Road trip tool bag

I carry a full socket and ratchet kit, full wrench set, air compressor, tire plug kit, tape(s), general purpose tools( pliers of several types srcew drivers, razor knife etc), bottle jack zip ties, automotive wire, and any tool that I have made for a vehicle to make it easier for an essential service, jumper cables

Always better to have it than not.

There are those who are prepared and those who are not.

nd it might not be just you who needs the tool......I have helped out folks at RV sites and had folks help me at RV sites in the past.

Tools are one big thing that separate us from animals.
 
I remember back in the 80s going down to Philadelphia to see a stones concert I blew the small hose on a slant six between the block and the water pump thankfully I had a bunch of loose tools in the trunk and walked to a gas station for the right diameter hose just had to cut for length..Made it to the concert
 
My kit is pretty minimal. It consists of a small ball peen hammer, reversible screwdriver, regular pliers, wire cutter, adjustable end wrench, 19 & 21mm deep well sockets for wheels, 15" breaker bar, half roll or 1" gorilla tape, 6' or so of bailing wire, gloves and a piece of plastic tarp (3'x5' or so). Tools are in a zipper bag. Bag and tarp easily lay on top of (in?) the spare tire. My PU bag has some combo end metric wrenches and nylon rope. That's it...one in each vehicle. Flashlight, small pocket knife, wet wipes and pencil tire pressure gauge are in the glove box or consol.
 
Not a cross country traveler…but spend much time in back country Utah

Better have it than not is my suggestion too

Vehicle is an ‘03 LX 470 with 219K miles fully maintained

Items not shown in sliding drawers would be…

10 ton bottle jack and wood blocks
12K winch.
Jug of 5w30 synthetic oil
Jug of Aisin coolant
Bottle synthetic DOT3 brake fluid
5 gallons drinking water
Sleeping bag/wool blankets
Jump pack
Oil filter/plug/gasket
T/Stat-O ring
ResQLink PLB
200 rds 9mm ammo
BIC lighters
Glow sticks
Foldable shovel/axe
First aid supplies
Bear spray
Rain suits
Metric tools
Full size spare
10 gallons Eth Free
You get the idea….👍

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Besides a flat how many people really fix their car on the side of the road when it breaks down?

Even if you had the right tools would you have the needed part?

In my pickup I have a jump pack and a spare serpentine belt and a spare exhaust gas temp sensor as Ford PSD had some initial problems with them.

We have AAA for wife and to add my truck was very little extra. I think I have towing through my auto insurance also.
 
Besides a flat how many people really fix their car on the side of the road when it breaks down?

Even if you had the right tools would you have the needed part?

In my pickup I have a jump pack and a spare serpentine belt and a spare exhaust gas temp sensor as Ford PSD had some initial problems with them.

We have AAA for wife and to add my truck was very little extra. I think I have towing through my auto insurance also.
That’s extremely true. That’s why it’s a balance here.

If I have some long-term issue, like brakes, that’s on me for not doing repairs before. And usually if it’s screeching or whatever, it can go another day. Not everything must be diy, especially on a road trip.

And I’ve driven across country and north south plenty of times. Interstate exists have stuff. That has websites and reviews. It’s not 1961 anymore. I can even find what I need in a store miles ahead.

Now there are more barren places out west where services are fewer and further between, and there isn’t even cell service. But then if something goes bad, you need the part. A CB radio is the better bet perhaps.
 
Depending on the route and weather I think a jump pack, cordless impact and then heavy jacket and blanket if winter, water and some Kind bars. Maybe a cordless tire inflator or can of Fix-A-Flat.

I have a Pixel 8 phone and Google Fi as carrier. I see messages on the phone that texting via satellite is operational. So if traveling into barren areas with no cell service then maybe look for a phone that can text via satellite.
 
Besides a flat how many people really fix their car on the side of the road when it breaks down?

Even if you had the right tools would you have the needed part?

In my pickup I have a jump pack and a spare serpentine belt and a spare exhaust gas temp sensor as Ford PSD had some initial problems with them.

We have AAA for wife and to add my truck was very little extra. I think I have towing through my auto insurance also.
Yeah, most people can’t fix their cars in a well-lit shop, with all the tools in the world.

So, what chance do they have on a dark night by the side of the road?

But this group isn’t “most people”, is it?

Most of us can fix our cars.

Which brings me to a different point - why carry cheap tools?

If you wouldn’t use cheap tools in your well-lit shop, where you stand a chance of tools breaking, or fasteners rounding, why would you want those tools on the side of the road?

And yes, I have AAA. I’m not always home, and I have a car in Colorado, 2,000 miles from my shop. The tools in it, by the way, include Tekton sockets and good wrenches.
 
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