The ARB Bushranger exhaust jack . . . yea or nay?

ARB's Bushranger exhaust jack (along with its many copies) is like no other lifting device. It uses exhaust pressure from the engine (or, via a Schrader valve, an air compressor) to lift up to 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds) up to 30 inches. When deflated the envelope is barely three inches tall, and will fit and subsequently lift where no other jack can operate.

The bottom of the jack is peppered with grippy rubberized teeth; in addition its flexible nature enables it to wrap around a cobbled or even bouldery substrate where any standard jack base would slip. The top is surprisingly tough, and also comes with a separate protective mat to place between the jack and any sharp protuberances. It should of course be kept away from direct contact with the exhaust system. (The jack includes a repair kit.)

The Bushranger's 25-inch diameter gives it a huge footprint that supports it on top of nearly any substrate that doesn't have a current. There is no sand soft enough to defeat it. However, the 30-inch maximum lift height can be defeated depending on circumstances, the height of your vehicle's chassis, and the suspension on the vehicle. You can alleviate this by placing boards between the top of the jack and the chassis, or even simply piling up more sand (or rocks) underneath it.

Deploying the Bushranger takes less effort than virtually any other jack, except perhaps for a 12V electric model. As long as your exhaust outlet is round, not rectangular or elongated, just cram the jack's rubber cone over the tip after positioning the bag. It will rise quickly, and you can pause the process to reposition if necessary (the bag won't deflate). I found it helps to have a second person in the vehicle to raise the idle to prevent the engine bogging.

Keep in mind that, no matter how sturdy the bag is, it's still a giant balloon. The vehicle will not sit firmly atop it but can wiggle considerably back and forth. You obviously will not do any work under a vehicle supported only by an exhaust (or any other) jack. You could change a tire using it, but even this is better accomplished with a standard bottle or scissor jack under an axle.

The Bushranger is not particularly light at 20 pounds, and despite fitting into a nearly flat storage bag the diameter can make it bulky to store. It takes up considerable volume in my FJ40, which is one reason I've never carried it on solo trips. In a large truck, or for a group trip, it would serve as a useful alternative to a Hi-Lift jack in many recovery situations, and its operation is considerably less fraught.

ARB is here. However, finding the Bushranger jack is absurdly difficult. A simple Google search is easier.

Essential overland kit? The Suri sustainable sonic toothbrush.

Okay, okay. I know oral hygiene is on the “lite” side of subjects for an overlanding column, but bear with me.

For years and years I resisted electric toothbrushes. My only experience with them was an early model that did nothing but wiggle back and forth, which I felt perfectly capable of doing on my own. But a few years back, a friend gave me a modern unit (he had got two on a deal), and I realized that the newer technology really did seem to clean better than a manual brush (several independent studies bear this out). I was more or less sold.

Why more or less? I still didn’t like all the extra plastic and electrics, and to my horror, when the battery died on that first one I discovered it wasn’t replaceable. A kit on Amazon promised a fix, but after disassembling the unit and trying some extremely precise de- and re-soldering, I gave up. The hygiene angle kept me a customer, but reluctantly.

The other issue involved taking the thing camping. The electric brush was bulky, and of course was yet another item that needed recharging off an inverter. And I was reluctant to use the thing when we were camped too near others, expecting snickering.

That’s changed with, of all things, a link on Instagram, a pitch for a “sustainable sonic toothbrush” called Suri. The website showed an extremely compact brush with an aluminum body, and, more importantly, a factory-replaceable battery. How about those disposable brush heads, of which, the company says, over four billion are discarded worldwide each year? The Suri’s plant-based plastic heads are not only recyclable, the company includes a postage-paid envelope to send them back (suggesting that you save up three or four at a time to save them shipping costs). Finally, the Suri’s recharger is tiny, and uses a USB connector, making recharging much, much easier on the road.

Done. Ordered.

I wondered if the Suri’s compact design would mean its smaller motor wouldn’t clean as well as our regular brush, but to my (our) surprise found it at least as good if not better. I’d originally thought it might be just a traveling brush (it claims a 40-day battery life; if it’s half that I’d still be impressed), but it’s taken over as our main unit. I’m planning to buy another for our place in Fairbanks. (The unit comes with a clever stick-on magnetic holder that adheres to the inside of your medicine cabinet.)

So there you have it: my slavish endorsement of  . . . a toothbrush. I’m happy to support a company that seems genuinely to be trying to reduce its impact on the planet.

Suri is here.