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