I just went through everything for a winter check before the weather gets bad:


Here is the stuff in my center console:
-Map of NJ and PA
-Spiderwire
-handysacks bags
-Sunglasses
-Touch up paint
-Pen
-center punch
-tire pressure gauge
-police search gloves
-thicker fleece gloves
-ear plugs
-Rite-in-rain pad
-Gerber multi tool
-Smith and Wesson Rescue knife
-Streamlight Scorpion
-four water proof flares
-pack of spare fuses
-CB radio
-container of spare change
-225watt 12v to 110v converter
-extension cord
-climbing accessory cord
-Benchmade seatbelt cutter




This is the stuff in the other little storage pockets:

-Maglight D2 flashlight with LED bulb and spare regular bulb
-Toll change dispenser
-regular pad with pen and pencil (clipped to visor)
-Microfiber cleaning cloth (for cleaning dash, sunglasses, ect)



My trunk kit as it sits. Easy access to some stuff, the rest is locked in the box.


-belt pouch with following
--Candle lantern with LED light on bottom
--Doug Ritter Pocket Pak (supplemented with water purification tablets)
--pocket roll of toilet paper
--orange rain poncho
--N95 Dust Mask
--Flint/Magnesium bar
--Buck single bladed folder
--Swim goggles (my prescription)

-First aid kit (simple stuff, really need to add a more complex kit)
-umbrella
-heavy duty paper towels
-fire extinguisher
-Long reach ice scraper

-Prestone windshield washer fluid (kept in black box)
-Prestone anti-freeze (kept in black box)



The other stuff from inside the box:
-metal tool box with tools (you can barely see it inside the black box under the trailer hitch)
-trailer hitch
-folding trench shovel
-bright red fleece blanket
-set of metric and standard wrenches (I use them often so I keep them out of the tool box)
-Hayes guide to my vehicle
-Expandable tire iron (keep that under the back seat)
-quart of oil
-black heavy duty 55 gallon garbage bags
-tow strap
-jumper cables (wrapped with bungie cords)
-crow bar (that's the black rod holding the black plastic box open)
-Gym bag on right with cleaning towels and spare change of clothes



The cleaning stuff:
-Two big microfiber clothes
-bunch of smaller ones
-Nev-R-Dull wadding
-little bottles filled with the different solutions (glass cleaner, wheel cleaner, quick detailer, ect)


Stuff that isn't shown:
1. Drinking water (need to replace)
2. Food (not sure what I want to put in yet)
3. Container to cook food in/melt snow (need to get a new pot/mess kit)
4. Air compressor (It broke so I'm looking for a replacement)
5. Full size spare and jack (they're there, just under the big black box)
6. Clothes/Spare shoes (took them out to clean them)
7. Cell phone, car charger, battery charger (there, just not pictured)

I also have my Bug-out-bag that would add more basic gear, including food and water. But, what's in there would take up another thread.

Stuff I might add (especially if going off pavement):
1. High lift jack
2. Winch/Heavy duty Come-along
3. Full size axe/saw (there is a hatchet in the tool box)
4. A hand held spot light (even though I have vehicle mounted off-road lighting)
5. Tire chains


Now, keep in mind I travel around 600 miles alone on rural and highway roads every other weekend or so. Most people that don't do as much traveling probably won't need as much stuff as I carry. I just like to make sure I have everything covered.

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Nice looking kit and great photos! A picture is worth a thousand words.

I think beefing up the first aid kit is a good idea. Maybe adding a compass to keep in the vehicle, and a handheld GPS (w/spare batteries), etc? That's probably carried in your BOB anyway...

Nice! I keep my vehicle gear in two black plastic footlocker-type boxes that are identical to the one you show. The two of them fit perfectly across the bed of the truck. My stuff looks a lot more ratty than yours though, particularly the tools! <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Not bad.... BTW, is that an Escape I see? <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I use an inexpensive sports tote bag instead of a plastic toolbox. It's about 2/3s the size but I also use bungee cords to secure it behind the seats. Other than that, it's almost scary how much our kits are alike. Instead of a crowbar I have an axe. And tire chains aren't necessary for me.

One word of caution - take your seat belt cutter out of the console box. It will only get lost in there, especially if you have an accident and you are reaching and searching for 5 min. for it. Perhaps find a way to attach it to you seat belt or your seat - anyplace handy and accessible.

chao!

It's a 2002 Tribute. Basically the same as an Escape. It's a great truck, I've got a little over 60,000 miles on it and the only problem I've had is having to replace a front spark plug and coil (misfire), and I've been pretty rough with it. The poor thing actually needs a new windshield right now, a rock jumped up and cracked the passenger side. Anyway, I think it might be going bye-bye though when that new diesel Jeep Cherokee comes out. I need a bit more room and I'm a huge diesel fan. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (I wish Ford would have done this in a diesel instead of a hybrid. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )

....and yea. The seatbelt cutter isn't actually in the center console. It's up in the overhead thing in the spot where a garage door opener is meant to go. I just stuck it in with the other stuff for the picture. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Nice pictures. I'm gonna have to get my stuff together also. Just a quick comment on some of the extra stuff you were thinking about. I don't know how your car is built, but the high lift jack isn't all that useful on a lot of newer cars. The bumpers just aren't strong enough to handle the weight like the older body-on-frame SUV's, and the shape of the bodies don't really have any good places to jack it up from.

For a manual powered winch, check out the Tirfors hand winch. Similar to a come-along, but designed for winching.
Tirfor

Also, if you're looking for an air compressor, I recommend the Superflow MV-50 (or MF-1050). At one time, they were selling for about $25, but now they're around $50. The price is cheap, but it works as well as the expensive off-roading compressors. It will easily outperform any of those other cheap cigarette light compressors, and some of the $300 compressors too. There are a lot of reviews on this compressor on the web.

That's what stopped me from adding one initially. I know how usefull they can be from when I would go off-roading with my lifted '78 Blazer, but it doesn't seem like newer vehicles can use them. I was thinking about the front push-bar/tow hook mounts, the rear tow hitch, and the running board mounts as possible lift points. Chances are it would mess up the truck, but if the need arose I wouldn't really care, as long as it worked.

Nice bit of kit and the lockbox is a nice touch. I didn't see INSIDE the box, but how is it fastened to the unibody of the SUV? I could only see bungee cords pulling the box forward into the rear seat.

I presume you are travelling at normal highway speeds with all that heavy equipment back there rather than rock-crawling slow. Having experienced quite a few off-road bumps, bungee cords ("eye excavators") cannot reliably prevent loads from shifting under minor shocks. Ratchet straps crossing over and attached to loops bolted to the unibody are better.

The best solution would be large fender washers, nuts and bolts through the box and unibody. I would get at least grade 5 if not grade 8 bolts for the shear strength.

There are holes cut in the back of the box and it's chained to the factory metal tie down loops. Similar to the setup in the front holding the ice scraper in place, but with a chain instead of the red bungie cord. I'm not sure how strong those loops are or would be in a crash, but I do hope I never have to find out. The bungies are just on there to help stop the front of the box from bouncing and making noise (since the front isn't held down any other way, just the back).

There is really no way to directly bolt it down since the spare tire sits under the box and I would have to unbolt the box to get to the tire.