Since we all like to see pictures of kits, I am sharing what my trunk kit looks like. Just about everything is either vacuum-sealed or kept in Ziploc bags. In addition to this kit, there is a tube tent and a six-pack of bottled water kept in my trunk. Any comments or suggestions welcome!

Picture 1 - This is the trunk kit from the outside, a "MTM Case-Gard Sportsmen's Dry Box."


Picture 2 - This is the trunk kit open, showing the top tray that sits inside.


Picture 3 - Here is the top tray removed and the "STOP" sheet (courtesy of ETS) underneath.


Picture 4 - The contents of the top tray are: hand & foot warmers, flat-packed orange duct tape, a AA Mini Mag Lite, Gerber Ridge knife, cotton ball tinder (in 35mm vial), waterproof matches (in 35mm vial), Doan Magnesium firestarter (inside mini Altoids tin), Storm whistle, spare AA batteries, roll of pink flagging tape, Brunton mini button compass, Space Blanket, small Johnson & Johnson first aid kit, Bic lighter, and two orange lightsticks.


Picture 5: The contents of the bottom part of the box are: USAF-style survival knife w/sharpening stone, four large cable ties, and spare hiking socks. In the Ziploc bag is a small sewing kit, sunblock, plastic tubing, bug spray, hand sanitizer, brass wire.


Picture 6 - The remaining contents of the bottom of the box: AMK first aid kit, emergency poncho, large plastic garbage bags, Sierra cup, pocket saw, four Kleenex pocket packs, 50' of imitation white para-cord, two granola bars, Micropur MP-1 tablets, and instant coffee & tea.

Very nice, thanks for sharing.
Okay, now you have shamed me into working on my kit again.
Right now, my trunk kit is in my closet in a cardboard box.

Thanks! It took me actually purchasing the dry box to get my butt in gear and put together the trunk kit. Glad I have it for all the work traveling I do. (Although I can honestly say I haven't had to crack it open... yet.) So far all I have been doing is drinking the bottled water. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What do you heat the water with?

I never really thought about that. If I really needed too, I could build a fire. Plus, I figured the water purification tabs would handle me for at least a few days.

But now you've got me thinking -- anyone know how the Esbit stove and fuel blocks do under extreme heat and a few freeze/thaw cycles? I think there would be room to squeeze something like that into my kit.

Esbit does fine with freeze/thaw. Should do fine with any heat you'll see in a trunk. If it melts, the plastic box will probably melt too. Each block is probably good to boil up to a quart in idea conditions, or so I hear. A pint is probably more realistic. More MicroPUR tabs would be a lot more space efficient.

I burned an entire block underneath a canteen cup filled a little over halfway with water. It got it hot (like coffee or coca hot) but not boiling <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I didn't try it, but if I burned another one underneath it immediately after the first one died off, it probably would have gotten it boiling pretty good.

I'm not sure about Esbit, but I had Trioxane in my truck all last year, and when I went to use it - it worked fine.

When I asked about heat, I wasn't talking about purification. You've got coffee & tea in there, and I assumed you don't intend to drink them rodeo cool.

Good point -- I might change that out for some hard candy or more granola bars, or heck, a couple of Gatorade pouches.

The coffee and tea made its way in the kit for a morale booster. But...

When I stop and think about it, I'm probably not going to be too worried about having a cup of cowboy coffee, let alone trying to boil the water for it. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />