This is what I got.  Put it my GMC 1-ton.

I also have that kind but I only bought it because it was like thirty bucks.

I always keep at least a tow strap and soft shackle in each vehicle but those require another vehicle to pull you out.

Tow points are a concern, but your full-size truck should have sufficient ones.

Soft shackles are quickly becoming my new favorite for getting my 2wd Honda civic up my driveway in the winter on occasion.

A winch and all the stuff that goes along with it is the only quick way to recover yourself.  Otherwise, you're using a come along.

Other than a couple basic straps the only nice one I have bought in a long time is one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F39PC5K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I did the Jeep off road thing for years, years ago but now that I am getting older, I try not to put my truck in a spot where it would need to be recovered.  If I feel like riding in the woods, I hop on one of my ATVs.  They each have a winch of their own!  I recommend synthetic winch cable if possible.

Those kinetic straps/ropes are awesome. I’ve used my bronco sport to haul a Silverado with 2000 lbs of stuff in it out of a ditch.  The straight non kinetic ones are pretty good but the lack of hashness really is nicer
To equipment and such.

I have one of these that I got for free last year when I signed up for an Amazon credit card:




I also have a 30', 30000 lb jerk strap similar to the above post.  The one I have is from 1987 so it may not meet 30k lbs now but worked the other day to pull a car out of the mud.

The kinetic rope gives a lot softer/less violent pull.

Get a soft shackle too.  I used it to connect my tow strap to the car I pulled out of the mud last week.  Very useful when there isn't a tow hook to attach to.

1/2” soft shackles, 1” kinetic rope, and a 4”x30’ tow strap from Rhino USA are in the toolbox on my daily. Probably overkill but I generally have a couple truckers chains, chain binders, comealong, a floor jack and bottle jack, chainsaw, pry bar, bolt cutters, hard shackles, etc (that’s just what I would consider “recovery” gear)


My farm truck has a winch, tire chains, a couple more truckers chains, hi-lift, lever chain hoist, pry bar, and couple strips of plywood with cleats screwed in for really rough mud

THIS.

Where did you hook the soft shackle on a car?  I just pulled my wife's Acura out of the mud last week (we've had a little rain), using a soft shackle around a little loop at the center rear under the bumper that appears to be designed for the purpose.  It could have been a hard shackle too.  I just had to watch that the tow line kept pretty low so it didn't rub on the bumper.

how much money do you want to spend

$
quality tow strap
soft shackles
come-along

$$
kinetic rope
soft shackles
winch on a tow hitch receiver plate

$$$
big kinetic rope
soft shackles
bumper/frame mounted winch

That's the tip of the iceberg.  I used to have a list that I posted in threads like this of what I kept in my daily/work truck, but then I changed jobs, bought another truck, and decided to build a shop. Now I have no idea where half my shit is and both trucks are a wreck. It's to the point I honestly need a dedicated service truck instead of digging through 2 pickups and a half-built shed when something breaks

@mPisi,

I had the owner run the soft shackle around a couple of the wheel spokes on a back wheel.

Car was in neutral when I pulled him out.  It was a very easy pull.  I wasn't worried about breaking anything.

Got the idea from watching Matt's Off Road Recovery.

Thank you.
Although my first 5 seconds I was thinking "where'd he get the long soft shackles" when I thought you meant in a loop through the wheel and around the tire too.  Just around a wheel spoke from the outside is nice and keep it out of all the internals.

That's funny because the owner tried putting it around the tire when I told him to loop it through the spokes.

It was too short to go around the tire.  

Axle straps work well for through the wheel and around the tire of a car with no tow points.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MQWTQRT?tag=arfcom00-20

Link is just an example not a specific recommendation.

Another option was to run the strap through the wheel and then put the other end of the strap through the strap loop at the tire end then to hook the loose end of the strap to the Jeep.

Hope that makes sense.

You have to be careful doing this depending on what the strap was looped around.  It can become a pretty tight knot that may need a tire iron to be pried apart.  I've seen this done.

I understand that option, but it can also be hard on the strap if there are any sharp edges on the wheel.  Before looping it back to itself I would hook the two loop ends together with a shackle so as not to bind the strap to itself.

Axle straps or soft shackles are much cheaper than killing a good strap through the wheel.  

Ideally it's a non-issue if all vehicles would just come with good tow points!

My rat rod Honda Civic has better factory tow loops than my wife's last Jeep Patriot.

Vehicle, 1982 CJ-8 Scrambler.

Start wit the winch.  It is a Warn 8000 lb winch.  The winch is carried in the bed and is attached to a receiver for use.  There are four receivers on the Jeep.  Front, rear, left side and right side.  The winch is powered directly from the dedicated winch battery via a cable with a plug at the winch end.  Synthetic line and a line extension.  

I carry multiple soft and hard shackles, sheaves, tree saver, D rings and receiver attachable D ring extraction point. In addition I have both tow strap and a kinetic rope (mine's from Matt's Off Road Recover).  All of this is in a duffle along with gloves and a few other items I can't recall off the top of my head.  

Add pioneer tools and some homemade traction boards and so far I haven't found anything I can't get out of or get someone else out of.

15000 pouns warn winch in the front




9000 pound warn winch rear
2 100 foot Deema ropes, tree saver, pulley

If you want better advice you really need to be more specific about how you got stuck and the kinds of places you drive.  

There are a lot of cool gadgets but you could fill up your truck with them and still not have the one you need sometimes.  

Also there is a LOT of technique and skill involved and some amount of practice is important.   There are a lot of really really good offroad classes.  

The overland expo is one such place that you can get a lot of quick classes.  I’ve taken classes there on everything from cross locker scenarios to making anchors for winches when you don’t have trees, to using hi lift jacks, to advanced tire repair (taught by Goodyear), welding in the field, etc etc and that’s in addition to Land Rover driving school. And others.  It’s worth a look if you’re serious.  


Full sized trucks are hard on some popular tools.   Traction boards for example are cool but my AEV prospector would crush them.  They’d work but were basically a single use item.  Cheaper than a tow truck though.  

Adding air lockers made a huge difference for me.  A lot of time my truck was so heavy that it wouldn’t go up hills in 4wd.  Usually it wasn’t even “stuck” just wet grass in a field or slick wet rocks.  But flip on the rear locker and it was like magic.  

I honestly mostly used my 16.5 warn winch pulling out other people and hanging my hammock when camping.  I don’t think I ever needed it to get myself unstuck but it was comforting to have.  

Being able to air down your tires and air them back up makes a huge difference.  

There’s a cool inflatable bag jack I never used but looks like it could work in some cases.  Slide it under the frame, hook the hose up to your truck exhaust and it will inflate the bag raising you out of the mud or whatever.  Maybe safer than a high lift.  

Farm jacks are cool but dangerous.  And of course can be used as a winch.

Soft shackles are awesome.    If you’re looking to spend some bucks warn makes a very nice kit. Their super heavy duty one has all the tackle you need but all the shackles are metal. Just throw a couple gator soft shackles in and you’d be good.  Comes with a nice backpack and even gloves which you will need.  

http://billavista.com/tech/Articles/Recovery_Bible/index.html

I just bought some Harbor Freight straps and links and called it a day. Hopefully never use them.

I'm sure they will be just fine as long as you never need them.

Attached File


The white one is mine.  When the black one turned on his winch, I started getting dragged backwards.

We hooked up a K5 Blazer to my front bumper.  He had a 7000 lb strap.  We laughed and put that back in his truck and used my 30000 lb strap (rating when new a long time ago).

When everyone started pulling, there was a lot of creaking in my Jeep.  We got him out.

“In my youth” I did a LOT of jeeping. The best things I found to get myself unstuck were a shovel and a bowsaw. You can dig yourself out or cut branches for traction.

Beyond that,
1 simple jerk strap,
2-3 shackles
1 pair of 8 foot chains
1 hi-lift jack

Those were enough to get me out of any stupid situation I found myself in. And I got myself into a lot. Winches and fancy toys are great, but when you grow up poor you find other ways. My whole setup was probably under $250. Any insta-overlander today would laugh at it.

The great thing about a high-lift is you can also use it as a come-along. I’ve dug deadman anchors, dropping a log in with a chain wrapped around it, and used the hi-lift to pull myself out of mud and snow many times.

Just a couple years ago I laughed my ass off seeing a fancy rubicon with ARB-everything stuck in some snow and the owners were trying to dig themselves out using the lid off their yeti cooler. More money than sense. I loaned them my shovel and then yanked them out with my truck. Even now with a very nice taco setup, I never feel the need to buy a a winch or other recovery stuff beyond periodically replacing my straps.