Auto Emergency Kit

With winter setting in I stocked up the vehicles with my standard "survival kit." Here in SW Ohio it's a 5-7 year chance of really getting "stuck" out on the higways in a snowstorm. Even so that may be for only a few hours due to iced bridges or a jackknifed mess of semis. We're also nowhere near the "Wilderness" in that there's always a small town or place to walk for help.

Nevertheless I always carry some things such as lights, jumper cables, etc.

Here's my loadout, what's in your trunk/boot, under the seat etc?

• Small first aid kit
• My lights - Inova 24/7, Inova 2C radiant + whatever I'm EDC'ing or carrying at the time.
• Spare Batteries for all lights
• Jumper cables
• Assorted bungie cords, tiedowns etc.
• 4100lb tow rope
• Magnesium Bar for Fire starting + waterproof matches
• 3-4 candles
• Small toolkit - hammer, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers etc.
• 1 MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) or similar food item
• Fire Extinguisher

Add for winter/cold season

• Waterroof Blanket
• Extra Fleece Pullover
• Hat, Gloves, extra socks

As long as the spare batteries are lithiums, you're good to go... I'd hate to grab for my spares, and find the cold sucked the juice out of all of them!

jch79 said:

As long as the spare batteries are lithiums, you're good to go... I'd hate to grab for my spares, and find the cold sucked the juice out of all of them!

Click to expand...

Good point. The spares in the car are 123's. I ususally keep my NiMH's in my EDC lights toppped of and since those are AA or AAA they go in the laptop bag/backpack I'm usually carrying anyway.

Interesting thread. Been wanting to set something up for my truck myself. I need to follow this to see ideas. Thanks for starting the thread.

the blanket is essencial!!!

I was stuck on the highway last year and it was not fun in -7 temps!

I had a goose down blanket and a fleece blanket that helped but it was still cold cold cold...

I think you are missing the most important item. Water or something to drink. Also paper towels or toilet paper and maybe some duct tape.

My 2 cents.

Safety triangles are good to add to the mix, but you still want to keep some flares. Triangles don't burn out and flares are much more easily seen in bad weather so get both.

Keep some hard candy in a tin box. Critters won't get in (at least not easily) and the sugar helps keep you going, plus it keeps dry mouth at bay. My wife says it also helps to keep both kids and husbands quiet.

As for the first aid kit, you're in the car and not carrying it. Get as big a one as your training allows.

Add a fire extinguisher. A car fire in a blizzard really does add insult to injury. Learn how to use one. Things are much less hectic and rudely surprising with training.

Get some first aid, fire, and winter camping/survival training and keep in practice as best you can. You are your own fire department and rescue squad when the weather gets really bad. You don't want on the job training in an emergency and the cavalry ain't riding over the hill at the very last second in a whiteout blizzard at -10.

A lot of good stuff here to put in your car...

How about a head lamp and a small lantern like the RR...

Equipped to Survive has some GREAT information. Here's a link to a listing of kits and contents. There is an "Automobile Disaster Preparedness Kit" that might be of interest.

http://equipped.org/srvkitstoc.htm

Something you can toss into your motor vehicle that weighs little, takes up little space, costs almost nothing, and could be a real lifesaver: plastic garbage bags, along with some jumbo rubber bands and string. You should pack several bags of each size: the big jumbo trash can liners and the smaller kitchen size bags. Put the rubber bands and string with the garbage bags, then store the whole kit in a transparent ziplock bag.

1. Parka/Poncho: the jumbo size bags make decent emergency rain parkas/windproofs. Punch three holes in bottom end, pull on over your head and arms, then tie a string around your waist to seal out wind and prevent flapping. This simple emergency garment can prevent hypothermia and literally save lives. Although you may be well prepared for bad weather, passengers in your vehicle or other stranded motorists you encounter may not be.

2. Gaiters: remove your shoes, pull the bag on like a big stocking over your foot and up the leg as high as it will go, then put your shoe back on. Use a large rubber band as a garter to hold it up. If you have to wade through snow or spend hours walking in heavy rain, keeping your feet and lower legs dry can save your toes or even your life.

3. VBL vest: if you are going to be stuck outdoors in cold weather for several hours, a Vapor Barrier Liner vest will keep you a lot warmer. Punch three holes in kitchen size bag, strip your upper torso down to bare skin, pull the bag on over your head and arms, and then replace your clothes. VBL works by stopping evaporative heat loss from your skin and by keeping your clothes dry so they don't lose insulating ability. Even if you work hard and sweat, the sweat won't soak into your clothes, and it won't chill your body by evaporation. If your clothes are sandwiched in between a VBL vest on the inside, and a waterproof parka on the outside, they will stay dry and remain good insulators.

4. Bivouac: if worse comes to worse and you are forced to sleep outside, your chances of survival will be much better if you can improvise a bivouac that will keep you dry and break the wind. Having plenty of plastic bags will help. Dress in VBL as much as possible, put on all your clothes, wrap up in a blanket or whatever you have, then pull one big trash bag up over feet, and one big bag down over your head. Even if you are too cold to sleep, you may be able to get a few hours of rest.

Wow. some great points. How did I forget to put down my fire extinguisher??

Nice idea on the triangles. Unless they get buried in snow those do seem practical.

As for water I have never carried that as I'm only ever going to be stranded here in SW Ohio for hours at best, not days. I pack the food just because I'm fond of having something to eat, but we don't have full blown blizzards. The worst I remember was a all day snow that would have been bad to be stuck in, but only lasted a day. If I was out in it it would have only been a 1 hour walk tops to the nearest exit/store.

Now if I ever do travel out to more remote areas then I do pack more including water or some filter set. I also carry bigger lights too if that's the case.

The more remote your routes are, more chances are that you'll need to rely on yourself.
Water is a good point. Perhaps a metal cup and sterno fuel in case you need to melt snow for more water.
A portable shovel to dig out the car.
A thick polarfleece jacket and hat is a must. Came in real handy a few times.

A GMRS/FRS radio is a nice option.

Most equipment is based on being physically capable of using them in an emergency scenerio. But if you are injured and can't walk, ie. car skids off an imbankment one lonely night, unseen from the road, too far for cell phone coverage, heavy snowfall. You get the picture.

I always keep a Longbow Micra and a PALlight in my kit

It's not likely that you need either food or water given the conditions that you describe, but I found it kind of odd that you would pack something as high in salt content as an MRE, yet not pack water. BTW, if you leave that MRE in the car all the time, you'll want to swap it out after about 18 months or maybe even sooner because of the varying temperature extremes that you'll encounter, not the years and years that some web sites tell you that it will last.

bitslammer said:

As for water I have never carried that as I'm only ever going to be stranded here in SW Ohio for hours at best, not days. I pack the food just because I'm fond of having something to eat,

Click to expand...

take a foil space blanket, its more effective....i felt like a potato when i tried one....for just 20 minutes..

if your in your car...take an electric blanket....
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_211719_211719

supposely if the battery can no longer start your car, it can still run this for awhile

We don't get snow where I live but we have bugs that bite all year long.

For bug country:

Sprinkle 100% DEET on washed, clean, dry, cotton coveralls. Fold and place into zip-lock freezer bag, trying to press out as much air as possible before sealing. Throw bag in emergency kit.

After just a few days in the bag the DEET will permiate every fiber of the coveralls and if you have to work on the car where there are bugs about you may just slip them on over your clothes instead of rubbing goop all over yourself. When you're done, just take them off and put them back in the bag. They'll keep quite a while before you have to add more DEET.

I did this with a net paratroopers shirt I put on whenever I had to step outside in the aftermath of Katrina. It's really nice because when you're done there's nothing on you to wash off.

In some regions you may want to stick a pair of socks, gloves and a cap into the DEET bag, too.

excellent idea!

got all sorts of tools packed but no MRE's or blankets. but do throw sleeping bags, pad etc if I'm headed out for a road trip.

otherwise local driving, tow truck is a phone call away.

bitslammer said:

With winter setting in I stocked up the vehicles with my standard "survival kit." Here in SW Ohio it's a 5-7 year chance of really getting "stuck" out on the higways in a snowstorm. Even so that may be for only a few hours due to iced bridges or a jackknifed mess of semis. We're also nowhere near the "Wilderness" in that there's always a small town or place to walk for help.

Nevertheless I always carry some things such as lights, jumper cables, etc.

Here's my loadout, what's in your trunk/boot, under the seat etc?

• Small first aid kit
• My lights - Inova 24/7, Inova 2C radiant + whatever I'm EDC'ing or carrying at the time.
• Spare Batteries for all lights
• Jumper cables
• Assorted bungie cords, tiedowns etc.
• 4100lb tow rope
• Magnesium Bar for Fire starting + waterproof matches
• 3-4 candles
• Small toolkit - hammer, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers etc.
• 1 MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) or similar food item
• Fire Extinguisher

Add for winter/cold season

• Waterroof Blanket
• Extra Fleece Pullover
• Hat, Gloves, extra socks

Click to expand...

In severe winter weather, a down or polarguard sleeping bag is a lifesaver. When I went on a business retreat, one of the exercises was ot think about the best thing to do if you were stuck overnight in a blizzard. The answer, according to the experts, was to bring a knife. Why? To slice open the seat cushions. Use the seat cushion stuffing and pack it between your coat and your skin. The object is to keep warm and adding any insulation was essential to survival. Don't know if that's accurate but it seems to go with this thread.

We keep a couple of bottles of Boost in the car for emergency rations. It's balanced nutrition that includes water and it won't freeze in cold weather.

if you need to walk for help it may be raining/sleeting so a one piece waterproof suit like motorcyclists have,.... this is handy aswell if you have to make roadside repairs/change tires
other points ...
make sure your gas tank is never low
chemical glowsticks have a long shelf life
cellphone charger and/or spare battery
a thick duvet may seem overkill but if you have to sit it out, your car will in effect very quickly becomes a "Freezer" and it is not nice at all