What Do You Need to Have in an Emergency Vehicle Kit for a Road Trip

Road trips are one of the most enjoyable things to do. It is a time that you own. A time that is all yours, in which you can look away from the stress of the 9 to 5 life and be free. 

However, any time you are in a vehicle, far from a city. You need to have some provisions with you. Remember, cars are machines and it doesn’t take much for a machine to die on you and you don’t want to be stranded in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, USA, waiting for a miracle. 

An emergency vehicle kit for a road trip should be made up of two parts. One for the car, the other for the people in the car. 

While it is not possible to make an emergency kit that has all the things that can be needed, here are some of the things that are a must. 

Tools For the Car

When you are on a road trip, you might be hundreds of kilometers from the nearest service and repair station. You need to have all the basic things to make the car able to be driven to the service facility. Some of the things that can help in making that possible include: 

1. Car Jack 

One of the most common problems any car can face is a flat tire. If you have a car jack with you, you can easily change a flat and be on your way in a matter of minutes. While procuring a jack, make sure it can handle the weight of your car.

2. Wheel Changing Tools 

Having a jack is useless if you do not have other tools to change the wheel. The most important one is the lug nut spanner. If your car has safety lug nuts, you might also need a spanner for them. 

3. Spare Wheel 

You need to have a spare wheel to replace the flat one. If your trunk does not have enough storage, you can get a small spare wheel but you can only drive under 55mph on these.

4. Bacon Strips

These are not the ones you eat for breakfast. These are ready-made strips of rubber, coated with a resinous glue. If you get a flat tire and don’t have a spare, these can help. Use the fork that comes with the strips to close the puncture hole and it can work until you can get the tire fixed.

5. Jumper Wires

Car batteries can die if you accidentally leave any of the electronics on for an extended period of time. A set of jumper wires can let you connect the battery of your car to another car and you can start the engine up. 

6. Flash Light

This is probably something any emergency kit needs to have regardless of it being for a car. Unfortunately, humans don’t have very good night vision and we need to have flashlights to be able to see clearly in the night. You can pick one up for a few bucks at any departmental store. Just keep one in the car at all times.

Provisions For the Occupants of the Car 

Being stuck on a deserted highway or in the outback is the last thing you will ever wish for but it is possible. To make sure that you make it out of there alive and well, your emergency car kit needs to have some provisions for you. 

It must, at least, have the following: 

1. First Aid Kit 

Vehicles get into accidents all the time and the last thing you need is bleeding to death on a highway 100 kilometers out of El Paso on a nice Saturday evening while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Keep a basic first aid kit in the car at all times and especially when you are out for a road trip. It might someday draw the line between life and death.

2. Water

Water is life. You can hardly survive a couple of days without it. Quick fact: more than half of the dehydration deaths happen in the cold weather. You need to have an ample supply of water in your car whenever you leave the city for a road trip. Have enough of it to keep everyone in the car hydrated for a couple of days. 

3. Snacks 

Once you are hydrated, you’ll need something to eat. You need to be prepared for that too. Keep some dry food in your car emergency/survival food. Some cookies and other such things that do not need refrigeration are the best options. Make sure you don’t have anything that can go bad and inspect everything carefully before eating it.

4. Extra Clothes

When you are out in the open, everything that happens is unforeseen. A lot of scenarios can arise. It’s better to be on the safer side. Keep a set of extra clothes so that you can change if your clothes get dirty or wet or any other unexpected situation arises. 

5. Satellite Phone

Okay, we know this is a bit too much but if you are going to an area where you will not be connected to your cellular network, you need to have something to connect to the world in case something bad happens. If you cannot afford a satellite phone, keep a phone with you from a company that operates in the area you are going to. That way, you can be connected to the world at all times. 

In the end, safety needs to be your first priority when you are out on a road trip. Always be safe and adhere to general principles and local guidelines. No matter how good of an emergency vehicle kit for a road trip you might have, if you are not playing it safe, you can end up in enormous trouble.