What do you keep in your car?

[jar]

What do you all keep in your cars for emergency supplies? I recently bought a new car, so I'm thinking about what to put in it. I already carry jumper cables, cigarette lighter powered air compressor, a blanket, and some bottled water. What should I think about adding? What are some good snack foods that can stand up to the temperature fluctuations of a car?

 

[Dtess17]

I've just recently started thinking about these types of things.
Currently I have 100' of rope, first aid kit, mag lite, couple of random knives, water, jumpers, fishing pole and supplies, blanket and usually an extra shirt or jacket.

I'd like to add some more stuff at some point. What's nice is it is all out of sight too, It fits in a little compartment in the back of my SUV.

 

[rickster58]

Where do you plan on going with your car... antarctica? hehe!
No but seriously, most of those things can be replace by two other things... a reliable cell phone and AAA.

 

[Twigg]

As long as you have cell service and AAA can get to you you'd be allright then.

Store bought trail mix, beef jerky, snack pack crackers /cookies hold up well in a tupperware box.

In both vehicles; Extra clothing vacume sealed in seal-a-meal bags. Bags are tough, durable, reduce the amount of storage space required and keep contents clean & dry. Also, 1 box of carry ammo, a Surefire "spares" kit (bulb & batteries) 12V cord for cell phone, first aid kit, fire extinguisher,

Additionally, in the truck;
Basic pioneering tools (chainsaw/gas, axe, shovel, tow strap/chains, come-along), a 5X7 and a 10X20 tarp, 1 roll of 1/4" synthetic rope, case of bottled water, hand tools for field repairs, 12V tire inflator, warning triangles, jumper cables, cheap headlamp -for my head- not the truck.

 

[P-14]

I'd add a poncho; Leatherman multitool; duct tape.

 

[lupis42]

I usually keep some combination of granola, cookies, and jerky in the car, as well as a bottle of water, ever since I spent an unexpected extra three hours stuck in traffic one day.

A cell charger, a fire extinguisher, some form of raincoat, a few flares, rope & tie downs are all handy, and can fit in a fairly small case if properly packed.

And frisbees. Couldn't do without the frisbees.

 

[skol]

In all cars there's a large cabelas yellow dufflebag with all the items here plus some other stuff like mainstay food rations/bars.

http://www.equipped.org/earthqk.htm#erthqkcarkt

 

[Hanwei]

I have:

windy flashlight (no batteries requried),
sleeping bag (doubles as blanket if need be),
2 road flares (can do double duty as a fire starter)
gas mask w/1 canister
jacket
mace
100 feet of tow-strength rope
1st aid kit
boots
Usually have some water bottles bumping around...

... I think that's it...

I like the idea of adding a box of carry ammo.

 

[Hiltonizer]

Flashlight
Mountain-house package, and usually a few powerbars
Jacket
ton of plastic store bags
50~ feet of rope
99% of my fishing gear (includes multi-tool, never know when your gonna get stuck in traffic near a body of water)
3-4 bottles of water
beefy ass first aid kit from sams club

and my SW3000 knife is always in my key pocket

 

[theGringo]

Living way out west as I do, and at least a half-mile from the nearest human habitiation, I always throw a cord of wood in the back of the truck ... just in case I'm gonna be stuck a while. Might as well be warm.

If I'm gonna be travelling near water, I throw in the Ted Kennedy Survival-Pak, seen deployed here:

 

[glostamon]

Lime & a Shovel

 

[jenlynn724]

an emergency bottle of Pepsi, a blanket, and a lounge chair..
I always have my purse, which contains my cellphone, and multitool..
I also have baby wipes, diapers, and a paracord lanyard on my keys which contains 15 ft of cord if needed..

 

[Lilorfnannie]

One note on keeping knives in the car- in CT at least it is highly illegal-

 

[packingungal]

You're alot younger than I thought Gringo!

If I'm gonna be travelling near water, I throw in the Ted Kennedy Survival-Pak, seen deployed here:

 

[theGringo]

You're alot younger than I thought Gringo!

Clean living keeps me fit and boyish.

But seriously. Once I was stranded for nine days on Route 9 in Westboro. It was a terrible snowstorm, combined with a tornado and a massive mudslide, and naturally the Russians took the opportunity to launch an NBC attack on Belmont Hill in Worcester at this, our moment of greatest vulnerability.

Framingham was overrun by Zombies behind me, and ahead lay a glowing radioactive wasteland.

I kept looking at my 15 feet of paracord and my multitool and thinking, "Can I eat this?"

By the grace of God and an adhesive-backed St. Christopher dashboard ornament made of Necco wafers, I survived.

Call me ... Ishmael.

 

[P2A]

M249 w/ 800rnds
1x box more MREs
3x case of water
1x med kit
1x tacsat
tools for the vehicle

 

[ochmude]

One note on keeping knives in the car- in CT at least it is highly illegal-

Say what??? Do you (or does anyone) have a cite for that?

 

[Bob P]

1st aid kit
space blanket
multi-tool
flat repair kit
flashlight

In winter:
collapsing shovel
knit hat
knit gloves
scraper/brush

 

[M1911]

As little as possible. I work in Cambridge.

 

[M1911]

Lime & a Shovel

I think you are confusing lime and quicklime

 

[ShadeWPI]

No, Lime and a Shovel are incase you suddenly come up with something smelly that needs to be buried before it attracts attention.

 

[ShadeWPI]

Let's see, what do I keep in my car:

Two shirts (one long sleeved, one short sleeved)
Pair of Jeans
Four Nature Valley Granola bars (it's amazing how long those things will keep)
Four 16oz bottles of water (sucks on a hot day though)
Spare Hiking Boots (Ok, I'm a nut)
Jumper Cables, Spare Tire, Jack and Tire Iron (under the back floor board)
Fleece Blanket
Sweat Shirt (yup, even in the middle of the summer)
Ice Scrapper
Rechargeable Air Pump (can also run on 12V or 120AC)
Multi-Tool
Whole Mess of Napkins
Flashlight
FirstAid Kit

There are some other things I need to add, a towing strap / rope would be good. Just like anything else, focus on: Food, Water and Shelter. Even if you have a cell phone you might be stuck for a while. You should have at least 1 night's supplies in the car for an emergency. If you keep 3 days supplies in the car and 3 days supplies in your bug out bag, you can grab your BOB and throw it in your car and be good for most of a week.

 

[M1911]

No, Lime and a Shovel are incase you suddenly come up with something smelly that needs to be buried before it attracts attention.

As I said, you want quicklime for that, not lime. Lime will actually act as a preservative. Quicklime is caustic.

 

[theGringo]

As I said, you want quicklime for that, not lime. Lime will actually act as a preservative. Quicklime is caustic.

Oh, damn. Where's my shovel ....

 

[pernox]

A breaker bar with an appropriately sized socket for your lugnuts, and a $30 Advanced Auto jack.

Factory jacks and wrenches always suck, and if you ever get a flat on the way to an important commitment, you will be INFINITELY grateful for these items.

 

[Viper22]

Recently got a new car, so much of the stuff I had in the toolbox of my old truck hasn't migrated to the trunk of the car yet.

Here's what I've got so far:

-First Aid kit
-Knife
-Water bottle
-Napkins
-Lockable container
-Flashlight
-Lighter
-Hand Sanitizer
-10 in 1 screwdriver kit
-Multi-tool
-Factory spare tire & jack


I've really got to go through the stuff I had in my truck. There's a lot of stuff I'm missing that has come in handy in the past.

 

[rickster58]

I'm not trying to start an argument, but it looks like most of you that posted the contents of trunk either A don't live anywhere near civilization B Go on a lot of trips to parts unknown. C Just like carrying around stuff "in case" . I live in a suburb near worcester, besides my sig, some napkins or paper towels, a flashlight, and an extra sweatshirt in case it gets cold, I don't need anything else. MRE's you can walk from Boston to Albany without starving to death. I can't imagine anywhere that you could be that you would need food rations stored in your car. I used to have a tow cable when I had a truck. Helped many people get out of the ditch during snowstorms however.

 

[Pete85]

A breaker bar with an appropriately sized socket for your lugnuts, and a $30 Advanced Auto jack.

Factory jacks and wrenches always suck, and if you ever get a flat on the way to an important commitment, you will be INFINITELY grateful for these items.

After this past weekend, add to that a hammer. If the lug nuts stick, one good tap with a hammer should crack any rust or corrosion that is causing them to bind.

 

[dreamer]

When I put some non-meltable foodstuffs in my car it will be for others benefit, not mine. I get really cranky when I'm hungry. I broke into my peanut butter supply from my earthquake kit in California when I was caught in a 7 hour traffic jam once. Ooh, jam... that must be why I thought to eat the peanut butter...

Seriously, its tissues, paper towels, window cleaner, quarters, minor cash, hook knife/window smasher combo tool, multitool, rope, stuff that comes with the car, tow hook, extension cord (truck has power outlet), plastic gloves and whatever I bring with me. My supplies need some retooling, but its not terrible.

 

[Bfatz]

Nothing, nothing at all.