Many issues motivate us to prepare for emergencies. One of the best ways to prepare is to have tools and supplies at the ready. Since most Americans use their vehicles daily, it is a great place to organize things. Here is a list of basic items that you can tailor to your location, lifestyle and family.
What should be in your car to help you navigate an emergency? Many might jump to first aid, but in all likelihood, dealing with emergencies could be more than that. It could be civil unrest, evacuating a hurricane, or even getting yourself to medical care if EMS is not available. For these reasons, a “first aid” kit for your vehicle is also a good idea.
Basic Emergency Kit
First Aid Kit
- Quick-clot style dressing, band-aids, tape and gauze
- Tourniquet
- Sling materials
- Saline wound-wash or spray
- 3M Steri-strips or medical grade super glue
- Eye wash/drops
- Burn dressings
- Antibiotic ointment
- Water and electrolyte mix
- Basic meds: painkiller, antihistamine, antidiarrheal, cough meds and cough drops, activated charcoal for food poisoning, (Maybe even basic antibiotics, or stronger pain meds, after consulting with a doctor.)
- Smelling salts and bug bite ampules
- Tweezers, scissors or other tools
- Temporary dental filling
- Instant cold and heat packs
- Emergency blanket
Vehicle Repair Kit
- Air compressor - portable unit that runs off your car so you can fix a flat tire anywhere
Tire repair kit - Spare tire, jack, lug wrench and anti-theft adapter for lug nuts if needed.
- Fix-a-Flat
- Battery charger or jump pack and jumper cables
- Spare headlight bulb
- Oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid (good anytime you will drive into remote areas)
- Basic tools for your car: wrench set, screwdriver, pliers, vice grips, gloves, etc.
- Electric tape and wire (in case you have to tape up parts from hitting a deer, or have exhaust trouble)
- Flares to alert oncoming vehicles
- Engine stop leak, radiator stop leak, power steering stop leak (Only for real emergencies to limp back to help.)
- Tow strap
- Duct tape to temporarily repair hoses, etc.
- Fuses: find out what your car takes, and carry a few spares, especially for accessories, in case you run a power inverter.
Many small items can fit in a vehicle glove box (spare headlight bulb, tiny first aid kit) and the jumper cables and air compressor can be tucked under a seat. Being able to give first aid to a tire to get to a repair shop is a valuable skill. Tows can take hours and be costly, and nobody should sit on the side of the road where danger from passing vehicles is real.
Gear for the Humans in Your Vehicle:
- Hat/jacket/gloves/boots for winter
- Change of clothes
- Snacks and water— pick items that won’t spoil in extreme temperatures and switch them out often.
- Flashlight and headlamp, magnetic LED light if you have to change a tire in the dark
- Umbrella
- Tarp (useful if you have to change a tire or to cover gear in your car from prying eyes)
- No-doze or other caffeine if you are in danger of falling asleep while driving
- Chapstick
- Sunglasses for dangerous driving with sunset/sunrise
- Hearing protection so passengers can sleep
Loaded Out Emergency Kit
The next group of items is for the serious self-sufficiency advocate. This isn’t saying go out and be your own first responder—this is for serious emergencies, civil unrest and catastrophic-type problems where you want to get to safety, even if that means you might have to fight to get there.
A few additions if you feel that you might have to travel through civil unrest, are going off the grid for a week, or will be driving in remote areas.
For Personal Use
- Hand-held radio/emergency radio and channels where you can connect with others.
- Firearm— a pistol at minimum. A compact rifle is a good addition, especially if you feel concerned about civil unrest.
- Ammo for your firearm—at least 100 rounds per firearm, loaded into mags. If you were trekking off-grid, maybe 200-300 per firearm.
- Plate carrier with spare mags, ammo, and a first aid kit
- Boots or durable shoes if you had to leave your vehicle.
- A backpack or pack and belt appropriate to carry your ammo, water, food and first aid, if you had to leave your vehicle.
For the Vehicle
- Winch to pull yourself out of a ditch.
- If you live in a snowy area, a bag of salt/sand and traction devices for under your tires.
- Chains for tires, if you live in a climate that dictates them.
- Gas—in metal gas cans, either outside on a carrier or inside secured. Storing it outside could make your vehicle a target in a civil unrest situation, but having gas to get you to a gas station if you run low on a long road trip is invaluable.
- Maps of the area you travel or would travel if evacuating.
- Gallon of water or engine coolant.
For the Med Kit
All the medications you might need to treat basic illnesses, serious cuts that carry the risk of infection. (oral and topical antibiotics, pain meds, and any prescription meds you need).
- Wound packing gauze
- Sutures or adhesive zip-style wound closures
- Chest seal
- Blister dressings for your feet
- AED device - refurbished is fine, I have personally seen one save a life on the range.
For Families
- A jogging stroller with big wheels and a frame you could attach a bag to and carry gear on would be ideal, along with bungee cords to secure gear.
- Water and food for 2 days—2 protein bars / MREs / freeze-dried meals per person.
- Clothes/footwear for the climate + rain jacket or ponchos
- Small backpack(s)—even young people can carry water, snacks and first aid
- Phone numbers and backup contact in case you were separated.
- Small radio and spare batteries for each adult, and/or child old enough to use one.
- A clear plan that everyone in the family knows.
In all our family’s travels around the country and world, the medical supplies that we’ve needed are meds for colds/sinuses, headaches, food poisoning, and band-aids or steri-strips. After that, electrolytes for heat exhaustion.
In our vehicle emergencies, we’ve experienced flat tires miles from town or a tire losing air in the dead of night on a cross-country trip with no gas station nearby. These situations highlighted the need for an air compressor and tire repair kit! I’ve also had to jump my car after being parked at the airport or after leaving the headlights turned on while on the range. The need for maps when we’ve lost signal highlight that it’s always a good idea to have a road atlas and for everyone traveling to know where we are going and where the nearest gas is.
While this is just a start, the point is to get you thinking about your abilities and tools to navigate emergencies. Work to be capable of caring for yourself and your family and you will sleep better at night.
