Should You Ride Around With Survival Gear In Your Car?

Anything can happen at anytime and one should be prepared for the worst at all times.

I've heard that it's recommended that everyone should have survival gear in their car at all times. Only in winter do some people ensure they have an emergency survival kit with them.

Question: do you think we should have survival gear with us in our cars at all times in case of an emergency or are you one of many who don't think that is necessary when help might be only a phone call away?

 

Help MIGHT be only a phone call away, but that's assuming you're in cell range and your phone is charged. One thing you should have all the time is a portable battery to charge your phone. Even then, if you drive too far from the city and your car breaks down, you might be out of cell range. Good to have other emergency tools just in case.

Things like a flashlight, a blanket, a first aid kit, portable battery, spare clothes, a fire extinguisher, and some water are things I things that should be in all cars at all times in my opinion.

 

I keep a basic "oh crap" duffel bag in the car just because you never know what can happen. It holds a basic first aid kit, road flares, duct tape, and two of those mylar emergency blankets. I always have at least one flashlight with me in my purse, and I keep a larger one in the glove compartment.

Also, do yourself a favor and keep at least a very basic tool kit in your car.

 

Well, by default, people on this forum have a keen interest in preparedness, so I would be surprised if anyone says they don't *any* form of kit in the car in case they get stranded for any reason. I personally upsize or downsize depending on the season, however. For example, I don't a winter jacket and extra layers of clothing during the summer months, so I take them out of the vehicle and replace them with a light weight jacket, and then swap back again when the weather starts to change again.

 

My vehicle has a few kits for the vehicle itself
Each door has a bottle of water and a small fire extinguisher
I have a medical kit just behind and between the front seats
Suitable clothing comes and go's with me!
First aid kits are useless if you can not reach them from the car seat you are in!
Same as a fire extinguisher
If you can exit the vehicle to get a FAK or fire extinguisher from the boot YOU don't really need them!
Friend of mine died in a car accident !
He survived the crash with minor injuries but under the dash caught fire! and he was trapped!
He burnt to death with a perfectly good fire extinguisher in the boot he could not reach!

 

Even with minimal finances, have water handy in the car, a first aid kit, spare blankets (camping style) in the boot, tinned foods that you can keep updated, a physical map will be handy and simple tools of making a fire. All this can be obtained gradually in order to minimize heavy expenditure in one go.

 

I think it is beyond important to ride with survival equipment in your car. You never know what is going to happen or where you will end up. At the very least you should carry some water, some crackers, a flash light, a knife, and something to break the windows if necessary. I would also include some ibuprofen, something to cut a seat belt with and a gun. These are basic survival essential that you never know if you will need.

 

I can't say what I have in the car is a survival gear, sort of maybe. I actually call it emergency kit - a small bag that contains night clothes (pajama and shirt) plus some snack food that I check every week so it will not expire. It also has a rubbing ointment for insect bites because I am the favorite of mosquitoes. There is also soap and some toiletries. It is my emergency kit when there is an unexpected flooding of the streets. My husband and I had this agreement that I would not go home in those situations of flooding. I can comfortably stay in the office overnight or anywhere I am when the floods hit the road. So that kit is my saving grace when I get stranded.

One time when we had only 1 car, my husband would pick me up from my office. There was this sudden flood that caused us to be stranded in the nearby village. We were lucky to get to the highest point with the floodwater almost reaching the car's flooring. The rest of the area are submerged in waist-high waters. The car was comfortable, we had a radio and we could comfortably sleep although we did not use the air conditioning. However, we got hungry and we had nothing. That incident taught us a neat lesson to be prepared for any eventualities.

 

Being prepared at all times, especially in this day and age, is a must. I carry a basic GHB, with a 3 day supply for two people, in my car at all times. I also modify it as necessary, depending on the time of year (warm or cold), as well as, when my wife and I go on weekend trips or holidays to the mountains or other countries around Europe. This for me, also requires maps, as well as, language assistance books and apps on my phone.
As an avid fisherman, I always have basic fishing gear in the car. However, it is illegal to carry guns here in Romania, except for hunting, and even then there is a great deal of paperwork which you need to complete before permission is given. As a result, I carry bow and arrow along with a slingshot, and have become quite proficient with them. Always be prepared and adapt and overcome, are beliefs I live by and I apply to every aspect of life.

 

Ever since I bought my first car, I have kept an overnight bag in the trunk. I have, at all times, a change of clothes, shoes, personal hygiene products (everything from shampoo to a toothbrush), a full days worth of medicine, and a towel. I recently added a first aid kit. I have the standard trunk supplies (flares, jumper cables, etc). And I'm currently working on buying a small tent and sleeping bag. I will continue to add whatever I feel I may need in any possible scenario. It doesn't hurt to have any of it with you. And you'll be glad you do when something unexpected happens.

 

I carry my camping bag pack which is also my bug out bag in my van at all times I also carry my bow my machete and other hunting sharps in a metal box in back (it illegal to carry any blade here) that is locked and assortment of tools from hedge knife bushman saw crow bar hammers depending on what job is being done on farm I am never far from my van so always near my gear just in case

 

Always be prepared!