It’s Summer roadtrip season which means you may be traveling outside your normal area of civilization…to more remote places. The question to ask yourself is if you’re ready for when things may go wrong…outside of cell coverage and roadside assistance accessible areas. Let’s find out how to stock your trunk for emergency preparedness so you can take care of yourself.
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For the average pragmatist, much of what follows may be elementary. But at worst, you might go through a little trouble gathering and stocking a few items in your new Preparedness Trunk Box…and nothing challenging ever happens.
So here’s a suggested list of items to equip yourself with:
Flashlight – LED based, heavy duty style. No cheap plastic stuff here.
Jumper Cables – even low-gauge cables can be practical, but the potential problem is finding someone to give you a jump, hence…
Portable Vehicle Jump Starter – great tool, but your challenge with this is remembering to keep it charged (Intelliboost, Weego & Gooloo are a few brands you can investigate for yourself)
Roadside Hazard Indicators – old school Flares and free standing Emergency Reflective Road Triangles are two options. A modern version is what’s called LED Road Flares that look like orange flashing hockey pucks. Batteries are your challenge here again.
Fire Extinguisher – the “dry chemical” variety (rated A, B and C) is probably best in this case.
Quart of Motor Oil – just in case. (check your vehicle owner’s manual for proper weight)
Engine Coolant – Antifreeze –
First Aid Kit – go crazy here and invest a few bucks ($25-$35) for a quality kit.
Blanket – the Heavy Duty Thermally Efficient for Emergencies kind…as opposed to one that Grandma made for you.