Winter Car Kit

[flowerbug]

Can of sardines- I've been happy more than once that I had one in the car. I dunno if that's bear proof, but we don't have that many bears here... mostly Cats and Coyotes.
DH made up a small kit of tools and extra parts for simple break-downs: broken belts, hoses, that sort of thing. We belong to CERT, so we have emergency kits in all cars for that too.
One thing we just got for each vehicle is a GOOD QUALITY tourniquet. If someone has arterial bleeding, you don't have the luxury of waiting for an ambulance. Make sure it's one you can operate one-handed too; might save your life.

i think canned items are sealed and cleaned well enough to not be attractive to bear, but i still wouldn't keep them in a vehicle because i'd more likely want to eat them.

 

[Alaskan]

I like a tiny kit of just space blanket, handwarmers, and all of the car stuff like flares etc.

I used to always have a battery pack that could fully Jumpstart a car as well as charge a phone. Now I just have jumper cables.

For winter we put in a foldable shovel, bag of kitty litter, and small hatchet. And try to always have hat mittens, etc.

I am careful to always have a well charged cell phone.

I actually haven't put "stuff" into my brand new shiny car. Except for jumper cables.

Guess I need to do that.... super soon.

 

[Hinotori]

I need to get a shovel. Don't have one of those.

 

[tortoise]

For just normal driving in city and local country we carry somethings year round. Wool blankets, flashlight, paper towels, TP, paracord, first aid kit, towels, water, jumper cables, tarp (something to kneel on for chaining up or changing tires in rain).

We carry one set of chains at all times during possible snow so roughly November to April. Both sets go in for trips. Food on trips as well in case we get stuck. There is an adjustable crescent wrench and a multi-tip screwdriver in the seat pocket. Small bottle of vinegar to clean windows.

We have a resistor type vehicle jumper as well. If the light still come on, it can get enough juice built up to start the vehicle. It's truely an emergency item.

Hubby has his electric car blanket in winter for if he gets to work too early.

There is a T-shirt for each of us in a plastic bag under the seat with the blankets as well. THAT gets used fairly regularly by hubby if he spills something on himself.

There are actually 2 bigger flashlights in the truck. One is an emergency one with the batteries in a bag with it. Never leave them in if you're not using it regularly. The other sits on the rarely used parking brake. Hubby likes to use it in the mornings or evenings to find deer and elk in our field.

There are glass wipes, glucose tablets, painkillers, and antacids in the glove box. We use those regularly enough. We've had hand sanitizer in there for almost 2 decades because adult humans are disgusting creatures in winter and I can't take the risk. Some emergency feminine products as well.

I carry all that and more in my purse as well. I have tweezers and nail clippers as well as banaids. I have a cell phone battery backup in there that will charge my phone from the teens at least 6 times. It gets used during power outages so it stays good through use and recharging. Hard candy is carried more for low blood sugars. Lighter and my pocket knife. Packet of soap paper for those restrooms without. Tissues, which have been used as emergency TP when out in town.

So we're probably ok with most emergencies when out and about.

Love your idea to keep a change of clothes *sealed in a bag* in your car. I need to do that. The little everyday emergencies are the ones that cost money - like buying a new shirt before a meeting or interview because of a food spill. Or more likely, one of my kids wet their pants, and I don't mean spilling food.

 

[Alaskan]

I need to get a shovel. Don't have one of those.

The shovel and kittylitter are what we use most when we get stuck.

If we are super stuck then the hatchet to chop a few spruce branches which get stuck under the tires .

 

[tortoise]

A little off topic, but

If you have ever had your vehicle in a shop to have tires put on or rotated, check to see if your lug wrench still fits on your lug nuts. Some vehicles have softer metal lug nuts that deform from the pneumatic tools mechanics use, and your lug wrench won't work on them anymore. We found this to be true for 2 of our vehicles. DH was able to find "one piece" lug nuts online that won't deform and replaced them.

 

[Hinotori]

Love your idea to keep a change of clothes *sealed in a bag* in your car. I need to do that. The little everyday emergencies are the ones that cost money - like buying a new shirt before a meeting or interview because of a food spill. Or more likely, one of my kids wet their pants, and I don't mean spilling food.

Bag is needed to keep it clean and free of dog hair in our vehicles. Once or twice a month, hubby has to use a shirt because he's a bit klutzy if he eats in the truck. He's spilled aircraft hydrolic fluid on himself at work and ran down for a clean shirt before.

Growing up, Mom and Grandma always had extra clothes for kids when we went to town.

 

[Britesea]

Years ago, we had an acquaintance who lived "in the boonies". primitive dirt drive (about 3 miles) that was more ruts and rocks than road and you had to ford a stream twice. She learned the hard way to ALWAYS carry clean clothes, sleeping bags, and some sort of sealed food, because during the rainy season sometimes those streams could become impassable while she was in town. The family slept in the car more than once.

 

[Chic Rustler]

i did some videos on this topic a while back, before i deleted my channel.

in my truck i have an axe, saw, shovel, chains, jumper cables, very comprehensive mechanics tool kit, a tradesman tool kit, tarp, rope, and some stuff to light a fire.




in the family car we have a trauma/first aid kit, tool kit with jumper cables, tow ropes, and a survival kit that has some of those emergency ration bars, and a whole bunch of survival stuff. the wife usually keeps a case of bottled water in the car for the kids and some snacks as well.

 

[Hinotori]

Even growing up in the 70s-80s, Grandma always had bottles of Pepsi in the trunk in case we had an issue while going to town, or over to Pendleton or Kennewick. Very important to have something to drink if you break down in the high desert.

She would have water as well once bottled water was easily available.

Yes, it was glass bottles. We could buy glass at the store until the mid to late 90s.