I have been asked by my family to develop car kits for my teenage nieces and nephews. They are live in small towns in the Midwest. They all have cell phones. Coverage is good but by no means assured. These kits are expected to fit in a small duffel bag in the trunk.

AA LED Flashlight with spare batteries (use energizer primary batteries)
Water - a few bottles of bottled water
44 hour candle (nuwik)
Waterproof matches and lighter
Map & Compass (County & state map)
Duct Tape (small roll)
First Aid Kit
Whistle with lanyard
Blanket (at least fleece, wool would be better)
50' of Paracord (light rope as an alternate)
Gloves, Watch Cap, Spare coat, wool socks, and overshoes

Anything I missed or other comments welcome.

AAA membership - cheap insurance, with a cell phone you will be rescued roadside. Get the enhanced membership and they will tow you up to 100 miles. And if they don't use it, they can always use it with their friends (you don't need to own the car, just be on scene when the breakdown occurs).

Seat belt cutter or two - Countycomm has the Gerber Rescue Knife for under $10, seems like a good deal - http://www.countycomm.com/cutter.htm. Make sure they keep it somewhere within easy reach, like the side door pocket or even attached to their seatbelts.

Window punch - available at any AAA office, under $20. Also keep it in the main compartment of the car.

Signalling devices - road flares, red triangles, whatever floats your boat. Telling kids to get out of the car to warn approaching traffic by setting up some warning signals a decent distance behind them is situational and iffy, but I hear alot about folks read ending the back of stalled cars more often than I hear of people getting run over in the street while setting them out. And some folks don't like road flares as they risk igniting spilled gasoline, but they are cheap and hopefully your nieces and nephews know when to deploy? The non-flammable type of road flares (LEDs) still seem pretty pricey.

You are a good uncle. :-)


Couple garbage bags for emergency ponchos.

Knife to cut the paracord.

Survival cards and First-Aid booklet.

High-visibility safety vest.

Pepper spray.


Are the cars already outfitted with fire extinguishers?

Wire, zip ties, and a couple of metal coat hangers.
Small tool kit with wire cutters.
Tarp or some contractor bags.
Visual signals (reflector triangles, and a strobe is kinda nice).
Saw.
Knife.
Small shovel, not a trowel.

Another question on the cars -- do they have jumper cables?

Some things I learned the hard way as a young driver:


1) Batteries die. (Need jumper cables with directions)

2) Tires flatten. (Know how to change them)

3) Engines catch fire. (Have a functioning fire extinguisher)

Dagny mentioned the booster cables, I will mention the tow strap.

Did anybody suggest some munchies in case they are stuck for a few hours?

LeeG mentioned the gloves, but I will repeat that anyhow. It can be real hard to change a tire or shovel out with fingers that are freezing cold. Crappy looking mitts are warmer than gloves, one size (Xlarge) fits all and they are less likely to go missing from the kit.

I'd suggest Millenium bars as they are good enough to eat in a crunch but not that tempting.

Also, off topic. Don't try to carry one in your pocket thru the metal detectors at the airport. Took me and TSA a few tries to figure that out.

Also, a 6x8' blue plastic tarp is useful in a lot of situations.

Before going with any kind of knife, make sure none of them go to any schools where there are rules forbidding those items on campus. We've seen several cases this year of students suspended for such things.

A lot of what to carry varies with who is in the car, how far from "help" you plan to go and the local conditions. I have always had the following in my car (starting at age 16 when I got my first car). This is probably overkill for many folks but growing up with a father and grandfather who were very good mechanics has had an influence. We lived out of town so a drive anywhere took some time and Midwest weather changes a lot over the year and even during the day.

The list roughly follows an old saying from horse cavalry days, "the horse, the saddle, the man."

Fuses - appropriate for the car, not just a random mix
Good jumper cables - heavy duty and long enough to reach across the car
Tow chain / strap - longer/ stronger than you think you need
Quart of Oil
Quart of Transmission fluid
(Add a gallon of washer fluid/deicer in winter)
Fix-a-Flat (or equiv.)
12V Air pump
tire gauge
tire patch kit (small)
Duct Tape / Muffler Tape
Electricians tape
Small tool kit - at least a couple of screwdrivers and an adjustable wrench/pliers
Locking Pliers
Forceps
Better breaker bar for changing tires - most don't provide enough leverage
Better jack for the car (hydraulic bottle jack usually)

Two signaling devices (currently reflective triangles)
Two flashlights - one larger with kit, one smaller (AA?) in glove box
Several Mechanics Rags / Paper Towels
Leather gloves (all the time, add heavier gloves in fall)
Ice scrapers / snow brushes (fall to spring)
Sand/cat litter for weight/traction (fall to spring)
Something to cut with (knife or scissors)
Seatbelt cutter (in glove box)
Shovel (small)

Blanket/Fleece
First aid kit
Sunscreen
Benadryl fast melt strips
Pain killers (aspirin and tylenol)
car chargers for my electronics (cell phone, gps, iPod...)
At least $2 in change (quarters, dimes, nickels)
a $20 bill

Various consumables (water, snacks etc.) depending on season/climate.

The above can get pretty expensive, especially the stuff from the top of the list. I have always aimed for quality tools and would rather have a few good, simple tools than a complete set of cheap (worthless) wrenches. If you don't know how/when to use the tools, don't bother with them - get AAA and a good cell phone.

- Eric

The schools are searching their car trunks?