Ohh, I forgot to mention that. I too have a first aid kit behind the rear seat.

 

AMEN to this!! Good call!! For me a shovel is mandatory in all my trucks! A flashlight, tools, water, tow-strap, jumper cables, zip-ties (VERY handy for a LOT of things) usually a qt. or 2 of oil, jug 50/50 antifreeze, qt. or 2 of tranny fluid if automatic, basically, I go loaded for bear if I am squirrel hunting

 

Only thing I can add that I did not see listed yet is Tow Hitch. I carry multpile sizes from a 2" ball on up. I can't count the number of times a friend calls, stranded and needs me to take his trailer. So I go to pick it up and his hitch is permenantly mounted, or he has a locking pin but left his key at home, or the time I got there and the tow truck had already left with his truck and hitch still in tact. Now I have my assortment to haul my own trailers and to cover the different trailers my friends have "just in case."

I also carry an assortment of bungee's and tie downs. 550 cord or nylon rope may come in handy as well. All depends on what you will use it for. You could fill a whole truck bed with all the recommended items, but be sure it is suited for your use.

 

What's a programmer?

With the Forester, I have a bail out bag of food, water, folding shovel, first air kit, fire starters, knives, Garmin hand held GPS, batteries, emergency radios, etc.. EVENTUALLY, a .22 survival pistol (the pistol is still under research since one should be able to operate it one handed including loading the magazine).

I imagine that since my life involves firearms, so equipped bail out bags will go in and out of the vehicles as they are used.

Maybe. The Forester also has a huge mag light in it. Why? If I'm someplace where I can't carry, a huge mag light makes a wonderful defense baton. Hence, like the fire extinguisher, perhaps the flash light should be mounted, too.

 

If you have a tuning chip on your truck, the programmer allows you to change the tuning.

I use my cell phone as a handheld GPS. At the risk of going completely off-topic, how is a .22 a survival weapon?

 

Bail out bags? Your not one of those crazy preppers are you? I mean you went from "the club" to bail out bags? I'm not sure there is "recommended accessories" for that.

 

Okay, tuning chip?

The way I use a GPS is to tell me the lat and long I am at. The Garmin will tell me that, my Razor won't.

The .22 comes into point in that a block of .22 weighs next to nothing but a block (500 rounds) of 9 mm is a TON. The AR-7 is,after all, a survival rifle.

Sorry, just probably got caught up in the heat of the discussion. I've learned to carry a bail out bag any time I leave town.......but you know what they say about insurance.................once you have it, you don't need it!

 

I have a go-kit ready to go too, but not every time I leave town. Mine is packed and ready in case of a callout for out local Amateur Radio Emergency Services group. Things alter in the bag as the seasons change.

.22 ammo is lighter, no argument. I love a .22 for target shooting and varmints. Yes, the AR-7 has a reputation as a survival weapon, but personally I think that is dependant on where you are. When I am up in the high country ATVing or camping I carry a Ruger Vaquero .44 mag. It will stop a bear or mountain lion cold in their tracks. A .22 would tend to **** them off. Normally for CCP I carry a Springfield XD40 sub compact. That is with me in the truck even where there is not reciprocity on the CCP. But, this is a digression from topic.

 

Can't forget about some duct tape!

 

Duct tape is standard. I watched "Apollo 13". I have a couple rolls of it around and there is even a small supply in my med kits that the manufacturer puts there.

So what is a tuning chip?

As far as the .22 pistol goes, A and B. A: it's still under research. B: let's just say that a .22 around is not the only thing.

As I look through the comments, I appreciate all the tips, but I am looking more for stuff mounted on the truck as opposed to carried in the truck. Do I need extra lights? Should I get a winch? Running boards? Etc..

Also, another issue I have is how does little ole me get big heavy single (ie, not a pallet of bricks) unit things in and out of the truck bed? A friend suggested getting a Bobcat which is possible. I'm sure my shyster brother would say day labor which doesn't thrill me. Lifts? Ramps?

A boss pointed out about the bed liner in that I want something to protect the bed but not be like non skid so nothing can move in it. Thoughts?

 

That's one of my concerns.....that now that I have this great big mover, people will be asking me for help with this or that.

Maybe not. This is Texas and my close friends already have pickups....but you know how "free" service causes people to pop out of the woodwork.

On hitches....what's a pintle hitch? Are they applicable to 250's? For that matter, is there a list of what is? Your suggestion sounds like a good one especially since I am anticipating buying from auction and salvage/surplus for various items.

 

I know this is a discussion board, where lots of questions get asked and answered. However, some really basic questions should be answered by looking stuff up, not asking others.

The snarky response is to use the "let me google that for you" thing.

 

But then there is the point of asking a question of experts about a particular system.

Google might tell me what that hitch is.....but it might not know whether it is applicable to a F-250 diesel from 2009.

 

Lookup what it is, and then ask a question based on your new knowledge.

The guy who delivered 14 round bales of hay to me on Friday had a Horton Hauler trailer with a tow ring on it. His truck had a pintle hitch.

Just trying to help you out here - you have asked the question about the tuner chip twice. When you asked about the programmer, all it did was stimulate your tuner chip question.

 

Sorry for not answer your question about the tuner. I don't get on a computer during the weekend very often.

I have a 5-star programmer for my truck. It's a hand held device that plugs into the OBD port. It has a few different "Tunes" for better performance and different shifting points for normal driving or towing and 4x4ing. You can also make adjustments to the tune manually, view data, datalogging, and diagnosing. I keep it in my truck along with tools because sometimes there is no way to know without being able to know where to start.

On the news last week there was a couple who decided to take their new jeep 4x4ing in the snow. Drove around a closed gate and got stuck. They had no gear with them. He died less then a mile from where they got stuck trying to get help during a snow storm. After a couple of days she decided to try and hike out. Passed his body on the way out. The only thing that saved her was her brother knew she was out there and in trouble and finally found her moments before she met the same fate as her boyfriend. I perfer to be more of the boyscout "Always Prepared". A small weekend pack with change of cloths, warm underware, a few survival pieces of gear and 3 days of food is a small thing to carry in the truck. It is one of those things you hope you never need but sure as **** if you didn't have it you would need it. I have used my emergency gear helping others more then I have used them on myself.