About Chain Saws.
We spend a lot of time living in the woods. As much as 7 months a year. The rest of the time we are in the desert. All of the old time woods rats I know get on my case because I don't carry a chain saw. All of them have stories about how they were trapped "deep in" when falling trees blocked their path.

Gloria and I have seen trees fall. No wind, no ice, nothing obvious to cause the fall. One tree hit another and both fell. They did block a road, but not the one we were about to travel. It does happen. However I still do not have a chain saw. Slow learner I guess. Karma being what it is.....Now that I have talked about it, I REALLY need to get one.

Nomad

If it is any consolation, I don't have one either. A nice sharp Swedish saw cuts pretty darn fast. At a much slower pace, I once cleared a fallen tree ('bout 8-9 inches in diameter) from a road using a machete-probably not the optimum tool for the job.

Frankly, I don't like chain saws-just too darn noisy and a tad unsafe.

Here in my auto "emergency bag" inventory.
I went through this bag last evening with my wife and she said "you don't have a small stove. What if we are stuck and need to heat water, etc. And you don't have anything to heat water, etc. in. You need one of those Boy Scout mess kit things." What a wife.
But she is a Northern NY'er by birth, family has been in this area for over 200 years, and has lived through the blizzard of '77, the great Ice Storm, etc. and knows the value of being prepared.
I will be adding those items in the next week or so.
There is always one gallon of fresh water in the car, in small bottles, and half a dozen packages of peanut butter crackers.

Storage Methods:
1 large duffle bag for the clothing, sleeping bag and tarp
1 backpack for the remainder
1 small shoulder bag for easy carry/hiking use

First Aid Kit:
First Aid Antiseptic Spray
1” Adhesive Tape
4”x16’ gauze bandage
3-4”x4” gauze pads
22 Band-Aids
3 packets burn gel
6 packets triple antibiotic ointment
11 packets (2 per) aspirin
2 packets (2 per) Vic’s Cold Caps
1 bottle Ibuprofen
1 package water gel burn gel dressing
1 cold pack
1 bottle mosquito repellant
1 tube lip moisturizer
6 pair nitrile gloves
1 box of butterfly strips

Edibles:
1 box of basic energy bars (90 calories per)
1 energy bar
1 energy gel
4 electrolyte caps

Clothing:
1 fleece jacket
1 hoody/her
1 pair khaki cargo pants
1 t-shirt
1 long sleeve top/her
1 short sleeve top/her
1 sleeveless top/her
2 pair wool socks
2 pair light socks
2 pair underwear his/hers
3 pair medium gloves
1 pair light gloves
1 baseball cap
2 cold weather hats
2 cold weather head bands
1 pkg. Mini hand warmers
1 pkg. Toe warmers
1 emergency blanket
4 ponchos

Varied:
1 sleeping bag
100’ braided rope
2 emergency whistles
1 folding saw
1 6’x8’ tarp
2 pair of rubber coated work gloves
1 AM/FM transistor radio (battery powered)
1 small flashlight
2 AA batteries
2 AAA batteries
1 box of firelighters
2 Bic butane lighters
7 large and 6 medium zip ties
1 aluminum water bottle
1 nylon cord
1 fork, 1 knife and 1 spoon
2 pens
1 notebook
1 small LED light
1 compass
1 small multi-tool
1 Leatherman multi-tool
1 pair of binoculars
1 knife, fixed blade with sharpener built into sheath
1 knife, Gerber, fixed blade
1 deck of playing cards

Hygiene:
2 rolls toilet paper
2 small bars of soap
1 disposable razor
3 toothbrushes
1 small tube of toothpaste
8 feminine hygiene products
2 mini packages of Kleenex
1 package of 15 wet wipes

Thanks for the list.

This did not cover what the truck already has. MRE's, tools, wool blanket, FAK, etc. So in some ways it's supplementing what's already stashed full time.

I'll be taking a closer look though to see if there's room for improvement.

I've heard that the cyalume sticks degrade in the original packaging, or any packaging for that matter?

This is a very good and well thought-out kit.

Consider adding a headlamp and some boots. I like having an emergency blanket and disposable poncho per person. You might want to add more batteries. I'd also add a backup method to charge your cellphone.

I second the poncho suggestion - never know when you need to get out and walk - might also include some sort of bag to carry supplies in if you need to abandon the car?
Work gloves? Always useful if you need to do road clearing
I might prefer to have a bit more water on hand
Meds - opinions vary but my experience is that nothing makes life more miserable than the runs - some sort of anti-spasmodic makes life much more bearable
Since you have the space I would suggest a deck of cards and a first aid manual might be worthwhile additions.

Really nice set up, MDinana. You and I never seem to agree on things like clothes. We both dress for the worst weather, but I like carrying an extra set in case of an unexpected cold/wet combo but that may not be a consideration where you are. I am going to cast a vote for a pair of socks for each of you, though. You need to take of of your feet and a clean pair of socks can also be a big moral booster. The same could be argued about clean underwear, but maybe that's just the mom in me..

I'd also consider adding a stronger source of light, like an LED. A bright, immediate light, specifically for security and first aid emergencies after the sun goes down, can be invaluable.

Travel board games come in just about every flavour these days. Check out your local dollar store or Walmart type place. The variety is staggering. Personally, I carry a small deck of cards because there's no little pieces to lose.

MDinana....in the LED light topic , I really splurged this last year as I perceived it as a weak area for my hurricane supplies... for general use a 3w 2D cell Maglight has been standard for a couple of years both house and car... but I was disappointed with the inexpensive 3 AAA headlamps available from the box stores... and my AA LED mini maglight just quit

first was a Malkoff 260 lumen upgrade for an older SureFire 6P...I have always had good service from SureFire (and they support my hobby)... it's light is intense enough to use as a physical deterrent

then went with an expedition quality 3 AA headlamp from Black Diamond... battery pack is at the rear, triple head strap

finally replaced the AA mini maglight with a Fenix 2 AA E21

added a Streamlight TacPro 1L single CR123 110 lumen to my EDC

My newest flashlight is an EagleTac G25C2, and I like it a lot, but it's too much flashlight (and too much cost) for most peoples' needs. I really like the 4Sevens Quark AA^2 and 123^2 flashlights for that -- amazing runtime and fantastic output with rock-solid reliability in one package.

I have no affiliation with any flashlight manufacturer other than owning what some might refer to as "too many" flashlights.