Top 10 Recovery Equipment Must Haves
While fully engaged in an off-road adventure that is raising your heart rate, constantly seeing you check your clearance level, and may render you suddenly stuck, the “kit-packed” essentials are always standing by to free you. There are a number of items in the off-road realm that will see you gracefully out of some of the toughest spots you can imagine, and get you quickly moving again. These are some of the best offerings out there to bring along to make sure that your off-road outing doesn't end before the most thrilling dips and turns take place.
1. Recovery Kit
An off-road recovery kit comes equipped with a powerful strap and bow shackles that make way for another vehicle to properly hook onto yours and get you moving again after sinking in sand or otherwise spinning your wheels. Many come with a very handy tree saver and can see you to safety after unfortunately becoming stuck in a snowbank.
2. A Work Light
A work light comes in many portable forms and not only lets everyone around you know they need to slow down, but helps you greatly with the task at hand. Some of the best models out there boast very high-intensity 600 lumens flood beams and magnetic bases that mount securely to your vehicle.
3. A Maxtrax
A Maxtrax set is an excellent investment for any frequent off-roader and is also ideal for adventurers that travel alone. They provide the needed traction under the tires to slowly get the rig moving again, and are notorious for being able to withstand the toughest elements dished out by harsh conditions.
4. A Tire Repair Kit
A tire repair kit is the best aid for quickly fixing what can take down any great off-road session in a heartbeat! Sticks, screws, and nails are culprits on many fire roads and beckoning slants that you'll want a trusty kit for with a reamer tool, insertion needle, and repair cords to fix that flat and regain traction again.
5. An Air Compressor
An air compressor is one of the most important “Aces in the hole” as far as getting the tires back to where they need to be once your drive time ends. The best units to have on standby range from C02 air options to standard air compressors that allow you to monitor the progress while properly airing up.
6. A Jump Starter
A jump starter is a means of providing up to 30 jumps on a single charge for a various types of stall-outs, and can also be valuable as a flashlight or power source to replenish cameras and smartphones along for the ride.
7. Kinetic Straps
Kinetic straps come in useful whether your tow load is a fully-bulked out trailer or off-road-ready CJ. They come rated between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds, and can quickly free you from various types of “deeply-stuck” situations. Many different designs can aid you with your speedy recovery, and there are now excellent brands dedicated to 4-wheel and ATV usage.
8. A Shovel
A shovel is one of those extra accessories that will not take up too much space on board but serves many purposes when your rig is all the way stuck. You can use it to clear mud and other anonymous debris from under the front tires and get right down to business and shovel when losing precious time on the trail is not an option.
9. A Recovery Winch
A recovery winch is the one thing in your off-road carry-on list that could quite possibly be the most important. It can prevent large-scale damage to your vehicle and provides a constant pulling power that has time and time again rescued many a jeep or truck that was “just minutes ago going nowhere”. Synthetic rope winches have recently become very popular, as exerting the most power can see you out of a pinch very quickly.
10. A Hi-lift Jack
A hi-lift jack is a tool that can lift your vehicle while you nurse it back to health in many ways. Since the best fun in off-roading adventure takes place on trails laden heavy with dirt, a Hi-lift jack's wider base works wonders once you are unfortunately deemed stuck and acts to keep the jack from lowering after you reach your desired height.
