I have recently taken a new job that requires an 40 mile one way commute (will change to 20 miles when I move). I drive mostly on freeways from one side of Houston to another. I need to put together a good kit for my car. (Ford F150 pickup, but soon to be a small sudan or hatchback). I looked through Dougs kit as a start. What do you have and how do you store it?

I have been away from the forum for a while

I keep a good BOB (all the usual stuff) in an old backpack, that way if I have to walk I can carry the essentials. BOB includes 3 litres of water MRE's, gum, candy, soup, drink mix, small stove, cookset, fuel, and other foods. SAK, 550 cord, chapstick, hat, gloves, socks, tissue, hand wipes. A very basic "camping" set up and the ability to stay warm. Compact sleeping bag, FAK , trauma bag and tools are also carried.

I feel your pain. 40 miles across Houston......OUCH. I bet the entire city is still under construction too! Poor guy. My advice to you is keep the F150! I just got and 04' and I love it. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Seriously though... back on-topic... I communte from near SE Fort Worth to the NW end of Dallas daily which is a little over 25 miles in similarly insane traffic and with similar weather conditions (minus the 99% humidity in houston which I do not miss at all). Here's what I carry in my truck under the back seat. In a day pack sized back pack I have the following items. I grabbed an old list that I had and then quickly (about to leave for lunch) tried to update it off the top of my head, so I probably left stuff out and mentioned stuff more than once. Sorry. Forgive my sloppiness please.

Jansport BackPack
Instant Pocket Ttent
Lighter, Matches, Sparklite, Magnesium Starter
1 Liter Platapus - empty
2 1 liter bottles of water
3 days/3600cal supply of mainstay food rations (i love these things)
Mylar Bivy Sack
2 Mylar Space Blankets
Instant Pocket Tube Tent
Windproof/Waterproof Matches w/ Striker
Doans Magnesium Starter w/ Ferrocium Rod
Mini Bic Red w/ Ziptie
Complete SparkLite Kit
Leatherman Juice
Fixed Blade Buck Knife
Reynolds Large Oven Bag
2 Gerber 12oz Zipper Bags
20 Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tabs
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil 1' x 6'
100' Fireline 100# Test Line Waxxed Green
6' Stainless Steel Braided Wire
10' Thick Black Steel Wire
10' Very Thick Fence Wire
50' 7 Strand Paracord Black
2 Flat Roll Consumer Grade Duct Tape 2" width
1 Flat Roll Electrical Tape 1.5" Width
50' 4mm Emergency Climbing Rope w/ Climbing 'Biner
MiniMag AA FlashLite w/ extra batteries and bulb
Glow Stick
GPS with Extra Batteries
Mini Titanium Caribiner
5 Bait-Style Fish Hooks
Suunto Compass
Fresnel Magnifying Lense Cut Down to Credit Card Size
24 Baby Wipes
12 Diapers
Baby Bink/Pacifier
Baby Sippy Cup
UDigIt Shovel
Biodegradable camp soap
Rescue Flash? 2" x 3" Signal Mirror w/
Fox40 Mini Modified Whistle
Citranella Candle
2 Noseeum Head Nets
2 Long Burning Emergency Candles
10# Fishing #69 Black Fishing Thread
SAK Hiker
Mil Spec Fishing Trap (if it wont fit then it goes in large kit)
6' Stainless Steel .020' Utility Wire
#22 Drop Point Scalpel Blade
2 Rain Ponchos

*** Also have a fully stocked FAK inside the backpack***

Also in the Truck but not in the back pack I have the following:

Rain Coat
Heavy Down Coat (Winter Only)
Several Rachet Straps
200' Cheap Plastic Rope
100" higher quality 7mm (roughly) 350# braided rope.
ABC Fire Extinguisher
Pretty thorough set of tools
About 12 Cliff Bars
2 Texas State Maps
4 D-Cell MagLite

I found the big problem is what to put it all in. I started with Rubbermaid containers but then realized I wouldn't be able to carry them very far if I needed to. But it's impossible to get to stuff quickly in a large backpack.

I finally went with a large Blackhawk Mobile Operations Bag. It's easier to get to stuff and you can put it on your shoulders and hump if you absolutely need to.

You must have a lot of stuff! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> All the stuff I mentioned above fits nicely in a normal day pack, except the stuff at the very bottom of the list which is stuff I would never intend to carry on foot. The pack isn't even busting at the seems ... yet. I'm sure I'll find more stuff to cram in to it in time though. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

nice equipment list there brian.

not to sidetrack this thread much but i just thought of something after new trucks were mentioned.

what do you feel about the idea of car makers putting black boxes standard on your new cars?

a few suv`s have then now mostly unknown to the owners, but i feel its a big invasion of privacy considering the info gathers CAN and would be used against you if needed.

You're right... it is sometimes a pain to get to stuff in the bag. I try to keep the stuff I need more often in the smaller outer pocket and then use the big main compartment for the stuff I rarely go for. It's a far from perfect system though... that's for sure.

I also feel that it is a HUGE invasion of privacy and it absolutely will be used against you in any situation where a lawyer feels he can make a case with it. There have already been several such cases in a few different states unfortunately. Absolutely 100% it is an invasion of privacy that is forced upon us. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I "think" where I live it is not (yet) a crime to disable the black box although it certainly isn't easy or inexpensive to do. Of course these days in the urban world we have no privacy at all. Stealth GPS units in cell phones, audio recorders in product display units at retail stores, Onstar-type GPS locators in cars, satelite imaging, toll pass tracking, creditcard purchase tracking, discount retail card purchase tracking and ofcourse a camera at every intersection of every road and tacked all over the inside and outside of almost every non-residential building on earth... and as I have noticed recently, some residential buildings as well.... and we won't even get in to computers and the Internet. If you think youre anonymous on the Internet send me a PM about it cause I can always use a good chuckle! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I could probably go on if I gave it some real thought but that paints a decent picture or the urban world today with regards to privacy. I realize that some of this technology saves lives and that a great deal of its abuse is simply for markets/advertising purposes but still the fact remains that privacy is pretty much a thing of the past IMO. Just like the TSA... these types of invasions of privacy are here to stay. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> You don't have to agree with it but you might as well get used to it. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Here's what I currently have in my truck. It's actually organized a lot better than this but this is the best cut and paste I could get:

WATER BOTTLE
FIREARM
1 GAL. WATER
STERNO (4)
AMMO
CAMPSAW
ORANGE GARBAGE BAG
UMBRELLA
AXE
BIC LIGHTERS
BALL CAP
EMPTY WATER BAG
W.P. MATCHES
FLASHLIGHT
BOOTS
S.A. MATCHES (IN WP CASE)
“D” BATTERIES
HI-LIFT JACK
TOILET PAPER
TRICK CANDLES
HUGE BLOCK AND TACKLE
LARGE CANDLES (4)
MORA KNIFE
SHOVEL
NYLON CORD W/ SMALL PULLY
JUMPER CABLES
SLEEPING BAG
POTABLE AQUA
FLARES
SIGNAL MIRROR
3# COFFEE CAN (EMPTY)
MAGLITE SOLITAIRE
LARGE LEAFBAG
TRIOX BAR
CANS CHILE (3)
LARGE FORK
COMPASS
DUSTMASKS
IBUPROPHEN
ASPIRIN
IMMODIUM
ACTIFED
CHAPSTICK
SMALL CHEM WARMER
SMALL SUNSCREEN
BOULLION CUBES
SM BINOCULARS
THERMAL SOCKS
WOOL SWEATER
LEVIS
INSULATED HOOD
SURGICAL TUBING (4’)
GAUZE BANDAGE 4” X 6 YARDS+
ELECTRICAL TAPE
BANDAGE COMPRESS
BAILING WIRE
GAUZE COMPRESS 36” X 36”
FLAT SCREWDRIVER (2)
TRIANGULAR BANDAGE
PHILLIP SCREWDRIVER
SPACE BLANKET

WIRECUTTERS
ADHESIVE TAPE
PLIARS
SCISSORS
ALLAN WRENCH SET
AMMONIA INHALANT
HAND CLEANER
BANDAIDS
SOCKET DRIVER
KNUCKLE BANDAIDS
SOCKETS: 1/2, 3/8, 11/32, 3/16, 7/32
SUTURE STRIPS
WRENCHES: 3/4, 11/16,19/32, 9/16, 1/2, 7/16, 3/8
BURN OINTMENT
ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT
ALCOHOL SWABS
RUBBER GLOVES
RAZOR BLADES
TINCTURE OF IODINE

Regards, Vince

Vince: I copied and saved your list for future reference. I noticed you don't have any audible signalling device (whistle). -- Bear

As far as medical stuff... In Texas, wouldn't you want a snake bite kit, too? Or did I miss that?

Rena
Survivalgene.com

Oh, nobody will believe this, but here I go anyway. Maybe I'll post pictures to prove it.

1 Full Set Firefighting turnout Gear (pants, jacket, boots, hood, helmet gloves)
1 ANSI Class 3 Rain Coat, Lime Green
6 Highway Traffic Cones
1 20 LB ABC Fire Extingisher
1 4x6 Wool Blanket
1 Large First Aid Kit with Splints and so forth
1 8x10 Tarp
250' 10mm Rescue Rope
6 Carabiners
2 Figure 8 Decenders
2 4" Pulleys
8 4' Lengths of tubular webbing
1 Full Change of Clothes & 1 Spare Pair of Shoes
12 30 Minute Road Flares
1 Air Compressor
2 1000 lb Ratchet Straps
1 hand Tool Kit (misc tools, some supplies)
Assortment Bunji Cords
1 Car Jumper Battery Box
Nylon Vehicle Recovery Strap
1 Life Jacket equipped with strobe and gerber fixed blade knife (for Marine Rescue work)

Also in the car is a fully packed North Face Recon Pack, which I use on SAR jobs and so forth. It's a combination 3-day kit with some additional navigation items in it and some specialty gear that I need for the fire department. I can't remember the full set of what's in it right now, some highlights are:

2 Liters of Water
4 MRE Main Meals (Just the meal pack, not all the extra stuff)
Silva Compass
Magellan Meridian Color GPS
Topo Maps of the state parks and State Game Lands in this area (waterproofed by soaking in Thompson's Water seal and hung to dry)
A Blaze Orange Vest (for when we have to search game lands)
250' of Orange Para Cord
1 Space All Weather Blanket
1 AMP First Aid Kit, re-packed into a small Pelican Case, som additional items
1 Pair Motorola GMRS Walkie Talkies
16 Lithium AA Cells
Sweetwater Filter/Bottle
Light Duty Polar Fleece Sleeping Bag
2 Large Contractor Garbage Bags
1 Air Horn
3 Small Flares
Firemaking Stuff (matches, tinder, sparkers and such)
Eclipse Attitude LED Light
Pens and Pencils
Waterproof writing pad

There's more stuff in there, mostly small stuff. Flashlights and whistle I have OMP all the time, so that's not needed to be packed.

Addtional radio gear sometimes comes along for the ride - mostly fire department HT's.

Not to start another firearms debate here, it' s just that I saw firearm on another list....I'd carry a firearm of some sort if it weren't for the fact that I'm directly on the border between the United States and The People's Republic of New Jersey and cross over the border all the time, mostly to shop and such, but fairly often on mutual aid fire/rescue calls. Even thinking about firearms in your car in New Jersey is a crime, much less actually doing it. I used to carry an unloaded, dissasembled M6 Scout in the truck, advice from a NJ state trooper told me not to do it any more, because the ammo stored in the stock makes that a "loaded weapon" (as does a magazine, detached from the gun, but loaded with ammo, make a "loaded weapon").

I'm in Utah actually. We have some big diamondbacks in the desert but they generally won't bother you unless you step on them. I read somewhere--probably on this site--that the best snakebite kit is your own car keys. That's so you can drive yourself to get professional medical care.

Regards, Vince

Good catch. I do have a mini fox 40 that somehow got left off the list. I am also going to put a modified NRA kit in the glovebox in case I can't get to my gear in the truck bed for some reason (wreck or whatever.)

Regards, Vince

Here in TX we have a very nice, wide variety of snakes but they don't mess with you unless you mess with them first. The only exception (that I know of) being water moccasins which can sometimes be a little territorial but they can only bite above water so if you're paying attention to your surroundings when swimming, wading, etc, you should be able to avoid them in most situations. I own a Sawyer Extractor but it always seems to sit at home. I guess having grown up "playing" in the woods in TX since age four I just don't worry about snakes any more than I do poisonous spiders, scorpions, mountain lion, bobcat, cyotes, javelina, aligators, mosquitos, rabid butterflies or any other wildlife we encounter out here with the potential to be dangerous or even fatal. I have encountered all of the above wildlife on numerous occasions (except the mtn lion which has only happened once and from a good distance of about 50-75 yards) and I find that the best way to deal with such wildlife is to avoid them and if you can't avoid them then try to respect them (i.e don't p#ss them off) and if that doesn't work then (regretfully) kill them if possible.

Back to the subject of snake bites... they are actually a lot more rare than you might think. I am a perfect example. I have been very close to litterally hundereds of snakes and never been bitten (knocking on wood) by a poisonous snake. I chalk that up to avoiding them when I can and not p#ssing them off when I cant. I have only ever actually had to kill one snake and that was because someone else was involved and in a major panic to the point that they could not avoid or keep from p#ssing off the snake. Had that person kept their wits about them and remained calm, that snake probably would have been able to die of old age instead of decapitation by shovel. I have been bitten by nonpoisonous snakes (mostly peoples' pets) a good number of times but that certainly could have been avoided if I hadt been handling them more carefully or not handling them at all.

I have done quite a bit of research on snakebite kits and I personally wouldn't recommend any snakebite kit other than the Extractor. I think somewhere on ATS I read either Doug or Chris saying basically the same thing. The other kits are worhtlless and can do more damage than good. Even the Extractor probably wouldnt help much but it also won't hurt so even if it only removes 5%-35% of the poison I suppose thats better than none. Realistically I probably should carry my Extractor more often even if for no other reason than to deal better with non-snake poisons like bees, wasps, spiders etc. The Extractor does take of a little more space then I would like but it doesn't weigh much at all.

P.S. Beware of the rabid butterflies. They are the reason all the city slickers carry 44 magnums and big rambo knives when they travel out in to the wilds. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I think I will toss the Extractor in my car kit. No sense in having it sit on the shelf at home collecting dust. Thanks Gene. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Not too sure if anybody mentioned a spare pair of sunglasses? don't go with inferior quality though - I had a cheap pair which i discarded as the lenses were so bad that they were actually a hazard to drive with!

Thats a very good point.
It does raise the question of how you define a "good" pair of sunglasses. I remember reading sometime back, the protection from UV rays was as good from some of the cheaper pairs, if not better than, the Raybans of this world. Similar sort of senario to sun lotion - price doesn't always mean quality. Caveat Emptor.

Hmmm...

Bing in Rattlesnake country here on occation(Baraboo area is full of them in the spring), I keep an eye out for things that will bite. I haddn't thought of the Rabid Butterflies, though. We have Flying Weasles around here that you have to avoid...

Rena <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

"Barking spiders" around here.

It's the deadly Silent Barking Spiders you have to watch for...

<img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Rena

...and I thought that was the neighbor's dogs barking all night! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Just a thought, don't put anything in your car you would mind if it was taken. (Like expensive knives and flashlights, ect.) That way if your car is broken into or stolen you only have to worry about the car, not trying to make a list of what was in it. The most expensive thing I keep in my car is a Benchmade rescue hook and a S&W 1St. Response knife (the one with the window punch built in). Both cost me less then $40.00, the rescue hook I think I even got for under $30.

Also, if you can try to keep things out of plain view. I keep my survival stuff and some tools in a backpack under the seat, I keep my big maglight under the seat, I keep the fire extinguisher under a seat. You look into my car all you see is a blanket, a roll of rags, and a bandana hanging from the rearview. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Brian,

Does the Extractor work on the Rabid Butterfly spit?

<img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

'Pup

I agree completely. While I try to maintain a certain quality level of gear, I also don't want to keep $200 knives in our cars. In the wife's car the most expensive thing is a SOG Paratool but it cost $0 since it was a gift given to me years ago. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Im my car the most exoensive thing is the Magellan Meridian Color Handheld GPS (which I would certainly claim on insurance after a break in). The next most expensive item is $40 LM Juice KF4 and a $20 Buck Diamondback fixed blade. I keep all my gear under the back seat as well. Most if in a black backpack although that have some rope, ratchet straps, jumper cables and a fire extingtuisher under the seat outside of the bag. Tools, a large maglite flashlight the GPS and the rest of my non-bagged stuff resides in my enormous center console. In the wifes car everything is in a plastic tackle/tool box type box and she moves it around all over the place within the car.

Lets hope I never have to find out. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />