I haven't found any threads talking about this specifically. What items would you carry in a ditch bag for a 4x4 rig while out on the trail? Most of my trips take me 20 to 30 miles or more off pavement and I usually stay out for 5 to 7 days at a time. I have all the gear you'd need to stay out on the trails for many weeks, but what if my rig was destroyed and I'm standing there looking at a burned out rig?

I usually wear either short or long pants that have cargo pockets and I carry a small PSK in an Altoids tin in one of the cargo pockets and I have a pocket knife. I also have a small backpack that I always keep near the driver's seat or in the tent that contains another PSK along with other survival items and I call this backpack my ditch bag.

The two most common scenarios I'm planning against are fire and flood. If I'm crossing a stream and all of a sudden my rig starts to get swept into deeper water, then the worst case is that I escape with just the PSK in my pocket and my pocket knife. Next best case would be that I can grab my ditch bag on the way out. Same goes if I were to have an engine fire or gas tank fire.

One of the main considerations is that a loss of a 4x4 vehicle will obviously occur on a trail and I can walk out following the trail back to pavement - I think that makes my requirements a bit different than many other general purpose kits.

Right now my ditch bag is just a cheap school size backpack and it has a GPS, a PLB, a sat phone, a small solar charger, a nalgene quart bottle of water, an Altoids tin PSK, magnesium fire starter/steel, some tender, first aid kit, signal mirror, MSR water filter, 4 liter dry bag, 1 liter dry bag, lightweight jacket, about 10 snack bars, small fishing kit, maps, compass, 2 rolls survey tape, small roll of duct tape, flashlight, extra batteries, headlight, a couple of emergency blankets, 50' paracord, some 30 gal. trash bags, stainless canteen cup, 6'x9' poly tarp, pocket knife, bug repellent, 2 new Bic lighters, lightweight walking shoes, socks, a hat, handgun and ammo, some cash, a bit of gold (I'm a prospector) and my point and shoot camera.

I don't trail ride in the winter but in late fall or early spring I do throw in a heavy wool sweater.

The shoes are on the list because I often wear sandals while wheeling and would need shoes to walk out to pavement. The camera is on the list because I use the camera on and off all day long - every day - and this is the item that forces me to keep the ditch bag next to me at all times.

My main questions are: What would you carry in the ditch bag that is specific for the 4x4 community and where would you keep the ditch bag while driving - where it can be grabbed quickly in case of a fire or flood?

Looks like you have a well sorted out ditch kit already. The only things I would add would be a Thermarest Neoair pad, a tea/coffee kit, perhaps a Goretex Bivvi Bag and a Bacho Laplander saw (to add larger cut logs to a fire) and some leather work gloves and bug head net, whilst you wait out a rescue or even self rescue.

PLB

Nice kit! I might add some more shelter components (Bivy, heatsheets, rope, blanket/sleeping bag, mattress, etc.), a saw or hatchet, and something to boil along with water, like tea/coffee/hot choc/broth.

I'd also consider the sun and the bugs. Bug juice, netting, sunscreen and/or long pants/sleeves might be a welcome addition while waiting for rescue or self-rescuing.

I have a McMurdo FastFind 210 and it's on the list I posted. A friend of mine recommended that I carry the PLB in my other cargo pocket so I always have the PLB even if I can't get to the ditch bag. I'm leaning towards that advice - just have to figure out how to keep the PLB protected from every day bumps so it isn't damaged.

BTW, Welcome to the forum Nugget. Great post!

Good advice. If it isn't with you, it can't save you.™ The PLB will be fine in a pocket to withstand "every day bumps." It isn't fragile, though also not bomb proof. Want to cushion it, stick it in a neoprene cell-phone pouch.

Well, not to be a smart-a$$, but if you're planning for an engine fire, do you have a fire extinguisher?

Your kit looks pretty good already. Ditto a little better shelter. But 20-3 miles is a very do-able 1-2 day trek with a light pack - assuming decent weather. I'd add a 2nd quart of water and maybe some way to purify more, since it's amazing how fast that can go on a hot day.

I'd worry more about where the kit is located - next to you, but is it strapped down? Ie, if you start rolling, will it end up in wedged under a chair somewhere where you can't get it? If you keep it strapped to your truck bed (roll bar?) can you get to it easily?

Personally, I don't think I'd off-road in sandals, but its your call. Maybe make a habit of wearing pants instead of shorts (or maybe the zip-off pants, and keep the legs in your bag) for a little better protection.

Yes, I have a fire extinguisher. I drive a Jeep Wrangler and they have a pretty high fire potential. It has to do with wheeling in 4Lo for long periods - the transmission overheats and leaks hot tranny fluid onto the catalytic converter. It consumes the entire Jeep in 5 minutes and it's so common that there is currently a push for a recall. I installed a tranny cooler to alleviate the problem, but the potential is still there.



I agree. The best suggestion I've heard so far is to incorporate some snaps into the pack and secure the other half of the snaps to the front passenger floor area. If the Jeep overturns, you still know where to grab the bag from, and it can be yanked from the snaps with a hard pull.

Pretty well set up - gloves might be worth considering and i would switch the pocket knife for a light fixed blade (like a mora) - AFLMs saw suggestion is pretty good as well