Popular off-road accessories 

• Air compressor – to reinflate tyres and perhaps put them back on the rim!
• Snorkel – this doesn’t turn your vehicle into a submarine, but it will help protect the engine in the event of a deep water crossing and you never know when water will be deeper than planned. Cheap insurance, given the cost of engines these days;
• Driving lights – around the ‘burbs there’s streetlights and cat’s eyes in the roads. Out in the bush you have neither, which is where a set of quality driving lamps come into their own, often supplemented these days with LED spread lights for shorter-range lighting; and
• Tools – get the basics; spanners, screwdrivers, Leatherman, cable ties, duct tape, WD-40, electrical basics, glue, rags, tarp, pliers, hammer, safety glasses.

A snorkel is useful insurance given the cost of modern engine replacements.

Bullbars offer protection against errant wildlife, and are also a good mounting point for accessories such as driving lights, sand flags and winches. Here we see HID spotlights supplemented by LED sidelights, arranged in symmetrical pairs.

Air compressors are essential for reinflating tyres. This one is mounted behind the seats so it doesn’t take up space in the cargo area.  If you can, fit them under the bonnet. Also visible are jump-leads and a few other essentials – use every bit of storage space.

A paper map is a must, but a handy supplement is a basic Android or Apple smart device running the digital equivalent as a moving map. Tough mounts like this RAM X-Grip are a must (review here).