Off Road Basics

OffRoad Checklist 

• Always travel in groups of 2 or more vehicles
• Always alert someone back home where you are going & when you expect to return
• Take at least a basic supply of tools and gear (see The Basic, Minimal Offroad Checklist)
• Air up to recommended tire pressure for highway driving, air down at trail head, air up prior to trip home
• Straighten winch cable if necessary
•  Fire Extinguisher - Should be mounted in the vehicle in an easily accessible location.

Pre-departure Maintenance Checklist
    Check engine oil 
    Check transmission oil 
    Check brake fluid 
    Check radiator coolant
    Check windshield wiper fluid
    Check fan belts 
    Check hoses
    Check air cleaner
    Check seat belts
    Check tire air pressure 
    Check for tire wear or damage
    Tighten drive shaft u-bolts 
    Check  and tighten lug bolts
    Check for frame cracks
    Check brake pads/shoes adequate pad material, in good condition w/out contamination
    Check for loose bolts or nuts throughout vehicle
    Grease all fittings - u-joints, steering, driveshaft
    Check gear oils: transfer case/differentials
    Check Winch for proper operation, 
    Check winch cable for kinks, frays/damage straighten 
    Check shocks
         
The Basic, Minimal Offroad Checklist
The minimal list is the basics that you should always carry in your vehicle when offroad.  These items are good to have in the vehicle at all times.

    First Aid Kit (See Safety and Survival below)
    Basic Personal Essentials (water, food)
    Spare Tire, Full Size
    Jack and tire iron to change your tire 
    Tow strap
    Recpvery Strap
    Tree saver
    D-ring or Soft Shackles 
    Come-alongs
    Basic Tool Kit
    Leather/Work Gloves 
    Spare Key for vehicle

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My 5 Must Have's: As a new Jeeper or off-roader it can be very overwhelming trying to figure out what to buy and where to start. These 5 items are a great start to building your Off-Road recovery kit.

Recovery Strap
You need a good quality recovery strap. Make sure it’s a recovery strap, not a tow strap. The recovery straps are designed for the rigors of pulling out a stuck vehicle, a tow strap is designed for flat road towing. 



Tree Saver
Soft Shackle / or Shackle A.K.A D-Ring
**Make sure these items are rated for the proper load.
Click Here - Jeep Momma Blog Post - OffRoad Recovery Gear
Gloves
Shovel

There are so many more items that should be in a Off-road Recovery Kit, but this will give you a great start. Make sure you check all your items for warnings and load ratings. And keep your gear in good condition. This will help with safety off road. 
Click Here Road Safety & Weather Emergency Kit 
Click Here 5 Must Have Kits for your Jeep




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Safety and Survival

The First Aid Kit
First aid kits come in many shapes and sizes. You can buy them, or you can make your own kit.  Whether you buy a first aid kit or put one together, make sure it has all the items you may need. Include any personal items, such as medications.  

    Activated Charcoal (only if instructed by Poison Control)
    Adhesive Tape
    Antiseptic Ointment
    Alcohol swabs, individually wrapped
    Band-Aids (assorted sizes)
    Blanket
    Cold Pack
    Disposable Gloves
    Gauze Pads and Roller Gauze (assorted sizes)
    Hand Cleaner
    Plastic Bags
    Scissors and Tweezers
    Small Flashlight and Extra Batteries
    Syrup of Ipecac (only if instructed by Poison Control)
    Triangular Bandage
    Burnaid gel
    Snake Bite kit
    Disposable emergency blanket 
    Instant Cold pack 
    Instant Hot pack
    Tourniquet
    Israeli bandage 
    Medications: Anti-diarrhea medication, Tylenol ( fever reducer), Ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin, Advil) inflammation reduction, sprains bruises, etc, Benadryl for mild allergic reactions, Epinephrine in the form of an Epi Pen to treat more serious allergic reactions that might otherwise be fatal. 

Road Safety 

My top 5 picks 

(Tow Strap/Gloves in Off-Road Recovery Kit)

• Jumper Cable
• Fire Extinguisher/Mount
• Road Safety reflectors/Flare
• First Aid Kit  - Items to put in your kit
• Weather Emergency Kit

The mounts I use are mounted on the rear roll bars. Super easy access by unzipping your windows.

Jeep Momma Mounts

Nylon Mount

• Made of black Nylon, durable and reliable. It is very easy to install
• 3 adjustable straps to any size what you want. Suitable for different fire extinguisher
• All accessories attach to roll bars using hook-and-loop fasteners.
• Bundle includes pair of ultimate grab handles and fire extinguisher holder.
• Works with 3-inch roll bars. Can be held one 3 pound fire extinguisher 

Bartact Mount

• High quality,
• Made in the U.S.A.
• Color Choice to match your Jeep
• Fits both padded and non-padded roll bars
• Fits PALS webbing as a MOLLE accessory

Basic Personal Essentials

    Water - At least one Gallon per person, per day if not more.  Drier, hotter climates may require more.  Remember: Alcohol doesn't hydrate.  In fact alcoholic beverages dehydrate since it take more water to metabolize alcohol than the beverage contains.  
    Food - Bring food for twice the amount of time you are planning on being gone. Should you be delayed and have to spend a night out on the trail, you wont have to worry about going hungry. Good ideas for trail food: trail mix, beef jerky, fruits, dry/canned food, etc.
    Extra Cloths - Nobody likes to sit in wet cloths or an extended period of time.
    Personal items - This includes toilet paper, anti- microbial hand cleaner, etc
    Sun block
    Rain Jacket
    Communication devices - Cell Phone, CB Radio
    Power inverter if necessary (e.g. Cell phone recharger, battery recharger for communication devices and camera)
    Trash bags - Keep your trails clean
    Maps, information about the area
    Compass or GPS
    Water purification tablets 

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Having some important supplies and keeping your vehicle in top condition is valuable for having a safe journey. During the winter months in colder climates it's extremely important to be prepared. I have started my own list of items for your cold-weather kit. There are Winter Survival Kits that can be purchased online, but they tend to be pricey. The quality of these kits is often poor. Most of the stuff in my kit can be found  around your house. 

Winter Survival Kit

First aid kit – don’t skimp on this
Blanket – wool or survival
Signal mirror
Candles

Flashlight / headlamp
Nylon cord
Glow sticks – Flares – Warning Triangle
Hand Warmers
Emergency Candles
Quick Spark Fire Starter / Tinder
Matches - waterproof
Folding Shovel
Basic Tools for Repairs
Vehicle Fire Extinguisher
A good Knife / multi tool
Duct Tape
Tarp 9×12 feet (to construct a makeshift shelter)Change of clothes
Sunblock
Lip balm
Whistle
Food - protein bars or MRE's
Water

Jumper Cables –

There’s plenty of cheap “made in china” cables out there, so be cautious. You’ll want your jumper cables to be at least 12 feet in length, but longer is always better. 16 feet is ideal for most situations and should allow you to get a jump from someone behind you if need be. Go with 20 feet if you have a truck.

Optional

Portable CompressorHi-lift jackBeacon – A device which transmits your location. 

GPS

Ham Radio (need license)

Keep Your Vehicle Serviced

Most emergencies can be prevented by keeping your vehicle in top condition. Cold weather makes a few of these items below even more important, such as ensuring your antifreeze level and type of mixture is good to go, putting a winter-specific “no-freeze” windshield wiper fluid mix into your fluid reservoir and keeping the gas tank as close to full as possible at all times.

Vehicle Checklist

Antifreeze and Radiator

Windshield wiper operation and fluid check (no-freeze mixture)

Heater and Defroster

Brakes and Brake Fluid Level

Emergency Flashers

Tire Pressure and Tread Depth

Fuel Level

Oil Level

Battery Charge and Terminal Cleanliness

Jack and lug wrench - Hopefully the items that came with your vehicle are still in it. 

If you upgraded to a larger sized tires on your vehicle, I’d hope you don’t need me telling you this, but your factory jack might not reach high enough anymore to enable you to change a flat.  A fellow jeeper suggested to carry 2 x 4's, stating... 

"it's actually not the aftermarket lift, it's the bigger tires that cause the factory jack to not reach, as the factory jack lifts from the bottom of the axle, not the bottom of the frame like most vehicles do. Therefore only larger tires would cause problems with the factory jack being too short.""  

Always check your spare periodically to ensure it’s properly inflated and there’s no cracking in the rubber. Tires have a shelf life and a general rule is that a tire is only good for about five years before the rubber starts to deteriorate.

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        Summer
            Sun Block
            Insect repellent
            Sunglasses

    
Beyond the Basic Offroad Checklist
What goes beyond the basic checklist are items that depend on many factors.  Factors like what form of offroading you will be doing, your driving style, the terrain you will encounter, how much room you have for packing gear, how remote you will be traveling, how long you will be gone as well as many other factors you should consider.   However three primary things you should gear up for are Safety and Survival, Vehicle Recovery and Vehicle Breakage.


Vehicle Recovery Items
    Hilift Jack
    Recovery & Tow straps - 2 or more, 2" wider, 20' or longer
    Tree saver
    Come-along (one or more)
    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
    Pullpal
    Snow tire chains (if tires don't cut it)



Basic Tools
Basic tools are the versatile, essential tool sets that consist of a variety of sizes and combinations of commonly used tools such as socket sets, wrench sets, Allen wrenches, Torx sets and screw drivers.  Your tool sets should cover the variety of sizes found in your vehicle.  Regardless of whether your vehicle is American made or an import 4x4, when it comes to socket sets and wrenches, it's sometimes wise to carry standard and metric socket since sometimes there are a mix of both standard and metric on custom vehicles not to mention helping a fellow 4wheeler.

My Top 10 Must Have Tools for the Trails
#1 BFH - Hammer
#2 Adjustable Wrench
#3 Big Screwdriver or Pry Bar
#4 Socket Set and Ratchet
#5 Vice Grip Pliers
#6 Screwdriver and Bits
#7 Zip Ties
#8 Duct Tape
#9 Bottle Jack
#10 Flashlight

                    ________________________________

    Complete Socket Set - Standard) & Metric w/ 3/8"& 1/2" drives.  Deep and standard sockets. 
    Crescent, open end combination box wrenches Standard & Metric
    Allen Wrenches
    Torx sockets (especially if you own a Jeep)
    Standard & Phillips screwdrivers, large, medium, small

Versatile Tools
Versatile tools are those that have many uses.

    Large Hammer (a.k.a. the "BFH")
    Pliers (various sizes)
    Needle Nose Pliers
    Vice Grips, various sizes
    Large channel-lock Pliers
    Pipe wrenches - having 2 medium of these can be useful for tie-rods.
    Utility knife or razor blades
    Crescent wrenches (medium & large)
    A BIG pry bar or length of strong metal pipe, inside diameter of pipe large enough to slip over a wrench or socket drive for extra leverage.
    Magnet

Specialty Tools
    Snap ring pliers
    Air Pressure Gauge
    Portable air pump
    Jumper cables

Additional Items
    Duct Tape
    Bailing wire
    wood blocks - Useful as chock blocks, jacking platforms, ramps, suspension supports (for broken torsion bars)
    Bungee cords, several in multiple sizes - good for securing gear, temporary repairs, etc.
    Rope lengths
    Super glue
    Epoxy
    Tie wraps
    rags
    Work Gloves, leather
  

Must Have Fluids 

#1 Oil

#2 Coolant

#3 Water

#4 Brake 

#5 Differential (gear oil)

#5 Transmission

#5 Gas

    Brake Fluid - Power steering fluid - Bearing Grease 

    WD-40 - Starter Fluid - Funnel, siphon hose

And don't forget to take fluids for yourself and passengers. Water and Gatorade were big vote-getters. Save the adult beverages for back at the campfire. Never Ever wheel and drink so many horrible accidents have happened because of mixing alcohol and driving.  



Spare Parts / Repair Items
    Lug Wrench
    Extra Fan / serpentine belts
    Hoses, fuel line, coolant hoses
    Spare Tire
    Tire repair kits, plugs
    Extra Lug nuts, tire star wrench or lug key with key socket
    Cotter pins / keys - various sizes
    Valve stems, Valve stem remover
    Nuts & bolts assorted standard and metric sizes
    RTV or Hylomar HPF - form-a-gasket
    Radiator stop leak - silver flakes in tube
    Spare Hub (and hub fuses if applicable).
    Electric fuel pump
    Coil / electronic ignition
    Spare Universal Joints (U-joints for drive shaft & axles)
    Spare Drive Shaft (rear and front)
    Extra spark plug wire (size of  longest wire)
    Spare points 

Electronics Repair Kit
    Volt ohms meter (multimeter)
    Wire cutters / wire crips / wire strippers (multi-tool)
    Spare fuses of all sizes and types used in your vehicle
    Electrical tape
    Spare wire - lengths of various gauges
    Spare switches
    Spare relay if you use relays
    crip on ends (male and female, various gauges)
    Small pocket sized needle point blow torch (handy for soldering wire)
    Flux core solder for repairs
    Wiring Diagram of your vehicle

 Expanded List
The Expanded list includes items for the extreme wheeler with tools and gadgets that you may want to consider if you are serious about offroading.

    Winch and Winch Accessories
    Onboard Welder, welding supplies and welding gear
    Onboard Air
    Spare axles (rear left / right, front left / right)
    Spare tie rod assemblies (tie rod, drag link, ball joints, ball joint nuts and cotter pins)
    Spare Idler Arm
    Parts that have broken twice before (if you can't carry it, you should have upgraded it)

Camping List for Extended Stay or Remote Excursions        Maps, information about the area
    Camera
    Compass or GPS
    Duct Tape
    Flashlight
    Propane Lanterns
    Mosquito repellant
    Lighter, matches
    Firewood
    A knife of some sort
    Toilet paper
    Towel
    Water purification pills
    Backpack/sacks
    Cooler with beverages
    Cooking Pans for breakfast
    Paper plates
    Paper towels
    Folding camping chairs
    Sleeping bag
    Sleeping pad or air mattress
    Stove or grill and fuel
    Tarps, lots of tarps
    Tent(s)
    Bathing suit
    Flip flops or swimming shoes 
    Funky fishing hat
    Hiking boots
    Rain jacket
    Sunglasses
    Sunblock
    Binoculars
    Bottle opener 
    Cooler cup 
    Jacket 
    Pocket knife
    Snacks 
    Trash bag 
    Water 
    Extra keys 
    Compass 
    Sunscreen 
    Hat 
    Sunglasses and/or goggles 
    Ice and ice chest or cooler 
    Camera, case, film and batteries 
    Maps

Here are my Top 5 Modifications to make to your Jeep Wrangler for off-road readiness. These Top 5 aren't all the modifications you can make, but a great basic start. 

#1 Tow Points
When you go off-roading there is always a possibility your Jeep could get stuck. To help in your recovery efforts you should have good, strong tow points on your Jeep. I decided this was the first place for me to start. I replaced my plastic bumper and hook type tow points with a steel metal bumper from Extreme Terrain, The Barricade Trail Force HD Front Bumper.

#2 Rock Sliders
While I off-roading in my stock Sahara my plastic side step would get caught up on a rock. One time a rock pulled off my side step. However, I was able to knock it back into place.  I would have been better off with out them. My suggestion is to remove the stock side steps if you plan on doing any sort of trail rides with medium sized rocks. 

If you are getting into some more serious rocks you may want to consider rock sliders like my Barricade Rock Sliders. They help to protect the body of your Wrangler. 

#3 Diff Cover
It seems I am always running into rocks. The first thing they hit are my diff covers. I replaced mine with the Riddler Diff Covers which are cast from high grade iron with a lip free transition. This helps prevent a rock from 'grabbing' the cover. 



#4 Skid Plates
Your stock Jeep is outfitted with some skid plates and they hold up well in mild to medium rock crawling. Your transmission and oil pan are not protected. I added the M.O.R.E oil and tranny skid plate. 

I also added skid plate to the rear control arm and shock mounts. That's another place I tend to get hung up on. I used the EVO Rear Lower Control Arm Skids.
  





#5 Air Dam Removal
What is an air dam? It is a piece of plastic under the front of your Jeep. Some say it's to help hood flutter, some say it's to prevent debris from flying up into your engine or possibly to keep your engine cooler. Whatever it does I ended up removing mine when I installed my new front bumper. This plastic piece also has a potential to being ripped off while rock crawling. 

Should I remove my Jeep Wrangler Air Dam Jeep Momma Blog Post - April 2014