Essentials?

Something like a think plank of wood (short length of scaffold plank).

Usefull to spread the load on sand/dirt/mud or level an uneven surface when jacking the car, or for putting under the wheels if you dig yourself in at anytime. Could even be used to lie on while working on the car at the roadside, if the ground is too baking hot to avoid burning.

A good supply of smokes if someone does (or even better, a suitable supply of currency to stock up once you hit europe, and to restock before returning to the UK).

MeatballTurbo ( snipped-for-privacy@bouncing-czechs.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

We don't, but we will be stocking up on duty-free Marlboro at Ceuta, as I'm sure they'll help with some of the border guards...

I use Facom myself, I get a good deal on them from a company I do a bit of work for. IIRC the car and the tools won't be coming back hence I don't think they'd be too keen on spending 600quid on some Ninja kit just to leave it behind ;-)

Ah fond memories of the Cannon Ball.

If we take a nice Facom or Snap-on set, - well, let's put it this way - we aren't....

I'm currently weighing up the relative merits of Argos and the local market.