, antiseptic ointment, alcohol cotton swabs (wrapped individually), disposable gloves, a hand cleaner and a plastic bag.

Of course, you must not also forget to bring your regular medications and other common medications like anti-diarrhea, fever reducers like Tylenol, inflammation reducers, medications for allergies, Epinephrine for more serious allergies and medications for bruises and sprains.

Safety Essentials

Safety essentials are items that can be used for hazardous work and to minimize possible injury. These are your safety goggles, leather gloves, tarps, flares, flashlights, lighter and matches and fire extinguisher (must be easily accessible).

Basic Personal and Communication Items

These are the items or devices that you can carry around easily when you get out of the car for extended periods of time. They include your food and water of which you must bring more than enough for your planned stay, extra clothes to keep you more or less dry, toiletries such as toilet paper, anti-bac hand cleaners, soap, sun block, etc, a rain jacket and a trash bag for our wastes, water purification tablets, and finally your communication and mapping devices and items such as a compass, local maps, GPS, mobile phone, satellite phone, CB radio and power inverters to charge these devices.

Of course the basic items you bring along will also depend on the season. For winter off-road trips bring along extra heavy clothing, jackets or wind breakers, hats or caps and an emergency blanket. For summer off-road trips bring along an insect repellent, a sunblock and your sunglasses.

Preparing for Unknown and Unexpected Variables

Under normal circumstances, you can get by with the aforementioned, basic implements. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned and basic implements like cell phones, sun block and medicine are not going to help you very much when your vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhereville. Of course, your radio or your mobile phone could be used to get you help, but how sure are you that you will get a signal? Furthermore, if you were indeed able to call for help, you’d still have to wait for who-knows-how-long for the help to reach you.

You should therefore gear up so you’ll be prepared to face unexpected troubles head on. After all, part of the challenge of off-roading is the ability to get from point A to point B under your own steam.

When you get stuck in a ditch (which can actually be avoided by crossing one wheel at a time) you need to be prepared with tow straps to help you pull your vehicle out of the ditch. You must also have shackles and D-rings to facilitate the connection. However, this only applies if you are traveling in a convoy so other vehicles could help pull you out. In cases where you’re in la-la land alone, you’d better have a hi-lift jack (better if you have a complete winch kit), a pullpal and a shovel around.

For automobile recovery purposes, you should also have a spare chain, a tree-saver, a chainsaw, and some oil (bar oil as well as engine oil). Of course, if you are planning on traveling on snow, you should definitely gear up with a set of snow tire chains so you can get yourself unstuck when your snow tires can’t get enough traction or pull.

Wonderful Tools

Tools make for a good collection for any one who is into off-roading or off-road adventures. They are wonderful essentials when you or a fellow off-roader needs help. Such tools that you should never travel without include a comprehensive socket, screwdriver, box wrench, and allen wrench sets. When we say comprehensive, it means that your tool sets should be complete – all possible shapes and sizes that could be required on a vehicle should be included.

Aside from the standard sizes, there should be specialized sizes that may be needed in special circumstances. In the matter of sockets, for instance, you should be prepared with standard and metric sizes so you will have the ability to repair your vehicle whether it is foreign or made in America. Torx sockets are also a definite requirement, especially if you are driving a jeep. You should also have standard as well as Phillips-type screwdrivers.

Aside from tools made especially for use with vehicles, you should also make sure to carry all-around tools with you. For instance, you really must have a knife or a utilitarian Swiss knife. You need a hammer (the larger it is, the better), a magnet, a blow torch, solder, welding tools, and a variety of wrenches, grips, wire cutters, and pliers which are mainly used for carpentry and other mechanical as well as electronic work but would still come in handy during car trouble.

Before leaving for your adventure, moreover, you should arm yourself with several lengths of ropes, wires and cords (these are wonderful in case you need to rescue others or you need rescuing yourself); thick, leather gloves; some adhesives such as tapes (duct and electrical), epoxy and glue; some blocks of wood; and rags. Definitely, you should be equipped with a flashlight, lighter (and lighter fluid), lanterns (and fuel), and matches.

Spares and Extras for Your Vehicle

When you do a water crossing and need to change your oil, do you hightail it back to civilization or do you change the oil yourself? It makes much more sense to do the latter so you’d better be prepared with a container of engine oil. The same applies for everything that your vehicle may need – gas, water, coolant, transmission fluid, etc.

Moreover, if you need to replace any of your car’s parts, you’d better be prepared with the spares. Of course, you’d have to have spare tires, wires, switches, fan belts, joints, nuts, valves, and all the other things that may need replacing when you’re on your off-road trip. Certainly, you must know how to replace the parts or you risk doing more damage to your car.

For Your Protection and Comfort

Even when you necessarily have to “rough it” when you’re on an extended camping trip or off-road trip, you need to bring enough things with you to make your trip as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

First among the list of things that you must bring are sleeping bags and mattresses as well as camping tents and tarps so you can sleep in comfort. Blankets are a definite necessity, too. You must also have cooking implements: butane stove with extra container of fuel, cooking pans and matches. You also need at least one set of utensils, a bottle opener and an ice chest.

For bathing, you must have rubber or beach slippers, bathing costumes, soaps, shampoo, and some towels. For personal grooming and skin care, do bring moisturizers, hair conditioner, sunscreen lotion, a tube or container of lip balm, and insect-repellant lotion. Don’t forget to bring different shoes (depending on your planned activities), a hat, a compass, sunglasses, enough (as well as appropriate) clothes, and some laundry detergent. Finally, you should not forget to pack the necessary foods and consumables.