What You Need In Your Emergency Vehicle Kits
If your family is planning some road trips soon, please consider having some emergency vehicle kits stored in your car so you’re ready to survive situations that arise when we least expect them. It’s better to have too many emergency items than none at all. I remember the car would be packed and I would say to the kids, “has everyone used the bathroom, we will be driving for a few hours before we stop for a potty break?” I always like the gas tank filled up the night before so all we have to do is load the car and start the trip.
Typically before we hit the 50-mile mark someone needed to use the bathroom or wanted a snack. We usually took a cooler with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lots of water. Add some carrot sticks, sliced apples and we’re good to go.
I’ve been a little frustrated with the set of emergency vehicle kits I made several years ago. I had Husky bags with food and water, a Bridgestone bag filled with car items I purchased at Costco. I had also used an ammo can for first aid items. I confess it was a dumb idea. It seemed like whenever I needed some adults and kids OTC drugs and especially Benedryl, I had to open several bags to find it. Good grief, I would get so frustrated I decided I had to redo them.
I found a DeWalt toolkit with a tray at Home Depot for about $46.00, it’s sturdy and has heavy duty clamps. I kept the other two bags but filled them differently. I’ll explain what I did below. I decided to bag the ammo can, I will use it for different project another day.
Just so you know, we have one car that is a 2009 Honda CRV so we had to keep the containers small but have stuff we need in case of an unforeseen emergency. We always keep bottles of water in every cup holder in the car at all times. We live in the desert and it’s critical we have water. We can use it to drink or pour the water on our heads to cool us down.
I rotate the OTC adult and kids drugs every six months or so. I replace batteries every six months as well since here in the Southern Utah heat they have such a short shelf-life.
Emergency Vehicle Kits
My new DeWalt Emergency Container rocks! I love it.
OTC Drugs Needed
Here’s the top shelf in the DeWalt toolkit for the OTC drugs I can find quickly now! Yay! I’m so excited to be able to open that container, first!
Emergency Vehicle Kits Mini-First Aid Kit
The pile below is located underneath the top rack in the DeWalt container shown above. It’s a blanket, duct tape, every kind of bandaid and first aid kit item I may need. It’s condensed big time compared to my first aid kit that goes with my 72-hour kits, but I have a small car.
Emergency Vehicle Kits Emergency Toilet Ideas
These items below fit underneath the DeWalt top rack as well. You may have seen my post: Toilet For The Car by Linda. I was thrilled when a reader mentioned the people in Japan use these for potty emergencies: Biffy Bag and another friend told me about these chemicals: Reliance Bio-Blue (keeps the smell down before and after using the #10 can). I put a roll of 4-gallon bags (for refuse disposal) and a roll of toilet paper stored in the #10 can. I keep hand sanitizer in my car at all times so it’s available when needed.
Emergency Vehicle Kits Water and Food
I like the water product called: Blue Cans for long-term storage. They work great in the car because they last for 50 years and they can handle temperatures up to 145-150 degrees. I love this, yes they are pricey, but you get what you pay for when storing stuff for long-term. If you live where you can pick them up without paying for shipping they are a lot cheaper.
I store Thrive Life food pouches of freeze-dried food because you can eat it right out of the package and it has a shelf-life of 25 years. The shelf-life will be shorter in my car because of the heat, but it still works for me. Of course, it’s good to have a can-opener in the car for many reasons. The water on the right below has a shelf-life of 30 years. It tastes like metal to me, but I can use it to cool our bodies down by pouring it over our heads. It is Coast Guard approved, but the taste is not acceptable to me. Just giving you the heads up here.
Emergency Vehicle Kits Needed For Cars
This picture below is the Bridgestone bag I purchased around Christmas time from Costco a few years ago. It was very inexpensive considering all the items inside the bag.
Here’s the deal, fill your emergency vehicle kits with items your family needs. Let me know if you are taking a road trip this year, life is good! I would love to see Mount Rushmore or Niagara Falls. They are on my bucket list. Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world.
PRINTABLE list: Items For Your Car by Linda
Copyright picture:
Van: AdobeStock_64628602 by Pixelbliss
How do you keep the sun and heat from destroying things you keep in your car? Like bandaids, duct tape, any food that isn’t dehydrated or dry, bottled water. The intense heat you get in the south and desert areas just destroy everything.
Hi Noreen, that’s a very good question. When I was pulling out the “stuff” in all the bags, I found one bag of Jolly Rancher candies that had melted, just a few but I was very surprised. The water I store can handle any heat or cold. The Blue Cans can go up to 145-150 degrees. I have had the Blue Cans in my car for about four years and they look brand new. The food I rotate because it’s freeze-dried and will last longer than say granola bars. Yes, it’s hot but the vegetables and fruits still taste great even after being in the car for more than a year. The cheap bottles of water in cases from the grocery store scare me a little because they may freeze in the car up north, but they never have, yet. I worry about the bottles I have in all the cupholders but I can use it to cool myself down from severe weather if needed. I prefer to store more Blue Cans than anything else. The duct tape is fine, the bandaids are still fine. I mainly store Butterfly band-aids in the car but I have so many in all the pockets of the car some of them will work. Linda
When I lived in SC I had a roll of duct tape in my emergency stash – which I hadn’t looked at for a couple of years. When I needed to use it, it was a big sticky mess that wouldn’t unroll or stick to anything. So keeping things in the car is not always feasible, and I’ve wondered what others do.
Hi, Noreen, let’s see what others say, mine is still okay. It was in an ammo box with the first aid supplies. Linda
I also live in southern Utah. I store dry things like non-chewy granola bars and Lipton soup. Just know you’ll have to rotate it once the heat causes it to go rancid after a couple years. You can live for days/weeks without food but only days without water, especially in the desert. A blanket, TP, and some water will get you 90% of the way.
Hi, Daniel, great comment! I was thinking about picking up some non-chewy granola bars for the car. You are so right about the water here in the desert. Thanks for commenting! Linda
I am pleased to see your emergency list. I’ve been working on my own and discovered on yours some items I had not previously considered.
Hi, Kay, thank you so much for stopping by. Linda