I didn't grow up off-roading and this is the first four-wheel drive vehicle I've ever owned. So when I started looking at overland forums about what gear to take on this trip I had a lot to learn. We're not really sure how much hardcore off-road driving we plan on doing, but we definitely want to get off the paved roads to explore. There's tons of opinions out there about what recovery gear to have with you, and with no experience of my own to go on, I tried to find some kind of average middle ground. A winch and on-board air compressor were definitely not in the budget. Did I mention that I had never heard the term "recovery gear" before?
A tire repair kit, a small 12v air compressor, and a recovery strap and shackles all seemed prudent and relatively inexpensive. We also decided on some Maxtrax, or in our case the much cheaper "Escaper Buddies". The last time we were in Baja we got our Passat stuck in the famously soft and deep sand, so this was a no brainer.
Another item we kept coming across was a Hi-lift Jack. Since our used truck didn't come with a jack, It seemed we could kill two birds with one stone. Instead of just getting a bottle jack or a floor jack (which we totally don't have room for), we decided to get a Hi-lift Jack and a jack stand for changing tires. And we would also be able to use the Hi-lift to get ourselves out of a sticky situation.
I hope all of these thing become dusty with disuse, but in the unfortunate circumstance that we're stuck in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight, I feel like we can get ourselves rolling down the road again.
