Most of us drive so much on a daily basis without any issues that we often take for granted the reliability and safety of our vehicles. However, the reality is that anything can happen (and often does) while we are on the road. So it’s very important to be prepared for a possible emergency in your car!
People die in vehicles all the time due to being stranded in them for various reasons — snow/ice storms, overheating in a very hot place, breaking down in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures, getting stuck in a remote location for a long period of time for whatever reason, running out of gas in a harsh environment, injured in a crash with nobody around, having to get out and walk, etc — These things are not uncommon at all.
In fact, situations like this happen a LOT, but nobody ever thinks it will happen to them until it does. Consider how many people are in car accidents every day, or their car breaks down — none of them woke up that morning and expected that to happen. Now, imagine something happening in extreme weather with no way for help to get to you. Again, that absolutely DOES happen far more frequently than you might think.
If you ever find yourself in one of these predicaments a vehicle emergency kit could very well be the difference between living and dying! Or at the bare minimum, it will keep you a heck of a lot more comfortable until help does arrive.
As you can probably guess, a car survival kit is a collection of essential items that can help you stay alive and/or safely get out of an emergency situation; such as a breakdown, accident, or other unforeseen catastrophes where you cannot get help in a timely manner.
It’s no surprise that having a well-stocked emergency kit for your car can mean the difference between being stranded and miserable, dying, thriving, surviving, making it to safety — and everything in-between. At the very least, you should have enough supplies to keep you and your passengers alive for 72-hours.
What Should Be in a Car Emergency Kit?
It will vary depending on a number of factors but some of the must-have items for a vehicle emergency kit typically include (in no particular order):
Water
I’m sure this comes as no surprise but water is very important to keep in your vehicle at all times. There are few things, if any, more important than water for survival. So, make sure you have enough for at least 2-3 days for each member of your family (or persons in the car) when out on the road.
This can be bottled water, gallon jugs, or whatever way you want to store it. Just make sure you rotate it out occasionally. My personal choice is to keep MAYDAY emergency drinking water in the car kit since it’s literally created to store for disaster preparation.
Food
Again, this one probably isn’t a shock to you, but it is very important to have in your vehicle. It won’t take long before you and your family are hungry (especially if you have kids) so it’s good to keep some things like protein/energy bars, trail mix, beef jerky, and other emergency food rations in your car kit at all times.
First Aid Kit
Injuries can happen at any time, especially if you are in some sort of car accident, so it’s a good idea to at least have a basic first aid kit in your vehicle. Be sure to include items like bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, over-the-counter pain medication, and so on. I suggest just buying a really good high-quality first aid kit and then adding to it if necessary. For me, that’s better than trying to piece one together.
Flashlight
I don’t have to tell you how important a flashlight can be. I’m sure you have used one many times for all sorts of reasons. They come in handy in a variety of situations from changing a tire in the dark to signaling for help, and SO much more. Just make sure you have one in your vehicle!
Candles
These are great to have for any emergency, we all know this, and that can be especially true when you are in a small space, such as your car, which is why they are one of the must-have items for your vehicle emergency kit. Candles can provide warmth & light as well as the ability to boil water and heat food. Tealight candles are often a great option for car survival kits due to being small, cheap, durable, and easy to store.
Multi-tool
There are a whole host of reasons you could use a multi-tool in daily life and/or an emergency. They can be used for food prep, opening items, measuring, creating fish hooks, small repairs, can openers, and so much more. A multi-tool can also help you make simple vehicle repairs without a heavy toolbox, fix all types of day-to-day problems that inevitably happen, and so much more. They are very versatile and something I would consider to be a must-have in your car at all times.
Survival Knife
It’s no secret how many uses there are for knives — self-defense, cutting, hunting, fishing, cooking, fire starting, and about a million other things. No need to go very in-depth on this one. We all know how useful survival knives can be in just about any situation for a whole host of reasons.
So, it only makes sense to have one in your car – especially in case you have to get out and walk or survive in the wild for whatever reason. In my opinion, this is one of the must-have items for your vehicle emergency kit.
Emergency Blanket(s)
An emergency blanket can help you stay warm if you get stranded in cold weather. They can also help you stay cool by reflecting the sun away if you are in hot weather. These things are so cheap, light, compact, and easy to store that I don’t know why you wouldn’t have several of them in your car at all times. Also, they are relatively fragile and pretty easy to tear, so having extras on hand for emergencies is a good idea.
Firestarter
It’s extremely important to have lighters, matches, and even other options (ferro rod, strikers, etc) in your automobile emergency bag that can be used to light candles for warmth, boil water, cook food, signal for help, as well as start an outdoor fire if necessary.
Tire Repair
A flat tire is a common problem that can really mess up your day in a hurry if you aren’t prepared for it, especially if you happen to be out in the middle of nowhere on a long road trip. However, this becoming a disaster can easily be avoided by keeping some tire repair options in your car.
Obviously a spare tire with a jack and lug nut wrench is ideal, but you should also keep some fix-a-flat and a tire plug kit in your vehicle, as well as a small air compressor, for quick patch jobs that are designed to get you back on the road and buy you time to find a place for a full repair.
Jump Starter
If your car battery dies, and it will at some point, these can be an absolute lifesaver in every sense of the word. You have no idea when or where this is going to happen but it’s a virtual certainty that you will experience a dead battery in your vehicle eventually. It’s never a good surprise! Best case, it’s annoying and maybe even a bit embarrassing finding someone to help jump you. Worst case, it can truly be a life-or-death situation.
Either way, a portable jumpstarter is an amazing thing to have in your vehicle for peace of mind. I love the NOCO jumpstarters (I have 3 of them, seriously). You should also have jumper cables – they are incredibly important as well – but I’d take a portable jump starter any day if I had to choose one or the other.
Side Note: Don’t let your car run low on gas! Fill up before you start the journey and stop to fill up before it goes below half a tank. Never be in the position where you are anywhere near running out of gas if you can possibly avoid it. There is no reason to do that, ever.
Maps
It’s always a good idea to have a physical map of the area(s) you will going through in case you get lost or need to find an alternate route. Don’t simply rely on your phone/GPS for this… Maybe the battery is dead, you lose it, break it, have no signal, or whatever. Always have a backup option if you are going to be anywhere that you don’t know your way around.
Batteries
Make sure you have extra batteries on hand. You never know what you will need them for and it seems like they are always needed at the worst times. If nothing else have some extras for your flashlights and any toys your kids might be traveling with. Getting stranded without light or entertainment for your kids would make the situation so much worse.
Change of Clothes
There are dozens of reasons why you might need a new set of clothes. I’m not going to really go in-depth on this one. You can easily come to your own conclusions as to why this is probably a good idea.
Portable Charger / Power Bank
Charging your phone, laptop, tablet, navigation device, electronics, or all sorts of other things can be quite vital to survival in so many ways. First and foremost, the obvious one is being able to call for help. With so many options out there these days that are affordable and easy to store, there’s no excuse for not having one of these in your car.
Cash & Important Documents
It’s a good idea to keep some cash in your vehicle in case you need to pay for gas, a tow, or other unexpected expenses, and cards are not an option. You might think that’s crazy these days, but trust me it is not unheard of at all. One might be very surprised how often cash will save you when you least expect it. You should also have copies of important documents like your driver’s license and insurance papers in your vehicle in case you lose your wallet/purse, or forget them.
Extra Medication
Of all, this one is among the most variable and dependent upon you & your occupants. Make sure (or they) have enough extra for at least a day or two.
Toilet Paper
Don’t laugh, I’m not kidding! Imagine being stranded somewhere and having to “go” right now, no matter where that may be. Or even on a daily basis, maybe you have kids, and one of them says you need to pull over because they can’t wait. Anyway, you get the picture. Have TP in your vehicle.
Duct Tape
This stuff can be used for SO many different reasons. The old adage states that you can pretty much do anything with duct tape, and there’s some truth to that. You can fix leaks, bandage wounds, patch clothing, make cordage, repair many different things, bind items together, etc. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The list goes on and on for duct tape uses. Now, most of the uses are temporary, but they can often get you by in an emergency.
Winter Gear
Coat, boots, gloves, stocking hat, snow pants, hand warmers, sleeping bag, foldable shovel, and other things along those lines are items that should be in a winter survival kit for a car. Again, this may or may not apply to you, depending on where you live and/or where you are driving to, but it’s never a bad idea to keep these things handy.
Even in warm climates, the weather can sometimes catch you by surprise and that’s when this stuff becomes your savior. I might suggest making a separate winter car emergency kit that you take in and out of your vehicle as needed.
Car Fire Extinguisher
Everyone knows to have a fire extinguisher in their home but most forget how important they are to have in their vehicle as well. Car fires are a lot more common than you probably think. This is something that could not only save your life but the life of your loved ones. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this something that goes into a “kit” but rather an item you just have in your vehicle all the time no matter what.
Rescue Whistle
They are small, cheap, easy to carry, and might just alert help to save your life one day! Enough said.
Okay, that’s basically how to make a survival kit for your car.
Of course, you may need to modify this list in order to fit your individual needs, your family, your location, potential circumstances, etc. Nothing is going to be exactly the same for everyone and you may need to add/substract items as you see fit. However, this is a great base for the vast majority of emergency car kits, and something you should absolutely add to your vehicle right now.
Now, you might be thinking that is a LOT of stuff to keep in your vehicle, and you are right — to an extent. However, bear in mind that the majority of these things can all fit into one backpack or duffle bag together. Also, you don’t have to keep ALL of them in there all the time…
Some of them can be taken in and out depending on the time of year, where you are at (or going to), and so on. Most of them I would recommend having with you all the time if possible, just in case, but you can certainly decide for yourself what is or may be needed — depending on your circumstances. In fact, there are several other items that you might need to add.
They do also make emergency kits for cars that you can buy without having to build it yourself. That can be a decent option if you don’t want to take the time to get all the items separately. However, you will have to sacrifice some quality, and you will probably have to add items to it anyway.
Don’t forget to regularly check items that have expiration dates, need charged, replaced, or restock anything that may have been used. Familiarize yourself with the contents of your kit and how to use them. And if you have a family or regularly have passengers in your car, consider their specific needs when packing your kit, and make sure they know where it is and how to use everything (in case you aren’t around to help).
Final Thoughts on Building Your Roadside Emergency Kit
Remember the above list is NOT all-inclusive! You could certainly pile your vehicle with hundreds of other things if you really wanted to. However, that’s not realistic, so you need to prioritize a certain amount of items that would be most useful if you had to survive in/around your car for a long period of time.
Long story short, it’s no secret that having a survival kit for your car can give you peace of mind while you’re on the road. It might not be a small investment when you add everything up, but it isn’t all that expensive either, and it can make a huge difference in an emergency situation — potentially even the difference between life or death.
So, I highly recommend taking the time to put one together for your vehicle and be prepared for whatever the road may throw your way!