confused66

Morning all
I'm starting to think about what I need to take with me in my BGTS 4.0 on a 3-month X-country trip early next year so I want to ask you all what you think I should carry.

I've been looking at other posted lists and wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything. I'd be doing (planning anyway) back roads (gonna have AAA build me a TripTik) the whole way so some of my options may be limited. Gonna do down the Shenandoah Parkway to the Blueridge Parkway and then hopefully backroads for the rest. With a mid-engine car and Porsche having made it so ridiculously difficult to do an oil change (in my 987 I could be in and out in 30-45), and me being able to plug a tire so I don't ruin the TPMS with their goo (and that's about the extent of my technical capabilities), what should I be carrying?

I saw in an earlier post that someone recommended some spare fuses--which ones should I take? Car came with wheel locks and I've got a tire plug kit, needle nose and regular vice grips, air compressor, reflective triangles, first aid kit, flashlights, fire extinguisher, warm clothes, cool wx clothes, water, multitool, flares, jumper cables, lots of rags and window/body spray, radar detector (since even on the Shenandoah Parkway the rangers are looking (and VA tickets illegal radar detectors, only state that does it), front and rear dash cams, couple quarts of oil, coolant, jacket, emergency blanket, hats, gloves, tire gauge, phone charger, paper map/atlas for longer-range planning, so anything else I "need"? Some folks recommend a jack, but do I really "need" that since I'm (hopefully) just plugging a hole and it takes up a fair amount of space?

Also, for those of you who have done this, any special "treats" you recommend since I'll have have a small cooler with me? Any tips or tricks you can share that you either knew or learned about while on the road (e.g., "shoot, I wish I had brought X"?) Many thanx for all your insights.

PS Car has it's first check in/oil change in Nov (1 year mark) so it will be "ready" come early next year.

Mr. Adair

You sound more than prepared! I went Mpls to Monterey on AAA and a CC card! Check your route to see how far you will be from a dealer or repair shop at the furthest point. Do you have a tow hook? Just in case you need to get pulled onto a flat bed. Enjoy..

Tief Lernen

Sounds like a fun trip but your packing list seems like overkill to me! Are you expecting an assassination attempt?

You'll never use 90% of the stuff you listed. Spare fuses, extra coolant, fire extinguisher, emergency blanket? That's stuff you'd want to bring on a trip to Outer Mongolia in your 30-year-old Land Rover, not needed driving a brand-new Porsche through the eastern USA.

Recommend you not stress about this and just bring whatever you need for an overnight trip. The car will be fine.

jwr9152

I would bring a jack and a lug wrench, because it's a lot easier to plug a hole when the tire is off the car where you can get to it. Not such a big deal if it's on a front tire because you can turn the steering wheel, but might be difficult on the rear.

85Gold

You are at overkill. For the 1Lap I carry a "Safety Seal Tire Plugging Kit" compressor, air gauge, jack stand and small tool bag. Cooler bag behind the seat for the IPA and a coupe of micro fiber towels in the door pocket.

The goal is not how much you can carry but how little you really need ie minimalist approach.

Peter

Zhao

What sucks on the side of the road is a tire flat, and random problems. What also sucks is not having a way to communicate with civilization.

If it was an old car I would definitely want a 300peice + tool kit, but something new shouldn't have random problems that you can solve yourself so I'd skip all of that and just focus on a solution for tires. On a new car a code reader might be useful, because anything that pops up is going to be some random code that you're going to be going, wtf is that important or bs? or something that disables you and needs to be towed to a dealer.

9/10 times on the highway by the time you get stopped your tire is toast when you get a flat. Doesn't hurt to bring a repair kit and know how to use it, but I think a better solution is making sure your tires are not 3 weeks away or you have a solution if they are. I've run into that, and stupid tire places often won't use a different tire even though it's not a big deal, so what I ended up doing was raiding a tire pile at 1am and taking in my loose rim to a shop to get the tire swapped. That solved their 'omg you can't run mismatched tires' problem. That is where a jack and tire changing tools would come in handy IMO.

Communication with the rest of the world. I had a key stop working at a gas station in butt F no where at like 11am on a sunday. That sucked. What also sucked was my cell phone was almost out of power so I barely got a call off to a tow truck and then got to enjoy a 350km tow (pretty hard to charge a phone when the car won't turn on). I also remember reconing for a winter rally with a buddy before the week before the event after a big snow storm. He went into the ditch in the middle of no where and luckily we had cell reception. literally no cars down that road for like 3-4 hours. The friend we called to recover us showed up 5-10 minuets after the first vehicle that drove by pulled us out. Keep your phone charged always, try not to drive in the middle of no where on holidays or at night, especially if there is no cell reception.

Money solves most of the rest of the problems so have multiple ways of payment.

PaulE

Pack your extra quarts of oil in ziplock bags. The frunk will get hot inside on a long trip and the oil can expand and leak out of the bottles. I'm not sure about the trunk in a Cayman, but that also gets pretty warm in a 986 Boxster.

Dyim

Yeah, I think you are more than prepared for any Doomsday/ Armageddon scenario.

My wife is like that too when she goes away. Hence a heavy packer. I just carry whatever she wants and don’t argue. Hence still married for 20+ years.

From your exhaustive list, I would maybe add a can of premium gas? Even satellite phone if you are worried about cell coverage?

A big stack of Benjamins, credit card, and lots of patience I think is all I ever need.

Enjoy your trip.

edub

I think this is going to be your biggest issue on a trip like this. This picture, courtesy of a really nice nail in the rear tire.

The tire plug kit worked, but only after maybe the 4th attempt to get a plug in without it breaking in half. Make sure you have plugs with a core of some type, the pure rubber plugs can rip. You'll also need a reamer tool, and preferably a stout plug tool that wont bend/break when you insert the plug.

Being able to remove the tire and take it to a shop would be a bonus for flexibility. A lyft/uber and a loose wheel off to the tire shop could be a lot more flexible than a tow truck.

I'd probably also add - make sure you have android auto or carplay enabled. Audio books and better navigation would help a trip like this.

AdamIsAdam

Get a nice battery jump pack and ditch the jumper cables. That will save space and make you independent rather than reply on the kindness of strangers for a jump. Plus a nice battery pack will also provide several charging ports which can be very handy in an emergency like the ones above where car charging wasn't an option. They also often have flash lights built in. Oh, and get a nice LED light it two, one of them being an LED head lamp because you will get your flat at night, on a dark dessert highway, in the rain, alone. Also get a nice standing LED light.

I agree with a nice scissor jack and one jack stand, coupled with a good tire plug kit. Fix a flat cans may not be worth it but are small to carry for a last resort.

Ditch the extra coolant. Many emergency substitutes are readily available likes distilled water if necessary.

The right oil is a great idea, 2 qts. As are many of those emergency items like water, flares, blankets. A soft cooler that sits next to you on the passenger seat and an ice pack.

Bringing extra cash is a great idea and two types of credit cards in case the only place in town with your tire in stock doesn't take AmEx. Or is cash only.

But most of all, have fun. I'm super jealous. Driving, meandering actually, cross country is a bucket just item for me. I'd love to hear more about your planned itinerary, the fantasy trip you have in mind, stops, events you plan to attend, and are you doing this solo or not.

Best of luck.

c1pher

I got this air compressor on sale and has been super convenient.

AdamIsAdam

Here are some links to products I love:

VERY bright:

Holds charge for years, and even after a friend used it 3 times the battery was still at 94%:

Harbor freight has some really good LEDs:

My go-to LED. Handy because it can stand on it's own (ie, when working on a tire):
https://www.harborfreight.com/1250-l...ank-56163.html

My new favorite LED hand held magnetic:
https://www.harborfreight.com/800-lu...ght-59103.html

AdamIsAdam

I like the size of this for sure. Does it work well? Have you ever used it to inflate a completely flat tire?

Is it worth getting this versus using the Porsche compressor as part of the TMS (Tire Mobility System - they just love their acronyms)?

Hey, in reading the owners manual about using TMS, I just thought of another item we should all carry with us at all times: a spare Valve Insert! You're supposed to remove that in order to put the sealant into the tire. Losing it when you're on the side of the road, in the dark, in the rain, in the middle of nowhere, would suck! I'm ordering one today!

gman3280

Send it!

AdamIsAdam

I used to go off roading, serious off roading. And we carried A LOT of stuff. I carried spare drive shafts, axles, ball joints, and of course a plethora of tools and safety gear. So I get the idea of being prepared. But part of the fun might be to just hop in the car and go (cash in hand lol)

But I'm sure there's a happy medium.

I just ordered this kit. I'll toss the extra valve stem inserts and tools into both cars since both cars come from the factory with self-sealing gels and air pumps. (BTW, those gels have expiration dates. just fyi.)