New to the crew

[Redhults]

Hi guys, so about 3 years ago, I finally got my dream vehicle while at college. It has taken a lot of work to keep this thing on the road, but it has been worth it so far. I am looking to locate and add on tools for 4-wheeling. I already have somewhat if a list of tools that I want to purchase, but are there any must-haves that I shouldn't miss out on.
P.S. This is my rig, all painted up with her name finally. Bring The Reign, named so because I am a Christian who enjoys action movies. Looking forward to chatting with you guys.

 

[Jim SoG]

Welcome aboard!

Jim

 

[Alanymarce]

...are there any must-haves that I shouldn't miss out on.
...

Hi and welcome. The key question is "what do you plan to do?".

If it's to drive to Tierra del Fuego then you can do this today with nothing more needed (although I'd take off the High-Lift Jack and either put it somewhere it's not a hazard or give it away and buy a second bottle jack).

If you want to go rock-crawling then others on the forum will give you a list of kit which would be useful.

 

[Redhults]

Good point, a little clarification probably would have helped. My dad was always the lover of rock crawling. I am not much on rock crawling. I am super into trail riding. Finding a new place to explore and getting to see the view. I love photography, so my jeep allows me to go quite a few places. One thing on my list someday is a higher lift kit, but so far my jeep has been doing well offroad. Some tools I already have includ my wench, tow gear, and basic tools like the highlift jack. Eventually I want to get on-board air for inflation and deflation of tires. There are other things I could get but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Jim SoG]

Good point, a little clarification probably would have helped. My dad was always the lover of rock crawling. I am not much on rock crawling. I am super into trail riding. Finding a new place to explore and getting to see the view. I love photography, so my jeep allows me to go quite a few places. One thing on my list someday is a higher lift kit, but so far my jeep has been doing well offroad. Some tools I already have includ my wench, tow gear, and basic tools like the highlift jack. Eventually I want to get on-board air for inflation and deflation of tires. There are other things I could get but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I would read this article before a lift: https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/interesting-article.43246/

Also you are wanting to do overlanding with the ability to get over some rocks and stairs and such, good, There are several members who have youtube videos on trips and things that might help, Honestly, I think you got the list alreadu as you posted. One thing to do is, take a tablet and pencil on every trip and write the things you need, things that would be nice to have and the things you do not need, after a few trips your lists will be nothing or a couple items. Next I would consider these categories for things to get (maybe you got already):
Camp: cooking, sleeping, sitting, water, entertainment and so on
Vehicle; Lift, wench, 5 matching tires, tools air, gas and so on
Navigation: Ipad, GPS, Compass, Maps, OB1 and so on
Emergency: Trauma kit, first aid kit, weapon/s, emergency food, water, warmth, communications (HAM, GMRS, SAT)
There are categories, just think about and watch others and see what works or fits for you, or might work. Ask others about the items they carry or their rigs and son on, everyone but maybe one or two members are darn eager to help (the one or two know who they are! LOL)....

One last thing, or three, Know your rig/how to operate your rig. Get out there and go but do not go beyond your equipment and abilities, all that comes with time.

ENJOY!

Jim

 

[Jim SoG]

one more th8ing, find a meet up in your area and go.... Get with your regional rep also.

Jim

 

[Alanymarce]

... I am not much on rock crawling. I am super into trail riding. Finding a new place to explore and getting to see the view. I love photography, so my jeep allows me to go quite a few places. One thing on my list someday is a higher lift kit, but so far my jeep has been doing well offroad. Some tools I already have includ my wench, tow gear, and basic tools like the highlift jack. Eventually I want to get on-board air for inflation and deflation of tires. There are other things I could get but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Based on your travel, I’d suggest the following:

• higher lift kit – I don't think you need it, the vehicle is one of the best in clearance and approach/departure angles as it is, and any lift affects stability among other things. For the cost of a lift you can buy fuel to get to a lot of places.
• highlift jack – I’m not a fan, they can be dangerous unless you really know how to use them, and also take up space and add mass, as well as being a hazardous protrusion if mounted externally. We carry two hydraulic jacks – the original and a bigger one.
• on-board air for inflation and deflation of tires – adds mass and takes up some space, depending on how fitted. If you are routinely travelling through dunes interspersed with surfaced roads then an onboard air system is a time saver, however we carry a capable compressor and although this takes a few more minutes we don’t need to air down/up that often and this is adequate. Once again, the money you spend on an air system could take you more places if you spend it on fuel.

Looking at the categories suggested above, in terms of your objectives and our experience:

• Camp: cooking, sleeping, sitting, water, entertainment and so on – we have a minimalist cooking and eating set up, a couple of good camp chairs, a 44L Frontrunner potable water tank which sits behind the front seats, an iPad and some e-books.
• Vehicle; Lift, winch, 5 matching tires, tools air, gas and so on – we have a 50mm lift and a winch on our Montero but neither on our Wrangler, 5 matching tyres is important (and as long as you have a compressor and repair kit you don't need 6 tyres), reserve fuel capability has proved necessary on some of our trips outside North America but our Wrangler has a 700 km range and this is enough for everywhere we’ve been so far. The most demanding in terms of fuel in NA so far has been the Dempster.
• Navigation: Ipad, GPS, Compass, Maps, OB1 and so on – we use iPhone for Maps.me and Google Maps, iPad for pdf maps, GPS to track where we are and store GPX files, always carry a Silva compass, and ask locals for directions (works well everywhere except Brazil)
• Emergency: Trauma kit, first aid kit, weapon/s, emergency food, water, warmth, communications (HAM, GMRS, SAT) – we have a professional first aid kit but not a trauma kit (we don't have the competency to use one), (re weapons , I don't wish to get into a discussion on this however suffice it to say that we have never carried weapons on our trips, which have included Southern Africa, Eastern Africa, and South America, among others), we carry 2 cellphones and a satphone; we have a UHF radio (although we’ve used it only in Australia) and a pair of walkie/talkies.
• For more insight, if interested, here are posts with more details of kit and vehicle set up:
• Australia - Discoverthedreaming (the most recent post ),
• South America - The Statistics and the Toys (In English) ,
• Africa - Un “ocho” en Africa / An “eight” in Africa ,
• Canada - Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022

I hope this helps

 

[Overlanding Lawyer]

Welcome! The key is to just get out… day trips, weekends, use and try equipment, meet others, get recommendation. Have fun, be safe, go slow, squeeze your money, buy smart.

 

[4wheelspulling]

Welcome and congratulations on a great looking Jeep! I know there are people all the time looking for someone to wheel with, do some adventures with.. OB should have a rep. Over that side of the state. Should be able to give you a heads up on advents in you area? Just start going and doing trips with others and learn what you need. The K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid. Start out going to campgrounds if you need to start some place. See you outside! Vance.

 

[OTH Overland]

OB should have a rep. Over that side of the state. Should be able to give you a heads up on advents in you area? Just start going and doing trips with others and learn what you need. The K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid. Start out going to campgrounds if you need to start some place. See you outside! Vance.

Michelle & I serve as the OB Member Rep for Western Washington. @Redhults feel free to reach out and send a message if you have any questions. Best way to know what events are planned in your area (or any area you are willing to travel to for that matter) is to check the Rally Point and or Calendar tabs up at the top every week or so, you can filter by NW region. Not a ton of trips being posted currently due to the weather changing, but some of us explore year round so expect to see a few trips, during winter more of the events will be meetups which is a great way to meet folks. Anyone can plan a trip or meetup and post a rally point, so keep that in mind if you do not see any events local to you pop up. Happy to help if anyone needs tips or advice to posting an event.