Choosing The Right Trail Tools - Arm Yourself!

We have had enough experience with crappy, half-built, or half-resurrected Jeeps over the years that we are uniquely qualified to help just about anyone. We aren't bright enough to know when to say when and leave those piles of Jeeps at home, and not take them off into the woods. So, that leaves us uniquely qualified to fix basically anything with nothing, especially in the dirt, and especially well enough to get back to camp.

Like anything else, trial-and-error is the surest way to learn and retain anything, and tool selection is no different. More tools mean more weight and more weight affects how well the Jeep does off-road. Taking every tool you own is not the way to go. The key is to carry vital tools, and a few things to help you repair the unforeseen problems too.

We can't tell you exactly what tools you need for your specific Jeep. You would know better than us if you need an 8mm socket or an offset-head wrench. The tools we list here aren't the end-all, be-all of tool sets, they are basic tools, that with some ingenuity, and the correct spare parts, can get you off any trail. So, here is our basic tool kit that we've used and abused and still like to have with us. This is a bare-bones kit with a few options that you should carry in your Jeep at all times to be prepared for whatever comes your way.

A small ratchet set, a pair...        read full caption A small ratchet set, a pair of locking pliers, an adjustable wrench, and at least a Phillips head and flat head screwdriver comprise our most basic trailside tool set. A small 22-piece Craftsman set has metric and standard sockets, two locking pliers allow a good hold of both ends of any nut/bolt combination, an adjustable wrench covers anything the socket set doesn't and all wrench-type chores, and a pair of screwdrivers caps off our basic tool kit.	We always try to carry a locking-blade...        read full caption We always try to carry a locking-blade knife and/or multi-tool with a full size pair of pliers on it. Most of them have pliers, wire strippers, a selection of screwdrivers, and cutting blades. Look for USA-made tools by companies that stand behind their products. Our two favorite multi-tools are the Leatherman Wave and the SOG Power Plier Deluxe.	This screw driver bit kit...        read full caption This screw driver bit kit is an insurance policy. No matter what full-size, full-shank screwdrivers you have along, you will end up needing a different size or shape driver than what you've got. Carrying a 50-piece kit like this has saved our butt many times and at 6x4x3/4 inches it takes up little to no space.
For the times when things...        read full caption For the times when things go really wrong, nothing beats a 3-foot pry bar, a hammer (the bigger the better) and a length of pipe. We usually end up with a cheapo pry bar so we can just leave it in whichever of our many Jeeps we buy it for. The hammer shown is a ball peen hammer and it works great for a variety of pounding chores with the two different shapes of hammer head. As for the pipe, a 11/2-inch piece of 0.120-wall tube works well for beating and prying.	A pair of Knipex pliers is...        read full caption A pair of Knipex pliers is invaluable. They grip like nothing else. It is even possible to clamp the pliers to a bolt and suspend yourself on the plier handles. They are good for smaller items, but also very good for larger hard-to-loosen nuts thanks to the self-tightening design.	Wrenches are important, but...        read full caption Wrenches are important, but you don't need to take 20 standard, 20 metric, 20 ratcheting, flare-nut wrenches, and a set of stubby wrenches with you. Take the sizes that you find yourself using most frequently on your Jeep and that's it. The locking pliers or Knipex pliers will make up for anything else.
Electrical crap happens. Without...        read full caption Electrical crap happens. Without either a multimeter or a test light, figuring out what went wrong with your wiring is near impossible. A multimeter can test for a wider variety of issues, but a test light is easier and faster to use. A $20 Radio Shack multimeter is such a minimal investment, losing it to dirt or water doesn't hurt, while the test light is a Snap-On light that won't damage computers if the wrong wire is probed and we've had it through more rain and snow storms than we'd care to remember and it's still ticking, so to speak.