Working on building a set of equipment for my truck that will stay with it.

48" hi lift jack
Hi lift off road kit
Portable jump box/air compressor
Craftsman 40 piece tool kit
Tow strap
Jumper cables
5 bottles water
3 mres

2013 Tacoma double can prerunner

I need a shovel/axe kit..the military ones are what I'm most familiar with but they are seeming expensive. Anyone have any suggestions as to what else I need to add to my basic list?

I have a few more stuff in my Jeep's kit.

- ARB tire fix kit (we all have a spare tire, but if we can puncture it once we can do it twice...)
- ropes (different sizes from paracord to 5/8in)
- shackles for the recovery points
- machete
- tarp (in case I need to go under the Jeep on a wet or muddy area)
- several rags, paper towel and toilet tissue rolls (can be worth its weight in gold) and hands dry cleaner
- heavy duty gloves
- two rolls of heavy duty duct tape
- I have a small foldable SOG shovel and a small Gerber axe but never used them
-

The list is a lot longer but I usually go deeper into the trails and have other stuff as a winch, even though always with one or two extra vehicles, never alone.

Depending on what you plan I'd also get at least a CB radio.  Cell phones usually do not work where we go.  A HAM radio would be also good.

Cheers!

I don't go off road with my vehicle but I agree with the tire repair kit 100%, as I've had two flats at once on the road.




My normal daily driver kit includes all of the above except the machete as well as:

-electrical tape
-fuses
-10 lb BC fire extinguisher
-chem lights
-head lamp
-flashlight
-roll of mechanics paper towels
-GoJoe individual hand wipes
-basic tool kit
-5000 lb ratchet strap
-2 small ratchet straps
-tire pressure gauge
-spare valve stem cores, in the patch/plug kit
-first aid kit


Most of my off roading was done in the military, so I'm used to having a ton of BII and recovery gear.

ETA: I'm an idiot. I carry an E-tool because I don't off road in this vehicle. Even a squad of soldiers with E-tools takes a while to dig a truck out. Carry a full size short handled shovel if you think you need a shovel. If you want an axe, the Estwing 26" campers axe would be my choice of compactness and usefulness.

The military shovel/axe combo tool with the extra bits isn't my first choice if I know I'll need a shovel. It's a great option to pack just in case due to its size though.

as for a shovel.  If you are serious then you would find a way to carry a full size one.

I have a Crovel in mine and its about as good as it gets.

Not cheap, but the best seldom is.

I bought some half size square and round
point shovels at Harbor Freight. Fiber glass
handles to go in my TJ. I need to buy the
brackets to mount a hi jack in the hood.

John

I have a Etool, a small garden shovel (45in long, D-handle. 6x8ish blade) and a smallish full size axe in the Jeep all the time. If I'm going to the beach I'll add a couple full sized shovels.
Combo shovels pretty much suck ass for actual use.

Take the first aide kit you have, get a bigger box, and add useable items to it, lots of useable items.10 band aides? one pair of gloves? no quick clot? really? My first aide kit is a medium sterilite box that's damn near full. I can't quite do major surgery with the contents, but the minor stuff is covered. 40 miles down the Seashore with no cell coverage, in the mountains, or out rock climbing isn't somewhere you want to get a broken bone or major cut without something to stop blood loss and/or splint it up. Good luck with a Wal-Mart, OSHA safety first aide station, or any cheap sportsman type kits.

I forgot, whatever size fire extinguisher you have probably isn't big enough. If you even have one.
Also add road flares. You can't signal help at night, start a fire with wet wood, or provide light in the dark, when that flashlight you packed last year takes a shit, with a plastic triangle. You still need the triangles though. You might break down on a curve, hill, or in the dark.

A full size shovel is great, until you need to work under a high-centered  truck, when you'll appreciate a stout, short-handled spear-point shovel.

In addition to the stuff mentioned in the OP, I carry the following as part of my permanently onboard rescue/recovery  gear:

- a  3,000 lb.hydro jack --- much easier to use than a High-Lifter for changing a tire or raising a slightly high-centered differential housing.
- for Ponderosa forest roads with lots of bug-killed very large trees, which may topple over at any time, a one-man crosscut saw, and a large double-bit felling axe --- between these tools, I can cut a huge tree trunk into manageable/moveable pieces, although it may take a while...
- a 50 ft. length of aircraft cable, rated at twice the loaded weight of the truck, with swedged-on grab hooks at each end, and a similarly strong/equipped 10ft.length of chain, which, combined with a tow strap to wrap around a tree or etc.for an anchor, will let you reach a fair distance, and use your High-Lifter as a powerful come-along (the chain with hooks can serve as an easily adjustable for length link in the setup...)
- a smaller axe and saw for lighter duties, and loppers to clear brush out of the path, in case you might want to make a stealthy return...

And while not strictly speaking truck gear, I also routinely carry extra garments for weather extremes from dangerously hot and sunny to dangerously cold and wet, food and water for several days' survival, a JetBoil stove (no natural fuel in much of the desert...) along with the usual complement of first-aid and "survival" stuff. My philosophy is that with the proper equipment and skills, an event that might be a catastrophe for the unprepared ought not be more than an annoying inconvenience for the adequately equipped.

Will the wench drive or just bring beer?

A properly outfitted wench should be clad in a skimpy bikini, drive a half-track loaded with full-size shovels and many other tools, have coolers with abundant ice and a variety of adult beverages, a couple of professional poledancers as companions, and a sat phone with a speed dial connection to the pilot of daddy's Sikorsky.

Id pick up a radiator hose
hose clamp
belts for motor
radiator leak repair
Fiskars Axe
Polaski

I carry two shovels.  One is a German military shovel.  Like the old US GI shovel that you can't find anymore.  The other is a D handled shovel.  Big enough for serious digging, yet packs smaller.

Like axes, you really need a full size and a hand axe.  Unless you are seriously short on space, and you can mount the full size versions on racks outside the vehicle, always go for full size.

Why not strap full sized implements to the side or top somehow?

I know you didn't quite ask for it, but this article is very helpful regarding the Hi-Lift and self recovery. I noticed your list did not include a come along or winch, but did a Hi-Lift.

Jack of all Trades

here's a rack


http://store.oldgrouch.biz/hmpitorapefo.html



http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-40864295455031/hmmwv-pioneer-tool-rack-perfect-for-expedition-bug-out-vehicle-4.gif

What about the Hi-Lift Handle-All?  It's a bag of compromises with 4 heads and a 2 piece collapsible handle. (Shovel, Sledge Hammer, Axe, Pick-Axe)
The cons are expensive and you have to modify swinging an axe.  But there is some versatility being able to use the Sledge Hammer and maybe the Pick-Axe on just a short handle.
Having my tools in a small space weighs out the need having full sized tools on the trail where their likeliness of regular use is low.

I wonder if taking some broken handled or rummage sale tools and modifying them to work with the pole handle from the Hi-Lift might be a better cheaper solution.

Easy for that stuff to get stolen. Already happened once to a friend.

I would look at getting a 4wd......

Full sized implements would be the best, I prefer fiberglass handled tools. They're safer and stronger.

I currently use an E tool and heavy rubber mats in my jeep. I've found those two things to be good enough for what I do.

Having dug out my F150 many times this year alone (Alaskan tundra gets squishy) I have found my favorite tools to be a polasky/fireman axe and a half-size shovel w/ handle and square edge. With those two tools I can do everything to prep for winching myself out easily. Along with the myriad of other tasks the tools are made for- firestarting, latrine digging, clearing trail, etc.

Get a tow strap without hooks on the ends- use D-rings only; make sure you have SOLID front attachment points on your vehicle.

You don't need to overdo it as it doesn't sound like you will be going remote; with the 4 basics- shovel, axe, strap, hi-lift you can do about everything to get yourself or someone else out of a bind.

Check

You can't be serious, I'd love to see you do any serious digging or chopping with a Crovel. If you are going to be carrying it in a vehicle, then weight is not an issue, so just get a full size shovel and axe.

If you are looking for an OBA suggestion, check out this thread on ih8mud. There are some pics of the system installed on a Tacoma. Another thread on ExPo has plenty of input. The system will run an impact, and it is still compact. The consensus seems to be that the best place to get them from is Buzzard Gulch.



As far as an Ax/Shovel combo...I have this:



Max Ax on Amazon

I have the MaxAx and it works great at chopping and pretty good with everything else but the shovel blade.

I've got a Fisker's axe in the back of the Jeep, along with a 10# sledge and a splitting wedge.

My shovel is a full sized, steel handle cheapy, redone with grill paint so it can safely go in a fire. The previous one had wooden handle wrapped in duct tape, but it disappeared at some point.

The front frame tube on a wrangler, right behind the bumper, is round and open on both ends. My shovel goes through it and is attached to the bumper with a wing-nut to keep it from sliding out.

Obviously, this is somewhat exposed, and they can walk away, but it also means you've got a full sized shovel along. I've only lost 1 in 10 years, and I just put another $10 shovel in there.

Might get an E-Tool, they are compact and light weight. I can't imagine you would need to dig a fox hole with it. (That sucks ass, ask me how I know.) But would be handy if you just got stuck. Also the ones like I was issued at least, have a serrated edge on one side. It and a quality hatchet would be all I would think you need. Unless you are trying to cut a decent sized tree, then I would want a full sized axe. Axe's are strangely more complex than you might think so far as head and blade design so do a little research on them first before you buy.

Come-a-Long (AKA cable puller) is often worth its weight in gold.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200511810_200511810

D-handled shovel, E-tool, and full size axe. Consider adding a bow saw too.

Full length shovel is not maneuverable enough for the type of digging you'll need to be doing.

yup. at least a D handle shovel. anything folding will be heavy and suck when it comes time to actually use it. although since you are carrying a high lift you obviously don't care about weight.



 

PreRunner, hmmm.  Might want to think about getting a 4WD vehicle before investing in all the bro-truck gear.

amen!

A co-worker told me she kept a bikini in her truck for guys like you.

Have you ever put your hand or arm against a tree only to find out about the sticky sap? Or grease/oil under your truck? Roll of shop towels, hand cleaner, gloves, hat, goggles, windbreaker and a dust mask. All cheap, light, small and invaluable when you need them.

One thing I do is when I change my belts and hoses, I am careful with the old ones and keep them as trail spares.  

I'd recommend a snatch strap (not a tow strap, they aren't the same thing), some decent shackles, and a tarp (never know when you'll get really stuck and need to hang out a while).

"the best" is sometimes dependent on where and what.  I carry a regular round shovel, and a medium sized Wetterlings ax.  In the Florida forests I hang out in, these have proven more than adequate.

Belts, hoses, plugs, plug wire etc. are always rotated with those coming off as the "new" spares and the old spares being trashed.  The obvious exceptions would be the odd occasional one that fails.  I do keep new filters as a used oil and fuel filters would just be messy.

One of the best things I've made up us a contraption of hoses, tees and air chucks that allow me to air up and down all four at once.  On the plus side, you always have equally inflated tires.  Using the self coiling air hoses makes it fit into a relatively small space.