Phil’s Series on Winter Driving: [1 (Prepping Your Vehicle), 2 (Gear Supplements), 3 (Driving Tips)]

Building a Vehicle Emergency Kit – Do you have what you need in your car if you were stranded?

My top things to always remember:

• Never drive with less than half a tank of gas.  You don’t want to get stranded because traffic is stopped for hours, especially in a storm
• Make sure your tires are in good condition.  The best thing you can do to make sure your car stays in the correct direction on the road.
• Know your routes.  If you know a road isn’t safe, take some alternates that you know.
• Have your “get home bag” ready.  You never know when you might be on the wrong side of a roadblock from an accident, or plowing.  Who knows what worse could happen.  Be ready to sit it out, no matter the conditions.
• Just *having* chains won’t do you much good if you don’t know how/when to use them.

“Ready for Anything”

That’s our Motto, this series will focus on how to live it.

Or at least, it will focus on some ideas on how to live ‘Ready for Anything’.  Specifically we’ll be looking at Evacuation Kits – commonly known as 72 Hour Kits, BOBs (Bug Out Bags), G.O.O.D. (Get Out Of Dodge) Bags among other names, all of which are similar but have distinctive differences.  This series will explore all over the Preparedness Rabbit Hole as we discuss multiple methods for Evacuation Preparedness and/or Shelter In Preparedness – which are similar yet critically different.

If we knew what was coming, it would be a lot easier to be prepared.  Unfortunately there are endless possibilities ranging from job loss to nuclear war for which we can prepare.  Through all of them there is one binary option – Sheltering In (staying in and surviving in your home) or Bugging Out / Evacuating.   Another huge effect on Preparedness Plans is whether it’s just you and maybe a small part of your community that’s effected or if it’s the whole state/country/world.  The definition of TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) can just as easily be Global Nuclear War or a sudden layoff when the country is in a recession.

As Preppers, we tend to categorize Preps into survival time frames – Instant Chaos Survival (car crash in the middle of no-where), 3 Day Survival (extended power outage, serious earthquake), 14 Day Survival (Nuclear Fallout), 3 Month Survival (Decent food and supplies to get through a crisis), 1 year (long term food and supply storage to get through an extended crisis) and Ultimate TEOTWAWKI – Catastrophic collapse of civilization with very long term effect.  This series will focus on the 3 Day Survival objective and will combine several types of preparations we should/can be making for this.  3 Day Survival is usually looked at as a transitory survival phase – being able to live long enough to get to the next stage – whether the next stage be returning home and getting back to normal or settling into a longer term survival, adjustment and re-establishment phase.  Either way, you’ve got to be able to ride out the initial 3 days.

If we’re Sheltering In, our 3 Day Kits will likely be retrieved and kept on hand, likely in bedrooms or in a family room – but out of storage.  If we’re Bugging Out, our 3 Day Kits will be retrieved and brought with us, serving as a supply system while we re-situate.  By retrieving them for Sheltering In we can be sure that certain necessities are readily accessible such as medical, light or cooking/eating equipment and supplies.  If we’re Bugging Out, we are ensuring we have food, water and clothing supplies with us as we rush to get away from the house.  But how do we know what to put in there?  How do we know what will be needed for 3 days?  How do we know what we’ll need after 3 days and how can we be assured we’ll be able to get it?  How are we transporting our 3 day kits?  How much time will we have to grab and load?  And on and on!

Living Prepared

The first thing to clear up is the misconception of “All I need to do is throw a bunch of junk in a bag and I’m prepared”.  If you’ve been reading this site for a while then you know that none of the authors here are casual Preppers.  We all live a Prepared Lifestyle.  Our 3 Day Kit is not just ‘a bunch of junk in a bag’, it is actually a multi-pronged plan with multiple redundancies, extensions, and so on.  Those who live a preparedness lifestyle have and maintain mulitple ‘kits’ that are specialized preparedness items in addition to a Bug Out Bag.  Some of these include:

• Every Day Carry (items that are with you everywhere you go, typically in pockets or a bag)
  • Jayce’s Every Day Carry
  • ekim’s Every Day Carry
  • Phil801′s Every Day Carry
• Vehicle Emergency Kits
  • Jayce’s Get Home Bag
  • Phil’s Car Kit List
  • Angela’s Car Kit
• Office Preparedness Kits (we need to write a post or two about this!)
• Pandemic Preparedness Kits
  • A full Pandemic/Quarantine Kit
  • A Pandemic Kit to supplement your EDC and Car Kit

These kits are generally considered extensions of one another.

Every Day Carry

The concept behind Every Day Carry is to keep on you at all times the bare minimum you would need to survive and are often things that are part of your daily routine.  This generally means tools or items that would allow you to: Defend yourself, build a shelter, start a fire, get somewhere else.  For many of us, this means carrying a concealed firearm, a knife or leatherman, a lighter of some sort, a flashlight and a myriad of other things (see the above links for detailed posts).  EDC is generally kept in your pockets but can also be kept in a bag or backpack that you always have with you.  It serves as your basic survival system that you are never without.  This is actually core to living a preparedness lifestyle and serves as the initial building block of your Evacuation Kit.

Car Kits

We spend a huge amount of our time in our cars.  If we’re not in our cars, they are usually not far from us.  It makes good sense then, to keep an extended survival kit in your car.  A Car Kit is also a general survival kit for your car itself.  It should contain plenty of tools to allow you to repair your vehicle if it breaks down or has problems.  This usually includes: Jumper cables, a tow strap, duct tape, hand tools, a flashlight and so on.  It should also contain a good First Aid Kit and items and tools to allow you to survive beyond your EDC if you break down and are stranded.  Your Car Kit becomes the second building block in your Evacuation Kit in that it will not only keep your evacuation vehicle running, it can help keep you alive.  One thing to always keep in mind with your Car Kit is that the items in it will be subject to extreme heat in the summer and freezing in the winter.  This can cause food to spoil and water bottles to crack (from freezing).

Office Preparedness Kits

Many of us spend a large chunk of our day sitting at the office.  There is a huge possibility for all kinds of things to happen either at/to the office or that we’ll have to start our evacuation from the office.  A good Office Preparedness Kit will contain lots of different OTC medications and a good First Aid Kit that will serve you well for regular day to day occurrences.  It should also contain basic survival items for scenarios (such as an earthquake) where you have to survive before you get to your Car Kit.  This includes water, water purification, simple foods, a whistle (to alert rescuers), a flashlight, etc.  Your Office Preparedness Kit should be able to stand on its own (combined with your EDC) and in an evacuation scenario you should be able to grab it and go.  In certain scenarios, the Office Preparedness Kit will supplement your Car Kit if you begin an evacuation from there.

Bug Out Bags or 72 Hour Kits

Your BOB is basically a 3 day survival backpack.  It should be designed to allow you to seek shelter on foot and should contain everything you need to defend yourself, keep you fed, hydrated and sheltered and somewhat comfortable.  The items that go into it will be a very personal decision based on your skills, inclinations and personal experience.   A BOB may be something you have to grab on the run while you’re getting out of the house as fast as possible, it also serves as an item of your Evac Kit.

Evacuation Kits

An Evacuation Kit goes beyond a BOB, actually a BOB is one of the things on the Evac Kit’s checklist.  An Evacuation Kit consists of the things you need to take with you to head into the unknown in any kind of an emergency.  It assumes you are heading out in a vehicle, that you have at least a little bit of time to grab things and throw them in a trailer or trunk.  How much and what your Evacuation Kit contains will depend heavily on your ability to transport it.  Preferably you’ll have a trailer that can be pre-loaded and just waiting to go in case of an emergency.  Where a BOB list looks like you’re going on a long hike, an Evac Kit list looks like you’re going on an extended family camping trip.  You may have several pre-packed bags or containers for your Evac Kit or you may have bags or containers waiting to be packed with lists of what go into them.  The key is to consider everything ahead of time and make preparations to be able to load your Evacuation Kit in less than a half hour.

Ready for Anything

This post has covered the basics so we can all be on the same page going into this series (sorry if it bored some of the old pros :) ).  From here we’ll start going through how to determine the contents of your Evacuation Kit, consider multiple things you may need and start figuring out how to be prepared for a possible evacuation.

I have spent many hours over the last month or so reviewing over 100 72 Hour Kit, Bug Out Bag, and Get Out Of Dodge bag lists.  As I’ve gone through all these lists I’ve made a master list that we’ll start using in the next post.  It is, by far, the most complete evacuation list I’ve seen but I’m also sure it is still missing some things.  As we go through it, hopefully we’ll get some good feedback on what might be missing.  To allow easy updating and re-distribution, I’ve made the list into a Google Spreadsheet.

The next post in this series introduces the Evacuation Kit Master List.

The best frame of mind to try to put yourself in while planning your kit is to imagine yourself stuck in your car for a 24 – 48 hour period. What would you need, both for survival and for comfort? You should also consider scenarios that would potentially put you in this situation. What type of events could occur that would result in you being stuck in your car for an extended period?

Basic Car Emergency

Basic Car Emergencies include your battery dying, getting stuck in a ditch, running out of gas, simple breakdowns, etc.  These are things that we are easily at risk for every time we drive our vehicles.  As such, they are the most common things we’ll need our Emergency Kit for. This list includes several things that can be useful in a Basic Emergency.

• Battery Jumper Cables – if your battery dies for some reason, you’ll have a much better chance of getting help quickly if you are able to actually supply the jumper cables for would be helpers.  These can be purchased at any Automotive store and most Hardware stores or even Wal-Mart for about $35.00 – $50.00.  You should make sure you know how to use them too – and anyone else who will be regularly driving your vehicle.
• Tow Strap – If for some reason you end up in a ditch, your car dies and you need to get it to town or whatever else may happen that you need someone to pull your car a tow strap is a requirement.  Just like with Towing Cables, if you are able to supply the Tow Strap, you’ll be able to get help much quicker.
• Tool Set – you don’t need to bring a whole mechanic set with you but many repairs can be rigged together if you have a small assortment of tools, such as:
  • Sturdy Lock Blade Knife
  • Phillips and Flathead screwdrivers
  • Wire Cutters
  • Small electrical service kit (with strippers/crimpers and several different types of connectors, electrical tape  and some spare wire)
  • Duct Tape
  • Slip Joint Pliers
  • Hammer (this might not be particularly useful other than that in an emergency situation sometimes it is helpful to beat the living tar out of something :) )
  • Hose repair kit – you can buy one of these at any Automotive Store
  • Spare fuses – you can buy a kit at your automotive store, if the wrong fuse blows it can incapacitate your vehicle.  Being able to quickly switch it out can keep you from an extended emergency.  Know where your fuse box is, how to tell if they’re blown and how to replace them.
  • Spare light bulbs – for your headlights especially but taillights as well.
  • Small Shovel – a folding camp shovel will do fine for this.  You may need to dig your car out of dirt or snow.  It can also be used to make a temporary latrine if your situation warrants.
• Flat Tire Repair Kit – There are two sides to this, a repairable flat and an unrepairable one
  • Repairable Flat – A repairable flat is one that you can take care of on the side of the road and drive away from, without changing your tire.  There is one thing you need for this – at least one can of Fix-A-Flat (I keep 2 in each car).  These are simple to use and will often let you get into town to get your tire fixed
  • Unrepairable Flat – this is a flat tire that requires you to remove the tire and put on a different one.  There are several things you need to make sure you have in your vehicle for this – and that you are familiar with how to use them:
    • Spare Tire (know where it is and how to get it out, this can actually be pretty tricky) Check it at least once a year to make sure it is still functional.
    • Jack (again, know where it is and how to get it out and use it)
    • Lug Wrench (this is often a part of your jack system, know where it is and how to use it)
• Flashlight – Always keep at least one in your car, fixing any of the above issues will be much harder if you can’t see what you’re doing.  Consider keeping a hand crank flashlight as a backup as well.
• Road Flares or Reflector Triangle – If you’re broke down putting one of these out serves two purposes, it warns oncoming vehicles to avoid your stalled vehicle and it also lets people know that help may be needed.
• Money – if you need a tow truck or to purchase emergency repair services you do not want to be caught without money to pay for it.  A fairly safe, reliable and easy way to prepare for this is to purchase something like a Visa Gift Card with $100.00 – $300.00 (depending on what is realistic for you) on it and carefully stashing it in your car.  Not in your glove box, but more like in the trunk, under the spare tire in a non-descript envelope or something.  It doesn’t need to be easily accessible and you don’t want to risk having it stolen.  If you don’t have your wallet or credit cards with you for some reason this may become a life-saver.  Also keep a couple dollars in quarters in case you have to use a pay phone (remember those things?)
• Umbrella – Useful for everyday use as well, anytime it’s raining and you want to stay dry.  If you have a car emergency in a rain storm you’ll be miserable if you get out, get soaked and then have to sit in the car for several hours.
• Wet Wipes – if you have to get out and do some dirty work on your car these will let you clean up a bit.  Very useful for everyday use and extended emergencies as well, especially with kids
• Diapers – if you have little ones that may be in the car with you, always keep several spare diapers in your car.  Your basic emergency may be a sick kid that has a blow out – and a spare diaper may be the solution!
• Toilet Paper – If you have kids, your basic emergency may be a kid that has to use the bathroom NOW and toilet paper may be a necessity on the roadside in the middle of nowhere.  If you have an extended emergency or survival situation it will be even more important to have.
• Fire Extinguisher – there are several potential situations where you would need a fire extinguisher, whether it’s your own car or the one in front of you – and none of those situations include giving you time to dig around in your trunk for an extinguisher – figure out a way to keep it within grabbing reach.
• Gloves – keep a pair of work gloves for working on cold metal in the winter, ultra-greasy situations or anything else where you need to protect your hands
• Tarp – a good 6×8 canvas tarp is a multi-use tool.  In a basic emergency it can provide you with a clean, dry work space if you have to kneel, sit or lay on the ground to work on your car.  In a survival situation, it can be used as an emergency shelter or a blanket.

Extended Emergency

Scenarios beyond the above Basic Emergencies require some different preparations.  If you are stuck in your vehicle for more than a couple hours there are several things you may potentially need to have with you.

• Water – especially in the summer, you can quickly become overheated and dehydrated if you are in a dead vehicle for several hours.  To be prepared for a 48 hour emergency you should have at least 1 gallon of water for each passenger you have in the vehicle
• Food – General nutrition shouldn’t be an issue here, but hunger might.  You should have several granola bars and other types of easily edible foods stored in your emergency kit.  You might also consider keeping a few canned meals and a can opener or MREs in your trunk.
• Spare and Rechargeable Batteries – especially for your flashlights.  Instead of relying on disposable batteries, invest in good rechargeables and keep a recharger in your car.
• Tekkeon 3450 Universal Battery Pack – This battery pack can be used to power most personal electronic devices including laptop, camera, cell phone, video player, etc.  It is very useful for everyday use and during an emergency can be used to extend battery life or to power multiple devices to help keep kids distracted during an emergency.  The Tekkeon can be charged by the Sunlinq (below) or by plugging it into a regular outet (with the 12 volt power strip (below) you can use your car battery to charge it as well).
• Cell Phone charger – in an extended emergency it is very likely that your cell phone battery will die.  While a cell phone isn’t essential to survival, it certainly will help expedite your rescue (assuming you have phone service).  Make sure you have the right Tekkeon Battery Pack (above) adaptors for you phone as well.
• 12 Volt Power Strip – For extended emergencies and even everday use, I strongly recommend you invest in a good power outlet strip that plugs into your cigarette lighter.  In my opinion a 4 outlet power strip is an essential in every car, with it you can charge and use pretty much any device – regardless of emergencies.
• Blankets – If you end up having to spend the night in your car then most likely your car isn’t running.  In this case, you won’t have any way to heat your vehicle and you and the kids could end up getting very cold.
• Sunlinq 12 Watt Folding Solar Panel – we’ve discussed the benefits of being able to charge you phone and other batteries but there are some potentially critical issues with being able to do that.  If you can’t start your car you won’t be able to use the car battery for very long before it dies.  With the Sunlinq you can charge pretty much any rechargeable device as long as the sun is out.  It is very compact and can be rolled tightly to fit into a backpack or corner of your trunk.  (I STRONGLY recommend you have one of these in your regular BOBs as well).
• Chemical Handwarmers – these are activated by air and are available at Wal-Mart and many other stores.  If your car isn’t working you won’t have any heat generation, placing a handwarmer on your cold parts can make a situation much more tolerable.  These usually last for more than 8 hours but keep more than you think you’ll need – they’re cheap and it’s likely you’ll want to put one in each shoe and hold one in each hand.
• Heat in a Can – look for our article about this.  These homemade toilet paper/alcohol stoves generate heat for warming up the car or for cooking on.
• Hand Crank Radio – if your car battery dies or you go into a survival situation, having one of these will let you catch news and weather updates
• FRS Radio -if you have a HAM license, keep a HAM radio as well.  Having either or both of these radios will provide you with other options for calling for help in addition to your cell phone (if you have no cell service, these radios will be your ONLY means of communicating)
• Scriptures – having your scriptures with you can provide comfort in a frightening situation and can help pass the time by getting in some good reading.
• Emergency Phone Numbers – Most of us have these programmed in our cell phones or can call 411 or call a friend to look a number up.  A lot of phones can also use the internet to look numbers up.  But, it can be useful to have a hand written list stored in your car in case you have forgotten your phone or it isn’t working and you are borrowing someone elses phone or using a pay phone.

Survival

In a scenario where you have to bug out from your vehicle and hoof it to town you will need a basic survival kit (an example of this is if you are in the boonies and your car breaks down or you wreck/get stuck and nobody is around).  Some of your survival kit could even be useful even if you just need to set up a camp where you broke down.  Here are some things to include (this could easily become a very extensive kit)

• Hiking/Walking shoes
• 2 pairs of socks/person
• Fire Starters (both something to light a fire with and something to get it going, such as a flint/steel set and cotton balls soaked in vaseline)
• Water Filter – if you’re hoofing it, who knows what kind of water you’ll find.  Make sure you have a good water filter with you.
• Whistle - this will help you get the attention of potential rescuers
• Map and Compass and/or GPS – not only will you need it to not get lost, you may also need it to find your way back to your car!  Mark a waypoint for where your car is before you head out.
• First Aid Kit – check out our post on first aid kits for some ideas on this

Those are the bare necessities for a car survival kit.  As I said before, this can (and has in my case) become a full blown survival kit.

For Vehicle Emergency Preparedness in winter, check out some of our previous posts:

• Winter/Snow Driving Preps, Part 1 of 3, Prepping Your Vehicle
• Winter/Snow Driving Preps, Part 2 of 3, Gear Supplements
• Winter/Snow Driving Preps, Part 3 of 3, Driving Tips

You might also check out some of our other posts on Bug Out Bags for other ideas on what to include in your Survival Kit:

• Get Home Bag
• Family BOB Example: The Lances
• Sample EDC (Everyday Carry)/mini-BOB(Bug Out Bag)

Purpose:

I live a fair distance from my work now (oh how I long to telecommute again!).  Around 25 miles one way, around a lake, across a river, through several places that have limited road options.  How do I know this?  Well, I would say everybody should be very familiar with every alternate route between their home and most common destinations, because you never know when you will need them.  I have needed mine.  Beyond a natural curiosity and desire to optimize my commute, my neighborhood often requires it because it has a population that overwhelms the local road infrastructure on a good day.  Add in an accident, or bad weather and it becomes horrid.  Get worse weather, and you can actually shut down access to our town.  It’s happened before, it will happen again.  Throw in an earthquake, and there will be *no* cars heading home.  Whatever your locally preferred disaster, would you be able to get home to your wonderful food storage?

Considerations:

There are several things to consider when creating a Bug Out type kit for your car that you must take care of for your kit to be any good to you.  The first point is what are you getting ready for.  My kit as I stated is to get me home from work in case I can’t drive.  It’s a very likely situation with our current infrastructure.  Now I have a different kit in my wife’s vehicle.  She doesn’t travel as often, or as far as I do, but she will almost always have our kids with her.  During a blizzard last year which shut down all roads into town, she was able to keep our kids fed, entertained, and the youngest in clean diapers, even though they hadn’t planned on being out so many hours.  This was all because her kit was ready for that type of situation, sheltering in place until help could come.

Secondly, what space do you have?  Do you carpool, or will it stay in a large trunk?  Do you ride a bike or drive a truck?  All of these change what size your kit can be, and what security it might have.  Thirdly, just how far are you from home, and how easily could you travel that distance?  Don’t kid yourself with whatever shape you were in a few years ago, think about now.  Fourth, weather.  Around here it’s likely *really* hot, or *really* cold at the times I’d most likely need my kit.  The contents must meet the needs of that weather, which means I have to rotate it.  Finally, long-term storability.  Some items, especially food items, dont’ last long in a car.  That nice MRE you threw in the trunk last summer is probably toast now.  The extreme temperature changes combined with the effects of the car make it go bad fast.
[ad#ad-1]

The Bag:

Main Bag

My bag itself is a Maxpedition DevilDog.  It’s a larger sized butt-pack, that also has a very comfortable shoulder strap when wanted.  It’s large enough to hold what I feel I need for this usage, without being too large, or looking out of place.  Plus it’s a Maxpedition, which I can’t say enough good about.  Also pictured are some of the first items of the kit.

• Datrex Bars : Emergency Calories.  3600 of them actually.  Sealed, long lasting, and can handle the heat.  They aren’t a lot, but would give me a minimal calorie count for my expected travel time in worst conditions.  They are very compact, and lightweight.  There are several types of emergency bars out there, and some local preparedness shops let you taste them before buying.  I highly suggest this, as some are nasty (but hey, worst case).  These one actually taste quite good, like a coconut macaroon.
• SAS Survival Guide : Excellent smaller version of the full handbook.  Get both, read them *before* there is a problem.  Then keep the guide in your bug out bag or get home bag
• Advil : Muscle and general pain relief.  Not used to walking a lot? You’ll be thinking about this after a day.
• Mini-Mag light : With LED bulb.  Great inexpensive light, durable, has a holster too so I can move it to my belt.
• Ka-Bar : One of my favorite fixed blade knives, in the smaller 5″ version.  What’s important here is a strong, reliable knife.
• Gerber Strike Force : My favorite flint starter.  It doesn’t break, and I have enough practice to know I can start a fire easily with it.
• CountyCom Micro Widgy bar : Utility tool, very handy to have, wrapped in Paracord 550
• Mini sharpie : Ability to leave notes that will last most anywhere.

Fire and food:

• Fire starter packet : a stable, lightweight firestarter. This is a redundant item that I just threw in to try sometime
• Camp Soap : You want to stay clean, and need to clean up your dishes to not get sick
• Tube of Fire starters : Originally an “airborne” brand vitamin, now perfect for holding several Vaseline soaked cotton balls for starting fires.
• Two MRE snacks : This rotation I have a ‘wheat bread’ and ‘mint chocolate cookie’.  Carbs that pack well.
• Swiss Army Knife : my trusty (an old) Victorinox Scout edition, with the lock blade.
• P-51 can opener : Yeah, I have an opener on the knife, but I keep one of these everywhere.  Even though I currently don’t have and cans in my kit.
• Gram Weenie Stove : very small alcohol stove, with windshield, and small amount of alcohol in squirt bottle.
• Matches : Strike anywhere, waterproof, and in waterproof case.
• Emergency Mylar blanket : Some warmth, and shelter.
• Vaseline : can make more fire starters, or heal wind/sun chapped lips.  Usually just have a chapstick tube here, but didnt’ have an extra handy this rotation, and this was sitting there.  (And yes, chapstick is great for making firestarters too, try it!)
• Two emergency candles: light, heat, help with the fire. Wrapped in Aluminum Foil.  Keeps them from melting as much, and from getting stuff around them waxy.  In emergency the foil can be used to help cook.
• Water filter straw : My route home goes around a large freshwater lake, and crosses a couple streams and rivers.  I’ll need the water, but it’s not clean.  I dont’ want to pack all the fuel necessary to boil that much water.

[ad#ao-banner]

Utility:

• Sharpening stone
• Mini Prybar : sharpened edge, and good steel.  Something you can use to pry out stuff you don’t want to risk a knife blade on
• First Aid Kit : Covers the basics.  Store bought basic package with a few extras (moleskin specifically)
• Chemical lightstick : No batteries necessary, help me be seen if that’s what I need.
• Bug Spray + Sunscreen : Blistering Utah sun in the summer, bouncing off the snow in the winter.  And did I mention the lake and streams.  Lots of mosquitos if I stay by the water.
• Poncho : gotta stay dry
• Toilet Paper : Do I really need to explain this?
• Latex Gloves : Any biological material around? Treating a wound from an accident?
• Wet Wipes : Better than toilet paper when out and about, and can clean self too.
• Rope : Well, cord.  100 feet of paracord.
• Foot powder : It’s a long walk, I will do whatever necessary to prevent blisters from starting
• Micro monacle : just a very small 4x zoom

Bulk:

• Two water bottles : Start with some clean water, in bottles I can reuse for this trip.
• Water Filter Bottle : Katadyn water filter in a bottle.
• MRE : Specifically a Cold Weather MRE, which is freeze dried, so it can last even in the car heat.  Also has a lot more calories.  Hard to find, and pricier though, so I don’t have many of these.  Only one in the kit.
• More TP
• Two Micro lights : attach to the outside of the bag, redundancy is key here.
• Hotties : Chemical Heat packs for the hands/feet/body.  Spending the night out in a blizzard with my ‘work clothes’ isn’t comfy.
• Folding Shovel
• Mini Hatchet : I have the Gerber Back Axe, Small, lightweight, very well made

• HEET bottle : Works very well in alcohol stoves.  Sealed container that I can then refill my mini-squirt bottle to load the stove.  This will fuel that stove for quite a while.
• Metal Cup : It is the pot for the stove, and the dish to eat from
• Lighter : While I love flints, and my matches are good, a simple lighter is just easier to start with.
• Extra socks : Long walk, water crossings, snow.  Gotta keep those feet dry and comfy.  Can be mittens too if needed.
• Two Extra Mags : Not pictured is the extra .22-mag, depending on what I’m “wearing” that day.

[ad#ao-banner]

Extra Gear:

I know that winter travels will take quite a bit more out of me, and a lot more time than a summer trip.  Also I have a lot more chances of needing my kit when stuck for an extended time, possibly not going home.  So i plan accordingly.  These extra items don’t fit in my pack, but would help me last longer if sticking around, or could attach to the outside of my pack or be worn (or consumed) for longer travels.

• 4 Extra meals : Higher calories.  The civilian MRE shown will only be here in the winter.  Includes its own chem heater for a hot meal.
• Wool blanket : Heat, even if wet. Can be windproof by freezing it solid for extra shelter.
• Lightweight towel : Keeping dry is keeping warm, also can wrap to keep face protected from wind-chill.
• More bug spray : Not as many bugs out now, but it was in the box.
• More Wipes
• Another Mylar Blanket
• Extra LED flashlight
• Mini pliers tool
• Full Size Prybar
• “Survival” knife
• Cook Kit : Swedish Surplus, Likely need to boil more water.  Larger quantities here. Contains larger alcohol stove, alcohol, and utensils inside.
• Snow Gloves

All of this fits inside a small plastic container in the trunk of my car.  Added some velcro to the side so it sticks and doesn’t slide around.  Now I know this has some redundancy, which is unecessary given that I’m planning on packing to my home, not leaving my supplies.  But I am a bit gadget bound.  You can do with less, and it’s fine.  I like to go the overkill route though.

One final note: This kit is also planned around the fact that I EDC a lot of items on myself.  My pockets are full, and my work backpack is a whole extra upcoming post.  They each have extra items that complement what’s in my kit.  Altoid survival tins, Concealed Carry Firearm, Extra flashlight, etc.

Please comment on anything you think I might be missing.  To start it off, I’ll mention a few things:

• Buillion cubes – small, sodium rich (sweat problems), helps get warmth in you.
• Gatorade single packs – drink mix in single-serving sizes, help get more water down, mask bad flavors, and replenish minerals from sweating.
• Shoes – what if I’m wearing simple sneakers, wouldn’t some hiking boots be nice?  yeah I can dream that I can keep extras of nice shoes in my car, ready to be used.
• Chewing Gum or Candy : Quick pick up.

To wrap this Winter Prep series up, let’s go over a few winter driving tips. I’m not trying to teach you how to drive, but just some good techniques to use while driving in snow and ice conditions.

1. Always keep at least half a tank of gas in your car. If you become stuck or stranded in the middle of nowhere, or if your car slips down an embankment where it can’t be seen easily, you could end up being stuck in your car for a while. You want to make sure you can run that heater (assuming your car will run), you don’t want to find yourself in that situation and be almost out of gas!
2. When you go to stop in icy conditions, don’t slam, ride, or lockup your brakes! I know this is common sense but I see people do it all the time. Tap your breaks. The worse thing you can do in a slide caused by slowing is to slam on your brakes.
3. If you are sliding, continually point your wheels where you want to go! No matter where the slide takes you, you should always point your wheels where you want go. If you suddenly get traction, you’ll lurch forward in whatever direction your wheels are pointing – you don’t want that to be the car next to you, or the ditch!
4. Don’t follow other cars too closely. Again, seems like common sense, but I constantly see cars nearly tailgating other drivers, giving themselves a face full of slush and gunk. Not only that but you may need a lot more room than you think you do in order to come to a full stop.
5. Take turns wider than you normally would, and slower. I see people all the time in icy conditions turning sharply on a left hand turn, then they do a spinout in the middle of oncoming traffic! Slow it down, don’t goose the engine, and turn wider than you normally would. You have a better chance of not sliding this way.
6. If you get stuck, turn your wheels side to side as far as you can to try to clear some snow out. Lightly tap your gas to go forward but back off if they start to spin (you make it worse if you spin your wheels). If you feel the vehicle go slightly up and then stop, let it rock back and do it again. Let a rocking motion build up as you pack and move the snow you’ll often be able to work your way out.
7. If number 6 doesn’t work, next try going in reverse. Back up slightly until you start to spin or are stopped. Try rocking again. If you can make some progress backwards – back on out. If you can only back a short way, change and drive forward – but turn the wheels in a different direction. You can sometimes work your way out by going back and forth on #6 and #7. If these don’t work, use the shovel, sand and icemelt that you packed from our second post!
8. While driving, watch for telltale signs on the road ahead of you so you know what your coming into. Watch especially for patches of ice. During the nighttime you can recognize these by their dark, wet appearance in your headlight. If you are driving on clear pavement and you notice a patch of ice coming up, get prepared. Slow down before you get to the ice, you do not want to try to brake on it! If you need to change lanes or turn, try to do it before or after you hit the ice. Always be aware of the road ahead!
9. Be aware of the terrain ahead as well. Bridges, ramps and overpasses freeze sooner and longer than regular road due to the exposure to the cold beneath the asphalt. By monitoring the upcoming terrain you can make defensive decisions about your vehicle position when you hit these potentially icy spots.
10. Watch out for stupid people. Drive defensively. Big trucks, little trucks and dumb people will often, out of necessity, barrel down the highway, throwing turbulence, ice and slush all over you. If you’re driving in a precarious situation, this can be dangerous! Be aware of them and know what they’re going to do to you BEFORE they do it! Always be thinking ahead to know what you need to do to get yourself out of a sticky situation. Watch close for potential hazards and have a plan of what you will do if the hazard becomes real. By doing this, you’ll react better and won’t panic or be startled into a bad reaction.

There are lots of other things we could cover in this series, but that’s it for now! Is there something else you consider really important to do in winter with your vehicle? Let us know!

Winter vehicle emergencies can be pretty harsh. If you breakdown, wreck or slide off the freeway that’s one thing, help should be there soon.

But, if you’re on the road less traveled and it’s late at night and something happens, you could be stuck there for a while. If for some reason you can’t start your vehicle in that situation, you have about 20 minutes before it starts getting cold in your car. You already have an emergency kit in your vehicle, right? Just in case you don’t, we’ll be covering that in a later post. But, from here we’ll assume you’ve got a basic 72 hour survival kit in your vehicle. These are some things you should add to it for the winter:

1. Blankets – at least one per passenger you might have with you
2. Handwarmers – they’re really cheap and work really well. You can get a big package of chemical handwarmers from Costco or Sams for about 10 bucks. When the only heat available is from your body, you’ll be glad for a small external source!
3. Coat and gloves – keep at least one spare coat and pair of gloves in the back, if you don’t have them on for some reason and you have to get out of the car, you’ll be glad they’re there! In fact, keep at least one spare full set of cold weather gear back there!
4. Jumper Cables – if you don’t already have them in your regular kit, make sure you put them in. Your battery might not be able to start when you’re done at the store. You’ll get someone to help you jump your car much faster if you can provide the cables for it!
5. Tow Rope – again, if you don’t already have one in your regular kit, make sure you put one in. If you slip off the road or become stuck for some reason, a lot more people will be able to help you if you can supply the tow rope!
6. Make sure you have one of the ice scrapers that has a big brush on it as well – if your car is covered with several inches of snow and ice, your hands will thank you repeatedly for using a brush to clean it all off.
7. Shovel – whether a snow shovel or just a flat shovel, if you get stuck you may have to dig yourself out. Doing it with your hands sucks!
8. Sandbag – not only will this put some extra weight in your vehicle, giving you better control, but you can also use it to help get yourself unstuck. If you’re stuck and have to dig out, ice can form under the snow you’re compacting. Dump sand out of the bag onto the ice to give your tires something to grip when you’re trying to pull out!
9. IceMelt – In the scenario in #8, if that doesn’t work you can try this, but it takes more time to work. Spread generous amounts of IceMelt in front of and behind your tires to help get rid of any ice that’s prohibiting your exit. You’ll have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for it to work though.

Again, we’re assuming that you already have a car survival kit and these are just some winter supplements for it. Are there other things that you think are important to supplement your emergency kit with in winter? Let us know!

Don’t miss our final post in this series, Tips for Driving in the Snow.

First of all, if you don’t have a 4 wheel drive then go buy one today, the auto companies need your business! :) I know that’s not a realistic suggestion, but seriously, if you don’t have a 4 wheel drive and you have the means to do so, please get one, you’ll be so much safer!

No matter what type of vehicle you’re driving, there are several things you can/should do to make sure that it’s at its peak performance in 3 inches of slush and ice.

1. Put on fresh wipers. You may not need it right now, but wipers can get hammered quickly when they’re constantly wiping the snow, salt, sand and other junk that the car in front of you is covering your windshield with! By putting fresh ones on you’ll be sure they can hold up through the winter – nothing sucks worse than suddenly being blind in icy conditions because your crappy wipers can’t clean off your windshield!
2. Make sure your tires are good – not decent, not just still living, but GOOD. You do not want crappy tread in ice conditions! Make sure that your drive wheels have good deep treads on them! If you haven’t rotated your tires for a while, this is also a good time to do that, assuming that doesn’t put crappy tires on the front :) if it does, refer to the beginning of this item!
3. Flush your radiator and load it with anti-freeze (50/50 anti-freeze and water is recommended). Have you ever noticed your heater quit heating when your vehicle is idle? If so, you’re radiator is very low on water/anti-freeze. By flushing it and loading it with anti-freeze you’ll be ensuring that your vehicle is running as coolly as it can.
4. Have your battery checked – Autozone and Checker will do this for you for free. If your battery can’t sustain a load you may have problems starting it in the mornings on very cold/snowy days. Replace your battery if needed.
5. Change your oil and oil filter. Fresh clean oil will help protect your engine in very cold times. Cold temperatures cause your oil to thicken up, making it harder to pump and lubricate. During the summer, we typically use 40 weight oil (10w40) but in the winter we need the lighter, 30 weight oil (10w30). Check your vehicle’s manual for the correct winter weight. Using the wrong one can damage your engine.
6. Check your belts. Very cold temperatures are hard on belts, if the belts on your vehicle are cracking either replace them or have someone else do it! You don’t want to lose a belt on the freeway when there’s a couple inches of snow on the ground.
7. Make sure you windshield wiper fluid is a de-icer type and is topped off – in fact, do this on a very regular basis. We use quite a bit of fluid keeping the windshield clean, especially after a snowstorm when cars are throwing water and gunk on your windshield. Once you’ve topped off your reservoir, throw a full bottle of fluid in the back, you’ll likely need it at the worst time.
8. Chains – if you don’t have chains for your vehicle, you should consider getting them. If you do have them, make sure you put them in your car! Now is also a good time to practice putting them on to refresh your memory, in a foot of snow and ice on a cold day is NOT the time to figure out how your chains work!!!

There are several other things you can do to help your car perform its best for you during the winter, these are what I consider the MOST important. You can either do it yourself or pull into Jiffy Lube and have them do it for a couple hundred bucks – it’ll be worth it.

Be sure to read part two of this series – what you should add to your car survival kit for winter - and part three – tips for driving in the snow.  If you think something else should be on this list, let us know!