alexcorral
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- Joined
- Apr 23, 2011
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When I purchased my first Land Rover (a Sport, back in 2005) I wish I had known I was going to fall in love with off-roading. At the time, I just lusted after the look of the RRS - which was new to the market - and had to have her, I didn't have a clue about Land Rover's rich heritage, no idea what a locking rear differential was or why I would want it (I got it anyway, but only because the color I wanted was only available with it...) I would have saved myself a ridiculous amount of money buying expensive 21" German rims with low-profile tires, "performance" exhaust, and other bling that I now could care less about.
Since I knew what I was going to do with my almost new LR4 (other than getting myself to and from work daily and the occasional family trips and soccer dad duties), my mods have been far more focused this time. I go off road as much as I can (not as much as I'd like, but that's a different story), with friends or with my local club.
In addition to rubber mats for passenger and cargo areas, I got 18" wheels and beefier all-terrain tires, rock sliders and a skid plate to protect my baby from the rocks that, here in Southern Cal, are nearly impossible to avoid if you step off the beaten path. I installed a second battery to have more juice available in the boonies for fridge, chargers, etc.
Even when I am not off road, I always carry with me what I think is necessary equipment, even on the road - if that road takes you far away from help or a cell phone signal:
- A fire extinguisher (mounted on a bracket on the front passenger seat);
- A flashlight (mounted under my legs on the driver's seat);
- Jump start cables, a decent air compressor, an ARB tire repair kit, a full set of spare fuses, and a high quality tire pressure gauge / deflator (all in a gym bag stashed under the folded third row seats);
- An IIDTool, a diagnostic tool to read and clear fault codes and modify suspensions height, best gizmo I ever got for my car;
- A SPOT Connect satellite communicator (with a fresh set of spare batteries in the glove box);
- A First-Aid kit, the best I could find at REI that still fits in the cubby on one side of the cargo area;
- A box of baby wipes in the other cubby - laugh all you want, those things are great, they clean your hands from grease and dust, your face from food and sunscreen, they are soft and super strong, fully biodegradable and unscented.
- A Leatherman multi-tool;
- A D-ring hanging from the rear bumper's recovery point.
When I go wheeling with friends I throw in the trunk another big duffel bag with less essential stuff, including several ****** straps, Staun tire deflators set at 32 psi, couple more D-rings, an air jack, several hand tools, zip ties, FRS radio, bug spray, sunscreen, folding shovel, lantern, windproof matches, emergency shelter, a compass, a BIG scuba knife, etc. Of course, my fridge / freezer. And if I go camping for more than a day... Watch out! I can even produce a portable shower WITH full privacy enclosure on request.
The beauty of the LR4 is that all this crap fits and the trunk still looks half empty.
This is a very well thought out list. I'd say that no matter how close you stay to cell coverage and help, if you're going off road, the best you can do to get out of a sticky situation is deflating your tires. In order to do this you will needy an inflator to get them back to normal again. I always carry a 12V inflator in the left side compartment with the hitch receiver and hitch.
LOL.
