Road trip stuff

Hey folks, so one of the reasons I like having my 996 is for fun road trips, I'm planning a dad/son road trip up to Vancouver in just over a month (rough plan attached, been using Roadtrippers, my route will still change). My car has all the usual stuff done after I bought it (IMS/RMS/clutch/AOS/MT oil change), I just put new rear tires on it and it had a fresh engine oil change a couple of hundred miles ago. I signed up for platinum AAA membership just in case. Planning doing spark plug tubes in the next week to fix a small oil leak and put my Fister style mufflers on. What tools should I bring? I always carry a plug puncture repair kit for flats and some tire fix a flat too. I will take a pump also. I plan on making an extra tool kit, what should I bring? I have some ideas but any suggestions? thanks!

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I always carry a little mechanics tool bag behind my seat. Inside: screwdrivers, a couple of various size hose clamps, various pliers, wire cutters/stripper, fuses, multimeter, OBDII reader, zip ties, knife, electrical tape, and more stuff that I can't think of right now. In the frunk, softcover 15 MM socket and 1/2" breaker bar for the wheel bolts(ditched wheel locks long ago), set of 3/8" metric sockets and ratchets/extensions, 1 quart of oil, portable 12V air pump and of course the spare tire, jack and original tool kit. That fix-a-flat slime will ruin your wheels, so I would toss that. Also, if you have not done it in awhile, nothing will shut you down like a broken serpentine belt. Replace now with a new one for extra insurance. Since the airbox is out...good time to throw in a new air filter. I think the OBDII reader is a must for checking codes and clearing them while on a long trip. Staring down a CEL and not knowing what is going on is horrible...could be a bad tank of gas..or? Anyway, the portable air pump has saved my butt a couple of times. Well worth it.

Just did a similar route from SoCal and we stopped as far north as Astoria. You will love the trip. As far as tools. Just for a minor tire fix and jumper cables. Figured anything bigger than that I was towing it to a shop. Enjoy the trip.

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YES! actually looking at Yi 4k action cam, 1/3 of the price and pretty much the same

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That's a great list. Thanks, the fix a flat slime is for emergencies. I'd only use it if I had no other option.

Part of it depends on how deep your pockets are... Seems like it runs the gamut from nothing but your Amex and mobile phone, to having all the tools and spares you could need to fix most anything. On one hand, having a lot of crap in the car could take away from the performance/handling of your drive. So why worry? Maybe take on a motorcyclist philosophy? The main goal is to have enough stuff to get you back to a place where a proper repair can be done, not necessarily all the way home... For example I go on trips with my motorcycle, it isn't big enough to carry much (KTM 690 Enduro R), so I carry a small tool roll. I pare down to a kit that has the regularly used tools (a small ratchet, an all in one driver, some commonly used sockets, combination wrenches, allen wrenches), zip ties, duct tape, a bit of wire, tire patch kit with CO2 inflators, faststeel metal epoxy (like jb weld, but in a stick). All of it fits in a tool roll in a tube on the side of the bike. Also, another long range travel motorcycle tip is to have critical items of potential failure at home, ready to ship, so if you have an issue, a trusted person back home can ship you the parts. No reason you couldn't do that too. Leave the worry beads at home, and enjoy.

Father and son Carrera road tripping If time allows you'll want to stay off I5 as much as you can. Where is 11 in Canada? Consider heading east on #2 north of Seattle and passing thru Leavenworth then into Canada north on 97. Brace yourself for our gas prices...highest in N.A. right now Undoubtably beautiful we like to say B.C. is short for for bring cash. Leave the spare tire at home. A month from now will give our rivers and snowpack time to quieten.

Nice. I also carry a container of 50/50 coolant mix, a spare accessory belt, a folded garbage bag for dirty parts, and some disposable gloves. Have fun! Realistically, I'd probably just call AAA though haha.

I too started traveling around by motorcycle a long time ago. The first time out I took gobs of tools and parts and clothes that I never needed. Each trip I left with less and less, now, many years later, either in a car or on a bike I take a good tire pressure gauge a quart of oil and a few change of clothes. Instead of putting together a spare tool bag to take, spend that money on a AAA membership. What types of roadside repairs are you really willing to tackle anyway? Also, I never map my route before I leave, its much more fun heading out in a direction on blue roads and seeing and experiencing the unplanned sights that you happen to stumble across along the way. If you want to go to Canada, head north, you'll find it eventually.

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Funny you should mention that, I have a R1150GS adventure and I made a small roll up tool kit for that also. I think I'll use it and supplement with a few of the suggestions on here to use as a tool kit. Thanks everyone!

Cool. I�ve had several BMW bikes, my last two were R1200GSes and I carried a ton on them in Jesse panniers, only to realize I seldom used any of it. Moving to smaller bikes (I have the KTM mentioned above and a Beta 450RR), I had to figure out how to travel lighter.

Done this trip in the past and will be doing it again for Rennsport this year, make sure that you prep the car before the trip, accessory belt, coolant hoses and coolant, oil change, alignment, Brakes and fluid, tires, water pump?, anything that you feel could be an issue. Take a basic tool kit, don't get carried away because there is only so much you will be able to do on the side of the road... Make sure you check the pressure on the spare tire, its no use if its flat (ask me how I know) I think a tire repair kit, pump etc. might be a waste of time and space, again how practical will it be to use, throw the spare on and get things properly repaired if needed. Have fun it's a great drive.

May want to pickup a breaker bar and socket for wheel lugs, the factory socket is known to fail, usually on the Friday evening of a long weekend...

1. credit card(s) (remember to inform your CCC that you will be on the road so card will NOT be flagged) 2. cell phone (and portable battery) 3. snacks & drinks 4. that's it

I commute a fairly long distance each weekday and I carry a small socket set with ratchet, a small torx & e-torx set, a set of wrenches, bundle of tie wraps, multimeter, 20’ of zipcord wire, electrical tape, wire strippers, nitrile gloves, utility knife, OBD2 code reader all in a toolbag that I can swap quickly between cars. (Porsche 996 & BMW 135i) I also carry 1qt of oil and 2 liters of water, but those stay in the individual car. Also I have the factory toolkits.