How to Build a Car Emergency Kit
Do you have a car emergency kit?
Having a car emergency kit is an important element in preparing your family for emergencies. After all, if you need to evacuate without warning or you get stranded, your kit can help your family stay safe and comfortable for several days.
A good kit, along with a family emergency plan, can give you peace of mind that you’re prepared even when you’re away from home. And I know this first hand: two years ago we got stranded in the mountains, far from help, and had to rely on our emergency kit until help arrived.
If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of assembling tons of supplies, don’t be. You can put together a basic car emergency kit in just a couple of hours. Then, over time, you can add additional emergency supplies as your time and budget allows.
Why Build a Car Emergency Kit?
There are many reasons why you should take the time to build a car emergency kit. But the most important reason is: because you never know when you’re going to need it. I know because it happened to us.
Before we bought our homestead in Tennessee, our family was looking for land to buy in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Our search for property usually led us deep down remote, unpaved mountain roads, where we often didn’t get a cell phone signal and houses were few and far between.
One day, after taking our truck deep into the woods on a dirt path to see some land, we got stuck trying to get back down. After a few minutes of trying to turn around, part of the truck was literally dangling off the side of the mountain. It was no longer safe to stay inside, so we all had to get out.
We were in the middle of the woods, 15 miles from town and far from anyone else who might be able to help. We had no cell service. And the boys, aged 4 and 5 at the time, were with us.
Thankfully, I had our car emergency kit. I took out the tarp and spread on the ground so we could sit down without getting bit by ticks. We had bottled water to drink, and a water filter which we could have used to get more water from natural spring that was flowing out of the mountain. There were snacks for the boys, cards for them to play with, and bug spray.
The supplies in our emergency bag kept us comfortable for several hours until we found help. Miraculously, a man down the road had a skidster, which he used to help get our truck back on solid ground and turned around.
A Car Emergency Kit Provides Peace of Mind
Most importantly, that bag of emergency supplies helped alleviate a ton of stress for us. I knew that if it began to rain, I could keep us dry with our rain ponchos. If night fell before we found help and made it back, I could make an emergency shelter, keep the boys warm with our emergency bivvies, and cook a hot meal with our tiny Solo stove and Mountain House emergency food. We could take care of ourselves if we had to.
And, that’s the purpose of the car emergency kit. You hope like heck you never have to use it. But we all know that emergencies happen when we least expect it. Having these supplies in your trunk could make the difference between disaster and adventure. In serious situations, your car emergency kit could mean the difference between life and death.
Car Emergency Kit List
If you’re pressed for time and don’t want to build a car emergency kit from scratch, you can find many pre-assembled kits on Amazon.
However, keep in mind that these kits are usually stocked with the cheapest tools and supplies, and they might come with some items that you already have at home. You’ll save money assembling a kit yourself, and you’ll be able to create an emergency kit that fits your family’s unique needs. I made our kit myself, and feel that it’s definitely worth the time, effort, and expense to do so.
So, what do you need to stock in your car emergency kit? Let’s take a look.
Water
Water is the most crucial element in your car emergency kit. You can go up to three weeks without food, but only three days without water. So, keeping water in your vehicle, as well as having a way to filter or purify water you find, is essential.
I know it can be difficult to store gallons of water in your trunk. If you drive a truck, like we do, then storing a lot of water is almost impossible.
If you’re short on space, make it a habit to bring several bottles of water with you whenever you leave the house. In addition, you should have several ways to filter water from rivers, creeks, ponds, or ditches should you get stranded.
- Lifestraw. Lifestraws are wonderful filters because even young children can use them. They work just like a straw! We keep several of these in our car emergency kit.
- Sawyer Mini. The Sawyer Mini filter will remove 99.999% of bacteria and protozoa from water, and will work up to 100,000 gallons. We keep a Mini in our own kit, and have several in our home emergency kit. These filters are also great to have on-hand to prepare for a power outage or hurricane, if tap water is not safe to drink.
- Water flavoring packets. Water flavoring packets, like Gatorade or Crystal Light, can make it easier for your kids to drink the water once you’ve filtered it. These packets can also help replace lost electrolytes in hot weather.
- Reusable water bottles to store potable water.
Food
You need to be careful when it comes to stocking your car emergency kit with food. Food can spoil quickly when it’s exposed to temperature extremes.
According to University of Minnesota Extension, temperatures above 100 degrees F are harmful to canned food. And, prolonged temperatures above 75 degrees F will degrade its nutritional value. Here in Tennessee, temperatures often get above 100 degrees F in July and August. And, inside the truck it’s even hotter. As a result, I don’t keep much “regular” food in our car emergency kit since it would go rancid.
A better option is to keep several Mainstay Emergency Bars in your car emergency kit. These emergency bars can withstand temperature extremes from -40 degrees F to 300 degrees F. You can also try Survival Tabs, which taste like chocolate.
Survival
- First Aid kit. There are plenty of first aid kits you can buy on Amazon. However, you can easily make your own, with better supplies, for a fraction of the price. Make sure you include children and adult pain relief medication, such as Children’s Tylenol and adult Ibuprofen.
- Auto Emergency Rescue Tool. This escape tool secures to your visor and allows you to cut your seat belt and break the window if you need to escape after an accident.
- Duct tape. Duct tape has an endless number of uses, from closing up a wound and making splints to securing a tarp for a shelter.
- Blankets. You can put a few inexpensive fleece blankets in your car emergency kit, or consider investing in some high quality emergency blankets.
- Fire blankets. We keep two fire blankets in our truck and two in our home. A fire blanket will shield you if your vehicle catches fire and you can’t get out, as they’re heat resistant to over 1,000 degrees F. You can also use a fire blanket to smother flames.
- Tarp. Tarps are indispensable for so many reasons. You can use them to make an emergency shelter, as a rain poncho, picnic blanket, or to collect rain water for drinking.
- Emergency tent. An emergency tent can help reflect body heat, and provide better shelter than a tarp.
- Paracord. Paracord is like duct tape, in that there are so many uses it’s hard to list them all. There’s a great article at Backdoor Survival that lists 66 ways to use paracord in an emergency.
- Flashlights. Make sure you have one flashlight or headlamp for each member of your family, and backup batteries.
- Lanterns. Lanterns are great for providing a wide circle of light, and they can really boost morale if you’re stranded.
- Compass.
- Whistle.
- Swiss Army knife and multi-tool.
- Heavy duty work gloves.
- Collapsible shovel.
- Emergency radio. We have the RunningSnail Emergency Crank Radio and love it. This emergency radio has a solar charger, NOAA weather radio, and several flashlight modes.
- Small cook stove and cook pan. We keep a Solo Titan in our car emergency kit, as well as a small cooking set.
- Lighter and matches.
- Paper map of your state. You should also pick up a paper map of any state you’re traveling through. You can usually find these free of charge at highway rest stops, especially the first rest stop upon entering the state.
- Sturdy backpack. The backpack is essential if you have to abandon your vehicle.
Sanitation
- Toilet paper. Keep at least two rolls in your car at all times. You can save space by taking out the cardboard roll in the middle and flattening the roll.
- Paper towels.
- Hand sanitizer.
- Feminine hygiene products.
- Baby wipes.
- Bug spray.
- Toothbrush and toothpaste. Keep one travel toothbrush for each member of your family.
- Several empty plastic bags.
- Reusable urinal. We keep one of these in the truck for the boys, and we use it all the time. It saves us from having to use public restrooms.
Maintenance
- Jumper cables.
- Spare tire and jack.
- Empty gas can.
- Tire pressure gauge.
- Portable air compressor.
- Fix a Flat.
- Roadside flares. We have these roadside flares and they work great.
- Towing strap or chain.
Container
Once you’ve assembled all your supplies, what do you put them in? There are several options here.
- Large plastic bin.
- Rolling suitcase.
- Large duffel bag.
- Large cardboard box.
- Large backpack.
Winter Car Emergency Kit Additions
Cold weather brings another set of dangers if you’re stranded or stuck away from home. So, each fall you need to add several items to your car emergency kit to make sure you’re prepared for winter weather.
- Hand and foot warmers.
- Extra hats, gloves, and socks. Pack cold-weather clothing, like wool hats, gloves, and thick socks, for each member of your family.
- Candle heater. You can make a surprisingly effective heater for your car with an emergency candle and a tin can. It won’t make it toasty in there, but it can help keep you alive.
- Lighter or matches. For lighting your candle heater.
- Kitty litter. Kitty litter can help your tire’s regain traction if you’re stuck in ice or snow.
- Small shovel. A small shovel is crucial if you have to dig your tires out of deep snow.
- Ice scraper.
- Warm blanket. Fleece blankets are inexpensive and can really help your family stay warm if you’re stranded.
Last Word
No one expects an emergency to happen to them. But eventually, most of us will find ourselves in some kind of emergency situation when we’re away from home. A car emergency kit can help your family stay safe and comfortable until help arrives or you get back home.
What’s more, your car emergency kit can be useful in many other situations as well. For example, imagine that you’ve gotten stuck in an epic traffic jam. One child is hungry, the other has to go pee, and you’ve got a splitting headache. A well-equipped car emergency kit could take care of all these problems!
We’ve used supplies out of our car emergency kit several times in similar situations. And each time, I was thankful that I had what we needed.
