Don't fill them all the up, leave room for expansion and contraction. If you're got a way to melt snow for drinking water, you could use to to thaw a frozen bottle. I also bring a fresh 2L nalgene with me every morning.

2012 Update

Great thread! I have to make room for a baby stroller in the back of my Jeep, so all of this needs to be kept in a large rubbermaid bin in the back, along with the glove box, console and under the seats. Last year I was driving a little Honda Civic and had a similar load but with much more in terms of winter clothes. (It's still early in the season. I'll add snow pants for everyone when we go on road trips.)

From memory:

EDC backpack
Personal BOB
My son's daypack/bob
FAK

In rubbermaid bin in rear/under seats/in glove box/console:

Spare Clothes:
blaze orange thinsulate hat
reflective vest
extra fleece jackets
bright yellow rain slicker
extra insulated boots
thinsulte tappers hats
wool or thinsulate mittens
insulated mechanic's gloves

Shelter:
wool blanket(s)
winter sleeping bag (s)
thermarest
tarp
paracord
small 2 man tent

Tools:
emergency only cel phone
extra sunglasses
cel phone chargers (mine, hubby's and emerg phone's)
tool kit (ratchet set, screw drivers, wrenches, etc.)
LED Flashlights (1 X DD, 1 x AAA, lighter outlet plug-in)
extra batteries
multi-tool
bic
snap lights
pens
notebook
owner's manual for Jeep
jumper cables
tire iron
extra fuses
oil pressure gauge
air compressor
tow rope
thule straps
large coffee can
hobo stove
esbit tabs
fatwood
tea lights
newspaper
bic
strike anywhere matches
cotton balls
chem hand warmers
plastic garbage bags
TP
shop towels
rags
road flares
shovel
ax
folding saw
ice scraper
kitty litter or road salt
2 golf umbrellas
fire extinguisher
road maps
inflated (to pressure) spare tire

Fluids:
water (I think there's a total of 10l out there at the moment)
drinks in bobs (coffee, hot chocolate, koolaid, etc.)
washer fluid
transmission fluid
oil

Extra food:
trail mix
cliff bars
peanut m&ms
food in edc and bob (bars, MH, etc.)

The space between my ears:
Check and re-check the weather reports for your entire journey
file trip plans with responsible people
stick to the plan
top up all fluids before trips
keep gas tank above 1/2 full
change oil, brakes, etc. regularly
don't test the 4WD unneccessarily
dress ro survive not to arrive
drive defensively
snow tires
keep on eye on the rubber

Dagny, did make covers for the windows on your Element? Someone mentioned them last year and I thought it was you. I'm wondering what they're made of?

That's it!! (Sorry. I have read the entire thread before asking. I should have known it would come up.)

Thanks Dagny!

Any blanket is better than none, but IMHO wool is best. Naturally non flamable, warm if wet or damp, and does not attract or retain odours unlike synthetics.
I dont think that colour is important. Dark colors wont normaly be any warmer than light colours, the only exception being outdoors in cold but sunny conditions when dark colours would absorb a bit of radiant heat.
Orange or red are visable in most conditions, and dark colors show well against snow, but likely use is inside inside a vehicle or other shelter, not in the open.

Place in a breathable bag of canves or similar, and laundering once a year seems simple.

*drags up older yet currently relevant thread*



Hi again all --

So we're about to get walloped by another snowstorm here in Colorado (I know, I know, it's like saying "it's gonna rain in Oregon" or "It's gonna be sunny in Florida") and watching the news I realized there was one further step we could take with our winter car kits: adding items for stranded motorists. So, if there is room...

*extra hats
*extra mittens/gloves/socks
*extra blankets
*extra chemical handwarmer packets (as I mentioned in another thread, these need to be checked as they are not always reliable)
*extra snacks/water





--Meadowlark

I was just going through my car kit, and re-discovered some old Coghlan's hand warmers I had stashed in a tub. These were about 4 years old now, and I know these things have a limited shelf life.

I took them out, and they felt a little "stiff", so I opened one up to test it out.. but I guess they were just packed really tightly.

I took it out, shook it up, felt to see if there were any "clumps", and sure enough, I could feel it start to warm right up.

Guess I'll throw them into my backpack and get them used up the next time I'm in a situation that I need them. But I was rather impressed with the lifespan of these.

Other's were good for maybe a year...

The charcoal warmers last much longer than the best buy dates. They may not be as effective or a few of them may get some holes poked in them which is what slowly degrades them. Other than that they can keep quite well.