Most used self extraction gear?

[Ulfthednar]

Besides a winch that is.

Im not new to wandering around in the woods but new to doing it on an atv.

Ive already equipped an axe, tree strap and clevis and am looking for a shovel.

 

whats been your most valuable piece of gear outside of a strap and winch?

[Squily]

max-trax boards

[Dngrs1]

A buddy on another ATV

[Ulfthednar]

So . . hows your buddy feel being used for an extraction tool? 

(gawd I hope people have humor still)

Well, right now I'm pretty much solo venturing.

I've got a pretty good job schedule, but I'm in the woods when most people are working.

I just go . . never sure where, just sure how to find my way back. 

That's why "self extraction" gear.

And, well . . phones and GPS really don't work out there.

Cells used to, if I was up on a ridge, but the last six months or so has seen a SERIOUS degradation in cell signals around here.

Folks don't know what a CB is much anymore and you can't really get range off an ATV chassis.

Not one much for sitting around wishing things were different, theres all kinds of places to go explore and poke around in.

So I go, I ride . . . eventually Im gonna get stuck . . 

 

 

[davefrombc]

The basics you mentioned plus a snatch block if you have a winch,  or a "comealong"  if you don't..  A dedicated GPS works everywhere. They don't rely on cell service.  Not really "extraction gear"  but an accessory socket wired into your ATV, if it didn't come with one already,  and a 12v to  USB adapter and cords to connect you cell or other USB charged accessories.  It's no fun being broke down within range of a cell tower and having you cell battery go flat.  If you don't always leave with a full  gas tank, an extra full gallon can  of  gas might be a good idea too.

[Ulfthednar]

even from home, I can see three cell towers . . I USED to have awesome signal . . . all I had to do was get up even forty miles back in.

Now . . nope. Not just my carrier either. The Big Box phone carrier victims have trouble with their phone services as well.

GPS . . I don't really need. LOST is when you don't know where you are or how you got there.

besides, if you can't call for help your not giving coordinates to anyone any way.

People don't apparently practice orientation skills and no one knows how to triangulate off a CB radio anymore either . . .

Here we have pretty well mapped roads and access points for OHV trails.

 

So self reliance gear  is critical.

[Dngrs1]

Some of you might find this amusing

https://mohavedailynews.com/news/143278/missing-atvers-rescued-twice/

[Ulfthednar]

yeah, really makes one wonder how badly weve de-evolved when a hundred years ago most kids could find their way around . .  barely been more than that and people found their way be dead reckoning.

Seems the more technology people rely on, the less capable they become without it.

 

never mind people walking across continents or tossing wooden ships in the ocean with nothing more than a magnetized needle.

[Mech]

To my mind the chances of a breakdown are more concerning than getting the bike stuck.. Bits of wood found laying around, or a rope, will get bikes out of most predicaments.

Spare gas, some tools, spare spark-plug, some way to fix a flat tyre.. Those would be my priority.

[Ulfthednar]

yup . . those were the first things I added to the bike.

Ive had enough flats in the woods on full sized rigs to know better on that one  . . .

got pretty good at busting tires down by hand and creative ways to set the beads.

I wish I could find the old hot patches. they came on a metal pan you clamped on the tire and lit the pan and it seared the patch on.

Not sure how many people remember those things.

They wouldd be suitable for sidewall gashes

 

sounds like some people might lose their bikes though . . . never mind loosing themselves too . . 

[Mech]

I think most quad wheels these days are tubeless, and you really don't want to be trying to get the tyres off quad rims in the bush any way.. they are bastards.  I've done tractor and truck tyres using hand levers and breaking the beads with hammer and punch, but quads really are the mongrels !

I was thinking a bottle of tyre slime and a pump. Then.. you could just put the slime in there before hand to prevent annoying slow leaks from getting prickles/thorns in the tyres.

[Ulfthednar]

Any wheel/tire can be a pain without the right tools. and unless your in a larger rig . . yeah . . bead breakers don't fit on a quad well.

LMAO . . I was hand mounting a set of Swampers on 16 inch rims one time . . the tire shops in the area refused to touch them.

I slipped and lost my position and got flipped right over the tire . . 

and Ive had split rims blow a tube out from under me too . . I got lucky and just got the wits scared out of me.

Here the biggest worry is going to be jagged rock or the possible spur on a log.

plug kit, CO2 kit and a hand pump at the moment. looking around for a solid but compact compressor.

With a strap cinched around the tired and a quick inflate device one can reset a bead,  but you might have to pee on the tire for lube.

One can improvise a jack out of a lot of things here, I carry a folding saw and sometimes a battery powered sawzall with pruning blades.

Ive taken 18 inch logs apart with it clearing access around my property and fairly quickly too.

surprisingly the "kit" that came with my machine is compact, but covers a lot of bases.

 

[Gwbarm]

Electronic breakdowns always concern me the worse, they work or don't work, and you never know when the latter will happen. Not like the old days remove 2 screws file points and get yourself home.

[Ulfthednar]

Right?

People have become so convinced that tech makes things better it's kinda surreal.

[Mech]

Electronics have improved vehicles, both their performance and their reliability, and electronic gear is really very dependable.

People's dependency on "things" though, is a bit surreal..  It's like nobody can walk a few miles any more.. or find their way if they were willing.

[Ulfthednar]

the issue is not in having the stuff . . it is that way too many people can not function without it.

[Cookie44]

Think about a few things that you might want for your personal use if you do get stuck in the boonies, fire, food  water  shelter. 

[Gwbarm]

I agree with you completely Mech, electronic parts are very reliable now days, it easy to forget all the maintenance that was involved in keeping a points system running, changing points and condenser every year or so depending on how much riding you have done, but it was a cheap fix. It was just something you did like changing oil and filter. Now you can drive for years without electronic problems. It just seems everyone I get has CDI problems, I guess that's when they show up on marketplace. 

[Ulfthednar]

points and condensors weren't an annual thing until they started getting outsourced to shoddy manufacturers . . 

Used to take me about an hour to do a full spectrum tune up on a V8

And reliable enough I reverted two of my older vehicles to points and condensors.

Ive had the same points and condensors in those two vehicles since . . 2014

YEAH it took me a few condensors to find one that were not absolute junk to begin with.

That is due entirely to outsourcing from established quality parts manufacturers

Of course car batteries used to last a decade or more too, until they started getting outsourced.

(something that is no longer made here at all)

 

But forcibly cancelling things that work to force people to buy the new stuff (its called forced obsolescence) then creating an entire marketing spectrum to convince people . .

 

Saying much more than that gets into politics and social programming narratives.

 

[Oldbear]

Used my scoop shovel today

after getting stuck with front & rear tire chains.