Winter Travel Advisory
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With all of the severe weather we have been having this winter, the Department of Transportation issued a travel warning. They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should have the following:

Shovel
Blankets or sleeping bag
Extra clothing including coats, hats and gloves
24 hours worth of food
De-icier
Sand
Flashlight and spare batteries
Road flares or reflective triangles
5 gallon gas can full of gas
Tire chains
Jumper cables

I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning!

You owe me a new keyboard. And some screen wipes.

! !

O my

LOL!!! But, seriously, anyone else note something critical missing?

As an old desert rat, I would never go anywhere without a full canteen, and I usually throw in some means of heating, an alcohol or canister stove,so I can convert that water into a nice cup of tea, as well as for other ourposes. My car is so equipped right now, even siting here in balmy soCal.

I am not so sure that five gallons of gas in a container of unknown specification is a very good idea. Better to be sure that the gas tank is full when embarking on a trip.

As long as you are equipping yourself, throw in a tow strap.

Liquid refreshment.

Exactly! No Water, no Food!

One problem with carrying water in your kit for winter travel is that water tends to freeze (at least in places that have real winter).

I suppose it's OK to do that if you plan to drive from your warm garage, and park in a warm garage at your destination. Or if you plan to bring your travel kit indoors when not driving. Or if your "winter weather" really doesn't go below freezing much.

As I type this it is a balmy -5F (-20C) at my house this morning. If you had parked your vehicle last night in front of my house, this morning your water would be frozen solid as a rock.

Depending on what sort of container you had it in, the container might also have split when it froze. One time after shopping we inadvertently left a couple of bottles of club soda overnight in the SUV. When they burst during the night, the carbonation blew ice chips all over the inside of the vehicle! Quite entertaining, but fortunately not a serious mess to clean up.

I'm with you on this. I have a few extra bottles of water left over from the summer in my vehicle right now but they wouldn't do me any good since they are rock solid (I park outside year round).

The only thing I try to do is bring along a water bottle when I'm out & about, but that only provides so much water (less than a litre). I guess a true winter kit really needs a stove or some other method to turn your ice-blocks into something drinkable.

Well, it was just supposed to be a silly joke, not a well thought-out list of items we should carry.

But it's always good for everyone to give their suggesstions on what items are good to have. There's always something missing that I learn about and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

One way to keep your water from freezing is to take it with you. This precludes keeping an extra supply of it in your vehicle, but at least you'll have what is in your water bottle or hydration bladder if things go bad.

If you want to keep an extra water supply in the car you could fill your own reused bottles only part way to allow for the ice expansion. Not as convenient but it could work, I wonder if anyone here has tried it with success?

It was a good joke! People just got on a serious track, and I joined in.

Regarding your OP, I was going to ask if the bus company had any safety issues with you carring 5 gal of gasoline, and road flares onto the bus?

The small Gatorade bottles can be filled completely. Between the thickness of the plastic and the shape, there is enough give and strength that they don't split. Also, Gatorade freezes as a homogenous solid unlike diet lemonade (super concentrated sour core surrounded by weak flavored water)

I just have a 6 pack of water in the car stored in a cooler to reduce the temperature swings and keep any spillage due to cracking contained. (no cracked bottles yet).

Personally I prefer LED flares instead of the chemical ones and I do not carry jerrycans of fuel. I just keep my fuel tank at least half full. Filled jerrycans inside the car just don't feel that safe to me.

I enjoyed the joke, even sent it on.

I store the small bricks of Ribina 10X200ml in the car.

http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatalog/Ribena_Ready_To_Drink_Blackcurant_10x200ml.jpg

I am not sure if you can get it in the US but it is a blackcurrant drink which has a lot of sugar in it and you will have something similar I am certain.

Because of the sugar the freezing point is depressed and it stays liquid to -5ºC or so and even when they do freeze the pack expands OK.

Another advantages are the energy value from the sugar, each pack has a straw attached and they taste good.

I might throw a cell phone into that mix (or a PLB for remote areas).

I was the doofus that didn't get the joke - I was viewing the question posed by Ritter concerning what was missing from the list.

BTW, freedom from cracking when freezing is just another of the virtues of recycled Gatorade bottles. I use them a lot.

figured there were other ways to get around the freezing issue

Report immediately to the Association of Survival Schools to receive your punishment!

Ha, got you back for that one!

Duly noted. Does this mean I have to go to Oklahoma for the weekend? Looks like they are going to get some heavy weather.....