What tools would you never travel without?

[Redbearded]

Hi All!

Just putting together a tool list to carry with me and I'm a bit flummoxed on what I will actually need vs think I will need. What are some things that you wouldn't want to travel without?

 

[Riverman]

I will not travel without:
Spare tire (truck and trailer)
Quality Jack
Lug Wrench that fits
2x4 treated wood (to set jack on)
Quality JUMPER CABLES (no cheap stuff)
Small 12v. air compressor (HFT-Lowe's-HD)
Socket wrench set
Hand wrench set
Duct tape
Electrical tape
A couple gallons of radiator water (used antifreeze jugs work well)
LED flashlight
Sharp knife
Fire ignitor/striker/ sparker
Grease rags
Fuse's
Gas can
Short shovel
Drinking water
Snacks
Phone charging cord

I'M PREPARED...

 

[ratfink56]

Add hand cleaner, hammer, wire strippers, electrical wire, bailing wire and wire ties, vise grips, snatch strap or tow chain, come along, epoxy, tire plug kit, some oil and trans. fluid. Of course the list depends on your abilities and what kind of camping you are doing.

And make dang sure you can get the lug nuts loose. When I got my van I needed a breaker bar with a two foot long cheater pipe to break mine loose.

 

[SoulRaven]

Don't forget Fan and Alternator belts

 

[veedub3]

Two 10mm Sockets. It seems like most every bolt under the hood on my van is a 10mm. Never can find it when you need it, so I picked up 2 additional ones just for my tool bag. Also mechanics tell me that 10mm socket is the Holy Grail. Who knew?

Seriously though, everything Riverman said, with the addition of small box of replacement parts that maybe hard to get in case of a break down on the side of the road.

Kat

 

[Swan]

Standard and metric sockets/wenches from 1" down
Assorted hand tools pliers,hammer,drivers,saw,drill and ect...
Voltmeter
Jack , lug wrench
Spare nuts & bolts , Tie wraps , Tape (Duct/Electric)

And a bunch of other crap I never need but glad to have 

 

[HumbleBeginnings]

...
Lug Wrench that fits
...

Ha! I just had a flat tire this week. I had thrown my sockets into my tool box but never actually taken the lug nuts off on this van before. It turns out I needed DEEP sockets because the studs are ridiculously long and my standard 1/2" sockets wouldn't fit. I was sure glad I was at a family member's house at the time. Also, with my 230lbs and an 18" breaker bar I barely got them off.

 

[nyyankees588]

I have a racheting screwdriver that stores all of the extra bits (I think it has around 12 different type/size bits) in the handle. Super useful for adjusting/tightening anything in my build-out and it keeps things super organized (no bits rolling around in my toolbox).

 

[DannyB1954]

I carry a small generator, (900 Watt peak), and a battery charger. If the solar don't get the battery charged, the generator will run a 40 amp charger. Having the charger also helps others that flattened their battery for one reason or another. A different approach is to carry one of those jump start packs.

A camp hatchet and wood saw and survival knife. I usually don't have a camp fire, but being able to cut wood sometimes comes in handy for other things like getting a vehicle unstuck, or removing a very low branch when you have a tall rig.

 

[highdesertranger]

my brain. the most powerful of all tools. after all you can give every tool in the world to a dog and all they are going to do with them, is chew on them and piss on them. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

To look at the question in a different way, there's not much sense carrying tools for repairs you don't know how to do or can't do in the wild.

What kinds of repairs have you needed in your years of driving? Those are the ones you're most likely to have as a nomad. Beyond that, there will be things that wear out because you'll probably be holding onto the vehicle longer than in the past. Some of those things are easy, like belts and hoses. But a lot of them can require hoists, air wrenches, specialized tools and an extra set of hands to repair/replace. If you need to fix something under the vehicle, then you'll need at least a good jack and jack stands.

Maybe you get a repair manual for your vehicle and go through it to see which things are within your skill set and then notice which tools are required.

 

[wcurtin1962]

Carry a tire plug kit and mini compressor/bicycle air pump. Make sure the plug kit has T handle tools and add a tube of rubber cement. Most kits don't include rubber cement and say it's not needed, buy it anyways!