The Recovery Kit We Actually Use

Every overlander's recovery kit grows over time, usually right after the trip where you didn't have the one thing you needed. Here's what's now permanently mounted or boxed in both our rigs.

The non-negotiables

• Kinetic recovery rope — safer than a snatch strap for most bog and mud recoveries, and it's saved us more than once on the black cotton soil near Amboseli.
• A proper high-lift or bottle jack rated for the rig's weight — soft sand swallows a standard jack fast.
• Traction boards — two per rig, minimum. Cheap insurance against a long walk for help.
• Rated recovery points front and rear — not the factory tow hook, which usually isn't rated for a dynamic pull.
• Tyre repair and plug kit plus a decent 12V compressor — used more often than the rope, honestly.

What we added after Turkana

Lava rock and sharp volcanic gravel are unkind to tyres, so we now carry a second full-size spare between the two rigs rather than just one each, plus a tyre pressure gauge that actually survives the glovebox.

The one rule

Everything in the recovery kit gets checked before every trip — a strap that's frayed or a compressor that's stopped charging is worse than not having it at all, because you won't find out until you need it.