New car, new look at emergency supplies

[Ben]

On water purification, I forgot about the Sawyer filters that Cordex turned me on to. Much better than Aquamira and some are available at near the same price point.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FHRADQ2/ref=s9_simh_co_p468_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1H435A186E27CTFRA757&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1774864282&pf_rd_i=typ01

Good paracord can = twine and/or fishing line. See: http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=35291.msg707720#msg707720

[KD5NRH]

Inflatable woman for the HOV lane.

Detcord.

The little Aladdin stainless steel cooker kit from Wally World.  Comes with two small insulated cups, and great for boiling enough water for Cream of Wheat or cocoa.  Boiling water is a good start on doing a lot of things in a survival situation, and a hell of a morale booster if it's cold.  Use the space inside for a couple packets of cocoa or whatever, plus a few books of matches.

Frankly, any fire starter kit based on a sparker thingy is just silly IMO.  A mini-Bic is easier, just as durable, and cheaper.  Matchbooks in Ziplocs (or individually vacuum sealed) are pretty reliable too.

[Boomhauer]

All that stuff and an OBD II scanner but no spare fuses?

Also why no tire plug kit? Nails or screws in the tire are pretty common and take mere minutes to pull and plug...and if you have a 12v compressor (and they make some small ones these days) then you can inflate it and be on your way..

[charby]

Small shovel - Nice, but not a must-have for a 16-mile commute

It does for snow. I carry one all winter in my truck for digging myself out. I end up using it at least one or twice when I get high centered on the differential.

[Balog]

All that stuff and an OBD II scanner but no spare fuses?

Also why no tire plug kit? Nails or screws in the tire are pretty common and take mere minutes to pull and plug...and if you have a 12v compressor (and they make some small ones these days) then you can inflate it and be on your way..

This model year has notoriously bad 02 sensors that throw nuisance codes occasionally, that's why I have the scanner. Not really an emergency supply but it's in the car so I thought I'd list it. I thought of fuses but forgot to put them on there. And I did list tire plugs. 

[Boomhauer]

Missed the tire plugs.

How old is the spare, by the way? An awful lot of people neglect the spare and when they need it most...it fails due to dryrot, not being inflated, etc.

[Balog]

Missed the tire plugs.

How old is the spare, by the way? An awful lot of people neglect the spare and when they need it most...it fails due to dryrot, not being inflated, etc.

It looked good on a cursory inspection, but I need to pull it out and check it thoroughly.

[vaskidmark]

Dead tree maps do not need to be topos - especially if you are covering the ground from work back to home.

My go-to is the stuff by ADC - from their state travel maps http://store.mapsofworld.com/travel-maps/us-state-maps-and-counties to their city maps http://store.mapsofworld.com/travel-maps/us-city-maps-and-places  which also cover some places you might not expect to be covered by that sort of map http://store.mapsofworld.com/travel-maps/us-city-maps-and-places/virginia-1-2-3-4/clinch-ranger-district-jefferson-national-forest

stay safe.

[geronimotwo]

It looked good on a cursory inspection, but I need to pull it out and check it thoroughly.

ever thought of mounting it on the back door?   not much sucks worse than having to empty your vacation gear onto the road, in the rain, to get out your spare tire.   

[KD5NRH]

Dead tree maps do not need to be topos - especially if you are covering the ground from work back to home.

Also a good argument for installing OSMAnd in addition to any other nav software on your phone; once you've downloaded your area's maps, it will work entirely offline.  It's also reasonable for just hand-scrolling the map around in the event the GPS sats aren't available for whatever reason.  Not as good as a paper map for old fashioned orienteering, but much easier to use quickly.

[French G.]

I'm not going to list all that is in my car, because it's a lot. 01 Subaru and the tire area storage is extensive. I fit a 12V air pump in the same side compartment as the jack, other little side compartment full of tools.

On the shovel, get a Glock shovel if for nothing more than the saw. I have been impeded by fallen trees 4-5 times in the past few years. Weather is ignorant of late, I have a packable bow saw, the shovel, and lately an axe in the car. Throw the grain scoop in if heavy snow is forecast.

I keep a spool of paracord, as well as several small motorcycle strap binders, and at least one heavy duty nylon ratchet strap load binder. I've used them once for tying crap to the roof, but used the big strap several times as a tow strap.

I keep at least $20 in cash in the car always, little cubby hole, I toss all coins quarter and larger, usually a few bills too.

[fifth_column]

Even most full size SUVs and pickups don't have jack-able bumpers anymore 

I carry one in my old pickup but even the 1989 can't be jacked from the front bumper (or I suppose it could if I tore off the under-bumper shroud ....)

That's where this comes in . . .

[Ben]

I keep at least $20 in cash in the car always, little cubby hole, I toss all coins quarter and larger, usually a few bills too.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that in my previous posts. It's not just for SHTF emergencies. It came in really handy last Sunday morning when I once again went to the grocery store, forgot my wallet, and almost couldn't pay for my donuts. Spare ducats hidden in the vehicle to the rescue (again).

[Pb]

You forgot the AK-47 and spare mags. 

[Balog]

You forgot the AK-47 and spare mags. 

No room for a garbage can in the back. 

[41magsnub]

Just tow a spare land cruiser behind you for emergencies!

[tokugawa]

Boots.  you may be walking home.  

Hat.

MRE-  food, TP, matches, all in one handy package.

Airline bottle of booze. Very handy as morale enhancer/bribe.

Make sure your jumper cables are long.

Water. Water. Water.

[230RN]

^ Now that's funny!  

Frankly, any fire starter kit based on a sparker thingy is just silly IMO.  A mini-Bic is easier, just as durable, and cheaper.  Matchbooks in Ziplocs (or individually vacuum sealed) are pretty reliable too.

I tend to agree with that, but not to the point of its being silly. Bics do get hot if you have to produce a sustained flame to ignite something, though.  They also explode if left on the dashboard in bright summer sunlight.  Actually happened to me, but not while driving.  Lucky me.  Just yellow plastic shrapnel all over when I got back in the car to go home.

One point mentioned is keeping some cash in the car.  There's a bunch of change in the mid-console, but not enough for a sudden need to have five bucks on me.  I did run out of wallet cash once, so I guess I'll slip a couple of tenners in  the glovebox, too.

Terry, 230RN

[charby]

Don't forget the bike rack and bike, sucks to walk him, peddling is easier.

Of course you'll have to have a kit for the bike also.

/sarcasm. 

[230RN]

^  Heh.  Yeah, so far it's looking like 1000 lb of survival options for a 16-mile trip. :D

But realistically, there've been some good tips to pick and choose from in this thread.

Terry, 230RN

[41magsnub]

Don't forget the suspension upgrades for the car to handle the load!

[Balog]

ever thought of mounting it on the back door?   not much sucks worse than having to empty your vacation gear onto the road, in the rain, to get out your spare tire.   

Not sure if that's an option on this model. I do want to get a trailer hitch, handy for carrying racks to hold fuel cans, spare tire, or of course towing a small trailer.

I don't really think any of this is particularly over board or crazy. Just basic preparations.

[Tallpine]

Not sure if that's an option on this model. I do want to get a trailer hitch, handy for carrying racks to hold fuel cans, spare tire, or of course towing a small trailer.

I don't really think any of this is particularly over board or crazy. Just basic preparations.

If you were really serious about being prepared, you need at least a 3/4 ton pickup   

[Balog]

If you were really serious about being prepared, you need at least a 3/4 ton pickup   

I'm not that serious. :p

[41magsnub]

Missed the tire plugs.

How old is the spare, by the way? An awful lot of people neglect the spare and when they need it most...it fails due to dryrot, not being inflated, etc.

You ain't kidding.  A couple of years ago I checked the spare on my 95 truck (stored under the bed in the OEM location). It was holding air just fine and the side I could see looked fine, no dry rot.  I took it down any way - or tried to.  The winch was jammed.  After a couple of days soaking in oil it decided to work.  The side of the tire I could not see was badly dry rotted, no way that tire would have been safe.  Now I oil that winch once a year and it still works fine.