Minimum gear / accessories required for off-road recovery?

[Andystroh]

I’m sure this is a rabbit hole… but we found someone stuck last weekend and didn’t have any tools ( besides ourselves ) to use to get them out. We also couldn’t find a hard point on the rental vehicle but that’s another topic.

I figure at a minimum I need a tow strap to pull someone out of a ditch or deep sand. What’s the consensus on static vs kinetic?

Do you need something to attach to the hitch it use it to pull from that side? The front has the tow hooks which seem easy.

shackles?

basically if I have a budget of much less than the off-road recovery kit, what should I get? Mostly expecting to pull other people out of ditches or up hills this winter, less likely the rivian. Oh and I have traction boards.

(we got a rental car out of some deep sand but it took like 8 people pushing)

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[Hyro]

I've un-stuck folks a number of times, and this winter ended up towing folks up our icy hill for most of Jan. Getting ready to sell my XTerra rig now that the Rivian is here, so have been going through my old gear to see what stays.

My "keep" set for the Rivian, which I think is also what I'd suggest as a MVP recovery set:
- static strap (this is great to wrap around an a-arm on the stuck vehicle)
- elastic strap (always use this to avoid thrash)
- 1 gator jaw synthetic rope attachment thingy
- 2 shackles
- tow hitch connector for shackle
- (a bunch of other recovery stuff like a folding saw, shovel, maxtrax, etc)

 

[Birdowin]

I have an elastic tow rope. this gives the option to 'get a run' and the rope stretches enough to take up the shock. I bought the Rivian kit and I am very happy with it although I have yet to use it. If you have a Rivian you should not have to push by hand.

 

[Blueassassin]

A winch would be at the top of that list for me. Any of us who have had a vehicle with a winch will probably state the same. Until we get one “come on Rivian!” I have a bag straps shackles snack block.

 

[crashmtb]

rivian’s own kit is well thought out.

kinetic tow strap and some good shackles are all you need though.

 

[johnstuder]

A winch would be at the top of that list for me. Any of us who have had a vehicle with a winch will probably state the same. Until we get one “come on Rivian!” I have a bag straps shackles snack block.

What do you think about using a hitch mounted winch?

 

[Blueassassin]

What do you think about using a hitch mounted winch?

Having it in the front is definitely preferable. Running the large wires all the way to the back though the truck may be a ton of work.

 

[moosehead]

@Andystroh, +1 to a 10k lb+ static strap, shackle, and hitch shackle for basic recovery at nominal cost. A light avalanche shovel also comes in handy for snow. We help a ton of folks during winter, and having this gear onboard makes it easy to ask for help from others if needed.

PSA, you definitely do NOT want to attach a tow strap to a hitch ball as it can snap off and become a metal projectile.

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