The thread about the poor starving Canadian truckers prompts this inquiry about Everyday Vehicular Carry. Compared to pockets and backpacks, one has many more options and weight is relatively insignificant. So, what is always present in your vehicle?

In SoCal, I try to be relatively prepared for earthquakes. My vehicle is parked in the open and therefore also functions as a safe stash for supplies that might be useful in that event. Hence canteens of water, alcohol stoves and fuel, food (especially coffee and tea!), sleeping bag, jumpsuit, spare parka, small flashlight/headlamp,expensive first aid supplies, and day pack with additional water and food. Also a pry bar so I can gain entry into the homestead.

For the vehicle - jumper cables, shovel, saw, hatchet, small wrench set, quart of oil. Not much for spare parts because it is basically computerized......

When travelling, I am usually carrying gear for backpacking, climbing, or field work, so there is additional useful gear including tent, tarps, etc. Heading for snow country, i would include a tow rope

Interestingly enough, my wife has roughly the same gear, arriving at her choices independently. The threat in SoCal isn't weather, so much as it is the dreaded sig alert and jammed, impassable freeways,leading to many happy hours spent in the car....

So, what's in your car?

Specifically for winter, I add the following to my car:

-snow tires
-snow brush and scraper
-bucket and grain shovel
-extra hat, mitts, wool socks and sweater for everyone
-complete change of clothes for the wee ones
-couple of wool blankets
-chemical hand warmers
-flashlight and extra batteries
-fire starting kit
-couple of SS water bottles
-instant coffee and koolaid
-high fat ready to eat snacks (nuts, fruit, chocolate, etc.)
-a Mountain House meal
-hi-viz vest and toque
-insulated mechanics gloves
-extra pair of boots for me
-jug of winter anti-freeze
-bag of kitty litter or salt
-road flares
-small backpacking tent, blue tarp and some paracord
-extra bic lighter
-extra plastic bags

*Everyone starts bringing their winter coats and snow pants at this time of year too!

My purse also gets beefed up at this time of year:

-extra hat, mitts, socks and buff for myself and my daughter
-my good winter mitts
-esbit emergency stove and tabs
-SS water bottle
-couple of clif bars
-couple packs of instant oatmeal
-instant coffee and koolaid
-chemical hand warmers
-extra heat sheet or SOL emergency bivvy
-extra BIC lighter
-extra plastic bags
-fire starting kit
-a couple of tea lights

I'd add a +20 degree bag (though that should now be 2x) flashlight, spare cell phone and charger (just for calling 911) spare winter jacket, mitts ( choppers) high calorie, shelf stable foods, tiny snow shovel.

As previously discussed, my truck kit is comprised of a 96 hour kit (72 hour kit + more food & water) and my backpack based GHB. The truck kit has a largish FAK, sleeping bag, blankets, extra clothing, both D-cell and AA LED lights, spare batteries, an MSR MicroRocket stove plus fuel canister (in the GHB) and an MSR WhisperLite International stove in a larger container. I can easily hang with the truck for quite a while in an emergency. For trips outside SOCAL (especially in winter) I add a duffel bag with additional winter gear which increases the blankets & cold weather clothing available.

Much of the kit is in waterproof containers, so if I were stuck someplace I could move those containers under the truck, and use a largish nylon tarp to turn the back of the truck into a living space. No need to cook inside the truck's cab, the back is much safer.

The truck is parked in the garage at home, so unfortunately if there is a major earthquake, the first thing on my list is to open the garage door and move the truck out to the street. Then I assess damage if any and shut off the natural gas.

My setup doesn't really change in the winter, except for snowtires, snow scrapper and brushes and when i'm going abroad snowchains (snowchains are illegal to use in my country).

From memory; so i probably forgetting things:

For road side issues:
- Trifold shovel
- Traxion plates (very effective and less messy then gritt)
- Towstrap
- Jumpercables
- LED flares 4x
- Flashlights
- gloves
- multitool
- Hi-viz vests 5x
- Warning triangle 2x

Spare parts:
- Fuses
- Light bulbs
- Plugs and tools
- valve cores and tool
- wire
- Zipties
- Spare batteries (AA and AAA)
(also spare tire, jack, tire iron)

Little survival kit:
- Trangia mess kit as container/cooking vessel
- Esbit stove
- Emergency blanket
- Whistle
- Mirror
- Waterbag
- purification tablets
- Lighter and matches
- Manual chain saw
- Small knife
- candles
- 72 hours lifeboard ration (not in the mess kit, but stored in the same bag)

Randomly put:
- Blanket
- Pillow
- Waterbottles
- Hand sanitizer
- toilet paper

My main emergency kit lives in my car:

• Technology / lighting / battery module
• Knife / saw / tools module
• Warmth / shelter module
• Medical module
• Admin / reference module
• Navigation module
• Comms module
• Water / Food module
• Hygiene module
• Defense module

This is in one (fairly heavy) bag that's "wife-portable" for shorter distances. In the unlikely event that a longer walk is called for, we'd need to divide the load or dump some of it.

The winter module is added on to that:

• Snow brush / ice scraper (heavy-duty, extendable model made of stainless steel
• Voile Telepro avalanche shovel
• entrenching tool
• extreme cold weather sleep system
• Work gloves
• Extra cold weather gloves
• Extra parka
• Dry clothes

There's a car-specific kit that has some relevant components:

• Good spare tire
• Working jack and lug wrench
• Two feet of steel pipe to use as a cheater bar for lug wrench
• Tow strap
• Thick jumper cables
• Costco "jump pack" jumpstarter/compressor/area light, charged monthly
• Galvanized wire
• tire plug kit
• Alumaseal
• self-fusing silicone tape
• Assortment of auto fuses
• four hose clamps

Um, I'd shut off the gas first.

Exactly. Shut off the gas first.

http://quaketips.blogspot.com/2013/05/should-i-turn-my-gas-off-after.html

This and other sources suggest that turning off the gas should not be done in a knee jerk fashion. It may be a while before you can get the utility company to turn it back on. On the other hand, if you turn the gas off, it is indeed off.

The decision will vary with the circumstances. I would be just as aware of downed electric wires, among the many potential haards, as leaking gas.

I agree. Whether or not to turn it off after an earthquake depends on the circumstances.

I would certainly turn it off if I detected any hint of leaking gas. I would also likely turn it off if there were indications of significant structural damage to the house. On the other hand, absent any indication of leaking gas, and if there were no serious structural damage, I would probably leave it on.

By the way, it is possible to turn it back on yourself, at least for the set up at my house. The gas guy showed me how to do it (though he probably wasn't supposed to). It was actually quite simple, at least for my place.