Every Day Vehicle Safety Kit

“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education”

Mark Twain

Your Every Day Kit for the Car:

Helplessness. To me, there are few emotions that are more gut wrenching and uncomfortable than the feeling of helplessness. From the methanol feeling that erupts from the depths of your chest cavity that seeps into your throat to the panic that flushes all rationale out of your mind. Helplessness is a debilitating state. In any setting, the feeling of helplessness will cloud judgement and often times make a situation worse. Your daily preparedness can protect you from feeling helpless. One of my favorite survival and preparedness teachers, Craig Caudill, preaches the hierarchy of survival controls which goes as follows. Mindset, Skills, Tactics, and Gear. Today’s article will cover the “gear” aspect and zoom into gear that needs to be in your vehicle at all times. This is not your personal, on body EDC, this is a bag, bin, tote, etc that should be in your vehicle and accessible. 

Its important to understand that the details of an vehicle kit depend on your personal demographics and exposures, for instance, an EDC car kit for a vehicle that never leaves a small town close to home will be vastly smaller than an EDC car kit for a vehicle that travels across the state(s) for work. While there are 40+ items listed below, many of them are small or pack down into a small footprint. The goal is accessibility while keeping a small footprint. Many items can be separated for ease of use and storage.

The Rule of 3s:

FEMA perpetuates a rule of 3’s which outline a good basis for your survival.

3 Minutes without air: 

3 Hours without Shelter (hypothermia)

3 Days without Water

3 Weeks without Food

Air:

1. N95 Mask. An n95 mask is a particulate filtrating mask that will protect you against things like: 
   1. Wildfire/car fire smoke, airborne infectious agents, dusty/moldy environments

Shelter:

• Your car is your primary shelter. The internet is inundated with stories of families found ALIVE in their car while the father passed leaving the vehicle searching for help. 
• Tarp: Tarps pack down very small and are extremely versatile. Aside from shelter, a tarp can make changing that tire on a wet road much, much more enjoyable.

Water: 

1. The amount of people in your vehicle and your average location in proximity to “help” on average should dictate the amount of water you carry. I personally have a 6 pack of water bottles in the vehicle for myself. 
2. Consider picking up a water filter. I am a big fan of Sawyer water filters. I personally own and have used (heavily) both the Sawyer Mini and Sawyer Squeeze. Not only can these filters be used to make water potable, but they can also be used to filter a natural water source (in an emergency) if your vehicle experiences a coolant leak.

Food:

1. While it is unlikely that you will ever be stranded for THREE WEEKS, even 3 hours along the side of the road with children could be devastating if they’re hangry. 
2. Snacks – These can make you, and your little ones feel a little better if you’re stranded for a few hours
3. Power bars/energy bars/protein bars

In addition to the above-mentioned items, the following items should be in your everyday vehicle kit:

1. A change of clothes, dependent on the season
2. Raincoat/Poncho
3. Fire Extinguisher
4. MSR (Or similar branded) Fuel bottle (Suggested empty if kept inside vehicle)
5. Boots/Shoes that you can walk distances in. Nobody wants to walk to the next exit in flip flops, dress shoes, or heels.
6. Gloves (leather or synthetic blend) 
7. Road Flares (Ask your EMS Friends to snag a few for you!)
8. 6×6 Tarp
9. A First Aid Kit (see Trauma and First Aid in the Learning Center)
10. Hand Sanitizer
11. Nail Clippers
12. Sunglasses
13. Lib Balm/Chapstick
14. Flashlight (Suggested Magnetic Mountable)
15. Head Lamp/Light
16. Zip Ties
17. Quicksteel
18. A Toolkit (A SAE Craftsman set isn’t going to help you in your Nissan)
19. A serpentine Belt
20. A spare headlight
21. Tire Plug Kit
22. 12v Compressor
23. Duct Tape
24. Washer Fluid
25. An atlas (That’s right. Your phone might not always work!)
26. A USB Charging Block (keep this battery bank charge cycled)
27. Jumper Cables/Lithium Battery Jumper
28. Electrical Tape
29. Spare Fuses (Both Mini Blade and Standard)
30. Paracord (Endless uses)
31. Cell Phone Charging Block and Cord
32. Personal Hygiene Kit (Wipes, Wisp Toothbrushes, Feminine Care, Deodorant, etc)
33. Lighter
34. Sharpie/Pad
35. Trash Bag
36. Toilet Paper/Wet Wipes
37. Paper Towels
38. Tire Chains* (Weather and Location Dependent)
39. Blanket
40. Tow Strap (Refer to Basic Recovery Gear on the C.A.M.O. Learning Center for more information)
41. A comfortable bag to put some of the above mentioned in should you have to leave your vehicle.