Off Road Safety Gear & Supplies To Take Along

Better safe than sorry. The following safety and recovery equipment will get you out of most predicaments. And, if you're riding with a group, then these items could come from any one of the vehicles in the group; it's not necessary for each and every vehicle to carry it all.
Air pump/compressor
Axe
Blanket
Bow saw
Bucket
Bungee cords
Can opener
Candles
Cell phone and/or CB (Note: steel whip CB antennas can be dangerous out on the trail)
Cigarette lighter
Coat hanger - don't underestimate the number of uses for the common household coat hanger!
Compass/GPS unit (remove GPS below)
Duct tape
Extra gas - enough for a round trip & in an appropriate container
Extra motor oil (1-2 quarts)
Fire extinguisher
First aid kit (packed in a tight weatherproof container)
Flares
Flashlight/lantern
Flashlight/lantern/spotlight - with extra batteries
Food (dehydrated foods take little space and last a long time)
GPS unit/compass
Hydraulic/hi-lift jack
ID card, with emergency phone number contact info & medication/allergy information
Jumper cables
Leather gloves
Maps
Mirror
Multi-fit hose and a roll of rubber-weld tape - to repair a blown radiator hose
Paper towels
Pen & paper (a china marker writes on anything!)
Radiator Stop Leak / Tank sealant putty
Rags
Repair manual for your particular vehicle
Rope
Rubber gloves
Shovel
Spare clothes
Spare key kept on your person
T-style lug wrench
Tarp (6'x6') - to keep yourself out of the mud and to catch small parts
Tire pressure gauge & tire pump; fix a flat
Trash bags - heavy duty
Water - enough for you (to drink, clean up) and your vehicle (battery, radiator, washer fluid)
Waterless hand cleaner
Waterproof matches
WD-40/lubricant
Whistle
Winch kit - including straps, snatch block (pulley), shackle
Zip ties/cable ties
There are also a number of kits and products on the market today to simplify the repair process, should a particular part fail. Some of the most popular: radiator stop-leak, silicone gasket material, plastic steel, plastic aluminum, tank sealant putty, tire plugs/patch kit, carburetor cleaner, etc.

Essential tools for your off-road kit

Before heading off road, you should put some thought into what tools you'll need in your offroad toolbox. Your aim is to have enough on hand so if something breaks when you're out on the trail, you'll be able to disassemble, repair, replace, and/or reassemble it in order to get yourself back on the road.

As a bare minimum, you'll want to have the following items on hand:

Air pressure gauge
Allen wrenches
Baling wire
Crescent wrench (small & medium)
Electrical tape & spare connectors
Grease (or a grease gun)
Hammer
Nuts & bolts (assorted sizes)
Open end/box wrenches (3/8" to 3/4")
Pliers - standard, needle-nose and channel lock
Pocket/utility knife
Screwdrivers - standard and phillips
Socket set (3/8") with extensions
Standard & phillips screwdrivers
Super glue/epoxy
Vise grips
Wire & wire cutters/crimpers

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Useful links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS | www.map-reading.com