Originally Posted By: Bingley
1. Almost everyone includes jumper cables in their car kit. How useful are these actually? It seems to me that in town I can probably get towing service in the time it takes to find another car/driver to help jump the car. (Am I overestimating roadside service?) Away from town, it would be a long wait before someone stops to help. Wouldn't a standalone battery jumpstart system work better? Or would that be an overkill? Also, how likely is a car battery to fail? I have ever seen this in movies. (Of course, I don't think I actually know anyone who carries a kit in their car, much less go through the trouble of putting together one's own kit, so maybe this is all a preparation exercise.)


I've used my jumper cables to help others at least two dozen times, and to help myself at least twice. I'd say they're essential. Tow services can get overloaded easily in a big storm.

Recently I've started carrying a standalone battery jumpstart system that includes a worklight and a compressor. But the jumper cables stay in the car.

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2. Some people have both towing ropes and chains in the kit. On another forum I found people advising against using chains or ropes with metal attachments. If they snap in half while towing, the metal bits could do serious damage to the car body and anyone standing in the way. So why do some people have both in their kit? What are the chains used for?


Are you sure these are tow chains and not tire chains?

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3. What do you do with tea lights? I will include a flashlight and matches. But it seems that some people include this ancient technology for reasons beyond my ken.


They produce more heat than most flashlights. With shelter that stops the wind a single candle can make a significant difference.



Edited by chaosmagnet (01/23/11 05:45 PM)