I am always surprised by the number of people I run into that do not have any supplies in their car for emergency situations. I guess most of them have the, “it can’t happen to me” mentality — that mentality will get you killed.

Every year, stories pop up in the news about a person or family being stranded while driving through a remote area. Even if you are not driving in the back country, it would still be wise to have supplies on hand. You could get in a wreck and not be able to contact help; and even if you can contact help, it may take them a long time to reach you. Then, there is the possibility of running out of gas miles from anything. If anything is certain, it is that anything can happen, and that you should be prepared for it.

A survival kit for your car does not have to be as extravagant or as expensive as your “bug out bag.” Some of the essentials we are going to look at are: water, food, tools, first aid supplies, clothes, and books.

Let’s get started shall we?

Water:

Water is the number one priority in any survival situation. You cannot survive without it for more than a couple days. Water is the first thing you should add to your kit. This is easy enough to accomplish right now — it may not be so easy when your life depends on it. You can buy a couple of gallons from the grocery store, or just fill up some containers with tap water. The amount of water you want to store will vary by how many people you tend to have in your car. I would recommend no less than a couple of gallons for one person. If you have the feeling that you are going to be stranded more than a few days you are going to need to find a source of water. So, I also recommend keeping some water purification tablets in your kit. It is far better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

Food:

Food is secondary to water. You can survive a lot longer without food than you can without water. It is important to have food on hand nonetheless. As hunger can take your mind off of other things. A lot of people want to run out and buy a bunch of MREs for their kit. This is unnecessary and can get quite expensive. Of course, if you have MREs available there is no reason not to use them.

The main thing is to have food that is not going to go bad quickly, provides you energy, and is easy to fix. The best would be food that only requires water to prepare, as well as food that is ready to eat straight out of the bag.

Some foods that require water include: Ramen and other noodles, rice, instant potatoes, coffee, tea, cocoa, and things of that sort. Many of these products are dehydrated, similar to MREs, but much cheaper.

Some foods that are ready right out of the package include: beef jerky, trail mix, nuts, candy bars (non-chocolate or you will have a mess on your hands) Vienna sausage, etc.

Also: Most people acquire condiments from eating out. This is a cheap (free) way to add salt, pepper, ketchup, sugar, hot sauce, etc. to your kit.

There are a lot of foods out there that you can add to your kit, so I am not going to recommend any specific brands. Pick what you like to eat. Just make sure it is easy to fix, because you are going to have limited cooking resources available to you.

Tools:

You shouldn’t go anywhere without a multi-tool and a good knife. However, it happens. I recommend having a separate multi-tool and knife specifically for your car survival kit. That way, even if you left your everyday tools at home you still have them available. People will argue over brands until they are blue in the face. For car survival this issue is not that important. You’re not going out there trying to live off the land — you do not need the best tool available, you just need one that works.

I have a Gerber multi-tool for my normal dealings. It costs around $60 new. That is pretty expensive for something you are going to toss in your trunk and hopefully never have to use. I found a Durabuilt brand multi-tool at a pawn shop for $5. It has most of the tools my Gerber has, but not quite as fancy. I bought it specifically for my car, and it will work just fine for that purpose.

The knife on your multi-tool is going to have limited functionality, so you are going to want a knife separate from that one. Do not buy an expensive knife to throw in your trunk, but buy a decent one. You can probably find one fairly reasonable at a pawn shop or off of the Internet. A knife with a full tang and a sharp edge is what you are looking for.

Full tang means that there is no break in the blade. The metal goes from blade edge all the way to the end of the handle. They are sturdier and less likely to break than a folding knife. Make sure you sharpen your knife before you put it in your kit. It may be a good idea to put a sharpening stone in with it.

Aside from a knife and a multi-tool there are other items you should consider for your kit. Some way to start and contain a fire is essential. Keep some matches and a lighter in a waterproof container. In case those fail or run out, you may want to also carry a fire starter similar to the picture below:

“Canned heat” is another alternative for heating water and cooking. You will also need a container for heating water. A camp cook set works nicely for this, as it is made with that purpose in mind. If you look around you can find a set fairly cheap. I picked up a set at a yard sale for around $5 that came with 4 mugs and a large pot. You will probably want to put a set of silverware in your kit too (unless you just like eating with your hands). You can either store some plastic disposable ones, or take some out of your kitchen that can be rinsed off and reused. If you rinse them, use minimal water, so as not to deplete your on hand supply too much.

Furthermore, be sure to have a source of light. LED flashlights provide a good amount of light, can be obtained cheaply, and are easy on batteries. I picked one up at Big Lots (a discount store) for somewhere around $2. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a few extra batteries just in case. Mine takes two AAA batteries. So I keep 6-8 batteries in my pack. Again, I’m not picky about what you buy for your flashlight. You do not need a $60 Mag-light. Some prefer headlamps. That is fine too, so long as it works and serves its purpose, it doesn’t matter. Whatever you prefer.

First Aid Supplies:

You can buy pre-made first aid kits these days fairly reasonably. If you want to save a little cash and put one together yourself that is fine too. Make sure you have the essentials: band-aids, wraps, gauze, something to make a splint and/or a sling with, antibiotics, and Tylenol. Also, keep a supply of any prescription medications you are on. I would recommend keeping a bottle of multi-vitamins as well. Tweezer’s, scissors, and a scalpel are also handy to have around. Make it to suit your needs, but be sure to have the essentials.

Clothing:

Being stranded in a car in the middle of winter without extra clothing supplies could make for a very rough survival situation. Even if it is not winter time, temperatures tend to drop considerably at night, and it would behoove you to have the supplies to stay warm. Most of us wander around in cotton clothing. This is not good in a survival situation. Wool would be better. In your trunk you want to keep some extra clothing for warmth (preferably wool or poly blend) rain gear, and a sleeping bag and/or blankets.

The car itself will make you a good shelter to keep the wind and rain off of you, but it is still going to get cold, as you are not going to be able to have a fire in your car. The sleeping bag and blankets will help you get through the night, and the rain gear will keep you dry if you must go out in bad weather.

Books:

There is one book in particular that I would recommend keeping on hand in this type of situation: Where There is No Doctor: A Village health Care Handbook by David Werner.

ISBN: 978-0-942364-15-6

From Amazon:

“Home health care manuals are a dime a dozen, but this one is in a league by itself… This amazing manual…successfully brings together modern concepts of public health and personal health care into a usable and understandable format for the Third World villager. If you are a physician, dentist or nurse planning to volunteer on a medical mercy mission, review this book ahead of time and take it with you. — Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 125, no.12″

This book is a must. It will show you how to treat any number of injuries and illnesses. If you do not own this book, buy it post haste. Seriously!

Some other books you may want to carry: a general survival book, a survival book that focuses on winter time survival, and a book on wild edibles (regionally specific if possible).

Other things to consider:

There are a million things you can take with you. Build your kit to fit your needs. Take things you will use, and that you know how to use. Otherwise it is just taking up space. Some other things to consider taking are: Rope, snare wire, foldable camping shovel, small axe, toilet paper, garbage bags, plastic tarp, duct tape, toothbrush, soap, comb, hand sanitizer, signaling mirror, whistle, etc.

This is not a conclusive list by any means. It is a starting point to get you thinking about your survival. It is hard to say how many people have lost their lives simply because they were not prepared. DO NOT let that happen to you.