I just recently bought a new 2007 Suburban.  This is my primary vehicle but it will also double  as the BOV.  

For those of you who have trucks/SUVs for your BOV any suggestions for extras and add-ons would be appreciated.

get a truck bag.  not a BOB, that's what you carry away from the truck.  a truck bag (or box, if you want) will have all of the stuff that you ultimately need for the vehicle.  

some ideas:

jumper cables,
puncture repair kit,
tow strap,
class 3 hitch pull adapter (link),
work gloves,
fiskars hatchet,
repair wire,
550 cord,
tools,
tie wraps,
duct tape,
hand cleaner wipes,
latex gloves,
N95 masks,
AA/CR123 batts,
flashlights,
cylume snap lights,
bug repellant,
toilet paper roll in zip lock bag,
water,
USCG food bars,
extra pair of shoes and socks.

ar-jedi

Quoted: My kit is here:\\www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=17&t=607209 I would add a real front bumper, winch, mild lift, and skid plates as protection. After you've got some miles on those tires upgrade them to better match your local terrain. The best thing you can do is go wheeling with some others to test the extremes of your new truck with someone near-by to bail you out when you pass the edge of the envelope.

This is about the best advice you could get - do everything Paul posted.

What I would add is sliders - your truck will have a long breakover area, sliders will keep your sheetmetal functional and allow you to "slide" over big bones on the trail.

The original poster didn't even say his SUV was 4 wheel drive and everyone is saying he should get a winch, skid plates and rock sliders???

A BOV is not necessarily a rock crawler/offroad vehicle for most people.

Ground clearance is useful in a lot of situations where the above recommendations don't come into play.

Sirostac, first decide what capabilities you want before you decide what to bolt onto your new SUV.

Is it 2WD? 4WD? 1500 or 2500?

If you're not interested in doing tha Baja 1000, the vehicle is perfectly usable as a BOV. It holds a lot of gear and people, has some ground clearance and you could probably sleep in it. You didn't mention if you had any family or how far your BOL is.

A front bumper replacement is useful for pushing gates, doors, cars and people out of the way, but if you're just looking to hop on the Interstate to G.O.O.D (get out of dodge) you probably don't need many of those items. Sure they can come in handy, but there are more important things, like first aid kits, food, water and fuel cans for your thirsty vehicle.

Decide what terrain you want to be able to drive over, then decide what extra bolt on parts will help you do that.

Also consider that your truck with $5000 with offroad parts on it will make you stick out a lot more than a plain vehicle that all the soccer moms are driving. That may be a concern if you are stuck on the Interstate in Houston trying to get away from Hurricane X.

-M

Quoted: get a truck bag.  not a BOB, that's what you carry away from the truck.  a truck bag (or box, if you want) will have all of the stuff that you ultimately need for the vehicle.   some ideas:........

good info ar  - as usual.

WOW!

Thanks for the input!  Lot's of great ideas!  Keep 'em coming!

Paul I saw your thread a few days ago and that's what made me start this one.

FYI...my suburban is 2WD 1500.

sirostac-
I've got the 07 Tahoe that should be much the same inside. In the back on the drivers side is a big plastic hump for the wheel well. On the top of this hump is a little removable panel to access the factory jack and tools. That area is HUGE inside. I have so much crap stuffed in there, you wouldn't believe it. I would add a gallon of water to Jedi's list and go with a head lamp for your flashlight, but that's pretty much the same stuff I have. I also changed out the factory little bottle jack for one of these-
www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=293321

You might want to get a trailer with a spare gas tank, say 500gallons.  You might make it to the supermarket then.

Quoted: You might want to get a trailer with a spare gas tank, say 500gallons.  You might make it to the supermarket then.

They get 16mpg city. The same as most full size pick ups. It's not like an Excursion that gets 12.

In all seriousness, fuel capacity would be my first concern.

Does Transfer Flow make an aux tank for Suburbans?

We get about 500 miles per tank in our 03 burb.

I love it everywhere except at the pump.  

Good info!

Is there an extra spot under the hood to hook up another battery?  Possibly a deep cycle?

A good add on is a power inverter.  Wal-Mart has a 400watt Black and Decker for about $35 bucks.  I've used it for tons of things, especially on vacation and on camping and fishing trips.  

Keep a spare headlight in the glove box,  never know when you'll need it.

Know where your floor jack and tire changing equipment is,  I had a flat at night once and it took me 45 minutes to find the stuff.  Mine ended up being under the second row of seats that I didn't even know folded up.

Flashlight.  Cheap LED style would work.

Tire plug kit, and small air compressor.  These can really save your butt if you're far from home, on the trail or vacation.

For start, get a second spare tire and a spare Optima yellowtop; and truck box full of goodies as said above.

id be looking at fuel storage.....not  sure how to do it other than a small trailer......suburban stuck in traffic will suck some fuel

FWIW, I have a Contico SUV Utility Box in the back of my Expedition.  It's a good size to organize things like jumper cables, flares and whatnot, without taking up too much cargo space.  It seems to be pretty stout, and could be used as a bench if I took it out.

I'd include a spare serpentine belt too.  +1 on the extra battery. Do they still have the extra battery compartment on the driver's side?

Did you get yours with the towing package?  I have a 1999 4x4 Suburban 2500 w/ towing package and love it everywhere except the gas station.  It's not our off-road vehicle, but that shift on the fly 4WD is nice for those rain-ice-snow transitions that regularly hit the mid-Atlantic region every winter.

Med kit?

Quoted: sirostac- I've got the 07 Tahoe that should be much the same inside. In the back on the drivers side is a big plastic hump for the wheel well. On the top of this hump is a little removable panel to access the factory jack and tools. That area is HUGE inside. I have so much crap stuffed in there, you wouldn't believe it. I would add a gallon of water to Jedi's list and go with a head lamp for your flashlight, but that's pretty much the same stuff I have. I also changed out the factory little bottle jack for one of these- www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=293321

Cool jack but relying on electronics in emergency situations doesn't seem like such a great idea. It would make a hell of a supplemental jack though.

Quoted: FWIW, I have a Contico SUV Utility Box in the back of my Expedition.  It's a good size to organize things like jumper cables, flares and whatnot, without taking up too much cargo space.  It seems to be pretty stout, and could be used as a bench if I took it out.

I picked this up today!  Dave is right it is a good size without taking up ALL of the cargo area but big enough that I don't have stuff rolling all over the place.

Good Call!

Quoted: Quoted: sirostac- I've got the 07 Tahoe that should be much the same inside. In the back on the drivers side is a big plastic hump for the wheel well. On the top of this hump is a little removable panel to access the factory jack and tools. That area is HUGE inside. I have so much crap stuffed in there, you wouldn't believe it. I would add a gallon of water to Jedi's list and go with a head lamp for your flashlight, but that's pretty much the same stuff I have. I also changed out the factory little bottle jack for one of these- www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=293321 Cool jack but relying on electronics in emergency situations doesn't seem like such a great idea. It would make a hell of a supplemental jack though.

It comes with a little hand crank backup in case something goes wrong.

i carry one of the large rubbermaid containers in my XJ(usually). it holds everything i need such as the hitches for my receiver, recovery strap, tool bag, spare fluids, as well as items i cant remember. it also can be locked and can be used as a seat. i keep a load of stuff in it and it still has room. i can pick it up by myself but if there was more in it i would remove things i didnt need like the hitches and recovery straps and tools so i could carry it to where ever. i also use the smaller 8gal rubbermaid containers. they work great and one will hold my tool bag, 2 recovery straps, several bungee cords and ratchet straps. 2 or 3 of them in the back of a sub could keep items together, water and food in one, tools in another, cloths in the third and maybe recovery gear in the forth. you could use one of those spider web bungees to hold it all down and they would provide a flat surface to place other items on top of them.

What you need is a full Gamber Johnson MCS (Mission Control System) Console with Laptop mount.  Interestingly enough I just happen to have one for sale

Quoted: We get about 500 miles per tank in our 03 burb. I love it everywhere except at the pump.

Yeah, thats what I was thinking when I saw everyones fuel comments.  My 99 holds 40 gallons and I get close to 500 miles out of a tank.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: sirostac- I've got the 07 Tahoe that should be much the same inside. In the back on the drivers side is a big plastic hump for the wheel well. On the top of this hump is a little removable panel to access the factory jack and tools. That area is HUGE inside. I have so much crap stuffed in there, you wouldn't believe it. I would add a gallon of water to Jedi's list and go with a head lamp for your flashlight, but that's pretty much the same stuff I have. I also changed out the factory little bottle jack for one of these- www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=293321 Cool jack but relying on electronics in emergency situations doesn't seem like such a great idea. It would make a hell of a supplemental jack though. It comes with a little hand crank backup in case something goes wrong.

Ahh sweet. I might just have to get one of those then.

The first thing I would do is read the owners manual and go all over your new vehicle.  I sadly admit to have found a storage space 3 months after I bought my truck because I did not read the owners manual, I skimmed a few sections.  Know your vehicle and where everything happens to be.

As long as your tires are not some super exotic item I would recomend reading up on plugging a tire and getting a tire plug kit and a small air pump that can run off a cigarette lighter or accesory port.  Make sure the cord is long enough to reach all your tires.

I also agree with trading in the stock tires for something different.  I prefer tires that can handle higher pressures and have a more aggressive tread.  You just have to decide what you want and then search for it.  I had a 2k yukon 4x4 for a while and before that it was my dad's so I drove it a lot.  Its stock tires had a lot of roll when turning and the next set helped get rid of that.  I like a firm ride and no roll in the sidewall if possable.

If you don't have a tow hitch I would get one and if you do have one I would take a look at some adapters for hooking up the lights to other trailers you might find a use for.  If you have zero use for a trailer right now I doubt I would buy them, but learn about them.

I have a hitch packer and they have been discussed in here before and are nice for keeping things outside the vehicle that might stink it up, like gas cans and what not.

If you have a roof rack you should look at it and figure out how you might use it.

For any suv I always keep some rope, ratchet straps, and bungee cords around for the odd haul job I wander into.

Do some searches to see if your burban has any weak spots that the aftermarket is focusing on.

I personally would not make any major changes to the burban until you have gotten farther into your warranty period.

Tires make a vehicle much more useful, and a good driver is also very important.

Learn your vehicle and get the basics already listed in other posts like a first aid kit and what not.

Then change things to suit your needs if you feel the need to do so.

Quoted: The first thing I would do is read the owners manual and go all over your new vehicle.

I have been dong this every day for a week.  I learn somthing new each time!  My suburban does have a tow package but I have nothing to tow at this point...but will learn what my options are for sure!

Lots of GREAT suggestions in this thread so far, I'm slowly filling that truck box with goodies!  

Quoted: Quoted: You might want to get a trailer with a spare gas tank, say 500gallons.  You might make it to the supermarket then. They get 16mpg city. The same as most full size pick ups. It's not like an Excursion that gets 12.

Good luck on 16. My 04 gets barely 13 around town and thats just puttin along.

I just sold my 97 GMC Sub and bought (at 1/2 wholesale from sister) an 01 Chev. Sub.  My gas milage on the first two tanks has been 16.5 and that is mixed driving up to 75mph. better than the 97 mpg - lots better.  I keep 2 rubbermaid containers in it - one marked "truck" for cables, wrenches ,etc. and one marked "outdoor" with binos, gloves, spotlight, headlamp, and etc.  But also my brother and I had made storage box out of plywood covered with carpet for the back which has 8.5 in. high storage and one pull out drawer -- I can put long guns on either side and other out of sight stuff.  Just transfered it from the 97 to the 01.