The Trangia takes alcohol - usually I feed it denatured alcohol from the home center. Operation is extremely simple, but I would recommend playing with it a bit before packing it away. I keep my alcohol in a stout plastic bottle (500 cm capacity) which resides within a fairly solid container. If the fuel bottle ruptures in an accident, I will be dealing with much larger problems, if I am dealing at all.

Parking inside should be much more felicitous. My car is exposed to the merciless California sunshine. Vehicles make great solar cookers.

As I write about all the stuff in my car it seems remarkable that it all fits. The backseats are out of the Element most of the year and in their place are two 99-gallon Action Packers that hold all this stuff and more.

I have two stoves in the car, one of them very low tech: the Kelly Kettle. I also have a Coleman duel-fuel single burner in there.

The beauty of the Kelly Kettle (and its cousins the Thermette and Eydon Kettle) is that it runs off the most rudimentary fuel -- twigs, sticks and even animal dung. I keep a variety of fire starters and lots of matches in the car, too.

These kettles are primarily for boiling water but they also come with cook kits for heating food over the flame. I have the kit for the Kelly but haven't used it.

http://www.kellykettle.com/

"# NO Batteries, NO Gas - FREE FUEL! Works with any fuel: sticks, dry grass, bark, pine cones, even dry animal dung!"

I bought direct from the manufacturer in Ireland. Significantly cheaper than any I could find in the U.S. (cheapest complete kit I saw at the time in the U.S. was $129, not including shipping).

The principle complaint with the Kelly Kettle is needing two hands to pour (one to hold the chain) and some reported leakage at the bottom because the metal is not welded.


http://www.thermette.com/index.htm

There is another version of this kettle technology that was patented in New Zealand in 1929. It's called the "Thermette" and is made of copper (last two photos below). Both the Kelly and the Thermette get high reviews for boiling water fast with "found fuel" (sticks, twigs, etc.).

The weak point of the Thermette is reportedly a cheap handle that will result in knuckle-burn if not careful. I have a Thermette (I'm a sucker for the rustic copper) but haven't used it. The Thermette stays at home.

A third "storm kettle" manufacturer I came across is the "Eydon Kettle Company" of the United Kingdom. Built and sold there. I don't recall any criticism of it, just seems the discussions are predominately Kelly v. Thermette.

http://www.eydonkettle.com/

FOOD -- I generally have a few Luna Bars in the car and that's it. If we're going on a roadtrip, I add twice the dog food that I expect Gidget will need and whatever I may be taking to camp.

WATER -- I have a case of bottle water in a soft cooler in the back of the Element at all times. The water that's in there now was put in around Thanksgiving and survived our severe winter without leakage.

Nice to know the water is in there 24/7, I have used a couple bottles.

HYGIENE

I'm a Felix about cleanliness so have several bottles of antiseptic spray in the car. Also have a few packages of "bath-wipes" in the Element's driver and passenger doors.

I recently put a bar of soap in the car and have just begun thinking about keeping shampoo and conditioner in there. Will probably just throw my camping shower bag in the car -- includes toothbrush and toothpaste and assorted items. That's one of those things I absolutely do not want to forget when going camping. And it would enhance my morale if stranded somewhere.

I keep a small folding brush in the glove compartment.

There's much to be said for keeping some fresh undergarments in the car -- they don't take much room. Maybe some Target cheapies. Will add to my list.

EXTRA GLASSES

I also keep in the car an older pair of glasses.

Contacts are a luxury, glasses are necessity. For me, anyway.

TIRE COMPRESSOR & CHANGING A TIRE

We've come a long way, baby, but a lot of us females still aren't adept at changing a tire. I am adept because my father made sure I knew how to change a flat on my first car - a '69 Mustang - and because of the way I drove that car (corners), I had lots of practice changing flats.

Any woman who has not changed a tire on the car she currently drives, should practice doing so. Know where the lug wrench is and the "locking" lugnut socket if you need one to remove your wheels. Make sure the lugnuts aren't on so tight that you can't break them loose.

Know where the jack is and the proper place to put it when you are jacking up the car (owner's manual should have this info).

Also make sure your spare tire has sufficient air. I had a flat last week (thankfully the car was in front of the house) and my spare has only half as much air pressure as its supposed to. And then I discovered that the portable tire compressor I carry no longer works (must've killed it on my neighbor's car last month). [any recommendations for a new one?]

While getting new tires and an oil change after that flat last week I had a couple hours to burn and did so reading through my Honda Element owner's manual. A good investment of time now and then.

re air compressor

I picked up one from Costco last fall after my old one failed, it's the PowerStation PSX, batt charger, light and air compressor. I think it was $69 and they still have them in stock out here. It's a little big is my only complaint. I only carry it on trips.

dagny- thanks for that reminder about knowing how to change a tire. i too was taught by my father when i first got my drivers license (yearrrrs ago). I thankfully have not been required to do it since I was in high school. (Probably just jinxed myself). But anyway, that is a good idea about practicing it on our current vehicles. I know the basic principles of how to change the tire, but they do say practice makes perfect!

Ditto on the hygiene items Dagny! I keep a small bag with travel sized bottles of shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant in my vehicle, doesn‘t take much room and could make things lots more pleasant. Hand sanitizer. wipes and travel towels are nice to have too.

For those of us that include dogs in our outdoor adventures, I highly recommend carrying some sort of skunk odor remover in your vehicle, especially during the summer and early fall. Fortunately, I’ve only had a dog skunked once and it was at home, but two friends have had this happen while out and NOT within walking distance of home. It’s probably prudent to have something on hand to at least get the odor under some sort of control prior to placing the dog back in your vehicle for the ride home! There are many products on the market as well as the homemade; peroxide, baking soda and soap recipe, which is a rather harsh concoction and caution needs to be used getting it around the face …where they normally get sprayed. Most treatments require immediate washing out afterwards, which could present a problem when away from home.

After talking to several who have used it, I carry Skunk-Off spray in my vehicle if I’m going to be out in any likely skunk area with my dogs. You can spray the dog down without rinsing it out and I’ve been told it really helps, at least until you can get home for a good warm water bath and more treatments as skunk odor is not easy to get off a dog.

Now is the time to check yourself, many, many shops will over tighten the lug nuts and make them difficult for you to get loose. I gave up on "free" tire rotations after it too two people jumping on a pipe on the end of a lug wrench to get one off. After doing it a couple times I can rotate tires and change oil in less time than it would take me to drive someplace to have it done anyway and I know my vehicle better for it. I keep a pair of old clothes and all the tools required under the back seat of my truck should I ever need to do either out somewhere and doing it at home is good practice and a good way to check and make sure all my gear is there.