Winter car kits

[Grant Lamontagne]

My Jeep kit doesn't change year round, but for the car we add a folding shovel and folding traction ramp thingys.

Like these.
(Image removed from quote.)

These are a brilliant idea... except.... once you get going you have to stop again to pick them up which means you need to use them again to get going which is pointless because you then need to stop to pick them up again.... or just abandon the durned things.  I'd often thought about tying about three feet of rope to them so that once you have gotten going you just drag them along behind your car.

Def

[derekmac]

Haha, yeah, that is one downfall for them.  We had only used them once before, and once we drove a few feet we were in a good enough spot to stop and get them and still be able to get going again. 


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[Gareth]

I've seen the rope idea done with sand rails.  Make sure you tie them to the back of the car, pass the tracks/rails forward under the car and put in place.  When you drive off the tracks will get dragged behind you without any chance of the fouling anything on the underside of your car.  Of course driving in the City with a couple of tracks being pulled behind you is kinda different to doing the same in the desert. 

[Taxi Dad]

in Britain we don't get that stuck due to the lack of snow (even on a bad day)   
we just like to feel prepared for the worst 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I actually drove through so much snow once that it built up under my Jeep enough that the wheels were lifted off the ground.  It doesn't matter how many drive wheels you have if none of them are touching anything!

Def

[Smashie]

Time to swap the Jeep for a BV 206 I think 

[Gareth]

Oh man, if I could only afford (and justify) one of them.

[Gareth]

Just to say that I've ordered some of the spray tire grip.  The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work.

[AimlessWanderer]

Just to say that I've ordered some of the spray tire grip.  The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work.

Nah, the worst that could happen is they cause your tyres to go brittle and crack and they all need replacing 

[Gareth]

Just to say that I've ordered some of the spray tire grip.  The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work.

Nah, the worst that could happen is they cause your tyres to go brittle and crack and they all need replacing 

Nah, they are already brittle, cracked and need replacing.

[AimlessWanderer]

 

[Gareth]

OK, the spray stuff has arrived, now all I need is a little snow.

I've got together most of my winter car kit now;
lined work gloves
stove+coffee supplies
jump leads
tire compressor+sealant (much easier to do, compared to changing the wheel, in poor weather)
Wool hat
Fleece sleeping bag liner
tea light candles
whistle
tire snow grip spray
.....errr, other random stuff that seemed like a good idea last night but I now can't recall.

[Taxi Dad]

in car phone charger !
just saying 

* and you forgot the porn 

[Cupboard]

*fap fap fap*
*knock knock* "you OK in there sir?" "oh, erm, err, yes, just trying to keep warm!"

[jerseydevil]

*fap fap fap*
*knock knock* "you OK in there sir?" "oh, erm, err, yes, just trying to keep warm!"

 

[Gareth]

 

[ironraven]

Just like my summer kit, only another wool blanket, a couple more sets of gloves and socks, a pair of sweats (which I can use as long johns) in my overnight bag, and a new big bag of heat packs. And kitty litter

[Gareth]

Socks!  That's another item that went in the kit.

[Spatha]

Just like my summer kit, only another wool blanket, a couple more sets of gloves and socks, a pair of sweats (which I can use as long johns) in my overnight bag, and a new big bag of heat packs. And kitty litter

I realize this is probably obvious to everyone else here, but please humour me and tell me, what is the kitty litter for?      Do you carry a cat as part of your summer kit?   

[Cupboard]

improving traction when you're stuck.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It provides weight in the trunk/boot for rear wheel drive cars to help with traction and can be dumped under the wheels for additional grip if necessary.

Plus since it's just fancy dirt it's environmentally friendly so the tree huggers can't get upset with you,

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[Gareth]

Plus if you are stuck in a snowdrift and really need a pee.......

[enki_ck]

I used to have a 50kg bag of cement in my trunk when I had a rear wheel drive car. Driving without it was like ice skating drunk.

Front wheel drive on my last two cars now and not going back.

I actually just put some winter tires on my car a few hours ago.



Just in time for the first snowflakes of the year. No "real" snow yet but the wind is a killer.



Winter tires are a must here. You can get away with radial tires (correct english name?) but I ended up in the ditch a few times already with them and my father in a concrete road fence driving 10km/h and broke the axle. So now when the temperatures drop below 6°C for more than a few days, it's time for winter tires.

As for the winter kit, it gets upgraded slightly from the normal car kit I have anyways. Our winters here vary very much, from now snow and warm temperatures to -25°C and half a meter of snow.

Last winter was moderate.



Here's a "short" list of the kit.
fleece blanket,
picnic blanket with a nylon coated bottom layer
sleeping bag
nylon work gloves
winter gloves
ice scraper/snow broom
folding snow shovel
deerskin cloth
big umbrella
47s AA^2 Tactical flashlight
Swisstool X
snow hat, scarf, buff
fleece jacket
jumper cables
high visibility vest
towel
roll of duct tape
hank of paracord
long cable ties
candy bars
canned beans
resqme
FAK
car jack/tools/spare tire
lighter/matches/ cemetery candles (don't know the name of them in english)
water

I'm thinking I'll add some candy bars and canned baked beans, a whistle and some other stuff to mentioned here looks like a good idea.
 

 

[enki_ck]

Oh, and forgot to add to the list, a complete change of clothes, thick trousers and socks, ... 

[Gareth]

That is one heck of an impressive kit list mate.

[enki_ck]

That is one heck of an impressive kit list mate.

Quite a few of those things are required by law either here or in the neighbouring countries like for instance an approved FAK, safety triangle, hi-vis vest, ... and I forgot the tow rope that you're also required to have. And if you're driving through some parts of Croatia or the whole of Slovenia you have to have winter tires and/or chains.

[derekmac]

That is one heck of an impressive kit list mate.

Quite a few of those things are required by law either here or in the neighbouring countries like for instance an approved FAK, safety triangle, hi-vis vest, ... and I forgot the tow rope that you're also required to have. And if you're driving through some parts of Croatia or the whole of Slovenia you have to have winter tires and/or chains.

Too bad more places didn't make it mandatory to carry gear like that.  A stretch of hwy not too far from here gets really bad at times, and has been shut down for hours before.  I'd care to guess that over 95% of the people stuck didn't have anything to help them in that situation.

[Spatha]

Plus if you are stuck in a snowdrift and really need a pee.......

  Public service announcement: Never eat yellow snow.

Reading this thread has made me realize I'm going to need a car with a bigger boot to carry all this kit.

[Gareth]

Here is a shot of the content of my winter car bag.  Other things like snow shovel and de-icer are still in the back of the car.

[Gareth]

All packs neatly into this rucksack I got from Tony at one of the meet-ups.