Must-have gear for off-roading adventures

Heading out on an off-road adventure is super exciting, but you gotta make sure you've got all the right stuff to keep things safe and fun. Here's a rundown of the gear you absolutely need before hitting those rugged trails.

Tyre Deflator

Airing down your tyres on any sort of rough terrain (gravel, corrugations, rocks, mud, sand) will ensure that you have optimum traction on the tracks. More traction = more control. I air down 50% for sand and mud, and roughly 35% for rocky terrain and 15% for corrugations and dirt/gravel roads. Keep in mind every 4wd is different depending on tyre size and weight of the car. For example, airing down on the sand is going to be a lot more crucial in a heavy 4wd than a lighter vehicle. Its also important to know that your tyre pressure will change as your tyres warm up or cool down. Something to keep in mind when travelling a fair distance along the beach or dirt roads.

Air Compressor

What goes down must come up! It's always good habit to inflate your tyres back up as soon as you are back on the asphalt. It might be tempting to make the run to the nearest servo to inflate them back up there, but driving around with deflated tyres can lead to uneven tread wear and significantly reduce the life of your tyres.

Recovery Gear

Another necessity for off-roading is a basic recovery kit. At a bare minimum, a set of recovery tracks, shackles and snatch straps will get you out of most sticky situations, with the snatch straps only being useful if there's a second vehicle around to pull you out. If you're planning on doing more difficult/steep 4wd tracks, or 4wding solo, a winch will be a very handy piece of equipment.

First aid kit

This should honestly be a must-have item for any vehicle. Pretty self explanatory. I also have a snake bite kit in there with it too.

First Aid Survival Kit

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Tyre repair kit

This one is especially important for those longer 4wd trips. A tyre repair kit will keep you out of trouble beyond just your spare tyre(s).

Car Tyre Punction Repair Kit

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Navigation tools

When off-roading, it can be a hit and miss on what apps/mapping systems actually have updated track info. Personally, Hema maps seem to do the trick for most of the places I venture out to. AllTrails is a good one for 4wd tracks too, not just for hiking. There's also an app called Newtracs that is kept up to date in real time by users. So users that have completed the track can grade the tracks difficulty, and also record their stats. Whatever app you use, remember to always download offline maps before heading out.

Communication Device

A UHF is a bit of gear that comes in handy in many different scenarios. Great for communicating between your crew, and to whoever is nearby in case you run into trouble and need help. I personally have a wireless handheld UHF that also comes with me on hikes, however it does have a smaller range compared to fix mount UHF's.

Another communication device that is strongly recommended is a satellite phone. UHF's will only work up to a certain range, but a satellite phone will allow you to contact others anywhere, wherever you are.

Emergency supplies (food, water, blankets)

When do you ever arrive back on time after a day of 4wding? I definitely haven't. Make sure you have extra supplies of food, water and basics.

So there you have it! Happy adventuring!