When my firstborn was just a few months old, we were headed to a family gathering for the Christmas holiday. We were driving at night on a winding canyon road with oncoming traffic on one side and a steep drop off into a river on the other. I remember trying to keep my eyes on the road, but being constantly distracted by the temperature readout on the dashboard as it flickered between one and zero degrees Fahrenheit.
My car was in good condition, but if something went sideways, my family would have been in serious trouble.
For most of us, our cars represent large financial investments and they play can play a major role in our daily lives. Keeping them in good condition is imperative, but beyond that, a little preparedness can go a long way towards making life a little better when the unexpected arrives.
Space (and money) are always at a premium when storing supplies in a vehicle, so be judicious as you determine what is best for you and your family. (Also, be mindful of break ins and try to make your supplies as invisible and/or unattractive as possible to potential thieves.)
I have found that vehicle preparedness generally falls into four categories for me with each one building upon the earlier ones in the list:
- Maintenance
- Every Day Carry
- Road Trip
- Bugging Out
Everyone’s needs are different, but if I can conveniently keep preparations in my vehicle, I do. If I can’t, then I keep them in or near my garage so I can load them quickly for a road trip or bugging out.
With maintenance being so specific to the type and age of your vehicle, we won’t cover it here other than to emphasize its importance. (Plus, we are not experts on maintenance and we usually rely on others for help in this area.) But here are some considerations for the other categories and why we added them to the list.
Gasoline: A good rule of thumb is to keep your tank at least half full. Your vehicle can be used to keep you warm or cold in cases of power outages and it’s your best means to get your family to safety, but only if it has fuel. Gasoline does not store well long-term, so if you do plan on going with external containers, rotate through your stores and consider using a fuel stabilizer to extend the “shelf life” of your gasoline.
Cell phone charger: Your cell phone is one of the most important devices you own and it’s your lifeline if something goes south. Make sure you can keep it powered while on the go.
Inverter: If you need power on the go for items that you plug into your wall, consider an inverter designed for your vehicle. If you’re plugging in sensitive electronics, look for one with a “pure sine wave” as opposed to those with “modified sine waves” to better protect your gear. Even though it’s running off your car’s electrical supply, make sure the inverter is capable of handling enough power to meet your needs. Also, be aware that it can be possible to drain your battery while using these when your car is not moving.
Cleaning supplies: If you have kids, paper towels may be your most used vehicle preparedness item. Even without kids they still rank pretty high. Toilet paper is a must have. We tried baby wipes, but they dry out after bit so we’ve switched to coin tissues. Cleaning supplies for messy hands, bloody noses, and vomit are priceless when you need them. However, keep in mind that any fluids you store in your vehicle can be subject to dramatic temperature shifts that can burst their containers. Storing them partially full and in totes or their own Ziplocs can mitigate the potential for mess.
Garbage bags: If you have kids, you will likely use these for wet clothes, soiled clothes, and muddy shoes. Even without kids, they will still get plenty of use just for garbage. Small ones for interior use are nice, but larger, kitchen-size ones come in handy all the time when camping or even for towels after a day trip to the lake. (Also, though not as convenient as vomit bags, they’ll do in a pinch.)
Umbrella: We have a big golf umbrella that we use on sunny days for portable shade about as often as we do on rainy days to stay dry.
First Aid: We try to keep vomit bags near every seat, but we also have a dedicated vehicle first aid kit. We haven’t had stellar luck with prebuilt first aid kits, so we assemble our own. See this article for more information on first aid kits, but here’s what we normally pack in our vehicle:
- Band Aids
- Neosporin (pain reducing)
- Coin Tissues
- Tweezers
- Nitrile gloves
- A roll of self-adhesive wrap
- Some sterile gauze pads
- Medical tape
- Ace bandages
- Bottled water with a small hole drilled in the cap makes a great wound or eye irrigator
- Universal splint
- Hydrocortisone
- Fingernail clippers
- Aloe Vera
- Scissors (probably should upgrade to trauma shears)
- Alcohol wipes
- Moleskin
- Gauze rolls
- Gauze pads
Reflective Vests: There’s a reason you see these on roadside construction workers. They want to be seen for their own safety and so should you. If you ever have to pull off to the side of the road in dim light, these can be vital.
Cold Kit: You can probably omit this if you live in or around Ecuador, but if it gets uncomfortably cold where you are driving, prepare accordingly. A backpack with a handful of Mylar emergency blankets, some wool blankets, gloves, beanies, wool socks, and an ultralight sleeping bag or two can provide a lot of peace of mind and be taken out during the summer months or when space is at a premium. Hot Hands chemical warmers are nice, but they don’t last for more than a season or two in my experience. A Zippo fuel hand warmer is great, but make sure that the fuel is stored in a leak-proof container that can handle temperature extremes. (Throw in a Zippo lighter while you’re at it or at least a Bic. Electric lighters don’t hold a charge forever, but they can conveniently recharge from your car.) If you want to bring a real heat source, I would recommend this Mr. Heater Buddy and the green 1 lbs. cans of propane. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this candle lantern, but I haven’t used it because I’m wary of relying on the proprietary candles. Either should be safe to use in a vehicle assuming that you crack the windows for a little ventilation. The Mr. Heater Buddy also has a low-oxygen sensor and a tip-over shutoff sensor. It also has an adaptor for the normal 20 gallon propane tanks you see on a BBQ, but I would strongly recommend not using those in a vehicle because they can leak on rare occasions and that’s the last thing you want indoors with a flame.
Food: We spend a lot of time with kids in the car, so we generally have plenty of snacks that should last us through most minor emergencies. I also keep a small crate of supplies nearby that I throw in for extended road trips just in case. It has a Kelly Kettle kit (decent for cooking, but great for boiling water and for MREs), a hatchet, lots of canned food that I rotate through periodically, and lifeboat survival rations that I only rotate through every 5 years or so.
Water: Storing fluids in a vehicle can be tricky, but not as tricky as making it through an emergency without water. My family drinks out of water bottles every day and they are in the habit of bringing them along whenever we get in the car. Also, I keep a case of Costco bottled water in my vehicle all the time. It needs to be rotated out often so I use it whenever I can. Drilling a little hole in the cap makes it a great wound irrigator for scraped knees and I keep a water dish right next to it so my dog stays hydrated. YMMV, but I have never had a Costco bottle burst due to freezing. (If freezing is a risk and you are storing water in non-flexible container, leave it 10% empty to allow for expansion when it turns to ice.) If we’re going on camping I throw in a 5+ gallon container or two. Scepter is the best-reviewed brand that I’m aware of this, but I usually go with cheaper options like this Igloo. I also find myself using square containers like this Aqua-Tainer because they don’t tip over as easily if my car isn’t packed tight. Surprisingly, the water storage option I actually use the most these days is this one gallon insulated metal growler. It can keep ice cold for days in my vehicle and it is awesome for hot chocolate when you’ve got a large group. There’s a Yeti version that is arguably better, but that’s outside of my price range and I’ve been very happy with the one I bought.
Repair Tools: Tools can be a bit tricky to recommend, as each vehicle may have different tools that would be helpful. At a minimum you’ll want to be able to replace your battery, which can usually be done with a set of pliers, but you may find having the basics, pliers, screwdrivers, and wrenches is a good place to start. Also, if you’re not comfortable with tools, you can at least throw a multi-tool in the glove box. The Leatherman Surge is not cheap, but it meets more automotive needs than most multi-tools.
Gloves. I have never once regretted having gloves, but I have often regretted their absence. I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for tactical gloves that better protect your fingers, but I usually go with these ones. They’ve lasted through a lot of use and I’m happy to have them.
Spare Tire and Flat Kit: A full-size spare tire is much better than a donut and you’ll need to ensure that you have a jack and some practical experience changing tires. If you have AWD, then I’d highly suggest run flats. Sometimes your tires just need extra air. I originally went with this portable compressor, but if I’m headed camping or on a road trip, I’ll typically throw this Ryobi battery powered compressor in because it’s so much more convenient to use and it works for air mattresses and inflatable rafts. If I didn’t already have Ryobi equipment, I might go with something like a tiny battery powered compressor due to its portability. For those who do not know how to patch a tire from the side of the road, a can of Fix-A-Flat can help with minor leaks. However, many tire shops won’t repair a tire after Fix-A-Flat has been used on it, so keep that in mind.
Emergency Flares: I prefer electronic flares over chemical flares for safety and utility. These ones can double as a flashlight and have a magnet to just stick to your car. (I store a few of them with batteries inside, but I just tuck a Ziploc of batteries in the storage bag for the rest. This is so some will be available at short notice while eliminating the risk of losing all my flares to battery corrosion.)
Light: Flashlights are always useful to have around, but imagine trying to do roadside repairs at night without a hands-free headlamp. There are myriad options, but I went with these rechargeable headlamps because I can recharge them from the car and they aren’t too expensive. I use one almost nightly for other activities and it’s been great. The batter life isn’t stellar, but I’ve had to use it after six months of it just sitting in my console and the battery was still full when I turned it on.
Shovel: I went with this foldable shovel (a.k.a. entrenching tool) because it offered the right amount of utility for the space I had available. However, if you want to optimize for moving snow, something like this or this would be better. Shovels have been in use since the Stone Ages and you will understand why if you ever have to dig your car out without one.
Snow/Ice Scraper: If you have a bigger vehicle, hopefully you have room for a bigger ice scraper like this one. You can try buying cheaper ones, but I have accidentally broken so many of those that I’m willing to pay extra just to buy fewer of them. You can go with much smaller ones, but I grew up with the kind that come with a built in glove like this one… and I’ll admit that I’m spoiled. It looks dorky and it’s a little bulky, but using a small ice scraper without gloves is an exercise in discomfort.
Jumper System: I went with jumper cables that were 6 gauge and 16 feet long like these ones. Be wary of shorter cables and high gauge numbers. (The higher the gauge number, the thinner the cable and less electricity it can safely handle.) I also have this portable jump starter in case I find myself with a dead battery when no other vehicles are in sight. It’s a little redundant, but for the price, I’m glad to have that extra option.
AAA: If you’re on the road a lot and can afford it, why not?
Tow straps: You never know when you or someone else will need to be towed. I went with this tow strap, but make sure that whatever one you choose is rated for more than the weight of your vehicle and you know how to safely connect it to your vehicle.
Clothing: When our kids were little, we would always have a change of clothes for them in a bag somewhere in the vehicle. Occasionally, we would find that they had grown and the clothes were a little snug when needed, but we never regretted having them in there. If you have the space, I’d recommend a pair of pants and a shirt that can be rolled up without too much wrinkling. Spare underwear and socks in a Ziploc, too. I personally store a pair of used boots since much of the time when I am on the road my shoes are less than ideal for emergencies.
This doesn’t have to be your list, and you can obviously add things that you think will help you out in the event of an emergency, or simply make life easier or more comfortable for every day use.