4x4 Recovery Gear

Recovery Gear 4x4 Guide

What Is Recovery Gear And What Do I Need?

If you are an off-road enthusiast, you probably know how important recovery gear is. It could help you recover your car if it got stuck in the mud, it can set it back on its wheels if it got flipped over and many more. If you ever get stuck when it's nighttime it's always a good thing to have a good set of lights to illuminate the surrounding terrain.

There is a lot of different 4x4 recovery gear on the market right now and sometimes it can be hard to pick the best one. That's why we took the time to write this article and show what are some of the best recovery gear out there in our humble opinion.

But before we do that, we want to go over different kinds of recovery gear and what each one of them is used for.

Winch

A winch is one of the most, if not the most popular recovery gear options out there. It is a hauling device that has a steel or synthetic rope that winds around a rotating drum thus pulling the vehicle out of a stuck position or even pulling stuck or heavy cargo.

There are different kinds of winches as well. There are winches that can be powered by a battery and they are usually more lightweight and overall, better for smaller and lighter vehicles. There are also hydraulic winches which are stronger in general than electric ones and they are usually used for bigger and heavier trucks. They are also a lot less environmentally friendly.

Recovery Winch Hook & Snatch Straps

A specialized piece of gear called a recovery winch hook is used in off-road recovery to attach a winch cable or snatch strap to a vehicle. It is created to give the winch or snatch strap a stable and reliable attachment point, enabling the vehicle to be hauled out of a stuck position or retrieved.

Vehicles that are stuck in mud or sand can be recovered with the aid of a snatch strap. Snatch straps are made of webbing that can stretch by around 20% when subjected to load. Due to its ability to stretch, the strap can be utilized to store kinetic energy and pull cars out of ditches.

The minimum breaking strength of the strap for a secure recovery is advised to be two to three times the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of the lightest vehicle involved.

Traction Boards

Traction boards are very simple pieces of 4x4 recovery gear. They are usually made out of high-quality plastic and blend-engineered nylon which makes them very lightweight and easy to operate. The way we use them is that you would put a traction board or maybe more of them in front of your tire.

The idea is that the stuck tire would get traction thanks to that board and escape the slippery terrain where your vehicle got stuck. This is a perfect solution if you do not have a winch or anyone that can pull your vehicle out of that situation.

Thanks to their ingenious design and broad functional temperature range, recovery boards make vehicle recovery in sand, mud, or snow quick and easy. Recovery boards provide your tires with a consistent grip in circumstances where there would otherwise be none.

Shovels & Gloves

This is a pretty straightforward one. You should always bring a good and reliable shovel on any overlanding trips. A shovel can be used for so many things on your off-road adventures and one of them would be to simply dig out your stuck vehicle from the snow, mud, or pretty much anything else that could be dug up.

Besides digging up your stuck vehicle a sturdy, foldable shovel can also be used for digging out a firepit, cutting up branches for the said firepit, or to use as leverage if you want to open or lift something up.

Now gloves are there for a different purpose. They give you that extra grip that you may lack when trying to recover your vehicle and can also protect your hands from getting scratched up when working on that said vehicle. You should take good care of yourself when you are not close to any hospitals that could heal your wounds.

While utilizing wire or synthetic winch ropes, recovery gloves ensure safe and controlled winching. While their blend of synthetic leather and spandex lines maximizes comfort and dexterity, their durable materials and cushioning protect your hands from winch rope burns and cable spikes.

Off-Grid Power Source

Having an additional power supply is a must when going on any overlanding trip. Besides needing to power all of your electronic devices that could be used for navigation or simply entertainment, a reliable and possibly renewable power source could also be used to replenish your car's battery.

Now a good thing to use would be a simple portable batter or even a generator or you can even choose some solar panel kits which you can mount on your vehicle and have them power up anything you plug into it while you are driving around the country or simply relaxing.

One of the best options for an off-grid power source would be a portable, foldable solar panel since you could always find a bit of sunshine that you can use to power all the necessary devices that you have with you.

Lights

A good set of lights is another thing that you should consider getting if you haven't already. They can illuminate the road when driving at night so you don't accidentally go off course, they can be used to light up the surrounding area in which your vehicle got stuck so that you could see what's happening or you can even use them if you ever need to repair your car.

They are very simple pieces of 4x4 recovery gear and oftentimes very inexpensive, yet they are a very crucial component of every off-road vehicle. They come in different shapes and sizes and of course strengths depending on your needs.

Best Recovery Winch Options

Runva 11 XP Recovery Winch

This is an electric winch that needs 12 V in order to power it. With a rated line pull of 11,000 lbs, this winch can come with either a steel or a synthetic cable. Keep in mind that the steel cable would be heavier and would add more additional weight than the synthetic rope one. This 4x4 winch has been tested in some of the harshest terrains and environments that Australia has to offer to ensure its durability and effectiveness.

It can recover your vehicle from snow, water, mud, or pretty much anything else. It has a 6.7 HP motor with a full steel 3-stage planetary gear train. It also features an automatic ratchet brake, so you don't need to worry about your vehicle or cargo slipping. It is one of the lightest 4x4 winches on the market as it weighs only 30 kg! The steel cable model weighs 47,5 kg.

The body of this electric winch is made of durable, rugged, high-quality materials which are virtually impossible to destroy and are resistant to any outside elements thanks to the black powder coat finish. The powder coat finish prevents it from chipping, scratching or even eroding in muddy environments. It is also resistant to other damaging elements and can withstand extreme heat, or cold.

Another cool thing about it is that you can use this winch almost completely remotely. That's right, it comes with a 3.7m long, heavy-duty, handheld, and even wireless IP67-rated remote controller. That means that you don't even have to get out of your vehicle in order to use it. Well, you would have to get out to attach the winch hook but after that, you can get right back in or even use the remote controller from outside the vehicle.

This is one of the best electric winches on the market in our opinion and it would be a great addition to your next overlanding trip. It even comes with a 5-year warranty! Feel free to check it out.

Runva Recovery Hook

This is another piece of 4x4 recovery gear that you can use to mount on your winch rope. It is a heavy-duty, reliable, recovery hook which can withstand a lot of pressure. This hook would be a great addition to any winch rope out there and is virtually unbreakable.

You can attach this hook to any vehicle out there that needs recovery. You can also use it to wrap around trees and pull your vehicle when it gets stuck in the mud, snow, water, or even on some rocks. It is red powder coated to prevent any chipping, scratches, or even erosion in muddy terrains.

This 4x4 recovery hook has been tested in some of the most challenging terrains and harshest environments to ensure its durability and effectiveness. It comes in two different sizes, 3.2T which is the smaller version but regardless very strong, and also the 5T which is the larger and even stringer recovery hook.

It is small and light and can fit pretty much anywhere in your vehicle without needing a lot of space and that's why there's no doubt that this will be a great addition to your next off-road adventure.

Ultra Vision LED Light For Recovery

Another piece of 4x4 recovery gear that we want to talk about is the Nitro Maxx Ultra Vision LED light bar. Every off-road vehicle needs some kind of illumination when driving at night. Some can be mounted on your roof rack, some on the hood of your car, and in this case on your bullbar.

This LED light bar was designed and manufactured in Australia and was also tested in some of the harshest environments to ensure its durability. Now, this light bar is not a budget-friendly one. However, it is one of the better ones on the market right now.

It features a unique Widr® Optic reflector that delivers increased light output thus achieving amazing long-distance spread. It is a 24" LED light bar that is available with either the Hi-Beam function that utilizes all the LEDs in the bar using 5700k temperature LEDs or the Lo-Beam function that uses only spread optics with warmer 4000k LEDs.

The Hi-Beam one is designed for open road driving whereas the Lo-Beam is designed to reduce the glare on road signs and in fog. Another amazing feature of this light bar is the wiring harness and anti-theft nuts that come alongside it. Both side and base mounts are available, and this Nitro Maxx LED light bar comes with a 5-year warranty!

Off-Grid Solar Panel

As we already know, a good, reliable, and sustainable power source is one of the essentials for any overlanding trip. It can power all of your electronic devices and can even charge up your car battery. With that said let's have a closer look at this BOAB 120W folding solar kit and see what makes it so great.

First of all, this is a lightweight, foldable solar panel kit that weighs only 9.5 kg. It is designed for camping, 4WD, and even marine use. The frame of this portable solar panel kit has a matte back frame that is constructed from durable, high-quality monocrystalline solar cells which provide optimal performance and solar harvest.

It has been tested in various harsh weather conditions to ensure its durability. This BOAB solar kit is dust and all-around weather resistant meaning it can withstand pretty much anything you put it through. It is sustainable for 12V applications which are perfect to charge some of your smaller electronic devices that you can use either for navigation or even entertainment.

It has a 10A solar charge controller, 5M lead terminated to 50A heavy-duty connector, and when not in use you can store it away in a carry bag that it comes with. This is one of the best solar kits out there and there is no doubt that it will make your next overlanding adventure a whole lot more fun.

4x4 Recovery Gear FAQS

What is an essential 4x4 recovery gear?

Some of the most popular and you could also say most essential pieces of 4x4 recovery gear is the 4WD Winch. It can help recover your or your friend's vehicle if it ever gets stuck or flipped over.

What is the best recovery gear for 4WD?

Every overlanding vehicle should have a decent winch, at least one light bar, a few tractions boards, and some handheld tools such as axes and shovels.

What 4x4 recovery gear do I need?

One of the most essential pieces of 4x4 recovery gear is a winch and if you do not have it already you should think about acquiring it. Alongside that winch, you would also need a sturdy and reliable recovery hook and some snatch straps. It is also always a good thing to have a few traction boards with you in case you cannot winch yourself out. And there are a couple more things such as a good light bar for illuminating the road at night as well as a durable shovel.