It was too late when i knew i needed....

[the_great_white]

What's a piece of overlanding/camping gear or equipment you wish you would have known you'd need but didn't figure it out until it was too late and you needed it and now you don't leave home without it?

 

[KonzaLander]

A saw.

I hate back tracking. When a tree across the trail/road I was on prevented me from continuing on I bought a Silky Big Boy folding saw. Nowadays if I anticipate several downed trees I'll also pack the battery powered Dewalt chainsaw. In either case, a saw is the piece of gear I wish I had when I didn't have it and never leave home without it. The Silky lives with my spare tire tools.

 

[the_great_white]

Wouldn't this be a better thread for the General Overland Discussion?

I thought that's where I posted it, didn't realize until you just pointed it out. Maybe "they" can move it for me.

 

[MidOH]

Chainsaw, diff lockers, shovel, my darn fins and goggles, 4mm to 10mm sockets and wrenches in all lengths and varieties.

Armored tires, not street tires with fancy tread.

Diff locks again. Front auto locker, rear selectable. Funny how we make this mistake every time we switch vehicles and think "naw, we be ok with regular 4wd for a while".

 

[AllyCat]

Free spin hubs on my front axle. The locker got stuck engaged. Had to drive home through a mountain pass without the ability to turn my steering more than a 1/4 turn. I was white knuckled all the way through the S turns and hairpins.

 

[TCorona]

When ever you plan to meet-up with a group of guys for a campout...
You still need to be self-sustained and equipped for yourself, due to that I find myself always packing heavy. On this trip I asked my Son if he was bringing a camp stove, he said Yes, so I didn't need to pack my multi burner stove.
One of the mornings during our stay I was selected to cook everyone's favorite breakfast burritos... Well, not only did I forget the EGGS , but my Son only brought a small one burner stove that also hampered the whole process.
Lesson learned...

 

[Alanymarce]

We knew that a machete would be good to have (better than a saw because it's more versatile), however chose not to carry one to avoid potential problems at police checkpoints ("Why do you have a machete in downtown São Paulo??").

When we found our route blocked by a fallen tree and took 2-1/2 hours getting past it we decided that a machete would be good to have after all, and that we'd deal with police checks as/when they arose. We've carried a machete since (and have supplemented it with a wire saw).

 

[KonzaLander]

We knew that a machete would be good to have (better than a saw because it's more versatile), however chose not to carry one to avoid potential problems at police checkpoints ("Why do you have a machete in downtown São Paulo??").

When we found our route blocked by a fallen tree and took 2-1/2 hours getting past it we decided that a machete would be good to have after all, and that we'd deal with police checks as/when they arose. We've carried a machete since (and have supplemented it with a wire saw).

Admittedly I have very little first hand experience using a machete. The experience I do have is clearing small saplings and brush with one. I cannot imagine trying to use a machete to clear a downed tree Can you elaborate on the technique you use to clear a typical +8" hardwood tree that has fallen across the road with a machete?

 

[Alanymarce]

Admittedly I have very little first hand experience using a machete. The experience I do have is clearing small saplings and brush with one. I cannot imagine trying to use a machete to clear a downed tree Can you elaborate on the technique you use to clear a typical +8" hardwood tree that has fallen across the road with a machete?

Firstly decide where to attack the tree - is it better to work on the trunk or on the branches - the former takes longer to cut through, the branches may be faster but obviously there will be more of them. Think about where you can create the gap through which you will drive. In terms of actually chopping through the trunk or branches it's the same as using an axe - diagonal cuts to remove the wood. You need to take into account stored energy so that when the last cut is made the trunk and/or branches don't end up springing back and injuring you. Obviously you use safety mask/glasses, gloves, and strong boots.

I guess this may come across as a simplistic answer (I hope not); we've dealt with fallen trees from time to time - with an 8 in hardwood trunk (Congo Rain Forest) it took about 20 minutes to chop through the trunk with a machete. The machete needs to be heavy enough to do the work, and sharp enough to make the cuts. The only occasion I recall on which a machete would not have been up to the task was in Costa Rica when we (and other travellers) were faced with two trees with trunks around 60 cm thick -- it would have taken a very long time to cut through these with a machete, or indeed a handsaw. Fortunately a local arrived with a professional chainsaw and made short work of both.

 

[John and Mandi]

Admittedly I have very little first hand experience using a machete. The experience I do have is clearing small saplings and brush with one. I cannot imagine trying to use a machete to clear a downed tree Can you elaborate on the technique you use to clear a typical +8" hardwood tree that has fallen across the road with a machete?

The Swiss Army knife of Latin America is a machete and a pair of vise-grips.