Top 3 Winch Recovery Kits in 2022
Here is another gear category where you just don’t skimp on quality, folks.
Having a safe and reliable plan and the proper gear to get ourselves and our loved ones out of hazardous situations is our duty.
Forsaking the quality of a winch recovery kit is a potentially dangerous idea that could leave you in a much worse situation and, at a minimum, could lead to the damage and destruction of one of our most valuable assets, our vehicle.
The scenarios are almost endless, too many things could go wrong, and there’s too much heavy equipment involved just to save a few bucks on a kit with hardware that could fail and flail, turn out more costly in the end, or turn into a medieval head-severing nightmare.
You can put a kit together yourself and hand pick each component to your liking. However, this can get pricey, and one way we CAN save money here is to buy a pre-established kit and there are some high-quality kits on the market.
A good middle ground is to lay out the articles of your kit after you purchase it and determine how YOU want to organize it and what you want to add to it to suit your particular needs.
Below are the basic accessories that make up a fairly thorough winch recovery kit. We have provided this list so that once you take a look at what is and isn’t included you can add to and customize them. Or, perhaps from this list you will piece your kit together starting from scratch.
So let’s get started putting together The Best Winch Recovery Kit in 2021!
Anatomy of a Winch Recovery Kit
Heavy Duty Bag - Keep it all in one place.
Tree Saver Strap - Keep our wild places wild!
Recovery Straps “Snatch Straps” - A recovery strap is not a REAL recovery strap if it is not 100% nylon and has stretching ability. And remember, if it has hooks, it is not a recovery strap and you should NEVER put hooks on them. They have loops on each end and should be rated for at least 2 times (preferably more) the weight of whatever is being lifted or pulled.
Winch Extension Strap - A just-in-case, real good idea, especially for solo runs.
Tow Strap - Tow straps are meant for slow careful pulls and recovery “snatch” straps are made for a quick jerking type of pull because they are made to stretch and give. If you use the wrong one, you’ll know it. Hopefully not too hard of a lesson.
DO NOT listen to anyone who says you do not need a recovery damper! This is a safety first issue. The potential energy stored in a winch line during recovery is absolutely tremendous and plenty of people have died or were severely injured by a cable break. A damper will absorb that energy and simply put the cable on the ground in the event of a break. Add two or more to also use on straps for bigger jobs.
Snatch Blocks - Safely double the strength of your pull with every block used. Preferably at least two.
D-Ring Shackles - At least four, but the more the merrier. You have to have shackles.
A Shovel - Haven’t seen a kit yet that includes a shovel. Maybe one exists, but haven’t seen it. So it will almost always be up to you to include it alongside your kit. Every single vehicle, especially off-road, should have a good sturdy shovel. Round point seems to be more versatile, but square is fine too, and so are folders. JUST. CARRY. A SHOVEL!!
Shackle Hitch Receiver - Not a necessity, but can be a swell pal.
Other optional items include a good solid pair of gloves and a strong section of chain. Chain is not a necessity, is weaker than your straps and cables, and heavy. However, if you’ve got the room and weight is not an issue, a good DOT and CVSA Spec chain can come in real handy for a lot of situations.
Chain should never be used in the place of straps and cables as a winch recovery component and can be DEADLY if used in such a manner!
Alright, enough parenting, let’s get into the meat of the article and find out which of the Top 3 Winch Recovery Kits of 2022 are best suited for what you’re looking to do!
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Top 3 Winch recovery kits of 2022
WARN 97570 Heavy-Duty Epic Accessory Recovery Kit-Large
USA made, this here is the big fella on our list today. The WARN 97570 Heavy Duty Epic Accessory kit should handle just about any job you wanna throw it.
The series is also available in medium duty WARN 97565 Duty Epic Accessory Recovery Kit-Medium (for winches 12,000 lbs and under).
The Warn 97570 is designed for winches 18,000 lbs. and under. The extremely durable, modular backpack, which also acts as the winch line damper, makes this kit easy to transport. The perfect kit to compliment your Warn Winch.
Includes:
Two forged 3/4" Epic Shackles with powder coat finish (for 18,000 lb. winches and under)
Epic Tree Trunk Protector, including forged end loops with powder coat finish (4" x 8'; rated to 30,000 lbs.)
Epic Snatch Block with powder coat finish (for winch capacities of up to 18,000 lbs.)
Premium Recovery Strap (3" x 30'; rated to 21,600 lbs.)
Gloves with Kevlar reinforcement and synthetic leather
Backpack made from ballistic material with modular interior that doubles as line damper.
Designed for winch capacities up to 10,000 lbs, Warn’s most popular, and very affordable, winch accessory kit, the WARN 88900 Medium-Duty Winch Accessory Kit, has been upgraded with a 20,000 lb maximum capacity snatch block so you can get even more from your WARN winch!
Includes:
20,000 lbs. maximum capacity snatch block, with grease port.
2" x 8' tree trunk protector, rated to 14,400 lbs. (6531 kg).
2" x 30' standard recovery strap, rated to 14,400 lbs. (6531 kg).
3/4" D-shackles (2x).
Heavyweight denier carry bag that can double is a winch line damper.
Winching gloves (XL)
ARB makes a solid kit here with the RK9US Premium Recovery Kit, and includes all of the basics you need to pull yourself out of a sticky situation.
They also offer some smaller side kits to compliment the premium if you want to add on to your overall recovery gear kit and keep the brand in the same family.
ARB is Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of 4×4 accessories and also have an international presence, with an office in the US and an export network that extends through more than 80 countries around the globe.
Their philosophy – quality, reliability and practicality above all else.
Includes:
17,600lbs snatch strap
9,900lbs winch extension strap
26,000lbs tree trunk protector
19,800lbs snatch block
Recovery damper
Winch pack storage bag
Two 4.75T bow shackles
Recovery gloves
“As long as you’re moving, it’s easier to steer”
-Ed Lester
No Winch Recovery Kit on our list today is going to have everything you could ever want for your set up. Simply the fact that none of them have a shovel, alone, makes this true.
However, these are The Best Winch Recovery Kits on the market and offer the most for auto recovery efforts. It will be up to you to analyze what’s inside each kit and determine from there what you would like to add.
The Best Winch Recovery Kits, or any preparedness kit for that matter, are always made optimal by individual customization.
We hope this article has given you some insight into what it may take to complete a kit that works for your particular situation. Preparedness is peace of mind. Stay prepared so that you can protect and provide for the ones you hold dear.
Stay Rugged and GET OUT THERE!!
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