Off-roading is a lot of things—wild, thrilling, adventurous. But it’s also unpredictable. You never know what the trails are going to throw your way, so your best bet is to prepare for as many scenarios as possible.
Packing your off-road essentials gear can be tricky, though. There’s a fine line between being prepared and packing way too much. How can you know what to ditch and what to keep in your side-by-side at all times?
The bottom line: you can’t know for sure. But we’re doing our best to help you travel lightly and be ready in case of any type of emergency.
Keep reading for some ideas on what to take on your next UTV trip!
Your axle doesn’t care how far from the garage you are. If it’s reached the end of its life, it won’t hesitate to give out and leave you stranded. So whether you’re heading out for a quick midweek cruise or making a whole weekend of it, it’s important to keep the right tools on hand. You never know when you’ll need to make some emergency repairs!
It would be nice if you could travel with the entire contents of your garage but due to the spatial limitations of your UTV, that’s just not realistic. Here are some basic tools that we recommend keeping in your ride at all time.
If you’re a seasoned rider, you probably know by now (maybe even from experience) that a basic set of tools doesn’t always cut it. When you’re broken down in the woods and need to rig up some quick repairs to make it back to the garage, sometimes nothing does it quite like a good, old-fashioned roll of duct tape.
Here are some other things to consider adding to your list of UTV must-haves.
You can have all the tools in the world at your disposal, but they won’t do you much good if you don’t have the right replacement parts. If you ride a lot, chances are you’re going to have a part crap out on you at some point. We’re not fortune tellers though, so it’s hard to tell which part exactly that will be.
Cover all of your bases by keeping some (or all!) of these spare parts on hand, especially on long or particularly rough rides.
When you’re making a list of what to take on a UTV trip, don’t forget about maintenance for yourself, too. You’ll need protective clothing to keep yourself safe and comfortable, a few personal items to get you through the day, and some way to navigate in case things veer off course.
Here are some items that we recommend keeping on hand any time you hit the trails.
Most of the items we’ve talked about should stay in your UTV at all times, whether you plan on riding for one hour or five. But if you’re heading out for an overnight ride, you’ll need a few more things to stay safe and comfortable.
Take a look at this list of essentials for your next overnight UTV trip.
Camping with an ATV or UTV might mean traveling more lightly than on a typical camping trip, but it’s totally doable and can make for a really fun adventure.
If there’s any piece of advice you take away from this article, let it be this: never ride empty handed. The one time you set out without a cell phone, spare tire, or bottle of water will surely be the one time you actually need that item. (That’s a fact. It’s Murphy’s law.)
Once you’ve got your UTV must-haves packed, all that’s left to do is grab a buddy and hit the trails!
Did we leave any off-road essentials off of this list? If there are any other items you make sure to keep in your machine at all times, let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to check out our collection of cargo boxes if you need somewhere to keep your gear dry, secure, and organized.
