What recovery gear should I take

You pretty much have it covered , unless you are very unlucky you probably won't need any of it .
You say you are going soon its getting very warm out there ,

Vehicle-wise I think you have it covered.

With the amount of 4WD traffic around these days I don't know if people consider Cameron's corner remote any more, but depending on where you're coming from you might be travelling through remote areas to get there. I note you have a PLB, but you can't talk to a doctor with that. Do you have a comprehensive first aid kit? Have you considered buying or renting a satphone?

Cheers

Tyre Gauge

Common Sense

First Aid Kit

Cheers Kev

Thanks for your quick replies.
I am traveling with the good lady and Mr 14YO.
We are heading off from Melbourne to Lightning Ridge, the onto Trilby Station, White Cliffs and hopefully up to the corner. I agree that it is going to be bloody hot but unfortunately we are dictated by my work and our son's schooling. If it is too hot, we will revise our plans.
Although we are new to 4WD, we have done a lot of camping all around this great country, mainly on the black top
We have a comprehensive first aid kit and I'm pretty competent on using it if needed. We also have a tyre deflator.

Phantom

It looks like you have the basics covered.

Not trying to be smart, but do you know how to use it? If not have a practice before you go.

No point in having the gear and not knowing what to do with it or waiting for someone else to come along.

Cheers

Anthony

Of course you need to bring your recovery gear with you. Why else did you buy it...

A 5w handheld will not have the range that a 5w 'in dash' unit will have!
Either one has stuff all range anyway so the sat phone is a very good idea.

Additional spare tire carcass on the roof rack? You can fit it to a rim when needed.

At the risk of diverging from your question about recovery gear ...

You say you are brand new into 4WD. Have you researched tyre pressures for varying conditions?

Here is what my tyre manufacturer recommend for my BFG All Terrain KO2s for my vehicle (2014 BT50) at the axle loadings I provided in their website form



These are cold pressures. Apart from highway and based on experience, I generally run a bit softer, and at lower speeds, but I find it is a handy guide for when my vehicle is heavily loaded. "Cross country" covers a multitude of sins. Corrugations are different from stony roads, which are different again from smooth dirt which are different from fire trails (not many of those around your destination:-)), etc. I find a bit of interpretation is required.

If you could get something similar from your tyre manufacturer it would be a worthwhile guide - if you haven't already done your research.

You sound like you're preparing yourself well. Enjoy your trip.

I presume you won't be driving all the time.
Therefore, I would make sure i took a large tarp/cover and tent poles. When you stop and it is sunny there will be hardly any shade.

A large cover can be doubled and strung up so an airspace between acts as an insulator from radiant heat and allows some degree of comfort as you enjoy the 40 + temp.
Me no go there when hot.

Please be aware you will void the kilometre warranty on your Cooper tyres if you leave the bitumen.

Bit of canvas or a closed-cell foam mat, as you usually end up kneeling or lying down to work on something.

If you're not in convoy the handheld UHF won't be of much use - can't be relied on.

Water in separate containers. Enough fuel to drive all day - you wont want to be out of the air con for long.
Fly nets. A sense of humour. A shemagh. Been there done that.

Recovery gear is only part of the story....its only smart/sensible/responsible to envisage the worst case scenario (illness - injury - vehicle breakdown - heat wave etc.) and then make sure you have the goods to deal with it !.....that is sparse and inhospitable country out there in the middle of high summer. Most experienced outback travelers wouldn't go 'soon' unless they had heaps of backup water and long distance communications (satphone or HF radio...both can be hired). But of course, Murphy advises that once you have all bases covered, it 'will' be a good trip ;-)....best to keep a close eye on the weather forecast as you say .....Tibooburra has already racked up a few 40C+ days this month...one at 43.9C.

Phantom

Looks like you have it covered.

Cheers

The 14yo will be handy if you need to use the shovel.

If you do pack some inner tubes then you'll need the tools to remove the tyre from the rim and put back on. And know how to use the tools. I have an R & R Bead Breaker which is very user friendly and you can use on alloy rims.

Some tyre repairs may need a bit more than just a plug or three so some good patches for the tyres are very handy and you'll need the tools mentioned above to do that.

You didn't mention shackles you'll need 2 rated ones and also a snatch strap dampener if you don't already have them.

Enjoy your trip.

Dunc.

Gday Phantom
I would be taking "Hero" and "Rex" Hero can tow you out and Rex can keep you company. Diana would be better company than Rex and Guran can do the cooking and cleaning.

I drove a VW Kombi Camper out there 20 years ago ... you'll be fine

Reading how this thread has developed reminded me of the person I met the other day who told me of some of her adventures travelling from Kununurra to Townsville in the early 1970s in a Chevrolet Impala.

Recovery gear? what's that?

Cheers

phantom

Six months ago my wife and I drove out through Bourke, Tibooburra, Cameron Corner and on to the Strzelecki Track to Innamincka in a Hilux 4x4. The roads were so good I am sure I could have taken my daughter's Mitsubishl Mirage hatchback through there without any trouble.

The only thing likely to stop you out there is rain. If that happens the roads will most likely be closed. We had to camp for two days at Bourke until the roads were reopened after rain. When they opened they were slightly damp in some places but still very easy to drive on.

If you do have to drive on roads out there after rain then stay in the centre as much as possible. That is where the hard packed surface is. Do not go onto the edges. During dry periods, thick dust can build up and look very smooth. After rain it turns to thick mud but it can easily look like a nice smooth hard surface that looks much better to drive on than the rougher centre.

I saw what can happen when a car goes too far onto the edge of the road in those conditions while driving in that area a few years ago in a small convoy. The driver thought the smooth edges looked hard so he drove partially onto them to avoid a small puddle hole in the middle of the road. The mud dragged the car in and within seconds it was sitting on its chassis with all four wheels bogged.

We have a simple rule that we always adhere to when travelling on our own i.e don't get stuck. Solo recovery is not much fun and it is not always successful. Get local advice and check the weather reports before you go into the next stage of a trip. If things don't look all that good then we don't go there.

I noticed you have a tyre plug kit. We never carry one but we do have enough equipment to fix some very large holes in both the tread, shoulder and side walls. Read the tyre information in this site. Tyre repairs. .

You never know what is going to happen to tyres in both mountains and deserts so if you are serious about fixing punctures, you need to go a lot further than just a plug kit.

Another point is snatch straps, particularly if you don't have any experience with them. They have killed or seriously injured far too many people. I have been trained to use them in an accredited driver training course but I don't carry one. Have a look through these sites.Snatch straps

I may have missed it in the many answers, but you must have

DUCT TAPE.

Hi Phantom

Not sure what state you live in, but here in South Australia, they have just put out a servere weather warning for the north east pastoral area, with 50 to 100 mil of rain expected and have advised anyone in the area now to head for high ground and prepare of very wet conditions.

Even after the rain has gone, conditions will still be very sticky for a good few days, so my only advise is.......if it's wet, keep out of the area.





Cheers




Stephen

Just a couple of things to consider, snatch straps do you have a tow stap, you will need also a sling to go between both recovery at the front to snatch, chassis have been known to stretch when being pulled violently. You also need a block to go into your slot where hitch fits, to many people have been killed not using one. Your choice of UHF is good, you can in fact purchase an outside aerial for the handheld. You have made a good choice with permanent UHF you may not need it with a properly mounted handheld. Why not utilise you smartphone with a sleeve which will give you a sat phone. Recovery gear should be put vehicle before your wife, that way she will know that you are always thinking of her. As for the Coopers any probs call 1300cooper the people you talk to have already done what you are doing as part of job description. In fifteen years in all deserts dunes in central and Northern Australia I have never had a problem.All your gear is good for start have fun and hope you never use any of you gear.

I have never been out there so don't know what situations you may come across. You have recovery gear and are new to 4wdriving so do you know how to use that gear correctly to try and get out of trouble should it happen or at least give it a reasonable go without panicking or having to solely relying on passing travellers.
Personally I would do as much local 4WDriving with friends or someone with reasonable knowledge that can help teach you and your family how to recover yourself in different situations before venturing into remote areas in summer for you and your families sake especially if traveling solo. Then you all will have more confidence in yourself, your vehicle, it's capabilities and enjoy the trip more just my opinion.