Emergency Car Kit

First off let me explain the difference between these two types of kits. There are two levels of Emergency Car Kits. At one end of the spectrum you have your basic emergency car kit and at the the other end of the spectrum you have the substantially better equipped Survival Car Kit.

Depending on your perception of the potential emergencies you're most likely to be exposed to, will determine the level of protection you'd want to prepare for. I strongly recommend that every vehicle in your family be equipped with, at minimum, a basic kit.

How elaborate you build your kit is up to you and your budget.But be clear on this, as with any emergency preparation efforts there is cost involved. But if you ever encounter an emergency situation while traveling, I guarantee that you won't be thinking about how much it cost when it comes time to render assistance to yourself or perhaps others.

Emergency Car Kit

Emergency Car Kit: The basic emergency car kit is a traveling first aid kit, basic tool kit and basic equipment necessary to assist yourself if your vehicle becomes disabled by minor mechanical problems such as a dead battery, flat tire or minor physical injuries requiring basic first aid such as band aids, etc. These kits are intended for very limited application as a basic supply source in a mainly urban environment.

When considering whether to buy a pre-made kit or want to customize the components of your basic kit,

Here are some recommendations:

• Basic First Aid Kit


• A good quality LED flashlight such as X5 Metal Tactical Flashlight
  


• Heavy duty leather gloves


• An all-in-one emergency tool such as the Lifehammer


• Basic Tools:




• pry bar


• standard & Phillips screwdriver


• pliers


• wirecutters




• a roll of good quality duct tape like Gorilla Tape


• a roll of electrical tape


• scissors


• 2 space blankets


• paper and pencil preferably a large Sharpee for making window signs


• a waterproof poncho

The Basic Kit from Nitro-Pak

Lifehammer Orange With Res-Q-Me Yellow

Dynarex Emergency And Survival Blanket Silver Foil Model #3537
84 X 52

The Ark III
Survival Kit
One Person For Three Days
EXP AUG 2012

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack 600 Jump Starter & Emergency Power Source with Radio

One of my all time favorite items to carry is a jump start battery. This life saver has literally saved my bacon on numerous occasions. I go off-road regularly and on more than one occasion I have had to help other people that had become stranded because of a dead battery. This model also has an AC inverter that will enable you to use many AC powered devices. Such as a laptop computer, cell phone charger if you don't have a cigarette lighter in your car but have the AC charger for your phone, emergency DC/AC lighting and DC powered tire pumps as well as nearly any low powered AC appliances. Having a backup power supply will add additional resources to assist you in a self rescue situation.

Emergency Survival Car Kit

Emergency Survival Car Kit: This takes the basic kit and adds the survival element. This can range from the basics such as food, water, shelter and heat to the not so basic including communication equipment, GPS tracking, physical protection (think stun gun and other forms of non-lethal protection devices), survival gear, maps and compass as well as fire building tools and supplies.

This kit is focused primarily toward those that routinely travel in remote or isolated locations where attaining assistance in an emergency situation would not be readily accessible and where self reliance may be the only option available.

Considerable planning should be exercised when developing this kit. Things that should be considered would be budgetary constraints, storage capacity in the vehicle, a rotation timeline for food supplies, perishables and batteries.
Emergency Communication is a real concern when you are in remote areas. Many who are preparing their kits also equip themselves with GPS tracking.

Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator

TomTom ONE XL Refurbished 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Maps of the U.S. and Canada

Let's Talk About Emergency Communications

When confronted with a roadside emergency having the ability to summon help or assistance is not an option but a necessity. But what if that cell phone you rely on for some reason is disabled? Maybe due to a dead battery or loss of signal. You now have no ability to communicate with the outside world!

For most people in today's modern world, we take for granted that we will always have some way to communicate with our friends and family at will. But before the cell phone, I know... I know... you mean there was such a time? Well the answer is Yes. And believe it or not there were devices that were used and are still being used today by millions of people around the world called a Citizens Band Radio or CB. These devices are relatively inexpensive, free to operate and require no license or monthly service charge to use. Because of the limitations of Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GRMS) I will exclude these type of communication devices as viable options.

Cobra HH 38 WX ST Handheld CB Radio

However, CB radios are enjoying a resurgence of popularity among professional truck drivers and road trip enthusiasts for some very good reasons mentioned above. They work well, and they provide communication under circumstances where other forms of technology still don't do a very reliable job.

The downside is that they have a limited transmission distance. Usually less than ten miles. On the upside, there are literally millions of people using them. Your chances of being able to communicate with someone using a CB are extremely high. That's what you want. There's no satellite signal required to be able to transmit your voice and there are assigned frequencies that are monitored by both the police as well as emergency rescue centers. All of the modern devices come equipped with NOAA weather channel reception and the handheld models are light weight and portable.

There have been thousands of people rescued from crisis situations simply because they had the capability to be heard in situations where no other communication devices were operational. For the money, this is one piece of emergency gear that you really don't want to be without.

Midland 75-785 Handheld CB Radio