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18 of Australia's top 4x4 YouTube Channels, one question!


What tips, tricks or advice do Australia's best YouTube channels have for you when it comes time to ditch the highway and hit the tracks this summer? I asked and they provided!

The question was simple enough.

"What is your #1 unique bit of kit, tip or trick that you take on all off-road adventures?"

The answer perhaps is not so easy. Every trip off-road is in a different location, for different reasons, with different people at different times of year. What becomes apparent over time however are the things that you pack in your car no matter what! For me the one piece of advice that I'd like to share is to approach each and every trip with the right attitude along with mental preparation. You don't necessarily need a lot of gear; an air compressor, max tracks and a spare tyre will get you through most situations (if you're not going too remote in the bush) to get started. The most important tip would have to be to never go alone. If you have a mate with a good sense of humour and some off roading experience you're "laughing..." If they have a winch, even better!

So, what about the rest of YouTube?

In no particular order here is what WA's own online 4WD community had to say. (Help these guys out by checking out their channel and make their day by subscribing, it really helps grow the community.)

Cam from Wild Touring

“Our top tips for remote touring or off-grid camping all relate to staying safe and getting home.

Always carry enough water and food to hold you over in the event of a break down or getting lost.

Pack (and know how to operate) self recovery gear (winches/shovels/recovery tracks).

Always tell people where you're going, how long you'll be gone, and how long you're likely to be out of contact so that they can raise the alarm if they don't hear from you.

Familiarise yourself with basic first aid, snake bite first aid and CPR.

Carry a comprehensive tool kit and spare parts you're likely to need (for both vehicle and camper trailer/ caravan). Spares may include but are not limited to: drive belts, fuel/oil/air filters, oil/coolant/brake fluid/ATF, drive belts, wheel bearings (and a suitably sized socket to fit them), HTB grease, a selection of nuts and bolts, radiator/intercooler/heater hoses, hose clamps, metal putty, fencing wire, duct tape etc. ”

“gotta say i would never leave home without my "Ziggy." It allows me to cook absolutely anything I want, from roasts to cakes. Amazing bit of kit.

I like to keep my camp setup quite simple. That way I basically only need to throw my clothes and Ziggy in and then i'm off camping.

My drawers hold all of my pantry and recovery gear so its always in there and stocked up!

I have jockey straps placed in certain locations in the back of my truck ie. to hold my paper towel, it works as a dispenser in a way. Also a fish grilling basket is always fixed to my fold down door table on my cruiser so that heaven forbid I do catch a bloody fish I can use it (lol). I use it mostly for steaks or grilled chicken and the door table comes in so bloody handy mate.”

“My No.1 unique bit of kit is my beer taps in my fridge! Love it!"

"The one item I’d have with me no matter what sort of adventure it is...is a camera, be it a phone, point and shoot or DSLR..."

"There are so many amazing things to see and do around every corner I feel it’s important to be able to capture and bring the memories back home to reflect on later and also to be able to share them with family and friends."

"Throttle Control one of the least recognised but most valuable skills especially when you do technical driving or sand driving."

If you have good throttle control you will save tracks, keep repair bills down and go further then most.

"Seeing as the majority of my trips are family orientated I would say that preparation and organisation would be my key elements to the majority of our trips.

I like to have the camper trailer meticulously packed so not only do I know where everything is, but it then means that we can go away at the drop of a hat!

I don’t have a draw system in the Prado, so to utilise space I like to keep as many camping items in plastic containers as possible. This keeps everything neat and tidy whilst in the car, but then can be easily moved around the campsite or used as needed. These containers can remain packed away in the garage so whether it be a family trip or simply a boys trip they are easily accessible and not only make trip preparation easy, but then everyone is more comfortable whilst away, leaving more time for fishing, family and friends - for me being organised usually makes for a memorable trip!!"

Brad & Hannah from Aussie Road to Adventure

"We would say the number one tip is to always bring a range of tools and recovery gear.

Nothing can ruin your trip more than being stuck somewhere for 6 hours because you didn't bring the correct equipment.

Also as important on longer trips is to bring along simple spares such as belts hoses and filters. Cheap solution to a possible expensive problem."

Lauren & Jeff from AUS Camping Adventures

"We absolutely love camping and being able to access areas only a 4WD can go makes it so much better. In terms of gear, other than the typical 4wding safety gear like max trax, snatch straps, compressor etc, something that we love to take on all our camping adventures is a bbq plate we bought for about $40 which you put directly over the fire to cook on.

There is something about cooking on the fire that makes the experience so much better camping.

We also take a metal bucket which we can put directly on the fire to warm water for showers. Who needs a fancy hot water system when all you need is a bucket!"

Foreman and Wilms from Foreman and Wilms

"By far the best kit to take on a trip is a positive attitude and a willingness to roll with the punches.

These attributes outweigh expensive gimmicky gadgets."

"Easily a set of Max Trax."

"My number 1 thing to bring.

Fencing wire. It fixes literally anything!

2nd tip. You can never carry enough water."

"My number one bit of kit and something a lot of people don't carry with them is a ground anchor! Not a fold up one but fully welded the same as used in competition off road...

I've wrapped it around rocks trees and buried it to get out of sticky situations.

Oh, and a Hema Navigator! The perfect guide for every off roader."

Paul from 4WD Travel

"The No1 travel item is baby wipes, good for cleaning up, good for a camp shower when you don't have the water and for use before bed if you have been sitting around a fire you can even throw them in the fire when done. The other tip, is don't plan on being somewhere by a certain time each day, just go in the direction you want to go and stop where you think is best.

Our rule is off the road by 3pm to set camp, gather wood for a fire and eat dinner by dark.

Truck wise, we run 3 batteries, 1 x 150 amp hr deep cycle in the back to run the 2 x 40 litre Engles (1 fridge & 1 freezer) run a Redarc inline charger from the 2nd combo battery that runs car accessories. Leave the No 1 battery to start the car and run the winch. We use a optima yellow top with 1400 CCA. Also run a switch between batt 1 & batt 2 incase either battery dies, you can still start the car. This set up requires no solar panel. We can sit at camp for 3 days in cooler climate with the Engles, and 2 days when in the top end. 1 hour of driving and all batteries are charged (need charger between batt 1 & batt 2 as well)."

"Mine's gotta be the tiny compass that's on the band of my wrist watch! I wear a digital Casio tough watch all the time,

and that little compass has kept me out of trouble a few times."

Dex from Red Dirt 4x4

"I think in terms of kit it’d have to be good tyres. Can’t tell you how many times good rubber at the right pressure has allowed us to drive things others have found impassable.

The top tip would be the Nike slogan - just do it. There’s so much gear available these days, from swags to camp kitchens to recovery ramps. There’s really nowhere that’s unachievable for most modern 4WD's with a few accessories.

Sounds like a cliche but seriously, go exploring. You won’t regret it.

As for the top trick: tyre pressures, cable ties and duct tape. If you can’t get through or get it fixed with them you need a winch. So buy a winch. But honestly the other three work wonders.

Oh, and if you have some damp wood and are struggling to light a fire, get the compressor pointed at the base of the fire and watch it light up like a fat kid’s face on an Easter egg hunt. Turbo fire ftw!"

"I'd have to say,

offline satellite maps is our most useful tool to navigate around the Bush tracks.

The satellite maps show you the tiny tracks the conventional mapping systems don't."

"Really depends. This is how I'd break it down:

• Remote areas - satellite phone is a must

• Long trips - water bladder for space saving 80L of water on board

• All trips - basic tools (socket, spanner and screwdriver set) along with some simple spare parts (belts, hoses, hose clamps, cable ties, duct tape.)"

"My Roads and Tracks Western Australia map books. I can think of many things I could go away without but these (I have two, one in each vehicle) go with me on absolutely every trip and they are invaluable. While maps on smart phones are great, you can't make notes on them for future reference and you can't (easily) mark different trips etc.

Paper maps for me are still an absolute must have. They help me to mark out a proposed route more than electronic maps and although the map books I use are not 100% accurate and have led me astray a couple of times, they are still the single most useful thing on any trip. The one I am looking at right now is old and tattered. It if full of scribbling, marks for campsites and various trips highlighted with marker pens. I prefer the map book style to the fold out maps that many people use because they last longer and being in book form are so much easier to use. This book is dated 2007 so it has been on many journeys with us and is some ways is like an old friend :) Smart phones and GPS have their place and are great for working out exactly where we are at any given moment but I can't see them ever replacing my paper maps."

So there you have it, hopefully gave you some new ideas or perhaps reinforced some principles and gear that you already take with you.

If you would like to throw in your 2 cents by adding your tip, trick and hack that you don't leave the black top without chuck us a comment in the comments section below (along with your social media link if you have one.) Don't forget to check out these awesome 4WD channels and show your support by subscribing to your favourites. And while you're there why not give them a shoutout by sharing the best vids on your social channels. (facebook, insta, twitter, etc.)

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