Winter Emergency Car Kit Checklist

My husband & I travel a lot and with each trip, we usually use at least one item from our Emergency Car Kit. One time it was helping stranded strangers get off the busy highway by providing water for an empty radiator. Another time it was finding a gas station out in the middle of nowhere only to discover their Debit/Credit machines were down and they only took cash. We got pulled over by a police officer and while rolling down the window to talk with the officer the window fell off its track, it was a very cold night and we used a screwdriver to get the window up. While on a 14-hour trip the mud flap split and started making an awful noise as it rubbed against the tire, we used a knife in the kit to cut the mud flap off and continue our journey. A beautiful sunny day at Yosemite National Park turned into a heavy downpour, we didn’t want to cut our day of hiking short so we used the ponchos from our kit. We’ve used the jumper cables on several occasions to help others or because we needed help. The stories go on and on. Each item in this kit has been used more than once (except for the funnel thank heavens) and has a story attached to it.

If you do not have an emergency car kit I would highly recommend getting one. For years, I used my bug out bag along with various car items like jumper cables as an Emergency Car Kit. It worked great, but I only take my bug out bag on long trips; some time ago I decided to create an Emergency Car Kit that is always in the car. It’s also nice because you don’t have to be mindful of the weight of items in your Emergency Car Kit like you would with a bug out bag; for the sake of space I recommend being mindful of the size of the items in your Emergency Car Kit. Your Emergency Car Kit should be easily accessible and stored under a seat rather than in the trunk. If your kit is in the trunk and you are stuck in inclement weather you won’t enjoy standing in the storm unloading most of your trunk in order to access your Emergency Car Kit.

This article is inspired by and dedicated to my friend Andi. She was telling me about a lengthy upcoming trip where she would be traveling with 3 girls through a snowstorm. I asked her if she had an Emergency Car Kit and she answered, “No, what’s in an Emergency Car Kit?”

Below are pictures and a checklist of what I keep in my Winter Emergency Car Kit:

1. Portable Power Station

2. Ice Scraper

3. De-Icer Windshield Fluid

4. Work Gloves

5. Road Flares

6. Emergency Cell Phone

7. Wool Blankets

8. Food – Because food does not hold up for extended periods of time in the car, I limit the food to beef jerky, fruit strips, and MREs in the Emergency Car Kit. For trips, I pack plenty of extra food including bakery goods and fresh produce.

9. Water – I keep one gallon of water per family member in the car (when shopping for gallon water containers get the screw top lid not the pop top lid, the pop tops come off easy and make a mess).

10. Road Atlas

11. A book to read and playing cards (if you’re stuck and waiting for help)

12. Note Paper

13. Compass

14. Cash

15. Pencil & Felt Pen