Wide Open Throttle Vs. Backcountry Tool Kits – Which One Is For You?

PW: To help make the distinction, let me just go back to the original idea which was to bring a powersports specific tool kit to market. We’re riders after all, and we recognized a need for a repair tool kit that is designed specifically for powersports vehicles and how we use them.

So what does that mean? Typically, smaller fasteners than you’ll find on an automobile, and primarily metric (at least for late model powersports vehicles). But, most importantly, we’ve got to carry that stuff either in storage on the vehicle itself, or *yikes* on our body somewhere, so it’s got to be reasonably light and compact.

And finally, we’re out enjoying the great outdoors, not working in a heated shop. It’s probably going to be wet, or muddy or snowing or some kind of gnarly conditions, so the kit has to be durable, water-resistant and soft yet protected.

So that was the original concept for the Backcountry tool kit, which was geared as a general solution for the broad spectrum of recreational powersports vehicle repairs on the go.

To answer your question though, if I’m going sledding, I’m taking the WOT snowmobile tool kit, because it’s a better solution for that activity specifically.

Wide Open Throttle Tool Kit CAD retail $129.99

Backcountry Tool Kit CAD retail $149.99

PW: Well, there’s no sense carrying around tools you’re never going to need, which is why the WOT snowmobile tool kit was developed more specifically for sledding. Given that storage and carrying capacity is even more limited on snowmobile as compared to, say, a side-by-side or a big highway cruising bike. For mountain riding in particular, you could generally say we’re trying to go as light as possible. But it’s also in our best interest to be adequately prepared for the sort of mechanical mishaps that can tend to happen in the backcountry. Or even the front country for that matter. Towing a sled is not fun, and if you can do a quick fix and keep riding, even better.

So that was the impetus for the WOT tool kit. The Backcountry tool kit (which came first) is a great tool kit for general powersports users (including sledders, sure), but we knew we could do better for snowmobiling specifically by eliminating some of the bulk and weight of tools that aren’t used typically in a sled repair.

To arrive at that configuration, we looked at every fastener (short of pulling the engine) found on all late model sleds from Ski-Doo, Lynx, Polaris, Arctic Cat and Yamaha to determine what tools are/aren’t needed.

First of all, we wanted to make the kit work universally well for all makes and models. That means including all the basic tools needed but omitting any model specific ones, like for example a 1/8th Allen for adjusting belt deflection on a Polaris secondary. That doesn’t help a guy on a Lynx.

Looking closer at each fastener, we had to consider that in some places a wrench won’t fit but a socket will. In other cases, like an exhaust temp sensor, an open end wrench is required. Or, in another specific example, to remove or tighten the carbides on a Doo, a standard 13 mm socket won’t work, so we include a deep 13 mm socket.

In other cases, you might need to manipulate two of the same size fasteners at the same time. In many of these instances, one tool can be a socket and the other can be a wrench.

So we can eliminate redundancy (aka bulk and weight) that way by not doubling up on everything. It all boiled down to careful considerations like these. And then there is the odd case, for example the rear shock mounts on the RMK, which require two 17 mm tools. Since this is a rare case, to save on weight we include only one 17 mm wrench and 6” needle nose locking pliers that is more versatile and can get the job done in a crunch for those few and far between exceptions.

Brand specific or additional tools can be added by the user as needed to a degree—there is a small amount of extra space in the kit for this reason. Personally, I add a small folding knife/saw multi-tool in there also, for any cutting I might have to do.