Free 4x4 & Overlanding Checklists

Free, interactive checklists for each stage of a 4x4 or overland trip: what to check before you leave, what to carry for a recovery, what to pack for several days off-grid, and what belongs in the vehicle all year for a roadside emergency. Tick items off as you go. Your progress is saved in your browser on this device and never sent to us; print a clean copy any time, and reset when you're ready for the next trip.

Which Checklist Do You Need?

When	Checklist	What it covers
In the driveway before any trip off pavement	Pre-Trip	Fluids, tires, drivetrain, lighting and trip plan
Packing recovery gear	Recovery Kit, Recovery Gear	The full kit with load-rating math, and a printable quick list
Planning several days off-grid	Overland Packing, Overland Trip	Gear (sleep, kitchen, power, water, navigation) and logistics (route, permits, communication, fuel)
Driving to one campsite and staying put	Car Camping	Camp setup, food storage and firewood rules
Any drive, all year	Vehicle Emergency Kit	Warning triangles, jump start, tire tools, first aid, fire extinguisher
From the first freeze	Winter Car Emergency Kit	Warmth, traction, signaling and what to do if stranded
Trips where help is hours away	Off-Road First Aid Kit	Bleeding control and trauma supplies beyond a glovebox kit

They overlap in places on purpose, because each is built for one moment. Pre-Trip is the driveway check. Recovery Kit explains working load limits in full, and Recovery Gear is its printable short form. Overland Packing and Overland Trip split a multi-day trip into gear and logistics. Car Camping is for a site you drive to and stay at. Winter Car Emergency Kit adds cold-weather items to the year-round Vehicle Emergency Kit, and Off-Road First Aid Kit covers trauma supplies for remote trips.

Numbers These Checklists Use

• Water: Ready.gov plans on one gallon per person per day, for drinking and sanitation, for several days.
• Winch size: WARN sizes a winch at a minimum of 1.5 × the vehicle's GVWR, the rating on the driver's door label. A 6,000 lb GVWR truck needs at least 9,000 lb of line pull.
• Kinetic strap strength: ARB recommends a minimum breaking strength of 2 to 3 times the vehicle's gross mass, so 12,000 to 18,000 lb for that same 6,000 lb truck.
• Tires: NHTSA recommends checking tires, including the spare, at least once a month and before long trips, at the pressure on the door-jamb label.
• Stranded in cold: the National Weather Service advises running the engine about 10 minutes each hour, with the exhaust pipe cleared of snow.

How These Are Built

Each checklist follows published guidance where it exists: NHTSA, the National Weather Service, the CDC and Ready.gov for roadside and winter kits; the Stop the Bleed program for bleeding control; manufacturer load ratings for recovery gear; and land-agency rules for permits, fire restrictions and food storage. Each is cross-checked against what 4x4 and overland owners report using on trips. See how we rank for the full method.