Interpreting "minimal" to be roughly equivalent to seeing how far you
can drive on empty I would say this is the ultimate minimal kit:

* Standard leatherman
* 10 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm sockets and a ratchet
* 10 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm box/open wrenches
* Adjustable wrench
* Mallet (rubber)

To this I would add, as a luxury, one phillips and one flathead
screwdriver. On an aircooled, its nice if the flathead is sized to the
cheesehead screws on the tin

This kit is sufficient to handle about 50% of the repairs you're
likely to make on the road.

Mark
Peregrine fille (1982)
San Diego, CA

On Sep 7, 2010, at 6:25 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

>
> Knowing there are very mechanically-inclined individuals on this list
> who likely carry full socket sets in 6 and 12-point flavors, a spare
> 17
> mm hex drive just in case the differential needs looking into, and
> more
> tools in their vans than I have in my garage, I nevertheless would
> like
> to ask for suggestions here for a *basic* kit that won't require
> getting
> stiffer springs to carry.
>
> Just the standard sizes of wrenches and sockets for bolts and nuts
> found
> on the Vanagon, useful screwdriver sizes, and other useful items like
> pliers.
>
> --
> Rocky J Squirrel
> '84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> '74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR