What do you carry in your vehicle for self recovery when hunting?

[Donk]

Adding a spare set of keys in a magnet box today.

 

[All American Boy]

Chains for ALL four tires. And get a hi lift, come along, and some d shackles. I have some 3 ft heavy concrete stakes that i plan to ladder stake if i get stuck with nothing to winch to. Good luck, and remember to chain up BEFORE you get stuck, afterwards sucks!

 

[CelticClamper]

We have sticky clay where I am at. If you don't run muds, you better be ready with recovery gear. HiLifts are the ultimate helper, add a tow strap, 2 chains, a shovel, an axe, and 2 binders. Old tire chains turn any tires into boggers and I highly recommend them. I have literally been alone, no cell or radio and stuck bad enough to use the binders and 2 chains to drag myself out- 2" at a time. That sucked.

 

[CelticClamper]

Getting ready for this years season. After last year, I realized how woefully unprepared I was for the slick as snot mud in SW Montana. Four wheel drive Tundra with AT tires, and I almost got stuck first day out.

Trying to get more prepared for this year. So far I’ve purchased a heavy set of chains for my rear tires, which should greatly improve my traction over last year.

I also carry...
shovel
Tire patch kit
Tow strap
Ratchet Straps
First aid kit
Tool kit
Jumper cables
Tire pump
Spare tire
Chain saw
Plus everything else I need to hunt for 10 days (including an In Reach for truly desperate situations.)

Should I invest in a high lift jack and or come along? High lift jack seems more versatile, but a come along is more compact and less expensive. I’d need a set of recovery chains and adapter kit to use the high lift as a winch, and all that is like $200! I’ve already spent way too much getting ready this year... Recovery boards are another option.

Another consideration is the fact I might be in an area with no trees to winch off of. (I was last year when I almost got stuck.)

Would a set of knockoff recovery boards be sufficient?

I’m not looking at using my vehicle to hunt from necessarily, just get me to the trail head. That said some of those roads can be really sketchy in late Oct early Nov.

Thanks for the help!

You can ask any farming/manufacturing/production facilities or supply houses for old rubber tracks or cleated conveyor belting. That's what some of the old timers used before this fancy stuff.

 

[manitou1]

Binders???

 

[Rifleman86]

Chains for ALL four tires. And get a hi lift, come along, and some d shackles. I have some 3 ft heavy concrete stakes that i plan to ladder stake if i get stuck with nothing to winch to. Good luck, and remember to chain up BEFORE you get stuck, afterwards sucks!

Yup the concrete stake idea is something I’ve been thinking about. We essentially do the same thing on the FD as an anchor point for rescue. That involves webbing and some specially made stakes, but it’s essentially the same thing and incredibly strong.

 

[Team4LongGun]

As far as tire chains go-any brand recommended? I like to buy right one time. For SUV with AT tires
Thanks

 

[Rifleman86]

Adding a spare set of keys in a magnet box today.

That’s something I forgot to mention. I’ve always got an extra set of keys somewhere in the truck. A buddy of mine learned that hard lesson in Colorado last year. Luckily I learned that for free at his expense.

 

[Clarence]

As far as tire chains go-any brand recommended? I like to buy right one time. For SUV with AT tires
Thanks

The heavier the better, as long as you have the clearance, check this with wheels turned both directions. The better chains use a high boron steel if I remember correctly. I prefer the ones that have 3 or 4 cam tensioner's in them. Makes it easy to get them right without having to readjust. Had good luck with tirechain.com

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Fatcamp]

Ya, tirechain.com is where I got mine.

My 4runner won't take chains on the front.

 

[longbarrel]

To the above, let me add that a winch and Danforth anchor, and 3 long spikes (I use truck torsion bars with an end cut off). Get the best tires for the type of terrain, in your case nasty mud. I went hunting there with an experienced guy and his Suburban had good tires with air lockers front and rear. The lockers really helped. Today I use a Jeep Rubicon which has lockers from the factory. I added tires and a winch to suit my use.

 

[CelticClamper]

Binders???

Binders are used for tying down equipment to a trailer. Haul equipment long enough and you learn how to winch with a pair of binders. Drive 3 hours out into the boonies to pickup a tractor to find out that the battery in tractor is shot. My batteries weren't strong enough to jump it. Winch solenoids were shot. So time to winch with binders.

 

[nrh6.7]

Yup the concrete stake idea is something I’ve been thinking about. We essentially do the same thing on the FD as an anchor point for rescue. That involves webbing and some specially made stakes, but it’s essentially the same thing and incredibly strong.

I've been thinking about something like this. Can find the stakes cheap at HD or Lowes and could make the plate pretty easily.

 

[87TT]

The older I get the less I want to get stuck. I will go out of my way not to. It's surprising how much less I get stuck now. Equipment doesn't fix stupid. Plus I would rather spend my time hunting than getting unstuck.
That said, My Hi Lift jack is over 40 years old and is bolted to the safari rack with bolts that match the lug wrench. I have lift points all the way around the rig. An extra 100' synthetic winch cable and a strap. I'm on my second winch on the Sammy. In side is a good tool set, snatch block, full size D handle shovel, ax, machete, tire pump with plugging kit and some spare parts. Have never had to be rescued and made it home with a missing motor mount and broken rear leaf spring.

 

[wilydawg]

I've been thinking about something like this. Can find the stakes cheap at HD or Lowes and could make the plate pretty easily.

Or you could use one of these, a bit pricey but they work. The choice of the U.S. Military...

https://www.pullpal.com/

 

[nrh6.7]

Or you could use one of these, a bit pricey but they work. The choice of the U.S. Military...

https://www.pullpal.com/

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

 

[Upchurch_k]

I plan on carrying the following this year:

• Tire Chains
• Hi-Lift
• Hi-Lift Lift Mate
• Shovel
• Axe
• 20ft Chain
• D Ring
• Tow Strap
• Snatch Strap

I made a holder for that mounts on the OEM rails of my Tundra to hold the large stuff, everything else goes in the tool box.

To be honest these are all cheap insurance that I hope I don't need, I prefer to take my ATV into places I don't want my truck. My ATV has a winch and is less likely to get stuck and also a lot cheaper to fix if something were to get broken.

 

[easilyamused]

So this is coming from somebody who spends a lot of weekends out trying to get stuck and has the very real chance of breaking things on my truck and having to spend the night.

First thing is I always recommend having a 12 volt air compressor and a tire gauge along, the traction difference between 50psi and <15psi is really amazing in mud, sand, or snow.
A winch is one tool I use constantly for self recovery, make sure you have a snatch block, some shackles, and a heavy strap or 3 for rigging up as needed.
For tools I have a full socket and wrench set, plus an array of pliers, vice grips, a 3lb sledge, and in my case the specific tools for replacing axle shafts and ujoints. I also have a collection of things like electrical tape, zip ties, gear clamps, electrical tester, some wire and connectors, and a jug of each type of oil fluid.
An axe, hand saw, chainsaw, and shovel are all in there, along with a small tarp (crawling under the truck sucks, at least you can stay clean and dry), full change of warm clothes, and some food.

From my personal experience Id say skip the traction matts and hand winch setups, I havent seen them be all that effective as compared to lowering air pressure and having a proper winch. Chains are great if the conditions favor them, just please test fit them ahead of time.

 

[mtwarden]

well the 2020 season is just around the corner so time to be thinking of this stuff again

I carry
one set of chains
a WS power puller w/ 35' of 5/16" amsteel blue rope
an additional 25' rope extension
two shovels (regular & snow)
hi lift jack w/ a lift-mate
a couple of tree savers
a couple of shackles
snatch block
recovery strap
25' chain
air compresser
small axe (Gerber)
a couple of small wedges
Silky Katanaboy saw (20" blade)- it doesn't cut as fast as a chainsaw, but cuts much faster than you would think a handsaw would cut AND it's a buttload cheaper, lighter, smaller, doesn't stink and needs little to no maintenance

I just ordered a pair X-Bull traction boards

I spent 24 years getting stuck (and unstuck) as a Montana game warden; it's never fun, but sure nice to know that you will most likely get unstuck with the right tools and a little (sometimes a lot!) of elbow grease

 

[Guy]

Bought it about 30 years ago, it's been in three of my rigs, but the Hi-Lift has only been used once to get a Dodge pickup un-stuck. Otherwise it just rides around, heavy and taking up space. I'm glad I've got it, I've used it around the place, to move and lift stuff, but I've been surprised that I used it so little for the vehicles.

A good winch doesn't cost much these days. Yes, a Warn would be real nice, but I was on a budget and bought a Chinese made Engo 8 years ago. It's a 10k winch, and my goodness, it's pulled my Jeep out of a few bad places! Any decent winch. Yes I'd be happier if I had a Warn again, but I've been awfully thankful to just have the Engo, it's a bit of a brute when it comes to pulling power.

Got a set of "Max Trax" recovery boards a few years back. Those things have dramatically reduced my winch usage. The real things are much better than the inexpensive copies. I've seen guys break the less expensive ones, but the Max Trax boards just keep on working. They're terrific in snow.

Tire chains... Get the heavy-duty ones. Either old style or that newer diamond pattern. Both work great. Big heavy links. Maybe even V-Bars on them. I don't have the V-Bars.

I've used them just in front. Just on the rear wheels, and on all four. Wow - all four is like turning your 4wd into some kind of go-anywhere tank. It's amazing. Either up front or out back just a single pair works wonders too. I'd avoid the cable chains and such for heavy 4wd use. They're okay for use on highway.

A good shovel is great. Someone young and strong to use it is even better.

A saw! Yes, it's all too common to have a fallen tree block the route - maybe that route is your way back to the highway? Bring a good saw.

Regards, Guy