One of my greatest fears about overland travel in my ’97 Land Rover Discovery is the inevitable breakdowns that are sure to happen from time to time. In order to manage this fear, I have a fairly extensive kit of spares that I keep in a tote strapped to the roof whenever we head out on an adventure. Since not everyone drives an aging Land Rover, I have divided my list up into general items that everyone should have and then Discovery specific parts, which should also mostly apply to Defenders and Range Rover Classics as well. This list has grown over the last 8 years of offroad experience and breakdowns. My theory behind this list is to cover the non-catastrophic failures (blown engines and transmission) that could be repaired on the trail or the side of the road. Items in Bold are items we have used or could have used if we had them.
General Supplies
- Spare Hose in various sizes (heater hose, fuel hose)
- Various sizes of worm gear hose clamps
- Various sized barb fittings
- Replacement Light Bulbs for headlights and marker lights
- Replacement Battery Cables
- Heat Shrink
- Zip ties in every size
- Primary wire 12/14 gauge in a few colors
- Various 12v electrical connectors and fittings
- Good quality electrical tape
- Various Fuses
- Spare Relays
- Gorilla Tape
- JB Weld
- RTV sealant / Gasket Maker
- Gaffer Tape
- PB Blaster or another penetrating oil spray
- Grease, Lucas make smaller tubes
- Blue and Red Loctite
- Super Glue / Epoxy
- Cotter Pins of Various sizes
- O-Rings of various sizes
- Various Nuts, Bolts, Washers
- Self Tapping screws
- Tarp & 2×2 foam mat for laying on
- Oil, Coolant, AFT, MTL
- Battery Jumper Box
Spare Parts
- Serpentine Belt
- Water Pump w/ Gasket
- Full set of coolant hoses/ any plastic cooling system parts.
- Thermostat
- Alternator (used but working)
- ECU (again, used but working)
- Wheel Bearing (or Wheel Bearing Hub)
- Fuel pump
- Various Spare Hardware:
- Wheel Nuts
- Header Bolts
- Driveshaft Bolts
- Front caliper bolts
- Hub/Drive Flange Bolts
Land Rover Specific Items
- 1 Tube of Swivel Ball Grease
- 2-1/16 Hub Nut Socket Wrench
Tools
- Basic Mechanical Toolset in SAE and Metric
- Shallow and Deep Sockets
- Wrenches
- Screwdrivers
- Deadblow Hammer
- Ball-Peen Hammer
- Breaker Bar
- Drift Punch
- Test Light
- Good Quality Multimeter
- First Aid Kit
- 32/36 mm Fan wrench (or whatever fits your rig)
- Snap Ring Pliers
- Milwaukee Impact Gun
- This is by far the most important part of the kit!
- Serpentine Belt Tool
- A Drill with Drill Bits
Spare Parts I Plan to Add
These are items I have not added, but plan to as budget allows. I would highly recommend these if you’re planning on going to more remote areas.
- Front CV and front Axle half-shafts
- Rear Axles
- Driveshaft – Front or Rear, Ideally Both
- Set of Brake Pads
- Dual Battery Setup
Storage
Most of the supplies and spare parts fit in a rectangular tote I got from Lowe’s. Eventually I will be upgrading these for a more robust option but the totes have survived many trips.
Everything else goes into a few Milwaukee Packout Toolboxes and storage containers. This is a fantastic system which I highly recommend as they are very robust and waterproof. This means when you need more space they can be stored on the roof rack.
That about covers everything I like to take when heading off into the wilderness. I have built this kit up over a few years of trips and it’s come in handy many times over. I hope you have found this list helpful in your adventures as well. Let me know below if you think I have missed anything!