Emergency equipment in the trunk

[Oro_O]

Net
Rope
Tarp
Folding saw and shovel
Work gloves

I'm not going to list everything again - just the funny ones. About 35 lbs of gear. In an old post, there's a picture of the two cargo containers and the first aid kit I carry in the Mini.

Among other things, I keep a folding combo wood/bone saw, shovel, gloves, garbage bags, ski mask, and an old Army .45 in my SUV. One day I realized that could look pretty suspicious.

 

[vavavroom]

Among other things, I keep a folding combo wood/bone saw, shovel, gloves, garbage bags, ski mask, and an old Army .45 in my SUV. One day I realized that could look pretty suspicious.

I do have the ski mask. I do go skiing every winter. I also have a thin one for warm skiing days and for going fishing from the windy boat. These are my spare gloves. That's why they look brand new.

 

[Pew]

To add:

Emergency blanket for you/occupants
Tarp if you have to get on the ground for repairs (I have poncho that doubles as this)
Jumper cables
Tow straps
Electrical tape
Portable battery jumper
Reflective vest

I keep all the above plus what you have, minus first aid kit, in the spare wheel compartment.

 

[vavavroom]

I highly recommend carrying a ZOLEO or similar. A first aid kit and fire extinguisher should be mandatory.

 

[Vil_Riker]

fire extinguisher should be mandatory.

Yeah, my cars are german with the mandatory oil leaks from the valve cover. a fire extinguisher is a good idea.

 

[incognito_2u]

Pretty much most what was mentioned here, but I always make sure I have one or two wire coat-hangers stowed in the spare tire compartment.

 

[Oro_O]

I do have the ski mask. I do go skiing every winter. I also have a thin one for warm skiing days and for going fishing from the windy boat. These are my spare gloves. That's why they look brand new.

Now start carrying a handgun and plastic bags, that way I look less suspicious.

Now in more seriousness, things I carry in the trunk/wheel well of each car, which have saved a lot of hassle a few times:

A) last fan/PS belt, in case one breaks (I had a new one break once, when towing horses and two hours from home on a Sunday evening. Boy did having that old one help)
B) Next set of wipers
C) Next oil filter
D) One or two used/salvage yard OE ignition coils purchased cheap off Ebay. One or two of the last set of plugs in case a new one breaks or fails - it happens.
E) Cheap $7 wifi OBDII scanner with paired app on the phone.
F) Small zip loc bag with at least one extra of every bulb in the car (this is quite cheap if you buy them someplace like RM European when ordering other parts - a dime or $.20 per bulb and comes in very handy).

Those are the less common things I have learned to carry beyond the more obvious tools/tire/repair/first aid/etc. This stuff actually takes up very little space in the wheel well or cargo bin, and can save a lot of hassle. I have all this stuff in my cars, my parents’ cars, my step-son’s car, etc.

@Pew

Tarp if you have to get on the ground for repairs (I have poncho that doubles as this)

That is actually what I have all the black yard bags for; very unpleasant to roll around in snow, ice, mud, rain if you have to change a tire, cain up, look underneath, etc. Small thing that does make a difference.

 

[vavavroom]

Yeah, my cars are german with the mandatory oil leaks from the valve cover. a fire extinguisher is a good idea.

Are you sure you don't have an older British car? Grandpa said his Morgan's wooden frame caught repeatedly fire thanks to the overactive rustproofing system.

 

[vavavroom]

Now start carrying a handgun and plastic bags, that way I look less suspicious.

Now in more seriousness, things I carry in the trunk/wheel well of each car, which have saved a lot of hassle a few times:

A) last fan/PS belt, in case one breaks (I had a new one break once, when towing horses and two hours from home on a Sunday evening. Boy did having that old one help)
B) Next set of wipers
C) Next oil filter
D) One or two used/salvage yard OE ignition coils purchased cheap off Ebay. One or two of the last set of plugs in case a new one breaks or fails - it happens.
E) Cheap $7 wifi OBDII scanner with paired app on the phone.
F) Small zip loc bag with at least one extra of every bulb in the car (this is quite cheap if you buy them someplace like RM European when ordering other parts - a dime or $.20 per bulb and comes in very handy).

Those are the less common things I have learned to carry beyond the more obvious tools/tire/repair/first aid/etc. This stuff actually takes up very little space in the wheel well or cargo bin, and can save a lot of hassle. I have all this stuff in my cars, my parents’ cars, my step-son’s car, etc.

May as well just have a service, repair, and supply truck with a crew of mechanics, EMTs, and an exotic dancer follow me around everywhere!

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

In my SUV I keep mini traction boards, a medkit, an old winter jacket, and a flashlight.

In my truck (which has a rear locker and winch) I keep a medkit, tool kit, survival kit, extra jacket, snatch block, bottle jack, and leveling blocks (for bottle jack).

Forgot the fire extinguisher and pepper spray in my truck too lol.

 

[Oro_O]

May as well just have a service, repair, and supply truck with a crew of mechanics, EMTs, and an exotic dancer follow me around everywhere!

If you look at how much it costs ($40?), and how many tow truck or break-downs it solves with tools you already have, and takes up no space, it solves A LOT of problems.

 

[2005jettatdi]

Among other things, I keep a folding combo wood/bone saw, shovel, gloves, garbage bags, ski mask, and an old Army .45 in my SUV. One day I realized that could look pretty suspicious.

Why? Oh, I see, Seattle ish. What I see is it looks like you are a hunter. When I lived in Lewis County not having a firearm in your car would be suspicious. Now I live in Mohave County, Arizona. All of the cops here just assume you have a piece in your car.

 

[dumkid]

I keep

• Jumper cables
• Tow rope
• Hitch extender (the handles on my hitch mounted winch hit the spare tire on the rear)
• Hitch pin
• Some water that's probably not safe to drink after 3 years in a hot car
• $20 worth of Chinese wrences
• Old fan belt
• Wired winch controller (the winch and nice controller live in the garage
• Alligator clip jumper wire x2
• Toilet paper
• Spare tire and related stuff
• Cheap 12v inflator

I should add a plug kit but so far I've never had a tire go flat on the road that was saveable. I've picked up some nails and plugged them when I got home though

 

[weaponoffreedom]

In my truck is a similar black plastic box, containing a decent tool set, with pliers, screwdrivers, allen, torx, sockets and good wrenches. Tire plugs, an inflator, tow strap, lifting straps, rope, duct tape. I also have a good set (all copper) of jumper cables and a jump box. There is a duffel bag in the cab with a warm coat, gloves, a hat, scarf, and blanket. I keep a couple of water bottles, and I think there is an MRE in the box.

I am prepared to fix most things, as well as to spend the night, perhaps more, in inclement weather.

Many times, when I lived in Vermont, I was the only car on the road, late at night, in the snow. A wreck, or breakdown, brought the very real possibility of spending the night. In sub-zero weather. The kit back then included a sleeping bag, too.

Since buying the Tundra, and moving the kit over from the 4Runner, the only thing I’ve used the tool kit for was assembling IKEA furniture when helping my kids move into college dorms, or apartments.

But I cannot imagine being on the road with at least a bit of self-sufficiency.

When I lived in NE Wyoming, you had to be real careful aobut the weather in the winter. Temps get below -30 like clockwork, and snow drifts will cover your car 100% in a few hours. I seen one the had to have been 30ft tall. That kind of weather will kill.

 

[eljefino]

Ratchet straps are great if you lose a muffler clamp or if a hood/ trunk doesn't close for whatever reason.

Zip ties... for drift stitches

Ignition coils... helped my cousin out with one for his Scion. My prius turtled itself after running on 3/4 cylinders for a few seconds so I started carrying spares.

Bluetooth OBD tool so one can pull codes and see which cylinder is misfiring.

Tire plugs along with the reamer and diagonal cutters for pulling foreign objects out, and trimming the rope to length.

 

[ecotourist]

Where we live (mild climate summer and winter, short distances) our most worrisome risk is getting caught away from home by "the big one" - bridges knocked out, trees and debris across roads, etc. So we carry a cell phone, bottled water and high energy food. Our Tesla with its always almost fully charged battery would keep us nice and warm or cool for a day or two.

Our ICE car carries the same survival water and high energy food, the last belts replaced, a crossed tire wrench, an actual spare tire and disposable coveralls.

On long trips we carry first aid equipment including a hemostat (could save a life with that) and a tic removing tool. We've pulled right up behind someone who had just wiped out on a bicycle about 40 miles from the nearest gas station and patched him up with the contents of our kit.

Our Tesla didn't come with a spare tire so for our last big trip I borrowed a snow tire on an OEM rim from a colleague. I'll be getting a narrow but full diameter, high speed rated spare tire before our next trip. https://modernspare.com/product/2017-2023-tesla-model-3-spare-tire-kit-options/

 

[vavavroom]

Trunk stuff from the Mini, including the folding shovel and saw some of you probably thought were for laughs. The hand tools are in the cunny hole under the trunk liner where on other Mini models the spare tire would be. I have some stuff behind the front seats. I got 5 times as much gear in the Lincoln.

 

[Astro14]

I forgot about the folding shovel! There is one in every car (a remnant of snow country life and four wheeling). Glock makes a good one, and one year for Christmas, I bought a Glock for every car, so each kid got a Glock.

 

[nomas]

A GOOD flashlight .

 

[dumkid]

I just use my phone as a flashlight. It's not the best, but it works and I don't have to get batteries for one more thing