For most of the stuff you might need to do on the side of the road, the factory tool kit was pretty good. It gave you all the basic tools you would need to change a tire, change a belt, pull out and install a plug, change the points, and a few other basic tasks.
If you don't have the factory set, or want a little extra . . . A lug wrench and jack (just remember they won't do you any good if you don't have a GOOD spare); a tire pluger and a foot operated pump (this is VERY IMPORTANT if your spare still has that nail in it from three years ago); a set of hand wrenches 6mm - 22mm plus a small and large adjustable for those rare times you need two wrenches of the same size at the same time; a 1/4" and 3/8" drive ratchet/socket set (a small set of about 40-60 pieces); a few screw drivers; two or three different sizes of vice grips; a pair of regular plyers and a pair of slip-joint plyers; a 17mm allen socket for the tranny fill and drain plugs; a test light; a pair of wire cutters/stripers/crimpers. Add to that a few spare parts . . . a few feet of 10 gauge and few feet of 14 gauge wire; a big selection of fuses, a selection of crimp style wire connectors, electrical tape, a set of points (or better yet, a complete distributor . . . I don't do it any more, but there was a time that I always carried an extra distributor . . . I'd set the points and timing, then take the nut off and pull the bracket and all out store it in the vehicle and put my regular distributor back in. If I had any ignition problems, could swap out the entire distributor in just a couple of minutes, point and timing already pre-set . . . that really narrows down your troubleshooting time on the side of the road); now where was I? OK . . . toss in a few M6, M8, and M10 nuts, bolts and washers; a couple of CV joint bolts (don't need these if you have a swing axle); an extra belt (maybe two . . . you won't get far without a belt, there cheap and they don't take up much room); a few feet of fuel hose and some fuel hose "pincher-offers" (I don't know what they are called, ask GoBusGo a.k.a. Travis if he'll show you his . . . pretty neat to have if you gotta work on your fuel system 2 miles down the road from the gas station where you filled the tank all the way to top of the filler neck); a set of valve cover gaskets (even better, a complete overhaul gasket set with front main seal (takes up the same amount of room as the valve cover gaskets, but will give you everything you need to fix about any "fixable" leak); an extra oil drain plug; an extra lug bolt or two; a tube of high temperature silicone, a ribbon of epoxy puddy, and a bottle of super glue . . . that'll cover most of the stuff you might need to do on the side of the road. A few other things you might need . . . a couple of cheap tarps, a few bungie cords, a flashlight and a 12 volt trouble light, a roll of those blue "shop towel" paper towels, and a small tub of Go-Jo or other waterless hand cleaner.
Oh yeah . . . I almost forgot . . . the thing that I use to get me back on the road more than anything else in my tool kit . . . a small gas can WITH gas!
If you still have room and are afraid that you still won't be able to get going again if something goes wrong, carry a cell phone and a tow bar that fits your vehicle.
About halfway through the list you'll figure out that it won't fit in a bug . . . you need a bus. Well, since you've got a bus now, throw in a few wooden blocks, a small floor jack and a set of jack stands and an extra engine. Since you've had to remove the middle and rear seats and no one can ride back there anyway with all the stuff you've crammed in . . . go ahead and throw in a tranny and couple of CV axles.
So what do I "REALLY" carry with me . . . When I dropped a valve and knocked a hole through the top of my #1 piston 150 miles from home (my tranny was also stuck in 4th gear) heading to the Southeastern Bug Fair in Taccoa 2 years ago, I had $60 cash and a big screwdriver. But I had the best tool kit of all . . . VW Friends! I drove home the next day with all 4 gears and a new engine.
