Overlanding tool starter kit

[03rangerNM]

Anybody have any good suggestions for small tool kits for overland gear?? Or a list of things to compile tools wise specific to working on vehicles? I have a pretty decent gear list for recovery and emergency but I need to get a solid tools kit going and being a new hobby mechanic I need to know what to have!

 

[MISWFL]

Anybody have any good suggestions for small tool kits for overland gear?? Or a list of things to compile tools wise specific to working on vehicles? I have a pretty decent gear list for recovery and emergency but I need to get a solid tools kit going and being a new hobby mechanic I need to know what to have!

1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" socket sets on rails, with extra 10mms, 12pt regular and deep depth. Spark plug socket. Mid length sockets are nice as well. Matching drive size extensions and breaker bars/ratchets/ratcheting adapters and cheater pipes. I prefer wobbly end extensions.

Wrench sets like; combo, dual box end, ratcheting box end combo ( like Gearwrech type ), C & S type obstruction, in 8mm-19mm.

Misc tools like; adjustable wrenches, bit drivers ( Allen, Torx, etc ), cold chisel, hammers, pliers including water pump and vise grips, screwdrivers, and some basic specialty tools like electrical.

Spare parts ( belts, coils, plugs, fuel pump, ignition module, bulbs/fuses/relays ), fluids/chemicals, light source, jump box, work clothes, rain gear, flares/reflectors, AAA membership.

 

[Curious Hound]

It's easy to make a big, long list of stuff to carry. But keep in mind the age and condtion of your vehicle and what is your threshold of what you are realistically willing to fix on the trail. You can carry a balljoint press and extra balljoints. But would you really dig all that out and do it? Or have someone tow you out to a repair shop. Don't forget items like assorted nuts, bolts, hose clamps, fuses, wire, relays, crimp connectors, tape, blah-blah-blah.

If you look at the Fall Colors Campout thread, you will see that between several of us, we repaired a broken shifter and cracked firewall in a parking lot in West Virginia yesterday and Senornoob will be able to drive back to Tennessee today. So, having friends along and being able to share tools and parts also makes a big difference. I replaced a rear wheel seal in a campground in Colorado, last August, over a thousand miles from home.

Knowing your vehicle and keeping it in top notch condition all the time is your number one best preparation

 

[03rangerNM]

It's easy to make a big, long list of stuff to carry. But keep in mind the age and condtion of your vehicle and what is your threshold of what you are realistically willing to fix on the trail. You can carry a balljoint press and extra balljoints. But would you really dig all that out and do it? Or have someone tow you out to a repair shop. Don't forget items like assorted nuts, bolts, hose clamps, fuses, wire, relays, crimp connectors, tape, blah-blah-blah.

If you look at the Fall Colors Campout thread, you will see that between several of us, we repaired a broken shifter and cracked firewall in a parking lot in West Virginia yesterday and Senornoob will be able to drive back to Tennessee today. So, having friends along and being able to share tools and parts also makes a big difference. I replaced a rear wheel seal in a campground in Colorado, last August, over a thousand miles from home.

Knowing your vehicle and keeping it in top notch condition all the time is your number one best preparation

Yeah that all makes total sense. If it hadn’t been for my brother last September when we were elk hunting I would had a hard time getting the truck back up and running after the a/c compressor seized up on us. I luckily have a very small tool kit in the truck at all times and it was enough to get a shorter belt on to bypass the a/c compressor and get the truck running again.

 

[Roert42]

Keep in mind also, you don’t need to always have the perfect tool for every job. You just need to have something that is close enough to get you out of the woods.

I carry a small selection of 1/4” sockets in metric in sizes I know I may see (skip the 9mm). If I wanted to carry standard stuff I would just add in the sockets that don’t overlap with the metric stuff I already carry.

A good variety of pliers and screwdrivers.


I’ve found that having a selection of wires, hose clamps, common bolt sizes, butt connectors and stay-cons, steel wire, ect has been much more important for getting me home then having a big selection of tools.

The most important would be, if you are carrying a spare part, make sure you have what you need to install it. No real point in carrying a spare fuel pump if you can’t get the bed off to access the sending unit.

 

[MISWFL]

Keep in mind also, you don’t need to always have the perfect tool for every job. You just need to have something that is close enough to get you out of the woods.

I carry a small selection of 1/4” sockets in metric in sizes I know I may see (skip the 9mm). If I wanted to carry standard stuff I would just add in the sockets that don’t overlap with the metric stuff I already carry.

A good variety of pliers and screwdrivers.


I’ve found that having a selection of wires, hose clamps, common bolt sizes, butt connectors and stay-cons, steel wire, ect has been much more important for getting me home then having a big selection of tools.

The most important would be, if you are carrying a spare part, make sure you have what you need to install it. No real point in carrying a spare fuel pump if you can’t get the bed off to access the sending unit.

I forgot to list a sharp cold chisel in my emergency kit.

Do you guys really drop tanks or pull beds to change a fuel pump, especially on older trucks?

Any vehicle I've owned that needed something dumb like that gets an access hole cut with a cover added afterwards. My first one was on my first car, a 1958 VW Bug for the clutch cable adjustment nut access. I made an aluminum cover for that with a rubber gasket. Later vehicles I would source covers from the wrecking yard cut out from the same spot and try to use ones with matching paint. I make them about an inch wider than the access hole. Paint the cut metal and use a gasket or caulking for sealer if needed.

 

[Roert42]

I forgot to list a sharp cold chisel in my emergency kit.

Do you guys really drop tanks or pull beds to change a fuel pump, especially on older trucks?

Any vehicle I've owned that needed something dumb like that gets an access hole cut with a cover added afterwards. My first one was on my first car, a 1958 VW Bug for the clutch cable adjustment nut access. I made an aluminum cover for that with a rubber gasket. Later vehicles I would source covers from the wrecking yard cut out from the same spot and try to use ones with matching paint. I make them about an inch wider than the access hole. Paint the cut metal and use a gasket or caulking for sealer if needed.

These beds are pretty easy to pull, and they don’t need to be pulled all the way off. Just moved up or back far enough to get at it. Plus they are light enough two people can lift them without too much fuss.

For the once every 10 years I need at it it’s not worth it to bother making a hatch.

If it was a GM that needed a new sender every 6months that would be a different story. Those were prone to failure if you didn’t keep the tank at least half full.

 

[Curious Hound]

Do you guys really drop tanks or pull beds to change a fuel pump, especially on older trucks?

Can't do it any other way. We pulled a bed off and changed a fuel pump sock in the campground at Land Between the Lakes 2 yeats ago at the TRS campout. Also repaired a broken brake line on that trip.