What You Need in Your Car for Winter

Today, it’s all about what you need in your car for winter. Did you know it’s a good idea to have specific items packed in your vehicle during winter in case of emergencies of various kinds?

A lot can happen when the temperature drops and those cold temperatures cause the roads to become hazardous due to snow, ice, rain, and sleet. You don’t want to end up stranded in your vehicle with nothing available to keep you comfortable, warm, and safe while waiting for help. 

What You Need in Your Car for Winter

Because rough conditions from winter storms can make it challenging for help to arrive, you don’t know how long you’ll need to wait in the car until someone can get to you and provide assistance. You’ll feel more at ease if you have the right essentials stored in your vehicle.

Make sure you have items packed in your winter emergency car kit for each person who’d typically ride in the car with you, such as your significant other, older parents, and children.

Blankets

It’s always beneficial to have a supply of blankets in your vehicle. During those cold winter months, you could find yourself not only cold but dangerously so. If someone in the car gets chilly, you’ll have a blanket available for them to use.

If the heat stops working and you find yourself stranded while waiting for assistance, you don’t want to be unprepared and subject to severe exposure due to the elements. 

So, ensure you’re protected from the cold weather by using heavy-duty blankets to stay warm. You can fold these blankets and have them in a convenient storage tote bag that you can put in the backseat of the car or the trunk, whichever you prefer.

Be sure to have a minimum of three blankets to use and more than that if you’re traveling with multiple passengers.

Flashlights with Batteries

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to evaluate your surroundings or check your vehicle’s condition, it helps to have flashlights with workable batteries. Always ensure you have some extra batteries for backup to use just in case the ones inside the flashlight have died out.

You may think bigger flashlights are better, but they are not so much anymore. Many of the smaller flashlights put out sufficient light to get the job done. Their size make so you can conveniently fit them in the back of your vehicle or the trunk, keeping them with the blankets and other items you’ll keep in the car for winter.

Matt, in our comment forum, a good friend of mine suggested this brand of flashlights; this is the first one I purchased. I’ll buy as many as I can. OLIGHT, but I want this one, OLIGHT

Change of Clothes

Always have at least one extra set of clothes you can change into inside the vehicle. Then, if you’ve had to exit the car for some reason, or something spills or gets all over you, you can take off the wet clothes, place them in a plastic bag, and put on your clean, dry clothes to feel comfortable again.

You wouldn’t want to get stuck sitting in cold, wet, or soiled clothing for hours. Of course, when you’re packing a change of clothes, it will be clothing for those emergencies and not just everyday wear.

A pair of jeans or sweatpants with a warm shirt and sweater should suffice unless you feel an extra coat would provide the additional protection you may want. Be sure to include warm socks and winter boots to protect your feet if you have to get out in the snow or ice conditions.

Extra Gloves

Pack some extra warm and protective gloves to have with you in the car. If you get stuck and need to wait for help, or you get stuck and need to exit the vehicle as you work to get the car up and going again, you might need to put on an extra pair of gloves as your fingers start to get exposed to the cold air and possibly wet conditions.

Excessive exposure to freezing temperatures could easily cause frostbite that you don’t want to experience. As a result, it pays to be safe by packing comfortable and durable gloves that will keep your fingers warm.

Emergency Car Kit

I have two of these bags that I made into a car kit for roadside emergency use, and they are secured in the back of my Honda CRV as shown above. My Dewalt tool kit is my first aid kit, and I added the RED first aid symbol so people would hopefully realize I do not have expensive DeWalt tools in it. I love these Husky Tool Bags.

Road Flares

Have some road flares in the car to set outside when dealing with a roadside emergency. It’s one of the best ways to draw attention to yourself when you need help, but also alert others that you are there if visibility is reduced due to a storm.

People are more likely to notice the flares and then come to your vehicle to check on things. It’s also an excellent way to let the tow truck or the person you’re waiting for figure out where you are from the location you’ve given them because they can see the road flares from a distance.

You can buy road flares online, have them shipped directly to you, and place them in your car for emergencies. These work for me. Emergency Flares

Kitty Litter and a Small Shovel

Some people don’t realize it, but or kitty or cat litter can help a car’s tires gain more traction. You spread the kitty litter as far under and in front of the traction wheels and let it sit for a minute or two.

It should give those wheels some extra traction to get out of that “stuck” situation unless you are in so deep you’ll need an extra assist. That’s where the small shovel comes in.

Use the shovel to remove the snow in front of and behind the wheels so you can apply the kitty litter and rock the car enough for it to get the necessary traction. You can also use sand and rock salt for tire traction.

First-Aid Kit

I had a friend who is a professional photographer take the two pictures of my PLANO Fishing Tackle Box below (which is no longer available), so this is why they have a black background.

Closed:

Open:

It always pays off to have a first-aid kit in your car. You can buy a first-aid kit or prepare one by adding items to a plastic container. Some of the things you should have in the first-aid kit include:

• Rubbing alcohol packets
• Hydrogen peroxide 
• Gauze
• Bandages
• Benadryl
• Topical ointment
• Scissors
• Prescription medications and over-the-counter medicine – particularly for a longer trip 
• Other essentials

These items get put to good use when you’re dealing with injuries or other issues and you can’t get help right away.

Even if you’re not in pain or dealing with a severe injury, someone else in your vehicle may end up in that situation, and you can make sure you’re fully prepared for the most unexpected challenges that can happen while out on the road.

Here is what the inside of the fishing tackle container looks like; this will give you ideas on what YOU need in your emergency first aid kit for your car or truck. In case you missed this post, First Aid: What You Need To Survive.

Hand and Foot Warmers

Kylie reminded me about having hand and foot warmers in the car. You can pick them up at the dollar stores or even Sam’s Club or Costco. Hand and Foot Warmers. You remove the hand warmer from the packaging, shake it, and in 15-30 minutes it will warm your hands and feet for up to 10 hours. They are for one-time use.

Personal Hygiene Items

After we empty one of our #10 cans, which are approximately six inches in diameter and nine inches tall, we should never throw them out. If you are like me…I think to myself, “I might need this for something!” So, I stash them in the pantry or garage. Well, I have read in the newspaper that cars with adults, toddlers, and babies are sometimes stranded for hours on a highway.

All you need is the #10 can with the lid, some 4-gallon garbage bags, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and some Toilet Deodorizer or some Biffy Bags and you are good to go, literally! Leanne reminded me about a piece of cloth for privacy; if you don’t have some cloth to hang or plastic sheeting, consider getting a small popup tent for the occasion. Small Popup Tent

Non-Perishable Food and Water

If you get stuck in a situation where you can’t move your vehicle and have to wait for help, having non-perishable food and water in your car will be useful.

Be sure to have several options available, including protein bars, granola bars, a peanut butter container, trail mix, and other snack items that can provide you with protein, vitamins, and nutrients. Non-perishable snacks are always a hit with the kids.

Hazel mentioned some comfort candy, like chocolate or just candy! Maybe M&M’s would be awesome unless the car gets hot.

If the items will be in the car for an extended period, be sure to rotate the food items from time to time so they stay as fresh as possible.

It’s also a good idea to have a pack of bottled water available to drink. While you may not expect to get stuck and stranded, you don’t know what could happen, so it’s best to be prepared for what could happen just in case. 

12 – Volt Air Compressor

A 12-volt air compressor is a must. Last summer I experienced a flat tire while heading home from a quick Wal-Mart trip. Thank goodness my granddaughter was with me to help with the tire change tasks.

Our challenge was having a spare tire that had gone flat since the last time we had the car serviced and the tires checked out. Without that 12-volt air compressor to plug into the car’s 12-volt outlet and use to pump up the spare, we would have been in a world of hurt!

Having a pair of work gloves in the car also proved very helpful. Working with that lug wrench was hard on the hands, so the gloves were lifesaving.

Although we didn’t need one, a tire plug set (buy them cheaply at Wal-Mart) may be something you consider having if you need a quick and temporary tire repair you can perform on the spot. 12 Volt Car Tire Pump Compressor

Window Break Tool

If you get locked out of your car, the doors become frozen shut, or the door lock mechanisms won’t work for some reason, you may need to use a car window break tool to get into or out of the vehicle.

We all hope we don’t have to face this type of situation, but we see emergencies on the news where car occupants can’t get out of a vehicle.

This tool could prove the difference between life and death. It is worth having in your emergency supplies as you prepare the car for winter travel or a fun weekend road trip.

Car window break tool

Cash/Small Bills

This is one that’s been critical from the time I started driving. My dad made me keep $5.00 in the car if I got stranded. At the time $5.00 was a lot of money, it wouldn’t go far today! That was back in 1966, driving my 1951 Chevy to school and work.

You need to decide how much you feel comfortable putting in your car, it would be way more than $5.00, these days. Anyway, slip some cash in small bills, in your wallet, purse, or another place in your car to keep it in case of emergencies. It would be enough to fill your car with gas and buy food and water to get you to a safe place.

Entertainment Items

If you’re like me, you have been stranded a time or two due to car accidents, icy roads, or snow-packed roads. Mark and I were parked on a California main road between Barstow, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada for three hours. It got boring; people were thirsty, hungry, and frustrated.

If you are stuck for 3-4 hours on the highway, it would be nice to have something to help time pass a bit faster, playing cards, reading books, or whatever.

What Are Some Other Car-Related Items to Consider?

• Make sure you have jumper cables
• An ice scraper and snow brush
• A full gas tank before you start out – try to keep it near full as you travel and storms are pending
• Fresh windshield wipers that will keep up with the rain or snow falling on the vehicle
• Clean headlights – if your older car has foggy headlights, consider getting one of those kits that clears them up
• Backup charging unit like a cell phone charger and power bank for your other devices
• A lighter you can use to start a small fire if needed

Final Word 

Be sure to have these essential items in your car during winter. You don’t know when they might come in handy. Be safe instead of sorry by packing a bag full of these essential items, including a first-aid kit, non-perishable food, heavy blankets, and more.

It doesn’t hurt to have these items readily available and easily accessible, especially during the winter when the roads are wet and slippery.

If you’re prepared for the hazardous road conditions, you can stay safe while waiting for help if you ever need it. May God Bless this world, Linda