Survival Buzz: 46 Must Have Items for Your Emergency Vehicle Kit

As much as I like to think I have a handle on things, sometimes projects slip through the cracks. Case in point.  Since the big road trip to Arizona in late September, not once have I gone out to the Subaru and reviewed the contents of my car kit.  At the time of my journey I was certain that I had everything I needed in the event of a calamity along the way.  The journey, after all, was close to 1,500 miles.

Since then, life has happened.  We needed room to cart groceries and, in Shelly’s case, to transport 4 set of golf clubs along with 3 of his buddies.  Something had to give, but what?

Today’s challenge is to take inventory of your vehicle’s emergency kit and supplies.  To get you started, here is a car kit submitted by long term reader, Elaine K.  I think it is a good one and am going back to check my own supplies to make sure that I am as prepared as she is.

Best Practices: 46 Items to Include in your Vehicle Emergency Kit

1. Tow chains
2. Jumper cables
3. Spare tire
4. Tire jack
5. Fix-a-flat (I like this brand)
6. Fire extinguisher
7. Gasoline funnel
8. Candles
9. Flashlight
10. Cigarette lighters
11. Matches
12. Flares
13. Duct tape
14. Disposable gloves
15. Well-stocked first aid kit (here is one I put together myself)
16. Well-stocked tool kit
17. Solar blankets
18. Wool blankets
19. Warm socks
20. Rain coat
21. Cash (bills and coins)
22. Winter hat
23. Heavy gloves
24. Heavy sleeping bag for winter, lighter sleeping bag for summer
25. Paper
26. Pen
27. Whistle
28. List of important phone numbers
29. Can opener
30. Knife
31. Map
32. Garbage bags in various sizes
33. Paracord or rope
34. Quart of oil
35. Sewing kit
36. Baby wipes
37. Toilet paper
38. Hand soap
39. Comb
40. Hair brush
41. Tooth brush
42. Change of clothes
43. Various towels in Ziploc bags (women can use to urinate in if caught in traffic)
44. Water
45. Water filter (such as the Lifestraw)
46. Edible nuts stored in raw honey

I don’t know about you, but I got some good ideas from this list.  And shame on me; for all of my foresight I did not have a fire extinguisher in my car.  Thanks, Elaine, for your valuable contribution to Backdoor Survival and to our preps!

News Flash!  Articles from Around the Web

The Canadian dollar is collapsing, and the sudden spike in food prices across the country are leaving citizens in a state of panic. Canada imports around 80% of its fresh fruits and vegetables. When the value of the Canadian dollar declines, prices for those goods soar, which most strongly affects lower income families.

These days, it is politically incorrect to point out cultural differences. Recent events in Europe have shown that it is unsafe to bury our heads in the sand about this topic. Thousands of immigrants from Muslim countries have descended on Europe claiming that they are seeking asylum. Meanwhile, European women are being raped by the hundreds. This article says that the rapes are not misunderstandings, as the mainstream media says. Apparently, these refugees are playing something they call “the rape game.”

Pay attention to the Zika virus. Formerly, the Zika virus was considered mild and nothing to worry about, but now there is a link between the virus and microcephaly, which means the babies are born with small heads and underdeveloped brains. The defect has risen 20 fold since the virus appeared in Brazil last May. It is spread by mosquitoes, and researchers are warning that this virus could spread to North America fairly easily.

Social Shares for this Coming Week

For your discernment, here are a few of the best prepping, survival, and homesteading articles from my colleagues in the Professional Prepared Bloggers Group.  I hope you enjoy and learn from them.

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Do you use paper towels or have you chosen reusable options? Here are some tips to make the money-saving change.

Do you store these items in the refrigerator? You might be as surprised as I was to discover it is unnecessary to refrigerate these 14 items that may be taking up space in a crisper drawer.

As the stock market plummets further and further, it is time to shift prepping into high gear. Here are some tips to survive the stock market crash that looks inevitable.

Prepare Your Family for Survival: Tip #1

As you may know, my friend Linda Loosli recently published a book titled Prepare Your Family For Survival.  I wrote about it in the article 11 Ways to Prepare Your Family for Survival.  Lucky for us, I have been given exclusive permission to share some of the top tips from Linda’s books.  Is that cool or what?

Today I begin with Tip #1.  This tip comes from Part 1, Chapter 1 “When the Lights Go Out – Water First and Foremost “.

Tip:   Find out where the water intake valve is located in your home and be sure to show everyone in your family where it is. Label it in some way, so that it’s easy to identify in the future. When local water or sewage lines break, shut the valve off to prevent contaminated water from entering your house.

Tip: Never drink floodwater, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though you can use a purifier to cleanse water from lakes, streams or your backyard pool, it may not be able to remove all the poisonous contaminants from floodwater.

Current Backdoor Survival Giveaways

Prepper Book Festival 10: Pandemic Preparedness Guide + Giveaway

With all giveaways, winners are notified by email and have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate will be selected.  Once selected, the names of winners are also displayed in the Rafflecopter on the original giveaway article.  This usually happens on the Friday following the end of the giveaway.

Lately, winners have not been checking in and I have had to select alternates.  What a shame!  Please do check you email or the original article to see if you are a winner.

The Final Word

Elaine’s list of emergency preps for vehicles was a reminder that to all of us that circumstances change.  Often, they do not change by much but when they do, it is time to revisit our preps and make adjustments.  I just wish there was some magic reminder bell that would help me remember these things.

Many household chores, such as changing smoke alarm batteries, are timed to the change in daylight savings time.  Others are timed to the first of the month or the first of the calendar quarter.  So much to do and so little time; that is the prepper’s lament!

Do you have a favorite list of preps you would like to share?  If so, please do contact me via email.  I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

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Bargain Bin:  Here are a pick of items related to today’s Survival Buzz.

Slime Quick Spare Tire Inflator:  All spare tire fix-its are not created equal.  Or so I learned.  Apparently some types coat the inside of the tire with some sort of goo that eliminates the tire from being repaired the proper way.  So, after consulting with the Subaru dealer and reading a lot of review, this is what I settled on.  Truly, you should always have a can of this or something similar in your car.

UltraFire Mini Cree LED Flashlight:  FAVORITE!  At the time of this writing, this one is only $3.00 with free shipping.  It is super mini sized, bright and waterproof.  Plus, it uses a single, standard AA sized battery.  You already know that I own a number of these.

Grabber Outdoors Original Space Brand All Weather Blanket:  I was interested in a re-usable emergency blanket so I purchased one of these based upon the excellent reviews.  This space blanket is definitely “heavy duty” compared to the cheapies (not that they don’t have their place because they do).

Windstorm Safety Whistle:  When being heard is a matter of safety or even life and death, you want a whistle that is not only loud but can be heard for a long distance.  This particular whistle is not the cheapest one out there but I have proven to myself that this particular whistle can be heard a long distance away and above howling wind and other competing sounds.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter:  The LifeStraw contains no chemicals, no batteries and no moving parts to wear out. It features a a high flow rate and weighs only 2 oz. It works quickly, taking roughly 3-5 seconds of sucking to start the flow of water through the filter. It’s ultra-light and inexpensive but effective.  There is also the LifeStraw Family that will purify up to 12 liters per hour.

Prepare Your Family for Survival: How to Be Ready for Any Emergency or Disaster Situation:  In Prepare Your Family for Survival,  learn the basics of water and food storage – where to start and what to work toward for serious preparation – as well as 72-hour kits and evacuation plans. This book includes numerous helpful guides to follow not only before an emergency, but during an emergency as well.

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Daily & Monthly Sales for Fantastic Deals!

For over 25 years Emergency Essentials has been providing the highest quality preparedness products at great prices.  Plus, each month they feature sales that quite honestly are fantastic.

Their prices on Mountain House products continue to be heavily discounted as are the Emergency Essentials brand of food storage items.  This month they are featuring a #10 tin of Mountain House® Ground Beef for $37.99, a discount of 37%.

Emergency Essentials also carries a wide variety of equipment and supplies – all at competitive prices.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials

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Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are.  All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.

The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
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Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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Essential Oils: Deal of the Week

Each week I update a special page with the Spark Naturals item of the week?  You can find it here:  Essential Oils from Spark Naturals – Weekly Deals. Every once in awhile there will be free shipping or a free gift offered as well as a product discount.  And then sometimes, it is simple a huge discount.

SHOP THE WEEKLY SPECIALS AT SPARK NATURALS

And remember, you can always use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL for an additional 10% off your entire SN order.  When it comes to saving money, every little bit helps.