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Yep, good post and great attitude towards purchases.
I've bought, then sold without ever using, a number of things because I thought I would need them when heading back country. Those thoughts were based on seeing other people have them or rave about them on forums. They included a skottle, a murder spork (the admittedly cool Krazy Beaver shovel with teeth), certain comms, an stainless table with sink insert, an under rack table slide, a rear rack roller, and most expensive of all, a big-assed 16.5ti Warn winch with both synth and wire cable. And lord knows what-all else.
All bought new; none of it ever used. Became apparent quickly with some items that I would never use it in the real and practical world. Took longer with other items to realize that holding on it to it for future use, like the winch, that it may be sitting there for several years. I sold all of it.
I get other stuff knowing full well I don't need it but will use the hell out of it, because I nerd out on having similar items to compare and actually try for myself.
For example: I have four camping hammocks, a plethora of mini-backpacking and bushcraft twig stoves, far more flashlights and knives than I need, multiple ways to light camp, several types of cord and tent stakes and field shelters and dry bags and day packs and on and on. I'm sure camping with me would drive others to tears, as one of the things I enjoy most when adventuring is to experiment with and compare gear. I'll spend whole days testing different canoe camp shelters and learning new line techniques, or seeing how easy or not my different bushcraft stoves are to use and pack.
The more one gets out on adventures, the more one understands what's necessary, what's useful, and what's just for show.
Lots of this... So many of the bits of gear we need/use on trips is built up over time based on where we go, how we use our trucks and cars and what our experience levels are... I always suggest to my friends that they get a half decent portable air compressor and something to deflate tires faster as their first "mod" to a brand new truck/car/whatever then I suggest tires after that and I recommend they learn what the truck can do stock. Most people tend to be fairly unaware of what a bone stock 4x4 can do with a little driver education.
These gear list threads are always interesting to me both seeing what works for some people, what doesn't work for others and seeing the balance that we all come to, on our own terms, with the gear we have.
It seems like winches, traction boards and HL jacks are always going to be favorites in this debate, lol.
Personally I won't ever bother with getting a set of traction boards for the Jeep. Never had a use for them or needed them. If I get my jeep stuck to a point where I can't drive out of it, and I can't self recover with a winch and two snatch blocks+other stuff (plus shovel!) I keep in the Jeep, I've done something majorly wrong and it'll most likely be a loss of the jeep at that point... Our 2wd desert truck/prerunner/whatever-it-is
will be getting a set. Even though it has a locker, there are still times where it would be a massive benifit to have the extra means of self recovery because it doesn't have a winch or 4wd.
On the other hand, I love the hilift jack. We've used em to change bulldozer tracks, maneuver trailers around on a trail after a flat, used the handle to fix a broken tie rod, used them to split wood, clamp stuff together, move downed trees, etc. They're big, cumbersome, awkward, deadly and hard to take care of, but there a lot of situations where they are the right tool for the job. I've used the HL as a come-along before and while it works, it is far from being my first choice in almost all situations. Where its REALLY useful in that capacity is using it as come-along in the role of load stabilization, ie, keeping a truck half off the trail from sliding further over while winching it back up to the road bed. This reminds me that my jack is almost ready for another coat of paint, lol.
Same with a winch, I've had a beat to hell Mile Marker winch for the past 13 years across two trucks, and it hasn't missed a beat. Its slow, heavy, needs a rebuild but it keeps working. Its a bit easier to keep it in good shape in California than other parts of the US or world, but for my adventures both on and off road, its been invaluable.
Just used it this last weekend (and the Hilift) to clear a 5' diameter chunk of tree off a trail. Had to use a combo of the jack and winch, 2x snatch blocks, etc to lift it over a stump, then drag it down a hill so we could get a huge 3/4 ton 'Burb past it.
Big upside was I got to teach my buddy a bit about good and safe winch practices, how to use a HL jack without killing yourself and ways to move HUGE things like that tree trunk when you're solo.
Then there are flashlights. I'm with you on them, you can never have too many, imo. We have a 10yr old, so having a lot around is generally a good idea even if they get used a lot and half the time our campsite looks like a spaceship landing pad.
I kinda wish folks would learn more about their trucks/rigs before taking them out or having to be in a situation where they might _need_ a hi lift jack or a winch but not have the proper recovery points or lift points to use the tools they have with them. When given the chance I like to help people learn better ways to drive, travel, safely handle recovery situations and to grow as enthusiasts and stewards of the outdoors, but not everyone is so ready to be open minded.
