What do you carry in your 4R all the time and why?

Knife+flint stick/magnesium
Some sheaths will have spot for the stick

2 birds, 1 fire?

 

You need a compass. For getting out of the woods in the dark.

 

I have a BIC lighter, striker, tinder, alcohol gel, and hurricane matches in the first-aid kit. Just adding a Gore-Tex jacket and some chest wound bandages (both vented and non-vented) as well as (and, THIS IS IMPORTANT) a selection of condiment packets, especially hot sauces!!!

 

One thing that is missing from this list is condoms. You never know....

 

My camera

 

Back in my single days haha.

 

In the Army, we used them to keep water out of the muzzle. Just sayin.......

 

Or Buns out of the oven……

 

Most knife-making supply shops have fire rods/strikers for sale. I bought a bunch, put handles on them and made a fire kit for all my biologists when I was a Federal supervisor. An inexpensive ($3) Cabelas utility knife (multi-tool), a match container made from a film canister with cut-down strike-anywhere matches, some birthday candles and some tinder, all in a re-painted Altoids box. Great Christmas present for field biologists. Most field biologists also hunt and/or fly fish!

 

On a cross country trip from Zambia to Congo and back.
Two spare tyres, spare ball joints, spare alternator, power steering belts & timing belt.
Two jacks, raw water, coolant, brake fluid & a small bottle of engine oil.

 

A roll of stainless mechanics tie wire.

 

H2O, Mixed Nuts, $, First Aid, Baby Wipes, Knife, Bic, Blankets, Cooler, Recovery Gear, GB40, & Shades (because that's how I roll).

 

Not everything I carry, just a little package of goodies for the glovebox.

 

Glock in the console steel safe

 

For work, I travel frequently to very remote areas, where the need for some item would require almost an entire day to get back out to civilization to get it, and then return. In anticipation of that, I like having almost everything I need in the 4Runner so I can just take care of things as they arise. Probably a LOT of overkill, here, but I keep the following:

Attached to Rear Window Molle Panels:
- Hatchet (Hardcore Hammer - great tool!) with a hammer butt-end
- Shovel (breaks down and stores in a bag)
- First Aid Kit and CPR Mouth Guard
- Bear Spray
- Tire Repair Kit
- Jump Starter Module
- Utility Gloves
- Survival Bag with Flint/Steel fire starter + a bag of coated fire-tinder, Gerber Tool, folding eating utensils

In the rear, rolled up against the bottom of the rear seat and secured by velcro straps:
- Roll of 6mil sheet plastic. This can be a tarp or a tent. Pretty large when unrolled and stores nicely.
- Raincoat, folded/rolled
- "bathroom kit" bag with a roll of TP, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, extra underwear (really!) (plastic bags (this hangs from back-of-seat hooks)
- I alternate between a "Cold Weather Bag" and a "Warm Weather Bag" depending on season (also hangs from back-of-seat hook on the other side). Cold: Extra gloves, Knit Cap, Balaclava, Ear muffs, Hand warmer (disposable AND a Zippo rechargeable one), Scarf, shoe cleats and shoe covers. Warm: Bug Spray, "Cold Wipes", Sunscreen, Paper towels, Hand Towel, Wasp & Hornet Spray, Snake Bite Kit

Under the back seat (all these items are flat enough to fit in small niches under the seat):
- Bag of tools: metric socket/ratchet/extensions, screwdriver w/ multi tips, Allen key set
- Set of pliers and vice-grips of various sized (also in a zipper bag)
- AA batteries in a case
- Umbrella
- Small Machete
- Bag containing my windshield sun blocking panel (folded)

Attached to Molle Panels under the front of the front seats (Desert Does It Seat Jacker + front seatMolle panels):
- Small bag with a couple of folding knives
- Fire Extinguisher
- Large re-chargeable flashlight (Olight)
- Smaller re-chargeable flashlight (Olight) that magnetically sticks to the vehicle for hands-free use

In Seat-Gap pockets between front seats and console:
- Leatherman tool
- Extra Cell-phone battery bank (magnetic)
- Cell-phone power cell charging bank (USB)
- Extra pair of reader glasses

Under the driver's/passenger front seats (again, facilitated because of the seat-jackers. I get extra room here):
- "Tire Thumper" stick
- Extra Ratchet tie-down straps
- A small case with additional tools, i.e. screwdrivers, wrenches, duct tape, electrical tape, tie wraps, etc)

In the compartment with my jack:
- Extra Ratchet strap tie-downs
- Conventional Jumper cables
- Folding "T" tire-lug wrench
- Funnel
- Locking Wheel Lug Key

In the glove box / console storage:
- Binoculars
- Compass
- Fuses
- Swiss Army knife
- Smaller first aid kit (bandaids, aspirin, ointment, gauze & tape, etc)
- Lotion

I've tried to maximize the storage capacity by taking advantage of all the gimmicks, Molle-panels, Seat jackers, etc... I also typically carry a tire-inflation pump, but it's not stored out-of-sight... I may break down and get the under-hood permanently mounted one down the road to remedy that situation. Aside from that pump and a Jackery solar-generator I sometimes carry, I still have every seat and floorboard space available, the entire cargo-area available for temporary cargo (I carry a large amount of music equipment on weekends back there).

I also purposely avoided "back-of-the-front-seat" Molle panels, because I wanted to still be able to fold down the rear seats to increase cargo area, without having to remove the panels or the items attached to it. If you never need to use the larger cargo space, this is another great idea for improved storage. I tried to make all my "extra" storage solutions non-intrusive on existing space.

I also have two Plano Rifle Cases packed with recovery gear (pull straps, tow-rope, soft shackles, etc) and other emergency items (flares, a tarp, tools, bolt-cutters, poncho, small tent, emergency food, etc) on the roof-rack. These cases CAN fit nicely cross-wise in the cargo area, as well, if I choose not to put them on top. I tend to only use these cases when I know I'm going to be in the woods and visiting remote sites for a few days. Takes me 10 mins or so to get them on the roof rack and tied down.

 

Very impressive. May i ask what you do for work that you have taken such precautions for?

 

I visit cell tower sites and other mountain-top broadcast tower sites. Some can get fairly remote, and sometimes I have to go in the middle of the night, or stay there overnight.

 

That has to be in the top end of very cool jobs. Thank you

 

Only two items not noted: gun or non-perishable food?

 

Don't carry a gun because I cross state lines. Also live in Maryland, which only recently started making it feasible to get a carry-license at home - which I'm working on as we speak.

As far as non-perishable food, I have a "survival" backpack filled with water pouches, C-Rats type food pouches, folding fishing rod & reel, thermal sleeping bag, etc. I generally grab that and toss in the back when I do the trips where I could be up there overnight... but I also always bring a bag of snacks that I just keep on the passenger seat with me... cereal bars, pop tarts, jerky, fruit, etc. I could survive over a week on that bag alone! LoL. I also keep a water bottle in my cup holder and extra bottles in my snack bag (Hotel Diamond member gets me several free bottles of water everytime I stay).

And I've been lucky in my adulthood with cool jobs. 22 years on Submarines during the Cold War, several very cool classified projects since retiring in 2002, and for the past 8 years or so, this one.

 

have to say in my 74 years you Sir are the most put together person i have experienced. Best to you

 

$20 Zippo Lighter Inserts

https://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Butane...nsert+for+zippo+lighter&qid=1669682255&sr=8-3
I have several of these. One In my hunting pack, one in my pickup and one at home. I've had them for prolly 3+ years and never had a problem with leaking or any sort of functionality problems. All 3 have been 100% reliable.

 

I keep a plasma arc version in my fire kit. I've noticed that butane doesn't do so well in very cold conditions. The colder it gets, the lower the pressure in the lighter drops. Other than that, the butane version is a good emergency lighter.

Of course, I also carry strike-anywhere matches, both plain, and dipped in paraffin, similar to lifeboat matches. A lot cheaper to make, though All in a sealed match carrier. Just be careful that you don't get them too warm, or the paraffin melts all over everything.

Last resort, I carry a block of magnesium, with a flint bar down one side. Shave a little off into you tinder, and hit it with sparks from the flint and a decent knife. Works like a dream. Couple it with an egg carton section, one of the units where the egg sits, filled with sawdust, and soaked in liquid paraffin. Add a wick, and they make great candles, as well as fire starters. Work warm or cold, wet or dry. Cheap, and very easy to make.

Have fun!
Pat☺

 

Interested in a breakdown of what you have here

 

It isn’t much of anything great, just some odds and ends for basic needs.

-Gerber Paralite
-Olight i3t
-Gerber Dime
-2 notebooks
-2 permanent markers, pen and pencil
-whatever cables came with 4Runner (phone/electronic cables)
-2 spare batteries

In the truck is also a basic toolkit, the Toyota first aid kit, my basic built first aid kit, cpr mask, tourniquet, bunch of antiseptic wipes, pocket knife/glass breaker, expandable baton, a couple spare loaded magazines and the small Toyota straps that are intended for the cooler that came with truck.

 

I have iodine crystals for water purification, also. Saved my "guts" in Guatemala when I absentmindedly rinsed my mouth in the shower. Drank a couple of water bottles and I just had a little upset the next day. The only time I got "beaver fever" was when I drank from a stream in the backcountry near Big Bear, CA.

 

AMEN, I also carry TP

 

I also carry tp, I go hiking almost every week/ year round in shawnee national forest, plus out of state Don't always have service/ signal, so AAA isn't always an option. If I ever get stranded in my car on the back roads in the woods, I'll be set, better than using leaves, nature calls anywhere, anytime. ⁰

 

I carry winch straps, tools and paper towels. Carry them just in case I get stuck or rescuing others.

 

Loving that setup, looks good