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What should go into an emergency kit?

6K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  MiamiC70 
#1 ·
I have been thinking about what should go into an emergency car kit in the event that we are stranded. So far, I can think of:

1. A jump starter in case the battery dies.
2. Compressor and tire patch kit for puncture tires.
3. First Aid.
4. Some emergency mylar blankets in the event of being stranded in the cold.
5. Some storable food that can sit in the car for a long time.
6. Some long term storable water.

Anything else?

Paul
 
#2 ·
Where will you be going and doing? What to have depends on the conditions.

Having a charged-up jump-start pack in the car is a great idea. Even if you never leave the city.

Check the spare tire and tire-changing equipment periodically. Having (and knowing how to use) a patch kit and pump may be useful in some conditions, but I don't see them as being particularly common. If you do have those, check them periodically to ensure they are in good condition and work.

What to have in a first-aid kit beyond the very basics depends in large part in your capabilities to administer first aid.

Bring winter gear (at least a sleeping bag, warm gloves and boots, and warm clothes to change into if yours get wet) if you'll be traveling through remote areas in winter, or when there's a realistic chance for bad weather, even if you'll be in not quite remote areas. For summers in the south, I usually don't bother.

Keeping food and water stores in the car doesn't seem practical unless you're in really remote areas a lot. Take some when you think they might be necessary. If you want to always have them, it's probably wise to replace them periodically and either use or toss out the old.

Find some place to stow a partial or full roll of TP. It's light, cheap, durable (if it doesn't get wet) and can probably fit in some out-of-the-way cranny. If you need it, you'll be really glad you have it!
 
#3 ·
additionally;

tow strap
duct tape
knife or multitool
plastic sheeting
folding shovel
small hand tool kit- pliers, screwdrivers, hammer, metric socket set
pry bar
flares
reflector
whistle
compass
 
#7 ·
Good idea however it’s use has has updated from earlier days whereby they were applied and released every 10-minutes or so to restore blood flow to - apply and leave tightened as a means of preventing toxins being released systemically.

Personal training is necessary to properly place and use a tourniquet.
 
#5 ·
I cant tell you how many times my phone has died and always in the more inopportune time. I've made it a habit of having my phone charging while driving or carry my spare battery charger. Make a habit of never letting your car fuel level getting lower than 1/2 tank. Yes, you make more stops but if you are on the side of the road; you'll have the fuel to keep the phone charged and car's HVAC while you wait for help.
 
#6 ·
I would add:
silicone rescue tape
zip ties
pair of work gloves
flashlight (the one normally kept in the glove box is sufficient)
emergency poncho
tow shackle to fit the factory tow hook
paracord

If you really want to be comprehensive:
reflective safety vest
eye protection
 
#8 ·
I have never bought a emergency blanket,

but just carry a heavy blanket summer and winter in all vehicles. = nice to put on refrigerated / frozen things to protect them from sunlight.

or protect leather, or glass, or the foam door liners from something dirty or damaging.

_______

and if someone has a gunshot wound or is bleeding out,....99% of the time I have a belt. (and trained ).
I kind of avoid using the word "tourniquet" as it means different things to different people.
 
#12 ·
I have never bought a emergency blanket,

but just carry a heavy blanket summer and winter in all vehicles. = nice to put on refrigerated / frozen things to protect them from sunlight.

or protect leather, or glass, or the foam door liners from something dirty or damaging.
I have one of those moving blankets from Harbor Freight that I always keep in the car in case I find myself needing to bring home some old dirty or rusty treasure. My rear seats are folded down about 95% of the time and I keep the moving blanket spread out, covering the floor and seats from the rear hatch all the way up to the headrests of the folded seat backs.

In a pinch that blanket could serve for warmth if stranded in the cold. I used to carry a couple of those tightly folded emergency mylar blankets as well but I don't know what ever happened to them.
 
#9 ·
One thing not mentioned is water, but long-term storage is problematic.


However, there are special water filters available that are in the sub-micron range, designed to filter out any and all bacteria, etc, that would allow you to drink even the worst stagnant water. Along with this a small can or pot of some sort to boil water if necessary.



Also not mentioned is a source of fire - lighters and/or waterproof matches.
 
#10 ·
By the time we carry all this stuff, including the chainsaw (and fuel for it, and PPE necessary to use it safely) in case a tree falls across the road, we'll need a trailer to carry an actual payload for the trip itself!

;)
 
#11 ·
well, this is a roomy outback forum,

...not a little impreza / crosstreck forum.

don't forget the big plastic box to put the chain saw and gas can in so as to catch any leaks.:wink2:
 
#13 ·
Don't know if it has already been mentioned but it having a good fire extinguisher good for flammable liquids could be handy. If you ever were involved in or just came upon an accident with somebody trapped in a burning car it could buy enough time to help get them out. I've thought about it many times but haven't implemented it myself in my car.
 
#15 ·
yep, a small "BC" that says automobile on the box is a nice thing to have,

and can turn what is a minor electrical fire into a fixable job.

the one I got free from Kidde to replace a old recalled one is a 5-B:C I would buy such in a hardware store or walmart. $10-25 maybe. and just jam it under a front seat vs. burying it in the hatch.

(B= things that Boil like liquids, C= Circuits,
A= things that make Ash like wood / paper)

edit: one with A in the code would not hurt but a BC might give more bang for the small size (hence why to look for automobile on the box)
 
#14 ·
Good catch!

Yes, a fire extinguisher is a great thing to keep in the car and can be useful for far more than rescuing someone trapped in a burning car; even a small one can keep a small fire from becoming a much bigger problem. After years of carrying one, I was glad to have it in, of all places, the ramp to the exit plaza from an airport parking lot. While waiting for the cars ahead of us to move, the woman in the car next to mine jumps out, throws the hood open, and is trying unsuccessfully to put out a small fire next to the carburetor (remember those?) by trying to blow it out. Just a quick puff from the correct type of extinguisher was all it took to put the fire out before it got worse.

Some of those small 5-B:C extinguishers fit nicely in the bottle pockets of a Gen-5 OB's doors, and probably others. If it's in the driver's door, it's quick and easy to reach, and well away from the fuel you keep in back for the chainsaw. ;)
 
#16 ·
Whenever I have ventured very far off of the beaten path, especially by myself, I usually have carried a small come-a-long. Very handy if you don't have a winch. It can help get you unstuck as long as you don't get buried too deep. Also great for moving a tree down across the road blocking your path and probably many other potential uses as well.
 
#17 ·
Yeah. Given the list of important things it would be quite a load to haul along. I never carried that much stuff when I was out 4-wheeling with a club in the desert. I have a number of those mentioned in the back of the OB but I have taken time lately to remove some of the less practical items. Latest to go was a package of "health-food" bars that stayed with me over the winter (frankly, I could probably stand to go without food for a few days). Water never seemed to be a practical thing to have long-term in a daily driver. I do have a very comprehensive first aid kit, a beefy jump-start box that can also charge phones and suchlike, space blankets, paracord, basic tools, tire pressure gauge, a super-bright rechargeable LED flashlight, emergency flasher pods with SOS ability, and a big assortment of useful fuses. I need to think about a new tire inflator since my old one died and the little Slime unit I'm carrying is too wimpy to do anything useful and the large one I have which clamps to the battery for power would take up too much space. Of course, in the winter (or what passes for winter in this area), I have a heavier jacket, stocking cap, warm gloves, and slip-on ice cleats in case I need to walk out of a slippery situation.
 
#18 ·
If carrying a fire extinguisher make sure it's stored or secured such that it can't become a missile within the passenger compartment in a rollover.
 
#20 ·
As a teen my father equipped my car with what he saw as necessary items. It included a cast-iron high lift jack that probably weighed in at 50 pounds and a CO2 fire extinguisher with a bottle the size of a SCUBA tank.

I did use the extinguisher once to put out a fire in a friends car when they parked in the grass and the catalytic converter lit the grass on fire (I know, wrong type of extinguisher, should of used an ABC). When you have a fire you use what you got.

The jack was funny; At the time I was driving a 1968 Galaxie 500 that was a surplused out ex-police car so it all fit in the trunk. The car was a rust bucket and when changing a flat tire I pulled the bumper off of the car.
 
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#19 ·
If you are travelling where you have mobile phone service, you need enough to keep you comfortable for a few hours. Most commercially available kits at Walmart, etc will have what you need. Have some water and some non perishable high calorie food on hand as well like Granola Bars, but not the kind that could freeze. No need to overdo it. Very few places in the continental US would require the kind of preparation that would include needing a chain saw etc.

I lived in the Northwest Territories in the 90s. No cell service, and often no car for hours on a highway where it was 100 miles between humans. It is law there to help a stranded motorist, but that's only good if someone comes by. In that case, I carried an axe, shovel, fire starter, blankets, a bit of dry firewood to build enough heat that anything would burn, and was always sure to have my parka, hat, snowpants, boots, etc in the car. Up there I also always told people my travel plans, and carried bear spray and a rifle in the trunk - You could literally be in 40 below overnight with nobody driving by, and bears and wolves interested in your situation may need deterring. Never needed any of it, but was glad to know I had supplies just in case when I headed out on a 100 mile drive in the middle of nowhere.
 
#21 ·
If you do decide to carry a dry chemical fire extinguisher in your vehicle, periodically take it out from where you store it and use a rubber mallet on its bottom. The dry chemical tends to compact with road movement.
 
#23 ·
I carry a folding safety triangle that goes on the ground. I also found over ten years ago (not sure if they are still made) a folding triangle that clips on to the partially opened side window. I have only used them one time when I was pulling my trailer and suffered a blowout on its Chinese tires.
 
#29 ·
(New 2018 Outback Owner)
How about we get away from the "I need to survive in Siberia" Emergency Kit...
How about some limitations... Anything you can fit in under the on top of the Spare...
Tools? (And which? 1/4 Metric Socket Set, multi Tip Screw Driver? Pliers of any kind?)
Flares (or equivalent); LED Flasher? Triangular Reflector?
Cross Wrench (Instead of the Stock knuckle breaker) (There are folding varieties)
What else?

(Water, Tequila (or better yet Whisky) go in the Cooler...)

Is the "Subaru Roadside Emergency Kit" worth its trouble? Does it fit "Under the Carpet"?
 
#30 ·
(New 2018 Outback Owner)
How about we get away from the "I need to survive in Siberia" Emergency Kit...
How about some limitations...

Is the "Subaru Roadside Emergency Kit" worth its trouble? Does it fit "Under the Carpet"?
Way to ride a dead horse, but sure. I think tools were a bit understated. At a minimum, I would have a 3/8 drive socket set and ratchet, a set of metric wrenches, a 1/2 drive 19mm socket and breaker bar, a hammer, and channel lock pliers. Additionally, carry spares for parts that fail with little warning (belts, tires, and fuses).
 
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