Tire sealant is not a good solution, I'm not sure why so many manufacturers include it instead of a tire repair kit with gummy worms. I would carry a spare before I would rely on a can of tire sealant!
They include it because it's significantly easier to "get right" for most drivers. It's much easier for people to understand the process. Connect a container to the valve, empty the container, inflate tire, move along. It's also less physically demanding -- not from a strength perspective but from a technique and dexterity perspective.
Make sure the leaking area is at the lowest point when reinflating so that the goop flows into the leak easily.
You can always plug first and if it is still leaking a little, air back down, add goop, air back up with plug on ground.
I received my compact spare tire and sold it right away. Bought the plugs and a couple of quick repair kits since that compact tire looked like a waste of extra weight and space. TBH I've had one flat tire in 23 years (knocking on wood now)
Dang! It would be more work just to get the spare and jack out of the vehicle (from its buried location) than it would be to just plug the tire that was already mounted to the wheel on the axle.
That's not a very "adventurous" attitude! I would rather plan on making an emergency puncture repair if it were needed. I will guarantee you that the Rivian R2 will not come with a spare because Rivian knows it's a wasteful and outdated way of dealing with a potential flat.
Most vehicles that come with a factory tow hitch or have a tow package still come with a full size spare tire. It's still pretty standard in the automotive industry since towing without a full size spare doesn't make much sense.
It was a dark and stormy night...
I might have been interested in an R1S if Rivian had offered a version without the third row, allowing a full size spare and more storage.
