HARD WEAR REVIEW
RECOVERY KITS
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There’s a few new kids on the block since our last
recovery kit review – so for this issue, we got back to work.
BY SAM PURCELL.
mr4x4.com.au | Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures
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BEST
quality
ARB
Premium Recovery Kit
BEST
value
I
t’s a very interesting exercise to start analysing recovery gear, and assessing
what makes for a ‘good’ kit. I found this out over a year ago, when we did our
first recovery kit review in Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures magazine. In that
review, we found the ‘Big 3’ in 4X4 aftermarket land did bring home the goods.
ARB got best quality, Ironman 4X4 got best value, and the TJM kit got best overall.
Now that some time has passed, this is something worth looking into again.
Seeing as most of those kits haven’t really changed much, we decided that
we wouldn’t run over old ground for this review. Instead, we have scoured the
marketplace and picked up seven new kits that we didn’t include last time around
… and had a close look at them to see what you get for your money.
IRONMAN 4X4
Large Recovery Kit
BEST
overall
TJM
BUSHRANGER
JUST STRAPS
TERRAIN TAMER
OZTRAIL
OPPOSITE LOCK
Recovery Kit – Large
X-Pack
4WDKIT4
HONOURABLE
mention
Recovery Kit
50
7 Piece Recovery Kit
Snatch and Winch Recovery Kit
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HARD WEAR REVIEW
MEAN MOTHER
8 Piece Recovery Kit
The first thing I like about this Mean Mother
kit is the fact that it’s Australian-made. Other
than Just Straps, I’m not aware of any other
companies doing this – so tip of the cap to
Mean Mother. A big, rectangular box has
a well-organised interior, with some great
extra storage on the outside. The webbing
and stitching on the tree straps looks neat
and well done, and they are well presented.
There’s an 8-tonne snatch block, which
looks to be serviceable through accessible
circlips. This is stored in a Velcro neoprene
sleeve, which would be handy for keeping
mud and grit in (or out) and avoid it
spreading through the other gear. Also, there
are two yellow 5-tonne shackles, and a pair
of traditional loose-fitting rigging gloves.
So overall for the $269 asking price, this
is an impressive recovery kit. The only item
missing is a strap dampener – but you can
pick one up for $49 from Mean Mother.
WHAT WE
$249
Liked
Well organised bag,
Australian-made straps
and good value.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
Missing a strap
dampener.
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MEAN MOTHER
8 Piece Recovery Kit
This kit is largely the same as the other
recovery kit by Mean Mother, but it costs a
little more money. Where that money goes
is into some beefier, higher-rated straps. The
yellow snatch strap is the same; if you want
an 11-tonne strap to suit your heavy rig,
you have to opt for one of the heavier-duty
kits. The winch extension strap is noticeably
larger, and has an 8-tonne rating. It also
has the two neoprene sleeves near each
eyelet. The winch extension strap is a nicer,
more premium unit as well – with a stout
12-tonne rating.
Otherwise, this is the same kit: Same
great bag with plenty of extra storage, same
snatch block and shackles, and same leather
gloves. The extra beefiness on the straps is
nice, and they make for a more premium
overall package. Whether the high ratings
and finishes are important, for your kit, is up
to you. Another note here is some red plastic
‘sleeves’ for keeping the straps separated
and organised. Like the other kit, the straps
are also Australian-made … a rarity for
straps in Australia.
$319
WHAT WE
Liked
Nice, well-rated straps
in a good bag.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
No strap dampener.
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HARD WEAR REVIEW
OPPOSITE LOCK
Pro Winch Kit
Whilst Opposite Lock’s recovery gear has
been out for a while, the company has just
recently put together this separate ‘Pro
Winch Kit’ – so we thought we would have
another look. The snatch strap is a big,
10-tonne 10-metre unit. It’s not going to
stay white for long, but at least you can keep
a keen eye on how much dirt it ingests. The
other straps aren’t skimped on either – with
a 5-metre 8-tonne tree trunk protector and a
10-metre 4.5-tonne winch extension strap.
There are two 3.75-tonne and 4.75-tonne
shackles in this kit – enough for 99% of
recovery situations. The gloves are padded,
tight-fitting neoprene units, and you also get
a white bridle sleeve that can be fitted to
any of your straps. There is a 5-metre drag
chain included with the kit (which while it
isn’t rated for recovery use, is a very handy
thing to have onboard). And to complete
the picture, there is an 8-tonne greasable
and rebuildable snatch block. Where this kit
does lose points, like last time, is that the
shoulder strap is very weakly stitched onto
the (otherwise great) bag and lets go almost
straight away.
$438
WHAT WE
Liked
Four shackles and a drag chain are
great. Big, beefy snatch strap.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
The shoulder strap breaks, making
a heavy kit a bit awkward.
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VRS
Full Recovery Kit
VRS has been making a pretty comprehensive
range of electric winches for Australian 4WDers
for a number of years now, catering for the
middle range with 9,500 and 12,500 pound
ratings. The company is now supplementing this
with a new range of recovery gear and kits … so
we thought we would have a closer look.
The VRS Full Recovery Kit comes with just
about everything you need to get out on the
tracks. A 20-metre 5-tonne winch extension
strap is joined by a 10-metre 8-tonne snatch
strap and a 5-metre 8-tonne winch extension
strap. Visually, these straps aren’t made to as
high a standard as other straps on test; but as
long as their ratings are true, there shouldn’t be
a problem. Interestingly, the neoprene sleeves
are stitched in place on these units; and advice
on the tags about joining straps with shackles
should be definitely ignored …
On the plus side, two 3.75-tonne shackles
are joined by an extra 4.75-tonne shackle and
an 8-tonne greasable and rebuildable snatch
block. The bag, while it doesn’t rate compared
to other bags on this test, does feel sturdy
enough to go the distance in the back of a
4X4. The bag doesn’t sport as much storage
acumen as other bags – but the advantage
here is that it’s less bulky.
$299
WHAT WE
Liked
Great value for money,
with a strap dampener.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
The quality of straps is not
as high as other kits.
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HARD WEAR REVIEW
DRIVETECH 4X4
Mammoth Kit
The Drivetech 4X4 kit comes in a sturdy,
nicely-made bag – which fits a surprising
amount of gear. There is room for more, too,
via a large zippered pocket on the outside
and plenty of other nooks inside and out.
The extras of a bush saw, folding shovel
and head torch are nice additions that
would come in handy; but let’s be honest,
you buy a recovery kit for the real gear.
I have to say however, I carry a similar
folding shovel to this … and it does come
in handy for its size.
Onto the serious gear: All of the
Drivetech 4X4 straps look quality, with
plenty of neat stitching around the eyelets
and folds. You get two 4.75-tonne shackles,
plus a third one that comes with the steel
recovery hitch. And of course there is an
8,000kg snatch block, which is serviceable
and rebuildable. Unfortunately, there is no
strap dampener in this kit … something
that would need to be remedied. For the
price of $350, this kit represents pretty
strong value for its inclusions.
$350
WHAT WE
Liked
A great bag, with plenty of
smart extra storage.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
No strap dampener. But
there is room to fit one.
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OUTBACK ARMOUR
Winch Utility Kit
This is a very impressive recovery kit, which comes
from a different plane of thinking than other kits
on the market. The bag is a rectangular-shaped
vinyl job, which could take advantage of smaller
storage spaces.
Outback Armour really prides itself on the
quality of its recovery gear, and you can see
this in the product; it oozes quality, and is well
thought-through. If it counts for anything, the
snatch block (10,000kg) is one of the nicest we
have come across; and the gloves are bloody
nice as well. Three shackles (two 4.75-tonne and
one 5.75-tonne) live in their own hi-vis vinyl case
along with a similar-quality big strap dampener.
Most of the space in the case is taken up with
the winch extension strap: It’s 20 metres, and
rated to 10 tonnes, so it’s a monster. If you’re
planning on using your winch extension strap
very often, it would be hard to go past this one.
The tree trunk protector strap is also a beefy
10-tonne rating and it’s five metres long.
All of this beefy quality does come at a
significant price of $389 – quite a bit for a
winching kit. But you can see where that money
goes. Quality-wise, this kit’s unrivalled. It isn’t
complete, but it does cover your bases from a
winching point of view. To make a total package,
all you’d need to add is a snatch strap.
$389
WHAT WE
Liked
The best, in terms of
overall quality and finish.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
You’d want to add a snatch strap
to complete the picture.
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HARD WEAR REVIEW
OUTBACK ARMOUR
Comp Snatch Kit
This is another kit from Outback Armour,
tailored just for snatch recoveries. So you
don’t get a winch extension strap, a tree trunk
protector or a snatch block. You do get a very
nice 6-tonne 9-metre snatch strap, and a
10-tonne 3-metre equaliser strap. This equaliser
strap is noted for use as a bridle – but we
can’t see an issue with using it as a smaller
extension strap or a tree trunk protector.
What you do get, similar to the other
Outback Armour kit, is the huge emphasis on
quality. The bag is fibre-reinforced PVC and is
almost too nice to get dirty. Three shackles – a
5.75-tonne and two 4.75-tonne items – are
included. The big one is quite impressive; but
its size does limit its application, and the rating
is approaching overkill for most situations. For
my own uses, I would be happier with a third
4.75-tonne unit instead.
The gloves are the best on test, and the
smart inclusion of a small strap joiner is very
handy for escaping ‘bind’ when using multiple
straps in anger. And it’s nice to see a big heavy
strap dampener included in the kit. Some
might baulk at the price of this kit … but
considering the quality and inclusions, I rate
this as good value.
$254
WHAT WE
Liked
Great overall quality,
very nice gloves.
WHAT WE DIDN’T
Like
You’ll need to tailor a kit to
include extra winching gear.
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HARD WEAR REVIEW
BEST
CONCLUSIONS
quality
The most impressive gear on this review has to be the Outback Armour gear. You can
tell that these guys have approached this new product line with a clean slate, and
are focusing purely on quality, functional gear. Everything feels top quality. The only
bugbear for me is that there isn’t a complete kit for snatching and winching – so
you’d have to specify a kit from Outback Armour, or buy a winch kit and a snatch kit.
From a value-for-money point of view, the VRS kit does give the biggest bang
for your buck. Although the extension strap is only 4,500kg, it is 20 metres long.
The snatch strap and tree trunk protector are both longer than average (10 metres
and five metres). The overall quality does leave a bit to be desired, but you have to
weigh up for yourself whether that matters in a recovery kit that’s going to get used.
If I was to buy a budget-conscious option from this group, I would probably pick
up the cheaper Mean Mother kit because the bag and straps feel much better to
me. An extra 10-metre extension strap costs you $45 if you want 20 metres of
extension, but you’re still short a strap dampener. Going up another step price-wise,
you’re paying an extra $70 for the premium Mean Mother kit with beefier straps.
Otherwise, the Drivetech 4X4 and Opposite Lock kits pack a lot of punch in
different forms. Having a drag chain (whilst it isn’t really good for recovery gear)
is a very handy thing . Four rated shackles are great; as are the flash gloves. But
the weak shoulder strap is quite annoying. The addition of a recovery hitch in the
Drivetech 4X4 kit is great … along with the added bonus of an extra shackle. The
head torch, saw and shovel (for me) fall into the ‘nice to have handy’ category.
The Opposite Lock kit is the most expensive – owing mostly to that 5-metre drag
chain which is probably worth around $80. Because you get an extra 10 metres of
extension strap with the Drivetech 4X4 kit, and the smart extra storage that the bag
has, I pick it as my favourite from the group.
OUTBACK ARMOUR
Winch Utility Kit
BEST
value
MEAN MOTHER
8 Piece Recovery Kit
BEST
overall
DRIVETECH 4X4
Mammoth Recovery Kit
Mean Mother
8 piece
Mean Mother
8 piece
Opposite Lock
Pro Winch Kit
VRS
Full Recovery
Drivetech
Mammoth
MMKIT02
MMKIT09
OLRGKIT4
VRSFKIT
DT-RKLGE
OAWINCHKIT
OACOMPSKST
8,000kg, 9 metre
N/A
6,000kg, 10 metre
CODE
Snatch Strap
8000kg, 9 metre 8,000kg, 9 metre 10,000kg, 10 metre 8,000kg, 10 metre
Winch
Extension Strap
Tree Trunk
Protector
4,500kg,
10 metre
6,500kg,
3 metre
8,000kg,
10 metre
12,000kg,
3 metre
4,500kg,
10 metre
8,000kg,
5 metre
4,500kg,
20 metre
8,000kg,
5 metre
5,000kg,
20 metre
12,000kg,
3 metre
10,000kg,
20 metre
10,000kg,
5 metre
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
10,000kg, 3 metre
2x 5 tonne
2x 5 tonne
2X 4.75, 2X 3.25
2X 3.75, 1X 4.75
3 x 4.75
2 X 4.75, 1X 5.75
2 X 4.75, 1X 5.75
no
no
no
yes
no
YES
YES
Gloves
leather
leather
padded neoprene
padded neoprene
leather rigger
fitted leather lined
fitted leather lined
Snatch Block
8,000kg
8,000kg
8,000kg
8,000kg
8,000kg
10,000kg
N/A
Other
Instruction
manuals
Instruction
manuals
Load Bridle Sleeve,
5 metre drag chain
Instructions
Headtorch, brush saw,
recovery hitch, folding shovel
Hook Strap,
Instructions
Hook Strap, Joiner
Strap, instructions
Price
$249.00
$319.00
$438
$299.00
$350
$389.00
$254.00
Bridle
Shackles
Dampener
58
Outback Armour Outback Armour
Winch Utility
Comp Snatch
N/A
N/A
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