A good overlander is prepared to fix and maintain their rig while out on an adventure. The ability to fix a broken or ill-performing rig can, in some situations, mean the difference between life or death. As an east coast person I doubt it would ever come to that for me, but last time I checked AAA doesn’t like to go deep into the woods to recover broken vehicles.
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| My first toolbox. Nothing beets an old trusty rusty Craftsman toolbox. |
Having a good toolbox is one thing, but having your tools organized inside that toolbox is just as essential has having good tools. Toolrools are a great way to keep tools secured so they don’t rattle, keeping them organized so you can find them, and the pockets are a great way to visually inventory your tools so you don’t leave any behind.
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| Top two rolls: SAE and Metic combo wrenches Bottom roll: assorted pilers and snips |
Another bonus of using tool rolls is they can be hung off your vehicle or on a chair making them easy to get to when a flat surface isn’t easily accessible.
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| Fleshing out the tool rolls are a few assorted hand tools. |
C-clamps are great to have in case you have to do any work on brakes or if you need to bend any metal. Also work great when pressing in u-joint caps.
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| Great for working on vehicle electronis such as radios, inverters, and fuse boxes |
Hex keys and torx bolts are becoming more and more common on vehicles these days. Never hurts to have your own set.
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| More sockets than any one man needs… unless you own a Jeep. |
Inside a Pelican 1500 series case I carry a full set of sockets, drivers, and extensions. This is probably overkill for the average overlander, but I like being “that guy” who is prepared to not only work on his own rig but someone else’s in the group or random strangers along the way (like a pair of bikers I met in North Carolina while on the “No Highways Tour”).
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| US Navy Drive Knife makes a great utility knife |
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| A hatchet also doubles as a small sledge. |
A good utility knife and a hatchet are great to carry while overlanding. Not pictured, but in my jeep all the time, is a Gerber “Multi-Tool.” I also carry a Smith and Wesson SWAT pocket knife on me at all times.
I also carry a few items not pictured that I think are good to have. An OBDII Scanner is a must (especially for me given my proclivity for the dreaded CEL), along with zip-ties, fluids, and spare parts. I honestly didn’t carry too many spare parts with me on trip knowing I wouldn’t be too far from a parts store. Spare U-joints, a sper-belt, and a clean air-filter were about the only spare parts I had one me or carry with me on a daily basis.
Hope this helps give you an insight into not just what I carry and why but some ideas into what you (or someone in your group) should carry when on your next overland adventure.
First time Jeep owner (less than a month). Realized I don't have any socket wrenches in my toolkit. Can you recommend a good socket wrench set with a nice selection of ratchet wrenches, extenders, etc?
Sorry for the delay in response. I was on the road the last two weeks for the Appalachian Rendezvous and Overland Expo East and soon I'll be on the road to Vermont.
For a socket set I'd be looking at something like this: http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-19-piece-3-8inch-dr-inch-and-metric/p-00924963000P?prdNo=39&blockNo=39&blockType=G39 I kinda wish those were out when I put my kit together. They also have wrenches (which I do have I just need to swap them into my kit) and they are slick.
Hope that helps. If you have other questions let me know and i can respond in greater details once I'm back from the Vermont Overland Rally which is coming up next.
Or even better: http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-19pc-universal-max-axess-socket-and-ratchet/p-00931088000P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7 Then you don't need to worry about carrying shallow and deep sockets.