It is almost impossible for the solo traveler to carry everything they may need. The limits of space and weight make the task of carrying sufficient spares and tools a bit of a lottery. From my own experience, the thing you most often need is the one you fail to carry.

Here's an expanded list:

Tools: a full mechanics tool box including universal bearing pullers and seal removal tools, electrical kit and keyway, Allen key set is a must. I include a good set of metal bastard files and a set of needle files. Emery paper, whetstone and valve-grinding paste. These will allow you to 'make good' parts that have been damaged beyond normal tolerances. Hammers range from spalling, slug down to fine ball pien. A good long-shafted cold chisel and several finer styles are a must for cutting. Centre pop for knurling and a bearing scraper are tools little used these days, but I remember having to strip an old Chev - 6 to replace a big-end bearing in the bush with only the most basic of tools. A bearing scraper was a must in those days. . . . and a cook-pot for smelting-up the white metal.

Chuck-in a few tyre levers, small wrecking bar, pipe-cutter (small) and bags of Big and little bolts, self-tapping screws; a spare water-pump, assorted rolls of electrical wire; a coil of bell-wire (firing-line). There are a range of cheap tools coming in from China these days. You could also add a set of coil-spring comressors and a number of other handy items that can be aquired very cheaply. You may consider a couple of universal joints as spares. Wheel bearings are best done before you leave.

Chemical list: Bars leak is a good product to carry. It stops leaks in the radiator and the head. Chem-Weld, too is worth a look for emergency repairs.

I carry at least three small packs of 'Fast-set,' Epoxy glue tubes. Selleys make the Epoxy putty that I like. It is worthwhile taking a couple of types.

Red silicon works well on exhaust systems.

Ordinary builders 'No-More-Nails' is a construction adhesive. It is a tough, fast drying, filler - rich glue. Fabulous stuff. Just keep it away from heat or flame. Otherwise it's the 'ants pants' for quick-heavy duty repairs on the fly to broken gear and bodywork. Don't forget the applicator gun . . . I carry at least four cartridges.

Standard contact cement is a good product. Take a couple of tubes because it goes off after opening.

Aero-start is an ether based aerosol spray. It can get you started when your battery is low. Used with both diesel and petrol engines . . . a little squirt goes a long way. Use it via the air intake and do not soak the air filter. Too much can cause over-reving in diesel motors . . . caution.

Notes: Just a word on using gasket sealers . . silicon etc. A single small bead around the centre of a mating surface is often enough. I have seen people use it as an adhesive forgetting about the integrity of the component bolting system. It is a good product but a small amount is far better. Excessive use in the area of intake ports and fuel pumps, etc., causes an excess to enter the fuel/gas/? area. This could cause blockages or excessive wear in chambers or pump ports and valves. I feel it is a good practice to use only enough to seal without squeezing excess into areas where it may become eroded and cause problems with seats / valves etc.

Tyres: Spare tyres are a must for outback driving. Prospectors tend to 'push away' into the scrub a bit more than the average tourist, this results in 'staking' of tyres from small. sharp roots and other rubber stickers. Modern off-road rims and tyres are not particularly user friendly when it comes to pulling them off a rim. Many prospectors use split-rims to make tyre repair easier, but the average 'Joe' must really battle to separate a tyre from a beaded rim. I dare say you can buy un-beaded rims from any number of places, but I don't know where. Beaded rims have a small ridge around them where the bead of the tyre sits. This ridge is behind ( on the inner side) the bead and effectively locks the tyre bead against the outer part of the rim. During tyre fitting you will sometimes hear the tyre pass over this inner bead by a loud pop as they are inflated. The trouble for us prospectors is, getting the bead of the tyre to come back over it so we can remove and fix a damaged tyre off the rim.

Breaking the bead: During earlier days, the process of breaking the bead was hard enough with a well set bead. You could bash the daylights out of it with a hunk of wood for a drift, bit by bit, working your way around a tyre. You can still try that with the aid of a bit of soupy water by driving your truck across the damaged tyre until it comes free, but from my experience, you can completely stuff they tyre in the process. Assuming you break the bead and can remove at least one side of the tyre from the rim, you can patch a hole and insert a spare tube before reassembling it for continued use. These sorts of repair do not tend to last and will need proper repair or replacement as soon as you get to town.

Tyre repairs: on the fly: the use of tubeless tyre plugs is very well known. The problem with these types of repair is that they are unreliable. Most tyres these days use steel belts in their construction and the fine steel wire can be damaged by whatever causes your puncture. Once the steel is broken it is a potential 'shredder' for your tyre. Plugs are used to block the hole and although hard to fit for someone without good, strong. wrists they can get you out of trouble. I know of a few blokes who have tyres that look like hedgehogs after a trip into the bush. This is because there are plugs sticking out all over the place. Yes, these types of repair are good, but a fresh assembled spare tyre, ready for use, is better. I used to carry two and now carry four which is often not enough. Front ends can become misalaigned and scrub tyres out quickly.

FIZZ is an aerosol latex blend that is pressurized to inject and inflate at the same time. They come by many names, but are essentially the same product. These are best used to slow or stop leaks rather than repair punctures. You must use the product and drive straight away to distribute the foam inside the tyre. As I said, best used for slow or suspected slow leaks.

It is a good idea to go to your local tyre dealer and get a couple of spare tubes. . . these can be repaired ones instead of new. But, if you can't break the bead to fit them, they will be of no use anyway.

More bits: Gasket paper is simple and fits flat in the bottom of your spares box. Go to Clark's Rubber and get some sheet rubber for cutting seals. It comes in various thickness and is easily cut with big and small nail scissors. I carry a set of hole punches to start holes for bolts . . . I cut them larger with nail scissors.

I also carry a full set of sockets and ratchets with various bars and extensions. I have AF and metric just in case.

A good range of O-rings from 100mm to 10mm. These are carried against the possibility of helping others as much as saving my own arse.

I tend to retire some aging components into my spares department; for example: I carry a spare idler arm assembly because I have recently replaced it. This is true for other components subject to physical strike damage. A semi-OK component is better than none at all and it will get you into a town or homestead rather than being stuck out bush.

More Stuff: a coil of tie-wire is a good thing to carry. You can get small wire from a local shop for simple use or carry heavy wire for more serious purposes such as under body / chassis repairs. I used to carry a large coil of annealed fencing wire around my RamAir intake, on the roof of my canopy. I don't recommend this of course. Better to put it properly away. Wire is the bushmans friend. You can do a lot with some strong wire and an Irish hitch when out bush. Just having it handy is a comfort.

Essential Spares: As previously mentioned, you can only carry so much in the way of spares.

Radiator hoses or the means to repair or sleeve a damaged section. You can cut a damaged section out of a straight section of hose and insert a short metal sleeve as often as not. This demands a good supply of spare hose clamps. There are section patches to enable spot repairs, but these require a degree of skill and I won't go into them when the price of a spare set of standard hoses is reasonable and far easier to use.

Damage to radiator cores is another area of expertise. With a good soldering iron and solder stock, you can fix busted tubes easily. This is not as simple as bunging in a patch to the core and some chemicals and if it's still leaking, a raw egg or pepper or nutmeg as the need arises. Old age holds some merits in these cases. As long as the water is not dumping as fast as you put it in . . you have a chance of driving, by short stages, for assistance.

This is not a ' How to do it ' guide. I couldn't possibly take-on that responsibility. Having all this gear requires you to know how to use it. But in a bush situation, someone may be able to assist you by the roadside . . if you happen to carry the gear they will need.

Recovery: I carry ropes. Lots of ropes. I also carry a snatch strap, chain and plenty of shackles. I have two hand winches . . . the cheap kind that will pull a tree out of the ground should I need to. I have used them to pull a ton or more on occasion. If I needed to get out of a bog, they would be useless without a good anchor point. Given a strongpoint, I would unload and be prepared to inch myself out of trouble. For this purpose they are adequate. I also have a Bull-bag. This uses exhaust gas to inflate and it will lift a light truck off the ground with ease. I use two old rubber mats to protect it from underbody and ground objects that may damage it when in use. You need to unload to best use them.

I have two axes. One is a cutting axe with a blade you can shave with. The other is a half size firewood and general purpose axe. This is my day to day axe and it is not too sharp. Australian bush timber is more for bashing to bits than cutting. My good axe is mostly useless in the desert country of WA and central Australia. My sledgehammer is a better tool for breaking wood. I have a small 'Bow saw' which works well on hardwood. Some people carry a chainsaw. I would too if firewood depended on it. As it is, I can rope a few trees (Dead trees of course), and drag them back to camp without any need to break them. I rely heavily on firewood and will shift camp rather than go through the grief of cutting or dragging wood too often.

My shovel is the fixed handle 'Jeep' style. It does the job and is small.

That is it, pretty much , for recovery.

Anvil: one of the most useful things I have is a small piece of Trans-Railway line. It allows me to straighten tent pegs and bend metal. With all the potential shapes of a section of heavy-gauge railway line, I can build some very useful things from flat-bar or round stock . . . which I carry. I have a 12v dc drill and with these simple devices I can fabricate brackets. mounts or repairs to components. The anvil is my work bench. Go find yourself a piece.

Any other suggestions? Post them on my forum or email me please.