time for the 'Winter Car kit"

Time to throw the blizzard kit into various cars...and change out the food packs.

time to put the top up on the convertible.

Time to figure out where my wife stashed her ice scraper and snow shovel, and put them back in her car.

ROFL

Here in Colorado, I'm still using my summer car kit. I don't remember a winter ever being this delayed. I'm still running around without a coat or jacket today. And it's mid-December!

i always kept a little something in the trunk.when i was in college back in the 70's it was a blanket and a bottle of rum.
now i have a full kit that i added onto over the years.with a hour drive to work and half of that on rural roads i got a good parka to wear over my office clothes as the number one item.
now retired and with cell phones so handy i have mostly blankets and shovels.

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one shovel is a good strong "coal shovel" with a sharp edge.
that's new this year because last winter i was helping digging someone out of our alley and they spun the wheels several inches into ice and no amount of pushing would get the tires out of that trap.i went into my garage and got a metal shovel and busted a track just a few inches long in the ice and that did the job.the big plastic shovel is for normal snow removal.

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when i got my parka out of the closet a month ago i found the gear left in from last winter which we all recall was so nasty.
a 12 hour candle,a couple foil blankets,a plastic bag with MRE TP-lighter -and hand wipes.the smushed candy bar is the last of the pocket full that was ment for emergency snacks while waiting for a tow,ok i ate them anyway.
i read somewhere that big "natural" dog biscuits are better as emergency rations because you won't be nibbling on them while your waiting for the stop light to change.

I drive a lot. I drive in snow a lot. The way I look at it, the worst thing that's likely to happen to me that's actually survivable is a crash followed by several days stuck in a snow bank.

My winter kit includes an ice scraper/snow brush, a Cold Steel entrenching tool, a snow shovel, ski gloves, spare boots and socks, spare clothes, and a military surplus Modular Sleep System. I'd rather have a Wiggy's bag but the cost differential was substantial.

Make sure to check your fluids and tire pressures as well.

I put a Fiskars shovel in my car. A folding shovel and some blankets are standard kit. Food goes in my backpack. That way I can be fairly sure that my water actually is a liquid. I also have a small Trangia cooker with fuel and a few tea bags and packets of instant coffee as comfort items.
I also put lock defroster in an inner pocket of my motorcycle jacket. It might be required to shut down the engine and - equally important - get the key out of the ignition lock after the ride.

In my trunk I carry a shovel, sleeping bag, water, a small Trangia cook set, some snacks, and my largest FAK- also some coveralls, gloves, and an old jacket or two.

Traxion mats and shovel are standard items year round. (once forgot to take it out in the spring and I used it to dig my car out 4 times in a row). Blanket, whistle, flashlight, candles, firestarters, mess kit, water, etc. are all there year round.

The only main difference are the snowbrush and ice scrappers. I also lubricate my locks, use a special rubber stick to prevent my doors from freezing shut and change my washer fluid with a higher freeze protection version.

this is what i like about ETS,swapping ideas you would never think of.MAX carrys a lock defroster where he can get at it for possible lock freeze ups.now i don't have motorcycle but coming back from a day hike or even a bread and milk run to find the car locks iced up that little tube of antifreeze would make the drive home easy.

Put the little lock defroster in a waterproof ziploc. Been there, done that...

One thing I haven't seen mentioned, is something to drive over to get traction when you're stuck in snow. Digging yourself out with a shovel can work (sometimes), but it's often times a lot of work. Especially when the snow under the tires has been pressed/spun down into a block of ice by your spinning tires. Something simple like some old strips of carpet, or even your cars floormats (if they're not expensive!) can be jammed under the front of your tires and driven over to gain traction. They even make commercial things that work on the same principle, but old carpet strips work fine in the few times I've tried it, and they're usually free. A bucket full of kitty litter can be sprinkled in front of your tires too, to help with traction (you have to make sure you get it spread as far back under the stuck tire as possible).

I remember that the US military had Arctic MRE's.They had trail mix,beef jerkky,hot drink mixes and chocolate in them.They had other thing in them but heavy on the snacks.Wish I new where I could find some for the car kit.....

BOATMAN
John

[quote=CANOEDOGS]

i read somewhere that big "natural" dog biscuits are better as emergency rations because you won't be nibbling on them while your waiting for the stop light to change. [/quote
Have never understood why kibble isn't more popular as a survival ration. It's nutritionally balanced, stores well, tolerates temperature variation, cheap, and available in 30 pound ziplock packaging. Palatability might be an issue, but that is true of MRE's, datrex and freeze-dried entree's also. Probably a good traction enhancer, too.

Just recently I bought a flameless cook box. It works with a chemical heater like the ones in MRE;s. Just add water to a pouch of chemicals and it starts to heat up.
Now I don´t have car but reading this it hit me that it would be a practical thing for car survival kit. Works without a flame and only gives away non-toxic fumes and steam so it is harmless to use inside a car.
Certainly a good morale boost to get a hot meal if you´re stuck in the snow and it keeps you warm.

A video explaining how it works: http://youtu.be/Xp90ZNVlY1Y

Because it makes you chase cars and pee on trees, which can be dangerous.

Speaking of traction mats, looks like this guy had them but they didn't get him out of this survival situation...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/austra...fter-10-n272966

'4wd; getting stuck further up the trail than a 2wd.'

We've had our first real snow of the year and it certainly got me thinking along these lines. My fairly new commute is almost entire rural, but it's a fairly well-traveled area so I'm not worried about getting stuck longer than overnight most of the time.

My Jeep Liberty has new snow tires, and got to test out my tire changing set-up last week.

I keep my Day hike kit in my Jeep to use as a get home/stuck in a snow bank bag. It's got all the basics: water, food, cook kit, fire, knife, saw, chemical hand warmers, poncho, paracord, light, etc... Here's a little vide, I've tweaked it a bit, but it's basically the same as it was last winter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pnoNOdK2yc&list=UUT9fpZEy5XSWkYy7sgz-mSA

Also stored in my jeep are: jumper cables, FAK, tool kit including extra fuses, fire extinguisher, headlamp, road flares, work gloves, Jeep fluids (washer, oil, transmission, etc.), a collapsible shovel, ice brush/scraper, an old broom, wool blanket, an old winter coat, a flo orange safety vest, a few Nalgenes in insulated carrier, extra hats/mitts/socks/sweater for everyone in the family, and an emergency diaper change bag including a warm change of clothes for bacpacgirl.

I think if you search around the net for:
MCW (Meal, Cold Weather)

You'll find some sources. Of course, if you're not US Mil, you can't really buy them legitimately. EBay, doesn't seem to care however.

They used to be called MCW/LRP (Meal, Cold Weather, Long Range Patrol) but they are apparently two different rations now. Lots of current US Ration info is on:
http://www.mreinfo.com/us/current/current-us-rations.html

The MCW/LRP info sheet from the Natick Army Labs:
http://nsrdec.natick.army.mil/media/fact/food/mcw_lrp.pdf

That's one thing that I've never needed - even in the land of eternal winter. I guess it's just too dry here to get moisture freeze up in the lock.

I actually never needed it either. I lubricate my lock with lock spray and my door seals with a rubber stick (?) thingy. I carry the little defroster more for others...

Minneapolis gets that cold drizzle that turns into ice,i had to use crowbar to open my car door.i hate to say it but sometimes i'm just not prepared!!
shingles make good grippers to drive out of icy spots.

That works fine for a car. In most modern cars the mechanical lock is about to become a secondary solution anyway. Most people use the radio control in the key in my neck of the woods.
Motorcycles however have a remaining risk of lock freeze ups even when the locks are lubricated. When that happens while the key still is in the lock, the trick with heating the key can´t be applied.
The motorcycle also requires an extended pre-ride check to make sure that all of the controls work smoothly both ways.
When I drive my car, I do not even carry defroster anymore.