We already talked about the importance of keeping an emergency Go Bag. It’s just one of those things that can make us stay and feel prepared while we declutter our house and lives of the unnecessaries.
Along with a go bag that you keep in your home and/or at work, it’s a good idea to have a basic emergency supply kit in your car as well.
Why you should have a car emergency supply kit.
In a car, we can store more and bigger items than we can in a go bag, obviously. This is a great opportunity to be even MORE prepared.
Additionally, you may be confronted with an evacuation or emergency situation without being near your go bag, so being prepared to survive with what’s in your car can be a life saver.
What to put in your car emergency kit.
One thing to keep in mind is that you might not have your car, and you might not have your go bag in the case of an emergency evacuation or other event. Hopefully, you’ll have at least one of them, ideally you’ll have both.
I say this, because you’ll want to pack your car emergency kit with some of the same items you’ll have in the go bag. (Minus the important paperwork that would cause trouble if stolen.)
In fact, you might fully duplicate your go bag and keep one in your car and one in the house. But that’s just the bare minimum of car prep. Beyond those basics, here are some additional emergency supplies you might want to consider.
1. A car emergency kit for…car emergencies.
Keep what you’ll need in case of car trouble. Supplies to change tires, jump your car, survive for a couple of days if your car is stranded, slice your seatbelt and break a window in case of water submersion.
You might keep something to get your car out of mud or snow. This could be something as simple and affordable as a few planks of board, if you have the cargo space.
It might make sense to keep supplies for snow emergencies, like a long-burning candle, a thermal blanket, and a strong light to flag down help.
If you don’t want to think too hard about this, I’d say the bare minimum is grabbing one of these car safety kits:
2. Extra food and water.
We talked about keeping some food in a go bag, and a car emergency supply kit offers much more capacity.
You’ll want to choose non perishable food items that are resistant to spoiling in extreme temperatures. I keep cans of Vienna sausage in my trunk in case I need to befriend a wild animal (it comes up often, believe it or not), but that could easily be emergency rations in some crazy situation I find myself in.
Water supply is also essential, but most containers won’t hold up well in the hot and cold of a car, so you may be better off with something like a compact filtration system.
3. Camping supplies.
If you’re already a camper, you might just store those supplies in your car all the time so you don’t have to double-buy. Things like:
- weather-proof tent
- sleeping bags
- cookware
- fire starting implements
- lamp
- maybe even a fishing rod or animal traps
Personal sanitation items are also helpful, like:
- disinfecting wipes
- soap
- hand sanitizer
- paper towels
- airtight plastic bags
- pads/tampons
- extra personal hygiene items
4. Utility items.
And then those items with many purposes.
- duct tape
- multipurpose tools
- knives
- plastic ties
- plastic bins
- sturdy shoes
- garbage bags
You could grab something like this multi tool flashlight:
Keep your car ready.
Packing your emergency kit is important, but you should also keep the car itself in mind. Change the oil regularly, keep the gas tank full, see to mechanical issues promptly, learn basic car maintenance, and have the tools to do it yourself on the road.
Store your emergency items out of sight, if possible. Some trunks have below-floor storage you can utilize for this. If not, consider buying a cover for your trunk area to keep wandering eyes out of your stash.
How to create an emergency go bag.
We won’t always have our car with us, so it’s a great idea to keep an emergency go bag in an accessible place in your home. Learn how to put one together here: Essential Go Bag–Prepare for Emergencies with Confidence
