While most travelers envision their first field repair as a bent tie rod or a punctured oil pan, the most common malady is a damaged tire. The correct tire repair equipment can reduce the need to bring a second spare tire or even use your primary spare. Repairing the tire quickly and efficiently is the best approach, as it keeps the spare in service and reduces dependency on finding a local shop to fix it.
Before the tire issue occurs in the field, it is recommended that you change a tire in your driveway. Is your jack tall enough to accommodate the lift and taller tires? Does your lug wrench fit the new lugnuts? Do you have the anti-theft key for the locking lug nut? While a Hi-Lift Jack can be appropriate for changing a tire, they can be unstable on long-travel vehicles or lack the rating for heavy overland vehicles (we also worked with one traveler that had insufficient strength and body weight to operate the Hi-Lift on a fully-loaded Land Cruiser). I also recommend inserting a few plugs using an old tire and getting comfortable with the process.
Colby Emergency Valve Stem
The Colby valve is the solution to a damaged valve stem, where you can insert the replacement from the outside without breaking the bead. The Colby achieves this with a patented “winged spacer” that lets you tighten the stem into the wheel from the outside, cinching it firmly and preventing leaks. This emergency fix will get you to a tire repair shop for a proper replacement.
$30/2-pack | colby-valve.myshopify.com
Indeflate
There are many ways to deflate a tire, but few are as convenient as an Indeflate. The two-hose unit is ideal and equalizes the pressure between two tires on one axle. The design allows you to air up or down two tires simultaneously while standing and easily operating the deflate collar. In an emergency, it can move air between tires without a compressor.
$170 | adventure-imports.com
Extreme Outback Products Ultimate Puncture Repair Kit
Extreme Outback is the OG puncture repair kit solution and is still the best. The kit is compact yet stuffed with an HD reamer and insertion tool, a large package of thick string inserts, and 20 other essential items for gluing, patching, replacing, stitching, wiring, and repairing. There is an oversized Baja Boot patch and even a few tube patches to help other travelers.
$100 | extremeoutback.com
ARB Twin Moto Portable 12-volt Air Compressor
Many compressors are on the market, but only some have the combination of portability, flow, and a storage tank like the ARB twin compressor. For tire repairs, having a tank is important as it can provide the burst flow rate required to reseat a bead on the trail. The tank also permits the use of air tools, and the 100 percent duty cycle allows for inflating large-diameter tires or even multiple vehicles.
$990 | arbusa.com
Perfect Bungee 9-feet x 2-inch Anchor Strap
One of the more common issues is losing a bead at extremely low pressures, normally in the sand or snow. By jacking up the offending corner, this anchor strap can be cinched around the diameter of the tire (in the center of the tread face) and ratcheted tight, pushing the bead up against the inside lip of the wheel, allowing reinflation and reseating of the bead.
$46/2-pack | theperfectbungee.com
GlueTread Full-size Sidewall Kit
GlueTread is a new solution on the market and comes with everything you need to fix a sidewall cut (even up to several inches long) on the trail without breaking down the tire/wheel. The package includes sandpaper to prep the tire surface, four patches, and four bottles of adhesive. With proper prep, these patches work and are ready to drive on after a 10-minute cure time.
$50 | gluetread.com
Additional Key Items
- Full-size spare tire at street pressure
- Spare front and rear wheel studs
- Set of spare lug nuts (equivalent to how many are on a single wheel)
- Proper jack capable of lifting the fully loaded vehicle (the jack should also function as a bead breaker)
- A 12-inch-square piece of 1-inch-thick plywood to provide a stable jacking base on soft surfaces
- Mechanics gloves and eye protection
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2025 Issue.
Watch: Tips for Overlanding :: Vehicle Preparation and Treading Lightly
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