We've had some great winter car survival threads. Worth dusting off one or two of those.

My driving is mostly east coast and not on remote roads but even in the middle of the city on a clear day I've waited 2 hours for a AAA tow truck to show up. So my major criteria for winter car survival is the ability to simply stay warm in the car. To that end, my winter car gear includes:

20-degree sleeping bag
down booties
gloves/hat/neck gaiter/balaclava/long underwear
chemical hand warmers
Gore-Tex boots, Smartwool socks, waterproof pants

Year around, I have the usual assortment of survival stuff in there, such as fire-making gear and water. Throw in some energy bars and I and passengers would be in decent shape for situations short of armageddon.

My dog (a Samoyed) is often with me so for her I keep a few days of food and water in the car (an SUV). It's a dehydrated raw dog food which is great for travel. She'd be the first to get cranky if we were stranded on some road during her dinner hour.

Remember that a top priority for winter car survival is keeping ample gas in the fuel tank so you can run the heater. When I get to half a tank -- especially in inclement weather -- I start looking for a gas station.

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