Off road recovery kits are not essential until they are! In this article, we will provide you with some of the best off road recovery kit found online that are great to use with your winch.
Recovery kits allow you to get the basic necessities all in one order so that you can avoid hunting around online for each piece and one at a time.
They are great on the trail because they typically come in a gear bag so they are always ready in your vehicle if something happens on the trail. You definitely don’t want to be caught out without one because it renders your winch or recovery vehicle almost useless.
For the people that don’t like spending too much time on their computer after a day of work we have provided our top pick of the list to save you some time.
The top pick is the ARB 4×4 RK11 Essentials Recovery kit. It is manufactured by one of the top offroad companies in the world, has great ratings, and it is ready for the beginner or intermediate offroader right out of the bag. It is also not as expensive as the Warn recovery kit on our list. Check out the price and photos at the link below.
If you have a couple of minutes, please scroll down to check out some of the other off road recovery kits that made the list!
Best Off Road Recover Kit
GearAmerica Off-Road Recovery Kit
The off-road recover kit from GearAmerica is our budget model on our list of recovery kits but that does not mean it is lacking the essentials. There are a lot of great reviews about this kit, so you won’t be left behind while on the trail.
Pros:
- The Price
- Strong D Rings
- GearAmerica offers a lifetime hassle free replacement warranty
Cons
- Comes with a tow strap instead of a recovery strap
Pros:
- The Price is great if you do not plan on getting into too much trouble on the trail and only need it for the unexpected occurrence
- There are some great photos of the equipment being used provided by a product reviewer. Check them out at the link here.
- D rings are specially forged and heat treated which gives them a higher break capacity than most D rings
- GearAmerica offers a lifetime hassle free replacement warranty
What it comes with:
- Tow Strap: 3 inches x 20 feet rated at 10,500 lbs
- Tree Saver: 3 inches x 8 feet rated at 10,500 lbs
- Heavy Duty Snatch Block Pully: 10,000 lbs
- Winch Line Dampener/Gear Bag: 14 inches wide and 16 inches tall
- 2 Black D Ring Shackles: 10,500 lbs
- Recovery Gloves
Cons
- Some reviewers mentioned the gloves could be a bit beefer
- There were some reviews that mentioned the storage bag was a little flimsy. But check out the video below and it shows the bag so you can make up your mind there.
- Comes with a tow strap instead of a recovery strap
Here is a video that GearAmerica has created to cover some of the products so you can see them up close and live on camera.
GearAmerica Off-Road Mega Recovery Kit
Another great recovery kit from GearAmerica but this time this kit is a mega kit. What does that mean? Well, the snatch block and the mega shackles are upgraded to 50,000 lbs minimum break strength and 68,000 lbs minimum break strength respectively. So while this kit is a little more expensive you are getting a lot stronger items to assist in tougher recoveries on the trail.
Pros:
- D Rings and Snatch Block Pully rated higher than above GearAmerica Kit
- Lifetime warranty
Cons:
- More expensive than above GearAmerica Kit
- Comes With Tow Strap instead of a recovery Strap
- Break strength only provided for some of the gear
Pros:
- D rings and the snatch block pully are higher rated than the previous Kit by GearAmerica
- GearAmerica offers a lifetime hassle free replacement warranty
What it comes with:
- Tow Strap: 3 inches x 20 feet rated at 12,000 lbs
- Tree Saver: 3 inches x 8 feet rated at 12,000 bls
- Heavy Duty Snatch Block Pully: 10,000 lbs
- Winch Line Dampener/Gear Bag: 14 inches wide and 16 inches tall
- 2 Black D Ring Shackles: Rated at 10,500 lbs
- Recovery Gloves
Cons
- A little more expansive than the other GearAmerica kit
- Comes with a tow strap instead of a recovery strap like the others do
Rugged Ridge 15104.25 XHD Recover Gear Kit
Rugged Ridge is a big manufacturer of offroad parts and has created another budget-friendly gear kit for you to stow away in your vehicle. Similar to the others it has a lot of the same gear provided. Rugged Ridge has stated that this kit is rated for 20,000 pound limit.
Pros:
- 5 year Warranty
- Budget Friendly
Cons:
- Basic kit
What we like:
- Rugged Ridge provides a 5 year warranty
- Budget friendly but does its job from owners reviews
What it comes with:
- Recovery Strap: 2 inches x 30 feet rated at 20,000 lbs
- Tree Saver: 3 inches x 6 feet rated at 30,000 lbs
- Heavy Duty Snatch Block Pully: 20,000 lb
- Winch Line Dampener/Gear Bag: 14 inches wide and 16 inches tall
- 2 Black D Ring Shackles: Rated at 9,500 lb
- Recovery Gloves
Cons
- It is a very basic kit and the details of the equipment provided show it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work out on the trail.
WARN Medium Duty Epic Accessory Recover Kit
Warn Industries one of the top manufacturers of vehicle recovery equipment has created a premium recover kit for the masses. While this is the most expensive kit on this list after reading the specifications you will realize why that is.
Pros:
- Great Winching Gloves
- Forged End Loops on Tree Saver
- Great Product Detail/Finish
Cons:
- Top of the List Price
Pros:
- Top of the line winching gloves made out of Kevlar and synthetic leather
- The tree saver uses forged end loops instead of nylon loops.
- If you are into your rig looking good, the finish and detail on the kit is second to none
What it comes with:
- Recovery Strap: 2 inch x 30 feet rated to 14,400 lbs
- Tree Protector w/ forged end loops: 2 inch x 8 feet rated to 14,400 lbs
- Snatch Block: Rated up to 12,000 lbs
- Two 3/4 inch Shackles: For use with 18,000 lb winches
- Kevlar/leather winching gloves
- Backpack carrying case
Cons
- The price of this recovery kit tops the list. If you don’t put your offroad vehicle in tough positions a lot then perhaps this kit is not for you.
ARB 4×4 RK11 Essentials Recovery Kit
ARB is definitely a company you have come across numerous times in your search for the right gear for your 4×4. The recovery kit that they make has the flash and strength along with great reviews to back it up. This is great for the newbie or intermediate off-roader.
Pros:
- Bag is attractive and noticeable if you need to work in the dark.
- Cheaper than the Warn kit and probably suitable for most of your average off-roader.
What it comes with:
- Recovery strap: 3 inch x 30 foot rated at 17,600 lbs
- Tree Protector: 3 inch x 10 foot rated at 26,000 lbs
- Snatch Block Ultralight: Rated at 20,000 lbs
- Bow Shackles: 3/4 inch 4.75 t rated (9,500 lbs)
- Read the FAQ for info on the bow shackle and D ring.
- Canvas Recovery Bag
Cons:
- Some reviewers had some minor issues with the bag holding up after a couple of years
- Does not have some of the other items the other kits provided like the gloves and the dampener
Frequently Asked Questions
Difference Between a D shackle And A Bow Shackle
D Shackle
D shackles tend to be used for tension of a rope/wire that comes perpendicular to the bolt. That is where its maximum strength is. As soon as you start pulling the shackle from different angles the maximum strength is reduced and depending on the application have a great chance of failure.
Bow Shackle Or D Ring
A bow shackle allows loads to come from many directions without affecting its overall strength too much. But due to its shape its overall strength is less than a D shackle in some cases. Direct side loading of a bow shackle is to be avoided because this can reduce the strength of the shackle by a large percentage.
Now the confusing part of all this is that the offroad community largely calls bow shackles D rings. But a D ring is not a D shackle and is not shaped like a D shackle.
Check out this article about D shackles and bow shackles for more information. UScargocontrol.com
Difference Between Recovery Strap And Tow Strap
While the names easily tips off the difference between the two we can break it down a little more.
Recovery Straps
A recovery strap is used to recover your vehicle from a sticky situation and typically on the trail. But it could be used when a vehicle is on the side of the road in the ditch. Recovery straps are typically comprised of nylon that allows it to stretch initially.
If you can picture a car that is stuck. The recovery vehicle is going to yank on it while either using a winch or driving. You don’t want all the initial energy to translate directly into the other vehicle right of way. It is bad for both parties vehicles, humans, and recovery equipment. It is best if the energy slowly is transfered and that is the reason for the stretch component of the recovery strap.
Tow Straps
Tow straps are typically used to tow a free moving vehicle. There may be a little stretch in the material but not much. They are typically made of polyester and are not as strong as a recovery strap with the same dimensions. The tow strap allows quicker transfer of energy.
Some more info from US Cargo Control on the differences. USCargoControl.com
Table: Best Off Road Recovery Kit
| Product Name | Product Image | Primary Button | D Ring Rating (lowest Rated Item) |
|---|---|---|---|
#5 |
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#4 |
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#3 |
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#2 |
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Top Pick! |
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Conclusion – Best Off Road Recovery Kit
Now that we have gone through our list, I bet we have all learned something about the recovery kits out there and what to look out for. Again, having one always riding with you on the trail should be as essential as a spare tire. You never know when you are going to need it but when you do it is going to assist in your recovery while also saving you time and money.
Again, we chose the ARB Essentials Recovery kit because of the ARB name, the product, and the fact that it is ready for newbies to intermediates and it won’t break the bank like the Warn recovery kit. Click the link below to get some more great information about it and read some of the great reviews. When using a winch and recovering a vehicle it can be a very dangerous process so having something you know you can rely on is paramount.
If you are a more advanced driver and get into the nasty stuff on the trail then we would recommend getting the Warn medium duty recovery kit we recommended above or even the Warn large kit which provides you with some higher rated items.
Whichever kit you pick understand your ratings and what you are pulling to get home safe while having a lot of fun recovering your vehicle. Recovering a vehicle can be a dangerous endeavor!
Have fun out there!
If you don’t need the entire kit and just a tow strap check out our review of tow straps on the web here: Heavy Duty Tow Strap.
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