&lt;h2&gt;TOP TIP:- warm up &amp; stretch first!!&lt;/h2&gt;Old age adventurers must remember to care for their backs before caring for the tires. Warm up and stretching exercises are essential before bending and straining and then lifting heavy 4x4 tires!!

As shown even I can still bend enough to reinflate the tires when we get out of heavy sand (our compressor is built into the engine bay). 

Its a different story when you have to loosen tire nuts tightened by mechanics 50 years younger (dont forget to tell them tell  them that when you buy new tires, and get yourself an extending wheel spanner!) My back went the first time I tried to change our 4WD's puncture. Luckily we were in a camp when my back went, otherwise we would still be there in the bush.
So warm up and stretch first before doing tire maintenance. '

Come to think of it this is my only original tip after 7 years of roughing it solo!

Couple of extra points: check your air compressor is working, when you hire your 4WD, before you leave the agent, and make sure that, the right size spanners for the wheel and also the hilift jack holder clamp are present. Check the pressure gauge was'nt won in a lucky packet.

By the way that blue shirt has now been retired because it is the favourite colour of tsetse flies!!