Self-sealing tires vs spare tire options

[redpoint5]

Wait... someone shot your tire and you were worried that your garage got sprayed with goo?

It had been shot while in a gravel parking lot near a trailhead. I was camping.

Don't know if it was an accident or not, but it caused a relatively slow leak as the half lodged bullet plugged the hole pretty well. It wasn't until I parked in a puddle, bullet side down, that I heard the bubbles from the leak.

The tires were worn down and needed replacement anyhow.

Yesterday I pulled a screw out of a friend's car and plugged it. There was another bit of metal lodged in the tire, but spraying it with soapy water showed that it wasn't leaking. I left it in the tire.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I think a good plan is to carry an air pump (at a minimum), and a plug kit makes sense. If the sidewall is cut, that requires a spare, and a jack, so long trips, maybe you carry these?