What do you recommend...?

[nottheactress]

I'll be setting off in a month on my 3000km trek up to the Yukon (and hopefully doing lots of crazy middle-of-no-where driving once I'm there) and am wondering about putting together a bit of an emergency tool kit to have in the car just in case. I have a tire pressure gauge, and will definitely get a jerry can and a second spare (I once spent 46 hours on the side of the Gibb River road in Australia because I didn't have one--really don't want to do that again!). But what else? Considering how very, very little I know about cars, I'm not really sure what would be of use to me. Still, having a few things for some kindly stranger to use...? Any thoughts are appreciated!

[keith]

Normally I'd say a cell phone should be at the top of the list, but that may not work for you, but do take one anyway along with a car charger and maybe even one of those charger adapters that use 4 AA batteries. The reason for this is that rescue crews can still locate a cell phone even when its out of range of a cell tower. Also be sure that someone knows your intended route and you check in with them pretty often. You probably know all that though, you sound like an experienced traveller.

A tire repair kit would be next, and a good one with T-handles. A battery powered pump is also a good bet. A small one will do, but you should have a new one, they wear out pretty fast so I wouldn't trust an old one.

I have seen this epoxy putty being advertised lately. I don't know if it works, but if it does, it would be great to have some to plug a hole in the oil pan, gas tank or fuel line. If not that, at least have a bar of soap. Bar soap will actually plug small holes in gas tanks and fuel lines and may work on oil pans as well. Plus you need soap anyway. Duct tape, a roll of steel wire, a couple quarts of oil and a gallon or two of distilled water, water for both yourself and the cooling system. A couple of feet of gas line and vacuum hose won't take up too much room and can be tucked away somewhere. All coolant hoses and belts should be changed before the trip if they are more than 4 years old.

A 6 in 1 screwdriver, maybe two of them, a small ratchet set (3/8 drive) and wrenches 8, 10 12,14,17,and 19, a pair of channel lock pliers and a good vise grip plier ought to be enough.

[ARCHINSTL]

keith has a good list.
To which I would add (don't take offense if you've thought of this shtuff already):
Garbage bags - big baggies - toilet paper - paper towel - qt. windshield washer fluid - matches/lighter - 12" zip ties - blanket - couple pairs of vinyl/latex gloves - hand cleaner - gallon of water - flare(s) - noisemakers (for bears?).
Tom M.

[Neu]

keith has a good list.
To which I would add (don't take offense if you've thought of this shtuff already):
Garbage bags - big baggies - toilet paper - paper towel - qt. windshield washer fluid - matches/lighter - 12" zip ties - blanket - couple pairs of vinyl/latex gloves - hand cleaner - gallon of water - flare(s) - noisemakers (for bears?).
Tom M.

my muffler is actually held up with zip ties right now..

[takza]

my muffler is actually held up with zip ties right now..

Last one I put on my car is held on there with coat hanger wire...easy to work with and free.

[Mattel]

I just watched the film "into the wild" so I would recommend a map and best to have no cassettes of Eddy Vedder solo stuff

P.S. I cut out 6x8" piece of the inner trunk lining on the RHS behind the fuel filler cap (opposite the hatch where the Jack lives) as another parts and tools stash spot. You can fit heaps of gear down there. I keep my old fan belts just in case one snaps.

Also... a set of carbon brushes for the Alternator? (could someone verify this is the correcto mundo name?) this is a cheap repair if your Alt goes cactus.

Gibb River road... in a Terc? do tell!

Good Luck!.. take some shots for us!

[Neu]

my muffler is actually held up with zip ties right now..

Last one I put on my car is held on there with coat hanger wire...easy to work with and free.

haha, it finally actually fell off. It started really hanging on the ground, so i twisted it off. sounds good, very little bad sound. I'll keep it this way.

[nottheactress]

Thanks for the suggestions; it's good to have input from so many brains when you're travelling alone. The bar of soap is actually one that I definitely wouldn't have thought of--I tend to use liquid camping soap.

As Tercel-ownership is a relatively new thing in my life, my Gibb River Road experience was actually in an '85 Subaru wagon--which, although a bit bigger than a Terc, is still a pretty damn small vehicle for that road. We made it across the Penecost River okay but by mid-afternoon, my friend and I had gotten matching his-and-hers flat tires (the first while I was driving, the second with him behind the wheel) and we were stuck on the side of the road. I ended up spending 46 hours--including two nights--by myself while James hitched back and forth with the tires. Part of the reason it took so long is that the station he hitched to to get the tires fixed had never seen a vehicle with such small tires on the Road, and had to send back to Kununurra for new ones. It was actually sufficiently lonely (it didn't help that I ran out of things to read) that on the second morning, I was really happy when a tour group got a flat just down the road from me because it meant that finally there were people to talk to! I think you *could* drive the Gibb River Road in a Terc--provided that you went in the dry season, when the water level in the Penecost River would be low enough (we tied a tarp over the front of the car just in case). It's really just a gravel road with a big reputation. In a year of driving around Oz in that wagon, we found the only road condition our Subaru couldn't handle was deep sandy ruts.

I have photos of the flats, and my lonely view, posted on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlledefarge/page5/

BUT BEFORE ANYONE STARTS LECTURING ME: I will definitely be better prepared for this trip. It was my friend's travel style to head off in a rather spontaneous manner, and I found it exciting and romantic to go along with that. But now that I'm a single girl who will be travelling alone, I am definitely embracing a more planned and organized style--which is why I started this thread in the first place. So, in the Aussie, style: No worries, mate.

[keith]

Lecture you? I miss traveling, I envy you.

[ARCHINSTL]

Wow!
Thanks for the link - I visited all of your photos.
I admire your sense of adventure. Your explorations remind me of my late Mother (1903-98), who would have been your kindred spirit. She had many adventures in the USA during the '20s and '30s and did many atypical things for her era, including hopping freight cars, riding motorcycles, and having a pilot's license (she met Amelia Earhart!). She did not marry until age 37, which was again atypical for the times - "I wanted to see and do things and I couldn't do them if I was married!"
Alas, her son inherited her husband's lack of adventure...
Tom M.

P.S. Obviously you will keep a photo journal with the Terc? You do take great photos!

[nottheactress]

I'm glad that you enjoyed my photos. I will definitely take lots over the coming months (I even took a couple of my Terc today, and put them up in the Gallery).

Your mother sounds amazing; I think in this day and age it's still a rare thing for a woman to really be that adventurous. I find that as I'm getting ready for my first major solo trip, I'm really having to face the fact that in this day and age, women are subliminally (and not so subliminally) trained to be afraid of the 'big bad world.' There's a real climate of fear and sadness in British Columbia right now because of all the missing women from the downtown Eastside in Vancouver and from Hwy 16 (known as "The Highway of Tears"), and even though I'm not disadvantaged or high-risk, as so many of those unfortunate women are, that kind of attitude and public exposure does rub off on you. It's the same thing, really, as Australians asking "Haven't you seen 'Wolf Creek'?", referencing a movie based on a real case of murdered backpackers. And then there's all the Law & Orders and a CSIs and all sorts of television violence against women, emphasizing how "weak" and "vulnerable" we are. It's a hard thing to fight against in your own mind. I'm definitely going to be nervous when driving along that "Highway of Tears" next month, even though I don't really fall into a 'high risk' category (many of the missing women in BC were had drug problems and were prostitutes [issues which could also get me ranting!]).

But advice from this forum, and hearing about women like your mother is a big help--it's the right attitude to adventure. Sorry to get rather off topic here; it's an issue that has long bothered me and it makes me feel good that responses here have been so positive. Thanks!

[Petros]

It sounds like a fun adventure. I would bring a set of metric sockets and driver, combination wrenches, pliers, wire cutters, and a pocket knife, battery jumper cables, roll of electrical tape, roll of duct tape, roll of tie wire. Bring extra water jug, motor oil. Even if you are not sure what to do with them, by having them with you, if someone comes to help you at least you will have them.

Without knowing the age and condition of the various components it is difficult to suggest what kind of extra parts you might need. Presuming your car is in good mechanical shape the most likely thing you will need is to fix tires, bent rims, etc. You already have the spare tires, make sure you have a good jack (useful for getting unstuck by raising the car and put rock or wood under the tires), and a lug wrench. A can of "flat-fix" (tire goop) and a hand pump is helpful sometimes. You also might bring a "come-along" type hand winch and a good tow strap so you can get pulled out if necessary.

It might be a good idea to get a whole spare distributor, with cap, rotor and spark plug wires. If anything in the ignition system fails it is fairly easy to swap out the whole distributor. Used distributors are inexpensive, new cap and wires are inexpensive too (put the new ones on your car and carry the used ones as spares. Though these items rarely fail, I have had the cap and various spark plug wires go bad. Have your cooling system check out before you go, put all new radiator and heater hoses in with new hose clamps if any of them are questionable. Put in new fan belts and bring the old ones as a spare. Bring several cans of radiator stop-leak in case you puncture the rad, it will get you going again until it can be fixed.

Good luck.

[kamiphloj]

Ah, a Clarissa Pinkola Estes Wild Woman.Good!!!
You have my respect.I highly recomend a 10mm combination wrench,a 12mm combination wrench,and a 10/12 mm box end wrench.A combination screwdriver.
Please consider every extra pound you are carrying is a pound that is working against your Terc.The springs aren't real strong.
Fanbelt is good,they ride inside the spare well.
A small fire extinguisher size bear spray is recomendable.It works on rude people who don't have guns,also.(REI sells it) Though Canadian Customs may not allow it.I had a little problem at the junction of the Nowitna and Yukon once.My former spouse was chomped by a bear.(It worked out OK) but a little bottle of Betadyne is good.
A good LED headlamp.(For you,not the car!)
A little military shovel has gotten me unstuck before.
My brother drove to Alaska.His advice was the road seems to invite you to go too fast till a great hole appears in it,frost damage.One thing that a Terc is not good at is hitting obstuctions,like a hole in the road.Be gentle,and patient.
If you don't break it,you may not have to fix it.
Maybe prep for the trip with new belts and hoses if it is in your means.Also,depending on how many miles are on your timing belt,it may be important.If it has less tha 60,000 0n it or so,don't worry,but much more,it could matter.If it breaks,you have a problem.
And only use your 4wd when the wheels can spln a little.
Bon Voyage!! Keep us posted,please.Bob