Most common roadside failures:
#1: out of fuel, so either a spare jerry can or a bottle of "Reserve Fuel" or Rescue Fuel
#2: broken serpentine belt, so spare serp belt and a 15mm wrench for the tensioner pulley
#3: dead battery, so jump box
#4: Cracked/split radiator hose so, either a hose repair kit or copious amounts of duct tape (you don't even need water, you can relieve yourself into the radiator to refill
#5: flat tire, so spare+jack+lug wrenches and/or tire repair kit
#6: blown fuses or bad relay, so spare fuses/relays (or know which ones you can borrow from your non-essential systems)
#7: Headlights/taillights/brakes out, so spare bulbs for safe travel at night

OK, you've got the most common failures covered.

Nice-To-Have's:
A: starter fluid (let's you easily/quickly identify a fuel, spark, or timing issue) ... useful for inflating and remounting tires ... can solve some non-start problems temporarily, too
B: spare CPS, Rotoflex + dual wrenches, MAF cleaner, 10mm, and WD40 or Penetrating lube
C: Hose clamps, dual phillips+flatblade screwdriver, vice grips, gloves, and hand-crank flashlight (batteries never dead)
D: quart of ATF (can double as power steering fluid) and quart of 10W40
E: Road flares

Luxuries:
#1: beenie weenies+bottled water for emergency food
#2: tiny fold-up manual push scooter
#3: handheld, self-contained VHF or Ham radio
#4: bug spray, emergency blanket or rain poncho

 

X1 ............... a guy after my own heart. In France all roadside assistance and recovery is inseparable from the vehicle insurance so why get my hands dirty or carry tools.

 

I always work on the math of statistics and probabilities. How many times have I ever broken down?, 3 times in 15 years. Of those breakdowns what needed fixing and could you even diagnose it and fix it with a complete workshop full of tools and a ramp, answer = NO, so IMHO it's pointless carrying tools and parts around to fix a hypothetical vehicular problem that might never happen.

 

I tow another Disco 2 behind me in case I break down. lol

 

Don't carry any tools in my wife's Discovery (longest trip, 400 miles round trip).

Mine, I take everything but the kitchen sink. But, my needs are different. Usually, I'm heading out for some serious 4-wheeling (Ohio or up north)...so, things break....and there is no "road service" available, once off road. Use to have the Silverado hooked to the car trailer/wife on speed dial, as a precautionary measure, but the last trip was spur of the moment...so, I rolled bare naked (500 miles round trip).

Brian.

 

 

Actually considering what would fit in that tool bag is a good exercise, I also carry a breaker bar, way too many sockets, spare bulbs and fluids on long trips.

But my list of stuff keeps creeping up, so looking at minimums helps me consider why do I have this. Does it help remove something that I can actually fix on the trail, or does it just make me feel better.

 

WOW you guys carry a lot of stuff...……………. this is really all you need!