I am not a big fan of snow shovels. The plastic ones that are 18"-22" in width available in big box stores are ONLY useful for loose snow.

I prefer narrow about 6"-10" steel garden shovels with a flat end (as opposed to pointed which is good for dirt). The shovel is strong enough to use as a pick to get at ice and narrow enough to dig snow/ice from under the car to shovel myself free.

With time, I can get the car free of most ice/snow whereas a regular snow shovel is pretty much useless.

Conway Yee

Both of my cars have the Voile Telepro shovel. While the Snowclaw takes up less room I wouldn't want to have to move more than a little bit of snow with it. With my bad back having a long shovel handle helps a great deal.

In all seriousness, a cellphone and a friend who owns a serious 4x4. The worst I've ever gotten my Jeep stuck we had to jack up each corner one at a time and stack rocks under each tire, then build a path of rocks to drive on until we got up enough speed to clear the bad spot.

Since installing some serious MT tires and lockers in both axles I don't do "stuck" very often. A snatch strap (good one from Warn or someone, not a Harbor Freight tow strap) would go a long way, as well as making sure that you have adequate recovery points.

Car recovery is my thing, or so I would like to maintain that idea.

If you are zipping along in a normal car like a 4 door sedan or mini 5 door car. a simple Get home bag that does include head lamps (can't work with one hand holding the flashlight and holding it in your mouth is not a good idea) as for the "pull out" part I would suggest the following:

A) Traction mats
B) Tire cables, if your car can use them, even if they are illegal for on the road, they can get you out of the ditch and then you can remove them. Also keep in mind that if they don't work, they are amazingly good at getting you supper stuck!
C) Short pieces of webbing or rock climbing rope. I have rescued a small SUV from a snow bank by using webbing and attaching that webbing to a good 4X4. More than once had I been in a friends car who was stuck, a 4x4 stops and says, "I will pull you out, but I don't have a tow rope"
D) and Avalanche Shovel. Not your cheap store bought shovel, these are the ones meant to move hard packed snow. During the summer, a small good shovel goes a long way; I don't use the folding ones I prefer to use the normal shovels. More space is used, but the pay off is pretty good when in a pinch.
E) Road flairs
F) Jumper cables, if you have the space one of those jumper systems that have an inverter and an air compressor goes a long way.

That is the basic list.. I am sure I am missing something.



As I drive a F350 4x4 my "box" is a little bigger.

In that I carry the following:
A) 2 gage Jumper Cables
B) 4 quarts of Oil (just incase)
C) Coolant
D) 4 small ratchet straps
E) 2 heavy duty ratchet straps
F) 2 30'x2" snatch straps.
G) 1 30'X4" tow strap.
H) 3 5 ton chains varying lengths from 6 foot to 12 foot
I) 4 Shackles rated to 4 tons each
J) 2 Pulleys rated to 20,000 pounds
K) Machete
L) 18 inch bar chain saw (ok I am over prepared)
M) Light tool chest
N) 200 feet of old rappelling line
O) WD40


I am sure that I am missing a ton of stuff.. But I have issues with wanting to keep too much in my truck.

My kit includes a spare tire, appropriate jack and tire iron, work gloves, jumpstarter, air compressor, jumper cables and a tow strap. The BOB that goes with the car has a headlamp, a handheld flashlight, and a multitool (among many other things).

My wife prefers a separate jumpstarter from the compressor due to size. I prefer a combined unit; mine has an area light on it. These units require regular maintenance; I charge them both monthly.

Traction mats, a plastic snow showel for the fluffy snow, a metal tri-fold shovel for harder stuff, an elastic towing rope for towing, a heavy-duty inelastic tow strap for that gentle "tug" that can get you unstuck.

I have very limited room between the wheel and the bodywork. I want to find a chain that I'm confident I can put on without growing smaller fingers - and still be effective. I have very good snow tires on a car that handles really well in the winter, so when I need chains I really need GOOD chains that really digs into snow and ice.

With regard to shovels, the plastic ones are very inadequate for serious digging in frozen or compacted snow, The steel ones such as the Voile are much better. (I carry a Voile on my winter pack for avalanche rescue.) Keep in mind, however, that one can get stuck in lots of situations other than snow. I once had occaison to dig out hard packed, well consolidated dirt, with some gravel mixed in. In this situation, even the Voile might not be optimal.

For carrying in a vehicle, where weight isn't such a huge consideration, a really stout shovel isn't a bad idea. In one car we've carried an old style, genuine GI entrenching tool, which fits in the space around the spare tire. In the other car, we've carried the "NATO" style e-tool, which fits in the smaller space available in that car. Make sure you get the genuine issue shovel, as there are some cheap knock offs, which will break or bend when you need them most.

I totally spaced it but my kit has the Cold Steel "Special Forces Shovel" as well. My wife's car doesn't have this one, though.

I've had some knock-off entrenching tools bend when I needed them, so let me second the motion to only get a good one.

If you carry a tow strap know beforehand where/how to attach it on your vehicle, I've heard from someone that when he offered to tow someone out on the condition that the stuck driver hook up the tow rope himself, he hooked it up to his front tie rod.

Unless they are in a vehicle with obvious, sturdy tow points, I require them to hook the strap to their vehicle. I'll glance to see that it isn't something that will cut my expensive strap. But it's up to them to hook it to something I won't rip off.