what first and where from

A winch a waste ? yes and no bigtime , Aquaintance recently bought an ex police 100series that had 9000lb warn fitted , said to him "bit of the good gear in the price" ,,,retort was "its comming off asap , b-----dy useless out here , dont need one , no trees to winch off even if you did get bogged , waste of time,",,,,,,,,,, Yes he took the winch off the vehicle and put it in the shed , since the rain started on boxing day out this way he has needed to be winched out of bogs 3 times , winch is going back on asap.

Think of it as insurance, or a seatbelt. Waste of time, money, unecessary hassle, etc. - until you need it! I never go off-road without the handwinch in the back of the car.

The handwinch is cheaper, not stuck out in the elements when not in use (hence less maintenance required), is easily relocatable to other vehicles (or even the back/towbar of your own vehicle) but is so much hard work you'll exhaust almost all other options before resorting to it!

And the winner is .....Lex.

My previous vehiclem, a GQ was first owned by the NSW State manager of ARB. It had everything, including a welder mounted in the glove box. Would have been better off with room for a pair of gloves, but that is another story.

The great thing about having a vehcile with every conceivable extra, and then some, is that you know what you use and what you don't.

When I bought the GU it had a snorkel, bull bar, driving lights, towbar and dual battery system. None of which is essential for remote travel or even weekiend 4x4 trips. They are nice to have but not essential.

Our first trip into the wild, with the GU, was to view the solar eclipse in Dec 2002. We camped at Monte Colina Bore on the Strz. It is pretty simple country to travel through but I would not go without a compressor. Because it is remote and the odds of having to pump up a tyre are too great.

You can run a fridge without a dual battery, you can get out of a bog without a winch, even without a shovel, it just takes longer. But you will never pump up a tyre by wrapping your lips around a valve stem and blowing.

Duncs

Roflmao , to that list for essentials for Fraser you would have to add a 11-13ft fishing rod and an appreciation for female Swedish backpackers. LOL.

Hi Duncs, I would say a dual battery system is essential if running a fridge, especially if remote travel is on the cards. Very hard to push start a vehicle if you are on sand, and impossible to push start an auto anywhere I believe. We crossed the Simpson in 2003 with a 110lt Waeco and just the start battery, it played on my mind the whole trip.
Regards
Peter

Peter,

If you drive every day, as most people on Fraser seem to do, then you can manage quite well without a second battery.

I managed for years without one.

But you are right push starting a Paj on Fraser island would be an interesting exercise.

Duncs

Hi Craig,
Just asking, wouldn't that be a Rated Bow Shackle Or are they the same, just different shaped?
Bow Shackle
Aren't D Shackles the ones used for attaching the safety chain of your trailer/Camper/ Caravan/Boat to your Tow Bar?
D Shackle
A nice simple list,and as you said Craig, "Go do a driver training course", No point in having the gear if you don't know how to use it and use it safely.

".....are they the same, just different shape?" Correct. Same size, same rating just a different shape. In hindsight a D would be better for joining cables or chain & a Bow shackle for slings & straps.
Cheers Craig..............

Hi Craig,
The reason I ask is that the Snatch kit I purchased 2 year ago, came with 2x 4.7T rated Bow shackles and i've wondered why.
Thanks

Make recovery gear number 1 in my list.....