What’s in your Trailer Tool Kit?

Not planning ahead is planning to fail.

Things happen and being able to handle minor inconveniences on your own can keep you on the trail and on your trip without having to call for help. Just about anything in your truck, trailer or tent that can snap, crack, rip loose, tear, bend, leak, spark, or fall off will do exactly that—and always when you’re out enjoying a trail ride 40 miles from nowhere and 10 miles from the nearest cell phone reception.

The whole trick to maintaining inner tranquility and not letting a mini disaster spoil your trip is to have a well-equipped toolbox on hand. It should contain basic items that can help you deal with everyday problems and annoyances.

What to Keep in Your Traveling Tool Kit

No matter how well constructed your horse trailer is, eventually something will have to be tightened, loosened, pounded flat, pried or cut. Here are some mostly inexpensive yet important items that newcomers and veteran campers alike should pack for every trip, both big and small.

The 4 Essentials:

Fire extinguisher – for keeping a small fire from becoming unmanageable. – https://amzn.to/3tWNgNc
Jumper cables – for saving the day if your leave your headlights on. – https://amzn.to/31kWtCG
Jump starter battery pack – for saving the day if your leave your headlights on, and you’re on your own. – https://amzn.to/3u1swDZ
First Aid Kit – for being your own doc until a real one can arrive. – https://amzn.to/2QApnfL

The 10 Tools:

Phillips head and flat bladed screwdrivers – for tightening and loosening screws; also for prying items apart. – https://amzn.to/3smTchZ
Pliers – for holding machine nuts while installing or removing, or squeezing items together. – https://amzn.to/3lSMluo
Channel-lock pliers – for dealing with oversized machine nuts or turning pipes. – https://amzn.to/3lSMluo
Adjustable Crescent wrench – for tightening and loosening bolts and machine nuts. – https://amzn.to/3sngHaP
Claw hammer – for straightening what got bent, bending what got straightened, driving nails and stakes, and pulling them out again, and providing “persuasion” where needed. – https://amzn.to/39eXqk1
Pocket knife – for cutting rope and twine, stripping wire insulation, or just whittling if you’re so inclined. – https://amzn.to/3tV52Ad
Wire cutters – for cutting electrical wire, or turning metal coat hangers into marshmallow skewers.- https://amzn.to/3lSMluo
Small tape measure – for determining how much ground clearance you’ll have while trying to get over that boulder embedded in the road. – https://amzn.to/3d2hEPc
Mini hacksaw – for cutting away twisted bolts, damaged metal work, thicker plastics…anything where a knife won’t work. – https://amzn.to/3cmc4Ia
Folding tree saw – for cutting trees that have fallen across the only road out and you can’t back up. – https://amzn.to/3cmc76O

3 Things to Keep Stuff Together:

While glue won’t mend a broken heart, it’ll fix lots of other things and can keep a situation from going from bad to worse.

Glue – for high strength repairs of most anything. – https://amzn.to/2NWxFhc
Zip ties – for bundling bits and bobs and keeping them out of the way. – https://amzn.to/3rlTBQt
Duct tape – for a universal fix-it that’s good for practically any repair. – https://amzn.to/3d4Mbfe

5 Things to Help Keep the Lights On:

Nothing is more aggravating than trailer lights blinking on and off on their own. Or having a police officer pull you over because a brake light is out. That’s why having a few select electrical items in your well-equipped traveling toolbox can be unbelievably handy.

Electrical tape – for preventing sparks and keeping fuses from blowing. – https://amzn.to/2PqqApq
Spare Fuses in various amperage ratings – for replacing blown fuses on your power panel. – https://amzn.to/2PtREnA
Spare bulbs for brake, turn and running lights – for saving you from a traffic violation or worse. – https://amzn.to/3cmObR2
Head-mounted LED flashlight – for working in the dark where you need both hands free. –https://amzn.to/39dhlzO
Multi-meter – for identifying electrical problems. – https://amzn.to/3w0yVAX

8 Tire Changing Tools:

Roadside Triangles – for being seen if you have to change a tire on the side of the road. Get at least 3 of the DOT approved ones. – https://amzn.to/31iqJOr
Reflective safety vest – for being seen if you have to change a tire on the side of the road. – https://amzn.to/31kVp1E
Wheel chocks – for keeping the vehicle from rolling when you don’t want it to. – https://amzn.to/3co30m4
Trailer aid – for an easier way to lift a trailer for changing a tire. – https://amzn.to/3cmlWSj
Lug Wrench – for changing a tire. – https://amzn.to/3sxosLa
Can of Fix a Flat – for a temporary tire fix until you can get into a repair shop. – https://amzn.to/3fmg4dA
Gloves – for keeping your hands in one piece while you’re making repairs. – https://amzn.to/3ckd7Za
Tire pressure gauge – for making sure your tires are ready to roll. – https://amzn.to/2PaHw3k
Portable air compressor – for inflating a flat the easy way. – https://amzn.to/3rn8AJP

2 Miscellaneous Items I Won’t Go Without:

Multi Tool – for solving a million and one everyday problems. https://amzn.to/2PrkZzk
Permanent Maker – for marking your things, and keeping track of which wire is which. – https://amzn.to/3rocX7A

My goal with all of these items is to be able to make a temporary fix to get me home if something were to break and have a reliable way to call for help if I cannot make the appropriate repairs.

So there you have it…the ultimate basic trailer tool kit. 30 must-have vacation savers, and they all fit in a standard tool bag.

As always for more practical information on trail riding and camping with horses give us a visit at www.TrailMeister.com, it’s also the world’s largest guide to horse trails and equine camps.