Essential Tools To Have In A Trail Recovery Bag

You never know what you might run in to or could happen out on the trail, so it’s nice to be prepared. Here are a few key items you want to make sure to have in your recovery bag the next time you head out.

First up is a good, heavy-duty tow strap in case your winch cable isn’t long enough or you need to help out a friend. Next is a snatch block. This one is important because if you run your cable through this, back to your winch it’ll increase the pulling force of your winch.

You’ll also want a winch cable dampener. It’s designed so when you put weight inside and lay it over your winch cable, that if something happens, it’ll drive the cable down into the ground.

A tree-saver strap comes in handy when trying to protect the trails we all love to ride! It’s designed to go around the trunk of the tree so you don’t have to wrap the actual cable.

A D-ring style clasp that will come in handy when you want to hook up your snatch block to your tree-saver or use your tow strap.

If you don’t have a winch on your vehicle but are looking for something to help get rigs unstuck, traction mats are good to have on hand. You simply slide them under the wheels that are spinning.

When it comes to winches, there are several options. First, you can choose between synthetic rope and tape. Rope is typically stronger under the right conditions and doesn’t store tension which lessens the danger of snapping. Cable is most durable but needs to be used with extra precaution. Roller fairleads move in all 4 directions to reduce chaffing on your cable, especially with severe angles and heavy loads. Basic Hawse fairleads can be used with rope and are the best option for the occasional user.