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My big white Tahoe has been our home away from home on many occasions. It may be a bit of a gas guzzler, but when it comes time for a family road trip, I really appreciate the roominess for passengers and all our suitcases, pillows, blankets, first aid kit, etc. Since the kids and I are in that Tahoe so much, it was actually the first thing I “prepped” first with a vehicle emergency kit. Equipping your own vehicle(s) with a kit is your Action Step for this week.
If your vehicle is a fraction of the size of my Tahoe, take heart. You can stash water bottles, blankets, high-calorie energy bars, a small first aid kit and more underneath the seats. Use something like a Space Bag to store the blankets and warm weather clothing. (This is a great idea for any size vehicle.)
Give some thought to the container(s) you’ll be using. Make sure they can be utilized in more than one way. For example, zip-locs can be used to hold water, collecting berries (if you’re really in the wilderness!) or holding wet/soiled clothing. A bucket can hold blankets and a lot more but also double as an emergency toilet. The right size bin makes a great wash basin.
One must-have for every vehicle, is a pair of comfortable, broken-in shoes and a pair of socks. If you ever experience a break-down (car, not emotional!), flat tire, flooded roads, or anything else that sidelines your car, you’ll thank me for this tip!
Here are two free downloads with lists to help you get your vehicles ready for anything, here and here.
While you're here, check out...
9 Must-Haves for your Glove Box
How to Survive a Blizzard in Your Vehicle
How to Keep Emergency Water in Your Vehicle Unfrozen During Winter
Essential Items For Your Car Emergency Kit (video)
The Importance of Keeping Data Storage Low-Tech
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Ditto on the car preps – a few items can make all the difference in safety and comfort in the event you are stranded. And don't forget to pack for pets that may be riding with you! I have some dog food, dog first aid and water for my pup in my SUV. In winter, my car prep now includes a pair of down booties (for me), 15-degree sleeping bag and a bunch of chemical hand and toe warmers (Costco often sells these bulk).
Explore hidden nooks and crannies in your vehicle to stash some cash and other key survival items (knife, firesteel). I have the rear seats out of my Element most of the time and have found that I can store multiple fleece hats/neck gaiter/gloves in one of the removable compartments where the seats attach (Becker BK-7 and BK-2 knives, flashlight, etc. in the other). Because I haven't memorized every survival strategy and technique, this week I received from Amazon the pocket SAS Survival Guide to put in the car. It is incredibly compact and jammed-full with text (small font) and illustrations.
Thank you for posting this. I need to go through my car and reorganize all of my emergency stuff. Don't forget to have activities for the kiddos so that they can be entertained just in case you do break down. They need something to keep them occupied while you are out on the side of the road.
Car kits are very important! I gave my wife a personalized kit for her car as a christmas gift. She has, in recent months, come around to the ideas of being prepared at all times. after all, if you can't get out of a situation safely you can't help anyone.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a drink that can be stored in the car that will not freeze? Our temps can drop to -12 during the evenings. The water and capri suns I have stored in the truck freeze solid. So do the neosporin packets in our first aid kit. We have a nice first aid kit, a good emergency bag, and when we travel outside our town, we bring extra food, blankets and sleeping bags. We know how unpredictable living in the mountians is. But the water issue is a problem.
Jan, I asked your question on my Facebook page. You can watch for answers at http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheSurvivalMom/1074… My own answer, and this is coming from someone who lives in Phoenix, is to keep a backpack by your backdoor with water bottles and anything else that might freeze and just grab it on the way out each time you leave the house. You'd only have to do this during the coldest months, but at least you would have water. Another thought is to have a way to melt snow and some empty containers. Did you see the video for making a stove? https://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/12/29/stay-warm-th…
Thanks, I will go check it out. I have water in my little one's diaper bag, its heavy, but at least I know it won't be frozen. I try to keep a case of water in the back, it all freezes from Dec-March.
A number of people on my Facebook page recommended storing Gatorade or something similar instead of fruit juice.
Pedialyte (sp?) is much better for rehydration than gatorade in a survival scenario…
i would also add a couple of old T-shirts as rags in your kit. Much more durable than paper towels and can be used many times over, especially if you have to fiddle with tires or engine stuff. I always have rags in the trunk.
What about putting water bottles in a closed ice chest? That would give them a little insulation from the cold temperature. Just like you can keep things cool in ice chests in the summer, maybe you can keep things from freezing in the winter….Just a thought.
I live at 7000 feet elevation in the Colorado Rockies. I always keep 6 packs of bottled waters (.5 L and 1L) in my truck for myself and the pups. Temps frequently in single digits, parked outside and never had a problem or busted bottle. Yes, sometimes they are frozen but it’s still water that I would have available in an emergency. I have put a frozen one on the dash during a sunny but frigid morning and by midmorning was halfway melted.
I wouldn’t worry about water freezing. Just allow a little extra room in the container as you can melt water by putting the container inside a coat or jacket.
Drinks that do not freeze at -12F all would involve a good amount of alcohol.
We are a society that is on the move constantly! Like Lisa said in the OP, this was one of the first things I ever did…when I started driving. Living in the midwest, it is vitally important to be prepared for winter travel. The first thing I tell people is keep at least half a tank of gas in the car/truck/suv at all times. As for things, one thing I incorporate is a canned heater like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPABQW9gN2Q
As for water, I keep some in the vehicles knowing it will freeze, but I always bring some with me every time I go someplace. This way I have liquid water, and frozen water I can melt. Another thing to consider is something for yourself. Even if your passengers are all engaged in something, if you just have to wait it out, what are you going to do? I now have a kindle that I have loaded reference books into so I can use the time to read about new skills or tools to round out my preps. (Provided I am not playing a game with everyone else.)
On the flip side, being prepared like this has sparked conversations. I once got stranded on the highway for a few hours, and had friends with me, not family that day, and they were amazed that I had blankets, water, a heater, snacks, and games. If you travel with others, use it as a conversation starter!
Last week my family was driving the 6 hour drive to my inlaws in northern Canada. Two hours into our drive, A nasty winter storm blew in a day earlier than expected. Cars had spun off the road, and there were accidents everywhere. Two hours from our destination, the highway was closed altogether due to a fatal accident up ahead on the road. The 5of us might have managed alright overnight in our van with our supplies, but I was delighted with our gps system which gave out the phone numbers and directions to all hotels in the vicinity. We had our dog with us, so hunting in the storm for a place that allowed dogs would have been grim. Using our cellphone, the second place we called took in dogs and kept a room for us for the 20 minutes it took for us to get there. I know a car gps might not work in an emp situation, but for handling this situation traveling with kids, the gps and cell phone made a world of difference.
Readers might be interested in a quick way to design their own emergency kits online and download to Excel (all free): http://rethinksurvival.com/premium-content/design…
Does anyone know if this site has been changed?
Not one bit! I changed the design so that it coordinates with the cover of my book, but the content is 100% unchanged. Now, you can easily search archives, categories, use the Contact Form, and so much more.
A few other things you really ought to have in the trunk that can prevent a bad day… I carry this stuff. Kind of from the vehicle health perspective:
1.) Jumper cables (NAPA has the good ones with the better clamps. I think they are 20ft. allows you to jumper when being parked behind the dead vehicle.) They are probably $80.00. Well worth it, trust me.
2.) Vehicle tow strap. Most tow straps have loops at each end (i prefer the loops vs hooks), so I also have two 1/2" steel quick links (you can get these at your local HD or hardware store). They allow you to quickly connect the strap to any steel tow loops on the vehicle, or allow you to connect the strap loop back to the strap. If you want the best versatility, then pick up two slip hooks (not grab hooks) to complement the quick links (grab hooks are used when you have a chain and aren't necessary for use with a strap). Go for the better strap (higher breaking strength). It's only a couple bucks more.
3.)A standard full size cross wrench. Lots of vehicles come with little lug nut wrenches that don't always work for getting stubborn lug nuts loose. The cross wrench gives you more than twice the leverage. It can make the difference on being able to change a flat and being stuck waiting for help to come.
4.)A quart of oil
5.)A jug of windshield wiper fluid (don't forget to get the kind for low temps if you're in cold climate).
6.)A gallon of 50-50 antifreeze.
7.)A small can of WD-40
8.)A roll of coated re-bar wire. This stuff is awesome. Strong as heck. Multiple purposes.
9.)A basic automotive tool kit (make sure it includes wire cutters for #7 above. Usually, they'll have a pair of needle nose pliers which have a wire cutter on them). Even if you don't know how to work on your car, a friend or nice stranger might.
10.)If the tool kit doesn't have a hammer, then carry a hammer.
11). A tire pressure gauge
12). A milk crate is great for stuffing the above items into. Use a bungy cord to hold the crate in place. I put my jumper cables in a zippered heavy tote bag.
A few other things to consider:
Many people carry a spare fan belt. Many newer vehicles have a serpentine belt which can actually be installed without any tools if you really have to. It wouldn't hurt to learn how to do this. It's not rocket science. There's usually a spring loaded idler pulley that provides tension on the belt. This can actually be pulled back by hand to install the belt.
You CAN fix a flat from a nail. Tire repair kits are cheap. They aren't hard to use. To prepare for this scenario, you want one of those small D.C. air compressors that run off the cigarette lighter or can be connected to the battery. (and you need those needle nose pliers in that tool kit!) These air compressor's are nice even for the times when you find you have a tire that's a bit low on air.
Also, a power inverter is not a bad idea if you are going all out. They plug into the cigarette lighter or can connect to the battery directly and give you 110 Volts for powering electronics or various A.C. powered household items.
I've driven high mileage vehicles all of my life (my truck currently has 268k miles on it!) I've had everything go wrong that can go wrong. It's good to learn some basic automotive maintenance or "get-u-by-till-u-get home" kind of stuff.
There's lots to do for all of us to get prepared… if you have extra time, you might consider this too:
Changing your oil, spark plugs, plug wires, air filter is all pretty easy stuff to do. Replacing your brake pads and shoes is also easy if you just buy a couple of cheap tools and get a little courage (and don't mind getting a little dirty). Have a mechanic friend (or a gear head friend) get you through the first time. It really is easy to do and can save you hundreds of dollars each time. Don't let anybody fool you…you have one of the largest brains on the planet. There's NOTHING you can't do…NOTHING.
hope this helps.
Great suggestions. Thanks!
Hi Survival Mom. 🙂 You have an awesome website here with oodles of great information. Wicked happy I came across it. I've been in prep mode for a while, but this site has a lot of info that's helping me organize what I need to do. It's nice to have a place to post some suggestions that might be helpful for other people too. Great people on these sites! Take care and God Bless!
Paul
whoops… #9 refers to #7. It should refer to #8….
Hi Survival Mom!
My first time on the website and, am fairly new at the survival techniques. I have started with some food storage and have made two GOOD plastic bins for my SUV, one, with first aid supplies and the second I have called “personal items” much like your vehicle checklist. I live in Florida, so it
is a good idea to have these items prepared anyway.
One thing that has stuck with me in my reading…take some pepto-bismol or immodium tablets with you too…diarrhea can be a serious and eventually life-threatening problem to have while on the road or, even when TEOTWAWAKI occurs. Sometimes I just have to “go with” the things that get on my
mind….
Awesome Website…going to go order the book now! Paperback, not electronic!
This website has given me a bit of direction. I love reader comments. One commenter who said, wait 2 weeks before you buy. This way you can think about it and list out what you really need.
I read this tip somewhere, maybe even here. My children are growing by leaps and bounds. Sometimes its faster than my budget will allow. To keep a spare pair of shoes in the car is a challenge. My son grew 2 shoe sizes in one month! I plan to shop yard sales and thrift stores for shoes in a few sizes up. this way I have a stock pile of “BOS” bugout shoes :). I can always donate them when they grow out.
I have always kept a small car pack. I used to shuffle 7 kids around in the summer. It simply was not economical to buy 7 drinks, and 7 snacks for all those mouths. I have since added more to my car pack. During Hurricane Ivan the car pack came to my MIL’s rescue. She refused to wear tennis shoes while shuffling through the debris of her home. (After all her neighbors were watching and everyone knows that you must look cute when your house is split in two.) She slipped on something and cut her foot. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad. But I had a clean washcloth, bottled water, antiseptic and bandages in the car.
My husband has go bags in both of our vehicles and I’ve had to dig in to mine twice now! I’m so glad we were prepared. And I totally second having a pair of walking shoes in the car. When I broke down in the middle of NOWHERE I happened to be wearing wedge sandals. That would have been a long and painful walk if I didn’t have tennis shoes to change in to.
Also, I wrote a post today about your 18 thing to have in your purse list. Great suggestions!
http://simplicitymom.blogspot.com/2012/03/in-my-purse.html
How about plastic maps for all the states along the way out of town to your relocation spot? GPS is great for navigating, but blows for route planning if Plan A doesn’t work. With the plastic-covered ones, you can put down notes with a grease pencil. We have copies of maps in both of our vehicles since we might be caught with the car if the truck is in the shop getting some work done.
One thing I think should be in your emergency vehicle is 3 weapons a Knife, a non lethal, and a lethal like a pistol or a rifle.
My Jeep is the first thing I did Prepper wise! I went with a Cherokee instead of a Wrangler because the Cherokee has more cargo room. If it all hits the fan I would strongly suggest an upgraded front bumper. you never know when your going to have to push some one, or some thing out of the way!
http://www.stoopidis.com/2012/08/bugout_7.html
This is my jeep build. it’s more about a ride that will get us where we need to go. Lisa’s Post is all about everything that needs to be in the truck.
I keep quite a bit of stuff inside, but i have to admit i picked up some great ideas!
Thanks Lisa 🙂