If you are planning an off road trip, then you need to take care of some things first, and make sure that you have the basics with you. Of course, if you are to consider any possible situation, then you will find yourself writing down a mile long list, while at the same time finding that you don’t have enough space to carry all that you need in your 4×4.
Below, you’ll see the 7 things you have do to planning an off road trip, and these seven will assure that you have your basics covered, should anything happen.
1. The first thing you want, is to make sure that you won’t end up in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and no extra. This is why the first and most important thing is to have a spare tire of equal size.
2. A first aid kit will prove invaluable, so it’s always good to take one along, just in case. It’s very easy to cut yourself and without a band-aid and some antiseptic it will be pretty difficult to stop the bleeding and avoiding infections.
3. Water, food and basic personal essentials, but especially water. If you plan going off road in the desert or a place where finding clean water can be difficult, you will want to carry at least 2 liters per person per day. This means that if you’re going to go alone for 3 days you’ll want to have 6 liters of water with you. Just in case, make sure to have some extra water, to last your another day or two.
4. You will also want to be sure that you have a basic tool kit with you – you never know how your car will react, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
5. Communication devices and orientation devices. With today’s technology a simple mobile phone with GPS and one spare battery should do the trick – assuming that you won’t go off the grid. If you go off the grid, then you must have a GPS and a satellite mobile phone.
6. Don’t forget to also pack along some vehicle recovery items like: hi-lift jack, tow straps, tree saver, come-along, D-rings, shackles, shovel, chainsaw and bar oil, 2 cycle engine oil, spare chain (can be handy in recover situations, as well as for trail clearing on wooded trails), winch kit (tree strap, hi-lift jack, snatch block, pickle fork, shackle, gloves) and snow chains (if the tires can’t do the trick)7. Let’s not forget the most important thing: a route and a map. You really want to know where’s your A and where’s your B and how you can get from A to B. So, plan ahead and make sure that you have an extensive map of the off-road portion you want to cover – the GPS can only help.
There you have it. The 7 basic things you want to do before planning an off-road trip. There are lots of other things that you could take, but the above are the minimum and the most basic thing you need to have with you.
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