Tuesday morning, as we sipped our tea in a warm kitchen and heard more school closing announcements, we saw on the news that I-95 in Virginia, the superslab that takes drivers from Maine to Florida, was shut down for 24 hours because six (count 'em!) 6! tractor trailers ran into each other. Between that and the icy snowstorm that painted everything white, no cars or trucks or anything on the ground was getting in or out of Virginia that day.
People were shown on the morning news, having spent the night behind the wheel of their car, saying that breakfast was some melted snow and a LifeSaver they found in the glove compartment.
I admit to a bad case of hyperpreparation; I can't imagine being marooned in a maroon Mercedes with no means of sustenance in an emergency. And even though I no longer prowl the highways and take long rides, I make sure my car is stocked up.
Think of spending the night in your car without many or all of these items, and avoid the heartache of starving or becoming dehydrated:
- A couple of good canvas totebags is a good beginning.
- No-spill gas can (2-5 gal.) EMPTY! Don't be driving around with it full!
- Jumper cables (get a good heavy set, not the cheapos)
- Roadside flares/glowsticks (they have reusable LED flares now!)
- Flat tire inflation canister (Fix-A-Flat)
- Spare tire (with air in it!) and jack
- Spare car fuses (you can get a pack pretty cheap)
- First aid kit
- Bottled water (2-3 gal.)
- Granola / energy bars
- Small tool kit (screwdrivers, pliers, vise grips, adjustable wrench, tire pressure gauge, etc.)
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Small, foldable shovel or camping shovel
- Car escape tool (combination seatbelt cutter and window breaker)
- Road maps
- Blankets
- Extra gloves, boots, wool socks, stocking cap, shoes, sweatpants/shirt
- Car fire extinguisher (ABC type)
- Roll of duct tape
- Paper towels / rags
- Washer fluid
- Pen/pencil and paper
- Multipurpose tool (Leatherman)
- Umbrella
- Ice scraper
- Towing strap or chain
- Hand sanitizer, towelettes, small trash bags
- Cell phone charger (left in car at all times)
- Battery powered and/or Hand crank radio
- A travel john personal urinal kit
Again, I am insanely over-ready for most anything, but I have had friends tell me many times as they sat for hours in freezing weather that they would have given anything for a granola bar or a bottle of water. Why do without, when you could be reaching into the trunk for whatever you need?
1 comment:
Now that is one serious list, thanks! You inspire me to revive my now-dormant practice of keeping a "worst-case scenarios" bag in my cars. Often one to overdo, I added rain gear and a snakebite kit.
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