MSN Article: 16 Things You Should Have in Your Car (A durable MT is one)

[shibafu]

I want to add something to my list here -- a powerbank for the cellfones.



Last Sunday the car battery decided to give up the ghost while we were about to head home from the mall and doing groceries.  My phone was down to 7% and my wife's was down to 25% as the kids were playing with them while waiting for our lunch to be served.  Good thing we wife's phone was still 20%+ so it was enough to call for battery delivery plus get updates on where the delivery person was.

Or alternatively, an old-school feature phone with a pre-paid / pay-as-you-go SIM.  If you leave it switched off in the glove box it'll keep a charge for months.  Usually you need to use them at least once every 3 months or you lose your credit.  But even if that happens, you can still make an emergency services call.

[Gareth]

I've got a good number of the things on the list, but have to admit to not carrying a bag of kitty litter.  A hazard triangle is one I really should get.

[derekmac]

I don't have kitty little, flares or a safety triangle or jumper pack.

I do have a bunch more than what they list though.  Most of which is because I off-road the Jeep.

Now the car, we don't have much of anything in it. A basic car kit, but I don't even know what's in it.   We do have CAA though,


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[WhichDawg]

I keep bringing this back!

how about an emergency candle? we used to have one in the car (until our emergency b.o.b. was stolen  ) it was a 120 hour emergency candle with several wicks for heat and light (saving batteries in the car if your stuck in winter) 

[ironraven]

Coleman lantern probably works better than the candle, but it is bulkier. My real concern would be does it burn cleaner?

Something probably everyone should have in the car that I never see listed- an overnight bag that has a change of clothes that are ok, and then a business casual change, along with toiletries.

[WhichDawg]

Coleman lantern probably works better than the candle, but it is bulkier. My real concern would be does it burn cleaner?

Something probably everyone should have in the car that I never see listed- an overnight bag that has a change of clothes that are ok, and then a business casual change, along with toiletries.

the emergency candles I see/want use bee's wax which is suppose to be safe in-doors. I guess you could crack a window for fuel burning lanterns but that defeats the "keeping warm" reason of a candle.

we had mittens/gloves/thermal-underclothes/thick sweatshirts-pullovers/hats/scarves in our car b.o.b. warm clothing is a good idea. toiletries are nice but not exactly "life saving"

[ironraven]

we had mittens/gloves/thermal-underclothes/thick sweatshirts-pullovers/hats/scarves in our car b.o.b. warm clothing is a good idea. toiletries are nice but not exactly "life saving"

There is a difference between survival and problems.

Being in a ditch because you decided to be a cowboy and drive home in a blizzard that came in before the road crews were ready, that can be a survival issue. But it would have only been a problem if you told your boss "yeah, I've got the longest commute so I'm sleeping in the office tonight" or just found a hotel room for the night that was within walking distance.

Keeping a problem from being a crisis keeps you out of survival situations.

[WhichDawg]

this thread and the article it links to is about emergency (quote from article/link) "that could quickly get you back on the road, and maybe even save your life"

[kkokkolis]

The only thing I ever really used (except my EDC tools and Bahco knife for weed and mussel collecting - but that's not an emergency) is my Soviet spade/axe tool. I cleared vegetation, reformed sand, made a bridge over a hole, broke ice, shoveled snow. Used once every two years but that makes a dozen uses over 25 years. It is also a fearsome weapon, if I'm fast enough to draw it and I have enough clearing, outside of the car obviously. It lives under my sheat, together with my Estwing geological hammer, the only tools heavy enough that I won't carry in my bag.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's getting to be that time of year here where this stuff all becomes more important, at least for Derek, Megan and I.

One of the problems with living on the coast is the humidity.  We have serious moisture problems here, even in sub zero temperatures. Derek is further inland than I am (in fact, I am looking at the ocean as I type this) which means that a minus ten Celsius day here can be more dangerous than a minus twenty five Celsius day most other places since you are almost always wet as well as cold.

Keeping a minimum of half a tank of gas is pretty much mandatory here, although I don't keep up with that as often as I should.

Like Derek, I also have roadside assistance but I'm not convinced it is something to rely on in the winter.  It wasn't all that long ago that hundreds of people were stranded on a nearby section of highway for 15 hours in bad weather.  Roadside assistance isn't going to be even remotely useful in a situation like that.

I guess I see roadside assistance as a nice backup or convenience, but at the end of the day there is only one person you can have faith in to get you out of a jam and that's you.

Def

[derekmac]

It was snowing pretty heavy at the airport for a bit this morning.

I checked our car, and it does have a basic roadside kit in it, but I'm going to throw some blankets and a few other things in it. Since it's our main vehicle, and more likely to get stuck in bad weather, it needs more gear.

Both the Jeep and car get filled up when they hit half a tank. I also always have a full tank when wheeling.

Grant is right about the weather here, and how damp it can be. Like he said, inland isn't nearly as bad, but it's still probably higher than the western provinces.

I work at the airport, and it has its own weather system, lol. It can be clear and warm, get close to the airport and it turns to heavy snow and the temp drops, and a few km past, back to nice weather. It's also usually very windy.


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[Grant Lamontagne]

I think that's why they put the airport there.... they found the spot with most unusual weather patterns and put something very dependant on weather there.

Typical East Coast thinking anyway..... 

Def

[WhichDawg]

alright I just ordered this Recovery Strap kit:

comes with strap (rated at 20K) 1 D-ring, gloves
and I like the bag

[Sea Monster]

What is snow? 


Forget Jumper Leads / Battery back, just get a dual battery setup

I have to ask about the fire extinguisher -- I have to be honest that I'm apprehensive of keeping pressurized containers in the car due to the heat.

I keep one in the tray, for some reason my second battery keeps starting fires?   

Something probably everyone should have in the car that I never see listed- an overnight bag that has a change of clothes that are ok, and then a business casual change, along with toiletries.

Playboy-Preppers? Y'never know when you'll meet the future Ex-Mrs Seamonster 

I'm a big fan of tyre plugs (and an on-board air compressor)
Spares for Days.


Around here the most important "survival" things you can have with your car are a Roo bar and Snorkel.

All the MRE's and Signal Mirrors in the world won't help you if a 200lb roo has recently installed itself in your backseat via your radiator.

[Grant Lamontagne]

We have deer like that, only they also have large pointy things sticking out of their heads which makes them that much more hazardous to run into.

Good to see you again Nomad!

Def

[classicrock]

I lived in tropical climate country and drove an old 4wd. So I got a toolbox with screwdriver and other dedicated tools. Tow strap, jumper cable, spare drive belts, hazard triangle, first aid kit and fire ext.

The multitool and the flashlight always stays on my belt. And now during the rainy season, I put my waterproof jacket on the backseat.

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[AimlessWanderer]

It's coming up to that time of year when I ought to be thinking about putting the winter kit together. I'll have a skim through this thread for ideas when I do, but my winter kit is usually quite comprehensive anyway.

I tend to have a coolbox (to help prevent water freezing) with water, soups, coffee, stove etc, and fill it up with anything else I consider useful. Other items in the boot include waterproofs, spare fleece/jumper, wool blanket, space blanket, gloves, hat, wellies, jump leads, tools, umbrella, cold steel shovel, windscreen deicer, path deicer, slip on ice grips for shoes, compressor, spare bulbs. Other essentials are mobile phone, breakdown recovery cover, and a bit of spare cash just in case

[eamo]

whats peoples take on having a fire extinguisher in your car ? I have one in mine, but i dunno how good an idea it is, as per the article here -
http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/yourview/having-fire-extinguishers-in-cars-is-dangerous-362916.html

lots of thing to go boom in a car 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've never had one, and don't like the idea of keeping a pressurised canister in the car

[derekmac]

I have one in the Jeep, and all the work vans have one in them. Most guys I wheel with have one as well. I've never heard of one going off. 


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[eamo]

Not the pressurised container but rather using it on a fire which is potentially very dangerous

[AimlessWanderer]

Not the pressurised container but rather using it on a fire which is potentially very dangerous

You need to ensure it's the correct media for the fire (Powder type).

When I did a course in the management of health and safety several years ago, the instructor was guiding us through all the legislative side of fire risk assessments and extinguishers etc. After he'd finished telling us the official version of everything, he added that in reality, the smart thing to do is just get the smurf out of there, and if you are utterly compelled to grab a fire extinguisher, throw it at the fire and run like smurf 

[eamo]

Yeah that's sound advice

[Grant Lamontagne]

The Irish Examiner is correct in suggesting that people don't attempt to fight the fire themselves if at all possible, however if you have it, it might give you (or someone else) the seconds needed to get someone injured out of the vehicle and to safety. 

I see the point they have of not carrying one so people aren't tempted to be heroes, but I'd rather have one and take the chance ce rather than let someone else meet a horrible fiery end that could have been prevented.

As for keeping a pressurized cylinder in the car, they do have release valves so the chance of them exploding is very minimal.  While yes, the release valve going off in the car whole driving could be distracting and hazardous, it probably won't happen.  If it is hot enough that the release valve lets go then you are likely to have the air conditioning on keeping it cool enough that the release valve won't let go.

Def

[gregozedobe]

Just how much of an explosion risk is carrying a decent quality fire extinguisher in a vehicle anyway ? 

I've carried them in all my cars, 4WDs and vans for the last 20 years with zero problems, and I've never heard of or read of any venting or exploding.  And no problems with the ones I keep in my garage and house as well. Even a google search didn't come up with much (well, except for the usual motley collection of idiots doing the mythbusters thing and looking for things to explode   ).

[Smaug]

The real danger of carrying a pressurized container in a car is if it isn't mounted properly, and it takes a hard hit to the valve end. The pressure it contains would make it like an air rocket.

If I had a small to medium fire in my car that was nowhere near the gas tank, I'd rather put it out with a fire extinguisher and have to replace a seat or some carpeting later than lose the whole car. I'm not sure what the paranoia is about that would cause someone to want to run. More appropriate would have been coaching as to what size/type fire could be tackled with an extinguisher.

[shibafu]

The old car fire hazard that you used to hear about was having a fire in the engine bay, and when you open the bonnet/hood to use the extinguisher, the rush of air causes it to flare up.  So what they used to recommend was just cracking open the bonnet and shooting the fire extinguisher through the narrow gap.  Not sure how effective that would be on a modern car, with all the plastic covers you tend to get hiding the mechanical bits.

[eamo]

I think its a mix of what 50ft and Grant say - a fire extinguisher might buy you the time needed to get someone out of a vehicle, and, if you don't need that time then let it burn until the professionals get to you.
Which, where i live would be a long time, but i'd rather be down a car then have someone or myself get hurt or worse.

[eamo]

You need to ensure it's the correct media for the fire (Powder type).

[/quote]

So yeah, I checked my extinguisher as per your advice and it's a powder type. 

[Crow]

Iam little late here, but i maintain fire extinguishers for living(i do many things, but this is what pays my sallary). Most extinguishers have release valves, not all. Cheaper ones usually are ones without them. Where i am from, extinguisher containers need to be pressure tested every ten years to see if anything has happened to them. Normal powder extinguisher has 15 bar pressure when in working condition. We test then from 25-30 bar depending on manufacturers information. So under normal use/storing it going off itself is rather rare. Mostly when they go off, it is fault of person storing it wrong. They usually store it free from their brackets, or throw something on them, and that makes them go off causing threatful mess.

One thing worth concider is size of your extinguisher. Smallest ones comes handy only in early stage of emergency. If fire has spread, it is true that usually attempt of using extinguisher gives valuable seconds waiting fire department to come.

I have heard many stories of how huge flames only littlest extinguishers has cut off. Just before christmas store next to our street caught on fire. Workers there used six extinguishers to make it go off, and it worked. Fire department only had to tear little of that wall to make sure everything was ok. If they did not have extinguishers, whole garage might have been burnt.