You don't need it.

[pitch]

Just got back from a 15 thousand mile trip from NY to Oregon South to California, Yellowstone Utah and Rt.66,ETC
Not a hint of mechanical trouble either truck or trailer.
I carried with me enough stuff to rebuild both. Didn't touch any of it.
I did pull out the compressor to air up a neighbors tire.

Before leaving I put a new serpentine belt on the Ram 1500
4 new 13" d rated tires and 4 new brake and a new house battery.

We didn't need half the dishes the missus figured,

I learned to love the sound of the truck running 3800 rpm pullin like a freight train. Tow Haul did an admirable job in controlling down hill speeds,used the service brakes very little.

Did'nt make a single reservation and never had a problem finding a place. Combination of Commercial RV parks State Parks forest and blm land.

This ain't rocket science. Quit overthinking it, prepare your equipment and have a good time!

[Veebyes]

I don't have a sticks & bricks. Not in the US. There is no option to leave anything behind unless it goes into a dumpster.
The advisability of carrying depends on you style of travel. A weekend warrior does not need much when home is not far away. The vacationer, away from home for only a few weeks & never far from a source for parts or a tool, does not need much either.

The land version of the bluewater sailor needs to be prepared. There are plenty places where there is no cell services if you avoid the interstates & even avoid secondary roads out west or in the mountains. Do a trip to Alaska & there are hundreds of miles with no cell service. Next day delivery does not exist.

The savvy traveller carries things like brake pads, filters, belts, extra fluids, stuff that can be used later if not required when you are 47 miles SSE of Nowhere.

[ZINGERLITE]

I've learned from years of snowmobiling, maintenance at home goes a long way. id rather fix it in my garage or driveway than on the road. fixing stuff at -10 in the dark snowy wilderness makes you rethink life choices lol.

Most of the issues i've ever run into with any sort of toy stem from neglecting to inspect or maintain it before hand.

Tire blow out? due to the 15yr old dry rotted tires i didn't bother to replace.

Wheel bearing blow out? well.... maybe i should have greased the bearing once or twice in the last 10yrs.

most of the common failures are due to laziness before the trip. sure something uncontrollable pops up sometime but chances are you could have done something ahead of time.

[CavemanCharlie]

gbopp wrote:
If you're not going to carry the tools and equipment necessary to rebuild a nuclear submarine or aircraft carrier, there's no point leaving your driveway. 🙂

But, what if you have to rebuild a rocket ? Better bring those tools along too.

[4x4van]

I carry a reasonably equipped toolbox since I usually have toys (ATVs, dirt bikes, PWC), and that includes both standard & metric as well as basic electrical.

As for spare parts; serpentine belt, radiator hoses/clamps, fuel filter, radiator cap, gas cap, a piece of PEX tubing and a few Flair (pex) fittings, replacement bulbs,

Fluids: coolant, oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, steering fluid, WD40 & spray silicone.

[dave54]

The tools I carry are are almost never used on the rig. They get used on the bicycles, the gennies, the grill...

[All_I_could_aff]

I cary a large assortment of tools when I travel far with or without the trailer. I have very rarely needed most of the tools for myself, but I rarely get thru a weekend without using my tools to help another camper who was less prepared.

[Veebyes]

colliehauler wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Soooooo....you mean I don't need to carry that spare trailer axle around with me?

Just one?

Just one. But for a few years I was carrying around a couple brake drums & brake plates as well. Right now I have spare truck brake pads bought for an Alaskan trip recently. No such thing as next day delivery if you are in the wilds of Canada. No such thing as Autozone anywhere within many days driving either.

The carry my own spares boater in me is still very much alive.

[JimK-NY]

Yup, this topic reminds me of the amount of stuff I took when setting out as a full timer. I had a bunch of tools, misc hardware, plenty of heavy dishes, way more clothing than needed. After the stent as a full timer, I cut way back. Each trip I cut back even further. Now for tools, I keep only very basic tools plus a caulk gun. I cut the kitchen stuff way back. Much less clothing. Very few extras and spares for anything. I have gotten rid of hundreds of pounds of stuff. Life is easier without all of that stuff plus I don't pay the cost of toting it around for tens of thousands of miles.

[colliehauler]

Veebyes wrote:
Soooooo....you mean I don't need to carry that spare trailer axle around with me?

Just one?

[Veebyes]

Soooooo....you mean I don't need to carry that spare trailer axle around with me?

[theoldwizard1]

Serpentine belts seem to last FOREVER. I swapped one on my E150 over 10 years ago and threw the old one in the cubby with the jack because it still looked good. Buy quality : OEM, Dayco or Gates.

[jplante4]

There are a few things you need to take. Oh sure, you can buy stuff on the road, but that's why I own 2 basin wrenches and 3 caulking guns.

[gbopp]

If you're not going to carry the tools and equipment necessary to rebuild a nuclear submarine or aircraft carrier, there's no point leaving your driveway. 🙂

[Powertour]

naturist wrote:
The Racing Law probably saved you: the only part that will ever break is the one for which you have no spare. Glad you had a great trip.

Nail ---> Head

Better to have it & not need it, then need it & not have it (especially if the subject involves potentially being stranded in the middle of nowhere or along side an insanely busy interstate somewhere)

[drsteve]

DutchmenSport wrote:
A post made not too long ago, suggested taking an inventory of how your RV is actually built and bring along only the tools necessary to fix any object in your RV.

X2. This is what I do, and everything I need fits into a $8 tool bag I got from Harbor Freight, other than the tire changing stuff (that I have never used).