What do you take in your truck?
Elk
I am going out to Colorado for 2 weeks the end of September to elk hunt. The area we hunt is about an hour and a half on forest service roads, at about 9-10,000ft. I am driving on my own and meeting my buddies there. I am coming from Tennessee, so a long solo trip.
What do you guys keep in your truck in case you have trouble on the trip- extra gas cans, tire chains, tools, shovel? Just trying to make sure I am prepared if there is trouble getting there and back.
Tire Iron! Double check to make sure its in your truck. A few years ago we got a flat on the last day of season. There wasn't anyone else hunting on the mountain. We had to have someone from Denver drive across the state to bring us one.
Also a small air compressor.
Shovel, tool kit, 2 jacks, jack stand, 2 spares, 10 gallons gas, extra battery, couple gallon water, antifreeze, oil, extra food, chains, straps. I have a check list at home so I'm sure something is missing from this list.
I would add to your list:
Tire repair plugs (has saved my butt a couple times).
Tire sealer/inflator (aerosol or Gunk or Slime)
Small cigarette lighter plug in air compressor.
High-lift jack.
Come-along or winch if you have one.
Jumper cables.
Heavy tow strap.
Extra battery in a battery box (sometimes).
Extra fuel filter if you have a diesel.
Diesel fuel treatment/additive.
Extra DEF if you have a newer diesel and you'll be remote and haven't filled your DEF recently (limp mode sucks).
Good flashlight or 12V trouble light.
Gloves and maybe an old coverall.
Gojo or Goop hand cleaner and mechanic's paper towels.
vacuum seal an extra truck key in a bag or put it in a ziplock and wrap with duct tape and wire it to your frame somewhere (lost keys or keys locked in your truck in the middle of nowhere sucks).
Make sure you can get your spare tire down, some trucks are notorious for the mechanism getting corroded and it's extremely difficult to get your tire down without additional tools or a cutting torch!
Make sure your lug wrench is adequate to break your lug nuts loose.
Think about the little things that could go wrong that could really mess you up and try to be prepared.
Small compressor and tire plug kit can come in handy. Of course your jack and lug nut wrench like others have suggested. I'm bringing a chainsaw just in case a tree falls across the rough road I have to go up.
Edit: Mike... I must've typed in the same time as you. Agree wholeheartedly on bringing tire plugs and some sealant.
+Two spare tires and a cheater bar.
Stanley brand saw, like a hot knife thru butter.
Awesome ideas fellas. I thought I had thought of everything, but you came up with some good ones!
Tire plug kit is a good one. 2 years ago my dad and I were in Wyoming and he punctured a tire. We only had the one spare and he had to drive 2 hrs to town to get a new tire.
I have almost run out of gas a couple of times too, so I will not forget the gas cans!
I have one of those inverter units that will hold a charge enough to jump the truck. Thanks for the reminder, I need to charge it right now!
Best of Luck, Jeff
You don't need chains in September, or gojo, or an extra battery, or a fuel filter, or additive...SHEESH.
Spare tire, tire iron, jack, jumper cables. Come-along is generally over kill in Sept. A spare key..or two!
Definitely a small saw and a shovel.
And stuff you'll likely have anyway:headlamp, gloves, matches, etc.
A 12v air compressor, a tire plugging kit, and inflator/sealant is in my truck 24/7/365 as well as a good bottle jack and a four way lug wrench. Add to that some basic tools, jumper cables, some rope, a machete, and an Ak47 and a couple hundred rounds of ammo. And I ain't even going elk hunting..........
"Make sure you can get your spare tire down, some trucks are notorious for the mechanism getting corroded and it's extremely difficult to get your tire down without additional tools or a cutting torch!"
Readying spare just the last couple days. Tire came down ok, tire was good. Decided to get a new rim.
Damn! You need a truck just to take the stuff you need for your truck!
LOL x2 KJC
I have seen the compressor come handy, but then again the guy popped off a low profile tire. Not a wise choice to begin with.
WD40 might be a godsend to get the stuff to break free that seems to want to seize up from neglect/nonuse.
And everything else listed above.
Pepto Bismol, a rangefinder, $500 cash, and some Trojans
Fuzzy- You must hunt around Bozeman :) Love it
Chasewild,
I've spent some time solo in some remote locations out west an in Canada. If you don't like my suggestions then don't bother with them but every one of those items have come in handy for me.
After you have a wheel bearing or hub go out on your trailer and you're hands are covered with grease it's nice to be able to clean them with GoJo and a little tube that I already have in my road kit doesn't take up much room.
BTW, that reminds me... if you're pulling a trailer bring spare bearings and grease or better yet an extra hub pre-packed with bearings and grease. Been there done that too. You can call roadside assistance and sit on the side of the road and wait or you can roll up your sleeves and fix it yourself.
Diesel fuel filters can plug or gel up if you get moisture in your fuel. Yes you probably won't need one in September but I already have one in my road kit anyway.
And batteries don't die in September...? You could be gone from your truck for a week and maybe you left a dome light on by mistake or maybe your battery just died. You need your battery to start your truck if it's an automatic transmission. You could be in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery and nobody to give you a jump and no way to charge your dead cell phone even if you had reception. Been there done that too in Montana in September and you only need to have it happen once! An extra battery or an inverter charging unit is peace of mind.
Probably don't need the diesel fuel additive, I'll give you that but I've needed it in November and it's also in my road kit anyway.
If you've ever been "high-centered" on a boulder with your tires no longer able to get traction you'll appreciate a high lift jack. Much more convenient than crawling under your truck in the mud with your little inadequate tire-changing jack.
WD-40 is a good idea but it's not that strong of a solvent, more of a lubricant and for water displacement (that's what the WD stands for).
Extra fuses of all sizes! I found myself stranded in New Mexico last year after the fuse to my PCM blew. Luckily after hiking 10 miles a friendly couple picked me up and towed my truck to their camp, otherwise it was going to be a 30 mile hike in frigid temps to the nearest civilization.
I have used chains in September. Trying to come out of the backwoods after heavy rains can be a bitch.
Good ideas. What's a good chain for a 305/55R20??
I've been in situations in CO in September where I didn't go anywhere besides camp for a few days because I didn't have tire chains.
Jeff, make sure that jump start inverter battery has enough juice if it's a few years old. I learned that lesson the hard way.
One thing I always have is a SPOT (or InReach) in case I break down in a bad place with no cell service and a problem I can't fix with my tools and limited ability.
in addition to what has already been mentioned, I take a few feet of bailing wire, and 18 or 20 gauge stranded wire along with some crimp connectors for making an electrical repair. bailing wire can be used to secure something that broke, or is loose and hot.
hopefully I never need what I carry but it is good to be prepared. even if you don't need it, you may be able to help someone that does.
one year I picked up a guy that had a water pump go out on his truck. gave him a ride to town was all I could offer.
lots of good posts here. good thread.
"You don't need chains in September, or gojo, or an extra battery, or a fuel filter, or additive...SHEESH."
Chasewild-I'm not sure if you are joking or not, but I hope you are. I've used chains every month of the year. Many of the dirt roads guys will be on turn to a slurry worse than ice when they get wet. Also, I have seen it snow more than a foot in CO in July.
I don't go anywhere without a spare fuel filter. Have you ever gotten a bad tank of diesel? I have. First thing it did was plug my fuel filter.
You don't use additive? If you have a diesel, you should be using it with every tank, year round. Diesel these days isn't designed to be good for your engine, it is designed to reduce emissions.
I do not however, take an extra battery
WRT original post- I'll add zip ties
Bake-V-bar chains are awesome. They don't smooth over from mud like basic chains.
Lots of good info here. It is way better to be over prepared and not need something than to need it and not have delaying things. We plot and plan a long time for this being overly prepared isn't a bad thing in my opinion. My hunting partner has been doing this for over 30 years and I thought he was over the top at first but id we didn't have chains on 4 wheelers and truck we wouldn't have made it off the mountain till things dried up as the red clay turns to gumbo!
Having hunted in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Arizona over the last 23 years from Ohio we have used all the items Cheesehead mentioned one time or another and several times wished that we had included them when loading before making the trip cross country. We have had trips when nothing has gone wrong and others from minor set backs to like last year loosing my transmission 28 miles back in the Colorado mountains that took a lot of my precious hunting time trying to find someone to fix it and $5,000 (tow, replacement Transmission, rental ). Main thing is to be as prepared for everything and if something does happen do not let it ruin your hunt if you get to hunt out west as many years as I have been Blessed with.
I dont know where youre hunting in Colorado but if its in the northern half I would definitely have a chainsaw due to all the beetle kill trees that fall across the roads at any time
Jumper/booster pack
Chains
Shovel
Hi Lift Jack w/ wheel hook strap
Lug Wrench
Jumper Cables
Air compressor
Tire plugs
Gloves
Axe and/or chainsaw
First aid kit
Recovery straps (2)
2x4 blocks for jack, etc.
Extra oil
I always have a 1/2" drive breaker bar and maybe a "torque amplifier". A jack stand or two isn't a bad idea either.
The one time I needed chains most, I didn't have them, and it was August in Arizona. The forest roads were the best I've ever been on, until it rained. . .
Gummed the tires right up . . .
It helps to be prepared because you never know...
Chasewild is from Colorado so for him it's probably not that big of deal, he's close to home and his buddies are probably a short distance away. He doesn't have to worry about driving 1000-1500 miles and he can probably drive home or to his favorite mechanic on a flat tire or in limp mode...
It's a lot different when you're coming from Tennessee or Wisconsin and you need to be self-reliant.
Spare oil filter should be on your list if you're going off-road. Punch a hole in that and it doesn't matter how much oil you have with you. A $10 filter can save a lot of head shaking.
In 2013, we came out of the woods after a week and the left front tire was flat. No problem, put the spare on. On way out of the forest, 2 younger guys in the back say for 2 miles or so that something didn't sound right. Finally, I stopped and the left front tire was flat!
A call to AAA eventually saved our butts, but thats a longer story.
Got to town, happy, eat at a restaurant and come out to see newly repaired tire half flat! Tire slime, drive for miles. Come out in AM and tire is still good, only down 2 PSI. Then a 4 hour drive to Fort Collins to a Firestone store. $700 later, we were good to go!
Yes to compressor, tire plugs, checking spare tire status & pressure. This was the second hunt that we have had 2 flat tires on.
>>>>-------->
+1 on actually checking to see if your spare tire will lower. I have a GMC and a few years ago I got a sidewall flat about 20 miles from the highway, had no cell service and was by myself (except for 2 Labradors, which are useless for problem solving; pretty good at causing problems though). The devise that holds the spare up had seized and I could not get the tire down. I had minimal hand tools and resorted to tying a rope around a tree and then onto the spare and drove off. my 1st attempt failed because the rope was cut on the tire. Fortunately I also had a come-along with a steel cable and put that onto the tire and the other end on the rope around a tree. It took me 2 additional attempts to rip the tire off and the housing that lowers the tire. I was surprised the force it took to tear that thing off! A couple short pieces of 2x6's is a good idea to get a level surface for the jack (and helps keep it from sinking in the wet soil).
A good shovel is a given and I can't believe how many people I've helped dig out that don't have one.
I also keep a military ammo can full of various hand tools, screw drivers, utility knife, crescent wrenches, channel locks, electrical tape, etc. It works pretty well and has the essentials, without having an entire tool box.
I keep a serpentine belt handy as it takes very little room, doesn't cost much and if yours breaks your SOL
DUCT TAPE! It comes in camo and blaze orange.
Bunjee cords and good nylon rope.
Extra jug of water and brake fluid
Some of you guys left out a spare transmission and some extra radiator hoses.;) Check your bearings and tires before you leave. Don't go across the country on may pops and bad bearings. After that pack a tire, iron, jumper cables and a few tools, saw, gas.
Hats off to Wapitibob on his saw suggestion. Just picked one up for 10 bucks and tested it out and I am very impressed with that little thing!!
I never have to pack extra fuel my truck holds 100 gal. I never go any were with out my cell phone. I have a 10,000 wench on my truck a handyman jack and never go anywere with out chains for mud or snow small chain saw. is also a must
X3 on the serpentine belt, I forgot to mention that I have a spare one in my road kit.
Oh yeah, and did somebody mention a spare tranny? ;^)
Spare oil filter and oil isn't a bad idea! Bear hunting in Quebec back in the mid 80's, five us went up in two pickups. I had a newer Ford with a straight six and my buddy had a Toyota pickup...both 4x4s. 3rd day there my buddy's Toyota lost oil pressure. All the roads were gravel and a rock poked a hole in the oil filter. Had to make a 70 mile round trip to a bigger town to find a filter. 2 days later the same thing happened to my Ford. Luckily the little general store closer to camp had a filter for my truck. My experience has taught me that the thing you least expect to happen, probably will. Especially if you aren't prepared. Have a great season, Mike
Listen to Cheesehead Mike. I'd do EVERYTHING he said. Besides the extra battery. And, I'd do that if I could keep someone from stealing it.
When you spend a lot of time away from people in places that are a long ways from help, you'll find out how quick something minuscule becomes major.
I don't go out west every year hunting. But, the times I've been, we've have had to work on vehicles or trailer's every time. Coming from where you live, you are fixing on gaining about 6000-8000 feet of elevation. Putting gas in your truck with less octane, and basically running and working the heck out of your rig that has been accustomed to more air, with cleaner more powerful fuel. You likely haven;t driven the miles in gravel you are about to either. So, be prepared. Something is going to go wrong.
Make dang sure you go over that trailer like you did your truck if you are taking one. Because trailer hubs have a distinct ability to lock up when encountering the Rocky mountains after 1200 miles of straight through driving. Good luck and God Bless
OBD code reader. Being able to clear a check engine code and get rid of limp mode is invaluable.
Just get a Toyota they never break...;)
Adventure,never is a very long time.
Went over everything in my Toyota just before a long trip. At mile 200 of about 500, I blew an oil sensor. Things you never expect to happen will happen, even to a Toyota!
Toyota's are trucks like the rest of them. Full size they are no better. Worse in my experience. But, I'm not dumb enough to be brand loyal to anything. God Bless
These things are invaluable. Will jump your vehicle, but also provides a compressor, light, and 110 and USB out for charging your stuff. It's always at base camp even if I have my Honda generator.
good link idyllwildarcher. thanks. I did not know they existed.
I was antelope hunting in Wyoming in 2012 and got two flats. check engine light also came on. come to find out it was from bad fuel. bad fuel in wyo is not that uncommon come to find out. I had good HD tires on the truck, but must have caught something small and sharp. both passenger side tires went down overnight. found a rancher who filled a portable air tank, and I was able to make it to the closest town 50 miles away to get the tires patched.
stuff sure does happen.
Funny, I was just watching the video about staying positive in Elk 101's University, Module 9, Chapter 3 and Corey and Dirk had a dead battery 2 days in a row at the end of the trailhead, miles from anything and they had to walk.
I bet they would have liked to have had a spare battery or jumpstart/charging unit...
Thanks for the link IdyllwildArcher for the link. That takes care of several issues at once!
Yes, Cheesehead Mike I saw their video, that's what made me think to ask you guys. I would hate to walk to find someone. The tire issue with my dad last year in Wyoming was a complete pain. He tore the sidewall on some practically new BFG KO tires on sagebrush! I didn't know it could do that to tires
If you drive a ford with a 6.0 like me bring the check book and hope someone will trade for 7.3!
Something to know about the thing I linked, you can drain the thing if you don't use it right. The knob on the upper left is for the jumper. When you turn it to 3 o'clock, it sends a large amount of juice to the jumper so you don't want to turn that thing unless you're jumping the vehicle as it takes a lot of juice. The on/off switches on the right are what you want to use. The top one is for the light and the bottom one activates the USB and 110 outs. The longer it's on, the more it runs down so charge everything at once and you'll get more life.
It takes about 24 hours to charge full so do it overnight before you leave. It'll last the entire week hunting for normal 110 use and cell/gps charging.
Couple quads and everything but the kitchen sink...I was so used to my Toy Hauler..Downsizing was hard..lol...But all in all...Im pretty prepared..generator To keep my battery charged for my invertor....runs my Coffee maker..and then all the camp essentials...Got to have my coffee maker...Also a shower chair make shift toilet and shower......
Me and my buddy both just got stuck in the mud in August, in AZ, while pulling trailers. I will never again leave for a hunting/ camping trip without my winch, tire chains and at least three tow straps. it took us from 5am until 10am to get both trucks and trailers out. hook, un hook, reposition, pull, repeat ETC... We both drive 4x4 diesels with 35 inch mud tires:( I quit taking them after not needing them for several years, what a mistake. In fact, my buddy used to make fun of me because I always brought all this stuff with me every year... When we got stuck his first question was... Where Is Your Winch?
BTW... A Toyota wont pull a 36' fifth wheel, at least not very far nor very well:0
Good Luck!
Scar.
The only thing I would add to Cheesehead Mikes list would be irrigation boots for mud. They slip on and off and make things much cleaner than having to clean mud off your boots, specially if your putting chains back on your tires when they fell off in the mud, Grrrrrr. When you get them home just hose them off.
Truck: shovel (snow) Extra gas (can) Sandwiches/pop Extra oil EZ pass ratchet tie downs Flashlite/headlamp camp Bungi cords Proof of insurance Tolitries cell phone & charger Elk hints list Elk calling CD’s/tapes Elk calls GPS Check fluid levels Spare key hidden Music (CD’s) Sunglass & spare US & State & unit maps bluetooth MP3 tire chains/winch Get a spare key for rental!
Also nice to have sleeping bag food and water in case you get stuck somewhere.
You guys can pack all that stuff.
I finally had to use my tire chains a couple of years ago in about 15 inch snow at 12,000 ft in CO GMU 76. I would have wrecked my F250 for sure without them. Heavy truck goes downhill very easy on ice and snow!
I also have had to fix multiple tires in the back country and pump them up. Can't be too bullet proof with your equipment there.
Always have lots of tools too just in case.
Having said all that.....I have gone by far most years needing nothing special at all.
