This is the real overland gear list riding in the Jeep as of September 2026, grouped the way we actually store it. A few things get swapped between trips — the chair, the table, sometimes the stove — depending on where we’re headed and for how long, but this is the baseline we build every trip around, the stuff that stays in the rig whether we’re gone for a weekend or two weeks.
This is some of what we’ve accumulated over years of camping, not a shopping list. A tent, water, a way to cook, and a way to get unstuck covers most weekends — everything else below got added one trip at a time, for a specific problem that came up more than once. Think of this as the long version, still changing as we figure out what actually earns a spot in the rig.
The Full Overland Gear List
EDC Bag
Small single-shoulder sling bag, kept close by for quick access rather than buried under everything else in the rig.
- Wallet
- Keys
- Glasses (vision) and sunglasses
- Small organizer pouch with assorted smalls
- Lighter
- Headlamp
- Personal Protection
Bug Out Bag
5.11 RUSH MOAB 10 Sling Pack, 18L — built around camping essentials. A collection of misc items that are helpful when you need it.
- USB hand warmers
- Fire starter plugs
- Fire starter — 3/8" thick ferro rod
- Small organizer with assorted extras
Leatherman
My Leatherman multitool, its own category — it gets used more than almost anything else on this list and is always close by.
Sleep
The Crashpad swag tent and stretcher make a night’s stay in the Mojave feel like sleeping in my own bed at home.
- Crashpad Stealth Swag tent
- Crashpad Canvas Tarp — Crashmat Outback
- Crashpad King Single Camping Stretcher
- Pillow
- Light poly blanket
- ALPS OutdoorZ sleeping bag
The full writeup on why we switched to this setup: The Sleep Setup I’ve Stopped Questioning.
Shelter
Creating shelter is important to block both rain and sun — this goes up over the cook area, my tent, and the gathering space.
- Kelty Waypoint Tarp, car camping and tailgating shelter
- Gold Armour Rainfly Tarp Hammock, 12ft rain fly cover
- AVOFOREST 8.7ft telescoping tent poles
- Small tote of stakes and ropes
Food
With my food stored away in the 12v fridge and some cooking essentials, we are ready to prepare amazing trail meals. The stove I bring changes based on what we’re actually cooking that trip.
- Massimo E-Kooler 40L electric cooler (CX50)
- 2 gallons of water minimum, split across containers
- Food tote for dry goods (two sizes, picked by trip length)
- Galley tote: plates, silverware, cookware, spices, cooking pan
- Infrared thermometer laser temperature gun
- Bubble level, for leveling the cook surface
- Cutting surface
- Paper towel roll, foil, zip bags
- Coleman Tabletop 2-in-1 Camping Grill/Stove, 2-burner propane, 20,000 BTU
- SHINESTAR 7800 BTU dual fuel camping stove
- Coleman Portable Camping Oven
- Camping stove windscreen, foldable aluminum
- Coleman propane fuel, 16oz
Why a fridge over a cooler, and what we looked at before deciding: Cooler vs Fridge.
Recovery & Air Kit
Recovery covers getting unstuck or holding something together until we’re home. Air kit keeps everything tire-related in one place, so it’s not being hunted for at the worst possible time.
- 10k winch
- PITTSBURGH tool set with case, 130-piece
- Heavy-duty zip ties
- JB Weld
- Tow strap
- Access point tie-downs
- Bailing wire
- Fluids: ATF, oil, gear oil
- Shovel
- Air compressor
- Air hose kit (manifold, air down/up)
- Tire repair kit
- Valve stem emergency repair kit
Why each of these earns a spot: Recovery Gear Essentials.
Coffee Kit
Its own tote, kept separate from the rest of the cook gear — coffee happens before anything else gets touched in camp. The Camp Chef MS200 Stryker lives here, along with everything needed to get that first cup of coffee rolling first thing in the morning.
- Camp Chef MS200 Stryker multi-fuel hiking/camping stove
- Coleman propane fuel, 16oz
- Black Rifle instant coffee
- Sugar
- Coffee cup
Clothing
A couple of days’ worth of some clean clothes or extra layering for whatever the desert throws at us that day.
- Swagman Roll
- SaphiRose double-layer rain poncho
- Outback Trading Company men's cotton oilskin poncho
- Carhartt men's sweatshirt
- Small tote with a change of clothes for multiple days
- Trail slippers (Crocs)
The Swagman Roll gets its own writeup: why we never camp without it.
Lighting
Between the lanterns, the rock lights, and the headlamp, camp doesn’t go dark until we want it to.
- Two rechargeable lanterns
- Large rechargeable flashlight
- Puck and strip lights
- Rock lights — high-lumen under the fenders, low-lumen at the doors, rear bumper, and under the hood
- Claymore Capon 80C rechargeable clip-on cap headlamp
- KC 7" Gravity LED DOT headlight
Trash
A Trasharoo on the spare tire. That’s the whole system, and it works.
Personal Care
Small tote, easy to forget, miserable when we do. A collection of those items you need, when you need them.
- Bug spray
- Sunblock
- Toilet paper
- Unscented wipes
- Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush
- A few other small items
Chair & Table
Both are chosen by trip type, not by what looked good in the store. One chair has armrests and a high back for a long stay in camp; the other is small and quick to set up for a lunch stop on the trail. The table works the same way — a compact foldable that’s outlasted every ‘nicer’ one we’ve tried, because it doesn’t care about dust, heat, or getting thrown in the back still dirty.
- Basic camping chair with armrests and a high back, for longer stays in camp
- Coleman folding chair, small, for lunch stops
- Small chair pad
- Small foldable table (our go-to)
- ALPS Mountaineering Eclipse portable, compact camping table
Fuel
Two 2.5-gallon RotoPax, roughly 20 lbs each full — about 40 lbs total when both are topped off. Whether they come along depends on the trip.
Misc
The catch-all list — everything here fits in its own small nook, none of it’s optional once we need it, and we’re glad to have it when we do.
- Massimo 12V power station
- REXBETI 14-inch folding pruning saw
- Small axe
- Rock hammer
- Sand dune / OHV area flag
- Camera tripod
- Binoculars
- Knives of Alaska SureGrip Bush Camp knife
- Bear spray
- Fire extinguisher
Communication & Navigation
Communication is layered on purpose, one system backing up the next — a dual-band mobile transceiver mounted in the rig, plus a handheld radio as backup if the mobile unit ever goes down. Navigation runs the same way: OnX Offroad GPS on a tablet and phone for day-to-day route-finding, with paper maps for Nevada, Utah, and Arizona as the backup that doesn’t need a signal or a charge to work.
- Icom ID-5100A VHF/UHF dual-band digital transceiver
- BAOFENG BF-F8HP dual-band two-way radio (VHF/UHF)
- UHF/VHF mobile antenna
- Paper maps for Nevada, Utah, and Arizona
- OnX Offroad GPS maps, run on a Samsung tablet and phone
The Icom is a HAM radio and requires a license to transmit — licensing and how it compares to GMRS is covered in HAM Radio vs. GMRS. Start with the ARRL’s getting-licensed guide if you’re looking into it.
The tools and sources, in full: How to Find Places to Camp.
First Aid Kit
Stocked and checked before every trip. We’re not breaking down what’s inside — just know it’s there.
This overland gear list is our loadout as of September 2026 — and it changes. Things get swapped out, worn out, or replaced when we find something that works better, and sometimes we’re just trying out new gear to see if it earns a permanent spot.
