Reminder: keep shit with you 

"Just Jeepin'" (macintux) 12/02/2018 at 18:10 • Filed to: None

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I was given some grief for all of the stuff I keep with me in the Jeep during the winter. Here’s what I used this evening to help out a guy who was stranded, at dusk, with no electrical.

Tow strap

Safety coat (because dusk, and people are careless, and it’s nice to have something on when you’re flat on your back on the street)

Emergency flasher (magnetic, slapped it on the back of his crossover)

Flashlight (to pull tow strap out from where it was gently wrapped around his axle after)

Jumpstarter (didn’t help, battery was toast)

Feels good to help someone out. Pure dumb luck I happened by at the right time.

Even if you’re not going to tow someone in a jam, at least keep a good coat and an emergency flasher with you.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

(Also, please buy vehicles with recovery points. His Hyundai has two on the front alone. Such a luxury compared to some of the vehicles I’ve tried to rescue.)

Update : !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! when I asked what people keep for the winter.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:14

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Every vehicle has multiple recovery points. Some of them can even be used more than once!

DipodomysDeserti > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:18

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In addition to what you’ve listed, I carry a small trauma kit (general first aid supplies , turnicate, Israeli bandage, emergency shears), fire extinguisher, multitool and vice grips (man’s best friend). Only things I’ve never had to use are the turnicate, Israeli bandage (never been shot while driving) and the fire extinguisher (mostly there for camping).

Just Jeepin' > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/02/2018 at 18:20

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I was giving serious consideration to running a tow strap through the cabin of a Captiva, which apparently has exactly zero official recovery points. I have no idea how it’s legal to sell a car with none at all.

Just Jeepin' > DipodomysDeserti 12/02/2018 at 18:22

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I listed everything I keep here. Since then I’ve added a 3rd fire extinguisher, an Element .

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/winter-is-coming-1829720216

atfsgeoff > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:24

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Insulated overalls, gloves, battery jump pack/cell charger, and the ordinary complement of tools I keep in my trunk year-round (1/4" socket set, 1/2" breaker bar and 19mm deep wall socket for lug bolts, and an assortment of pliers/cutters /DBE deep offset wrenches/allen keys/screwdrivers/DMM)

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:30

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Simple: it’s a Daewoo. The owner is better off if you don’t recover it.

Alfalfa > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:32

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I’ve usually got a tow strap, flashlight, and ju mpstarter. I’ll have to pick up that  emergency flasher next time I’m at Hazard Fraught .

Just Jeepin' > Alfalfa 12/02/2018 at 18:35

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Grab a couple, so you can donate one to a good cause.

I once passed a car temporarily abandoned at night in the street, with no flashers. I desperately wished I had one of those handy so I could slap it on the car.

Alfalfa > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:37

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I usually have an extra ice scraper just for that.

I always seem to run into some transplant from California during the first snow trying to clear their car  with their sleeve or a credit card.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:41

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I did a post last summer detailing all the stuff in my car! It seems like a crazy amount, but it’s really not that much if you think about it!

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/i-have-a-day-off-oppo-today-its-rallydarkstrikes-organ-1797363051

Echo51 > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:43

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Oooh, thanks for reminder to get all that safety gear moved over from my old car to the new one~ ...well, once i get all the stereo out that’s sitting ontop of the things...

Spaceball-Two > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 18:53

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I keep just about all that in my truck and a couple of flares because it’s usually dark when I go to work and dark on my way home.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Alfalfa 12/02/2018 at 18:55

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As a California transplant, ice scrapers are standard winter equipment. But then I grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills and not Pacifica where a cold snap requires the use of a sweater.

f86sabre > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/02/2018 at 18:56

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We had huge rain in Atlanta yesturday.  Our Uber Eats driver managed to back into my lawn and get stuck in her 2009 Impala. Know what it didn’t have? A good place to hook a tow strap on the rear of the car. We had to go all the way up to the rear subframe and hope we didn’t rip the bumper off. 

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 19:01

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If you own a truck:

4 of each of these.

Seriously. 99% of all loads you’re gonna haul can be secured RIGHT with that little equipment. I’ve had people see me loading my truck and ask “That isn’t going to just blow away down the road is it?” “Not after I’m done t ying it down.” get to the other end. Not even the folded tarp moved. 16 foot boards in a 6 foot bed? Red flag that shit and let's do this. Done! Mattress? Rock it. Firewood? Cut my teeth on that.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > f86sabre 12/02/2018 at 19:27

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Honestly, it could be worse. I mean absolute worst case, you can throw it in neutral and push out of that. When my C4GTS got a flat, it was... a project.

See that driveway? Yep. Off-camber on a hill. A bad hill. How bad?

That bad. They had to get an 18' flatbed on the ASCENDING part of the hill, because there wasn’t the least chance of making the approach angle otherwise. The best part? They then had to pull to the top of the hill (which is a dead-end,) execute a 6 point turn because the turnaround was designed for golf carts (literally!), and then negotiate two one-lane super-tight switchbacks with about a 10% grade.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 20:10

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I carry enough stuff for the wife and I, and 2 strangers, to surv ive fo r 3 days in subzero temperatures . Plus common spare parts for some of my vehicles. It gets interesting transfer everything. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Just Jeepin' 12/02/2018 at 20:11

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I’ve got straps plus receiver- shackle-mount thing and extra shackles , booster cables, a high-viz parka that’s too warm for me to wear above -30°C, and some assorted tools including a basic first-aid kit. The booster cables come to my own rescue more often than anyone else’s it seems. The straps as well. After a failure to start due to poor battery cable connections on a road trip in the when the booster cables also somehow failed to be of assistance, the strap and receiver mount got used to bump start the ZJ on flat ground. I’ve successfully bump started the Niva by rolling into a ditch, but given the crank-start setup it lends itself much better to bump starting than the ZJ does, and I didn’t want to chance it in the ZJ, and a guy stopped to take pictures of the same thing and was more than happy to oblige me with the tow . Tools are useful in general, they allowed the correction of the poor battery cables . I seldom wear the high-viz because of heat stroke, but it’s an option if I need it   I guess. I’ve never had a situation that hasn’t allowed me to push or limp my own vehicle to a safer place, but I guess some sort of hazard marker could be useful too.

Recently I’ve also added an 8000lb winch on a receiver mount, although largely only because it’s kinda heavy and an awkward carry so I haven’t taken it out yet. It’s only been used so far to drag another of my vehicles onto a trailer. I bought it to eventually toss on my MJ and the receiver mount came with. It also makes it useful, as I don’t yet have a winch bumper. I also still need to add recovery points to the front of the ZJ... don’t know how much I want to rely on wrapping a strap around the front axle. But I haven’t found an elegant solution yet, and the one everyone else uses is a little too hacky for what I’d like this Jeep to be .

Just Jeepin' > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/02/2018 at 20:20

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a high-viz parka that’s too warm for me to wear above -30°C

Do you have a link for this, by any chance? I’m always looking for better rain gear (for summer topless driving) and better cold-weather gear (because you never know when you’ll want to take your doors off in winter).

Also, Jeep pics are always appreciated! Curious to see yours.

Just Jeepin' > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 12/02/2018 at 20:22

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Carrying food in a ragtop is problematic thanks to friendly neighborhood raccoons, but I commend your preparedness.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/03/2018 at 04:39

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This is wisdom on the level of “Everything is a dildo if you are brave enough” and “Every pizza is a personal pizza if you put your mind to it.” Well done. I will it to my repertoire. 

pip bip - choose Corrour > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 05:16

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i keep nothing in mine over winter, only reason being we don’t have the extreme climate like N.A.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 08:43

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Or........ reality is I just never clean anything out... The french fries and gummy bears alone ground into the carpet will keep you alive for at least 24 hours :D 

Just Jeepin' > pip bip - choose Corrour 12/03/2018 at 09:07

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But you do have sunsets, right? Keeping a flasher for emergencies would seem to be a good idea no matter the weather.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 14:35

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I’m not too sure which parka it is specifically. It’s a Dakota brand so I’m pretty sure it came from Marks Work Wearhouse, but my work bought it for me a few years back. It’s not necessarily the highest quality product either, some of the seams were starting to go around the cuffs.

As to my Jeep herd, well it’s not much to look at right now.

From left to right:

My daily driver, the ‘93 manual everything ZJ. The pinion bearings are shot, so I just ordered a Truetrac for the rear axle to swap in at the same time. I’m still driving it despite the bad bearings.

What I’ve dubbed the “L ittlest Comanche”, a ‘91 2.5/2wd shortbed that I picked up with an “overheating problem” that turned out to be a melted piston. I’ve slowly been working through changing that piston out as cheaply as possible but with little motivation because I fully anticipate it’s going to blow up as soon as I get it back together.

The not-so little ‘91 longbed MJ beside it is still mostly stock, currently a 4.0/aw4/242 It’s the one I’m currently “ building” . I’ve got a stack of parts to go on, but it needs a ton of work. At 535,000 km it’s my first truck, but after moving provinces almost two years ago it needs to pass an out-of-province inspection before I can register it, and apparently I need rocker panels that aren’t made out of air to do that. It was my first vehicle, so since it’s not catastrophically dead I can’t bring myself to part with it... There’s not much left on it in good enough shape that an MJ owner would want to put on their truck so I know it would end up mostly intact in a cube headed to China if I parted ways with it. I only dub it “not so little” to distinguish it from the other, given they’re both ‘91s and I don’t know if the little one was built first or not, so I can’t go by “new” or “old”, and they’re both blue.

The ‘96 Lada Niva is #notajeep. Also parked due to moving between provinces. It needs less work but I’ve been dragging my feet on that as well, simply because I’d prefer to get the first two in this list done with because they’re both registered and insured, unlike the last two.

Then there’s a ‘92 two-door XJ in the garage, which I entertained the idea of putting on the road but it’s just too rotten to be worth saving. It pretty much needs all the sheet metal below the doors replaced due to a life of gravel roads, so it’s going to end up a parts donor to manual swap the less little MJ, which sucks because it’s so painfully original. But like the MJ, if I sell it it’ll turn into a cube destined for China, so such is life.

So yeah, that's my rag-tag little band  

Just Jeepin' > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/03/2018 at 15:21

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Great collection, thanks. I doubt I’ll ever have the resources to keep a fleet like that, but at some point I need to find a beater to learn more wrenching. And a garage to beat on the beater. 

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 21:43

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+ flares, mini fire extinquisher, tire punchure kit, blanket, scraper, scrapper with broom, vest, winter boots, sweater, extra hat and gloves,

I’ve used just about everything at one point or another.

Just Jeepin' > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 12/03/2018 at 21:48

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I admit I don’t keep traditional flares, but everything else is piled in there by this point in the winter. I keep one of these instead, plus the small flashers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757KS5W4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_aREbCb1TPZTXS

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 21:57

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It amazes me how complacent people get, assuming nothing can/will happen.

Nothing says :shits about to go down like fire. Also I know i’ll forget to charge it.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Just Jeepin' 12/03/2018 at 22:30

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Ehh... I don’t really have the resources to keep the fleet. Only two are registered, and only one has left the property since A ugust. And none of the others have left this year . And while my end goal is to have all but the parts XJ running and legal, I don't know that I really can afford to double my insurance costs. 

Alfalfa > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:33

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I’ve always got a flashlight, jumper cables *and* a jumper battery pack, and tow strap. I've been meaning to pick up one of them magnetic flashers for like...a couple years now lol

facw > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:35

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I need to update my trunk game here. I need some lights/reflectors. I have:

First aid kit

Tire inflator

Jumpstarter

Shovel (collapsible handle)

Jumper cables (perhaps somewhat redundant with the jumpstarter)

Fleece 

VincentMalamute-Kim > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:37

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I’m a newb at recovery. I’ve learned you should use that specific hitch if you want to use a receiver as a recovery point.

Can you use the safety chain hookup points on a receiver?

Michael > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:40

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My kit:

Tow strap

2 shackles

Tea candles

sleeping bag

chocolate bars

Kitty Litter

6 magnetic flashers

fire extinguisher

hand warmers

jump pack

pack of mylar blankets

Fox 40 whistle

Snuze: Needs another Swede > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 11/13/2020 at 15:42

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The Jeeps are cool, but I LOVE the Lada!

At some point I’d like to get one just to have for the weird factor. I know in 1993 they started offering fuel injection, but also continued to offer carbs for a while . Which one is yours? 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:47

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Montana survival kit:

Chew

Dew

Done.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > Just Jeepin' 11/13/2020 at 15:51

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I carry a snow shovel, a tire plugging kit, water and granola bars. F uel tank always above 1/4 full.

Just Jeepin' > VincentMalamute-Kim 11/13/2020 at 15:52

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Honestly, I’m the wrong person to ask about difficult recovery scenarios. I’ve only ever towed people  for short  distances using an obvious recovery point.

I would...assume so, but please don’t sue me if I’m wrong.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > VincentMalamute-Kim 11/13/2020 at 16:21

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It is not recommended to use the chain points on a hitch to recover a vehicle. Not only are t hose designed to be used in t andom but it’s really only a safety measure, allowing the vehicle to come to a stop without the trailer separating from the tow vehicle .

Depending on who you ask, the ball on a 2in hitxh is a completely acceptable recovery point. If you don’t feel comfortable with that (there’s a thought the ball can snap off, which I don’ t agree with) you can use the hitch pin, slotted through the receiver and recovery strap (inside the 2in receiver), it’s not the easiest thing to accomplish but do-able. At the end of the day, use your best judgement but get help if you don’t feel comfortable.

VincentMalamute-Kim > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 11/14/2020 at 16:17

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Thanks.  I suspected that using the chain points was too easy.  I’ll try to remember the hitch pin tip.