Community Chat

[Mindy D]

My tip to everyone is to add a mirror inside the car and one in the trunk. You can send distress signals, S-O-S with these and they can be observed from the air and ground over a distance.

Toilet paper. Inside car and in trunk. Plastic kitchen trash bags and larger black bags. 

Second tip. Find some red fabric, can be waterproof vinyl. You can ties these to a car stranded in a somewhat covered location. Red is easy to spot by rescuers. Even if your inside and upside down you can reach outward and tie some of these to exposed areas of the car. If your car is just on the roadway, tie them to door handles, antennas. You can lay them on the hood of the car to spell out "HELP" which can be spotted from rescue copters.

EMERGENCY FLARES

Don't forget to put flashlights in zip locks with batteries taken out, but stored in the same bag. Learn how to S-O- S with a flashlight beam. 

Bring matches and store them in the heavy duty zip loc bags. One set in console and one set in trunk. 

Male plastic urinals with caps. You can't always get out in traffic when you've got to go. For women, you can use doubled incontinence or heavy use sanitary pads slipped in your underwear. Then slip out and dispose. Toilet paper inside the car. 

Bring some kind of tarps and smaller size plastic covering to tape over broken windows if you have to sleep in your car and it's raining or very cold. If the damage to your car is too extensive to sleep in and it's warm you could put the tarp below you on the ground and cover yourself with your blanket. If you live in a cold climate s sleeping bag isn't a bad idea.

Hand crank radio, especially with storm channels. They are combination hand crank and battery. I think There are some solar now. 

Tools. The ones for American or foreign cards, depending on which kind you have. Also, screwdrivers, hammer, tire iron, lug wrench?,jack, spare, instructions in zip lock taped to jack on how to use it and how to change a flat. I've never tried it but people say Fix a Flat. Tire gauge.

Empty plastic jug and funnel helped friends once when they had radiator troubles on the way home from surfing. Long, long time ago.  There were lakes nearby and the filled the jug with the water and used the funnel to add water which worked until they made it to a station. 

[Tinkrbl44]

I just realized that the emergency jacket I kept in my trunk is not there .... I think it was "too good" and I wanted to wear it, so it went back in my closet.  LOL

I now have to "assign" some other jacket to that job!   Or maybe just buy a polar fleece throw .... they are cheap, and warm.

[icezeus]

@Tinkrbl44 

I never know what to tell family members to purchase for me for Christmas. I went on to Amazon last night and placed several items just from this thread on to my Wish list for them. I even added an Earthquake Kit for 1, 

Once again thanks for starting this thread. 

[qualitygal]

@Tinkrbl44  This was such a good topic to bring up since we've had snow 2 days now!!  It's snowing lightly right now.  Good topic, good timing.

[Cakers3]

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@Mindy D wrote:

@Cakers3  I have two of these devices, but, lazy me has never put them back in the car.
We are in South Forida and we have a huge canal system throughout the state running adjacent to so many roads. Just a heads up, the breaker part point works only on side windows not the front windshield. I agree that it's a good idea to have these on both doors of the car or Velcro attached to the front console and back of seats for those in the rear that might need it.

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@Mindy D   It's true-the glass breakers only work on tempered glass, not laminateed glass or windshields.

It would be easier to get out through a side window anyway plus the bulk of windshield glass shattering on you-not good.  Plus the water pressure from the front could very well hold you back until it levels out inside the car.

We keep one on each side door and one in the back-nobody really rides with us anymore-just GS here and there (he's an adult) so we're good to go.

We also gave him 2 when he bought his car.

Now get yours back in your car!!

[Tinkrbl44]

@Mindy D 

You mentioned emergency flares ... where did you buy them, and is there anything we need to know about them?

It occurred to me that if there's more than one kind, I wouldn't have any idea which might be better.

[Cakers3]

Whoops I meant to tag @Mindy D  and not @Tinkrbl44 

 Waterproof matches and esp. an emergency fire starter lighter.

If you have to start a fire, you make 3 in a triangular shape.  That is a distress signal.  Especially if you are in an area where campers can be, even if isolated, emergency rescue will see only one fire and think it belongs to a camper.

Pay attention to trees and dried brush, though, before starting any fires.

Three is the distress signal anyway-for whistles, flashes with a mirror, shots, etc.

Did my DH coordinate with you on your post??  LOL

We have tarps, we have bungees, we have tools, you name it-he has equipped our vehicle.  Even a folding cart to carry supplies if we ever had to leave the vehicle.

Granted, most of us are not going to stranded in a desert or during a mountain blizzard but you just never know what can strike locally.

Good topic.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@icezeus wrote:

@Tinkrbl44 

I never know what to tell family members to purchase for me for Christmas. I went on to Amazon last night and placed several items just from this thread on to my Wish list for them. I even added an Earthquake Kit for 1, 

Once again thanks for starting this thread. 

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@icezeus 

You're welcome!

We don't always have all the emergency stuff that could make a real difference .... not only are some of these items really good to ask for .... but also good to give, especially to active households where people go off and do things in parks, etc.   Or a place where fluke weather patterns occur.

It's not always easy to prepare for the "things we didn't see coming" ... but I'm finding some of the comments to be really interesting ... and helpful.

[patbz]

I just ordered a combo seatbelt/ glass cutter with a flashlight from Amazon.

[Lilysmom1]

@Desertdi @RedTop , my father always had sand in the trunk for traction.  We are winter prepared with a change of clothes, flashlight, shovel, blanket, candle,  I don't leave water in the car as it will freeze in winter but take it and food when travelling.  LM