Most people never think about what would happen if their car breaks down on the side of the road, or worse yet, they go off the side of the road.  For the most part, the best you can expect is for it to be an inconvenience, but at worst, it can be a life threatening event.

  First and foremost, the #1 thing that everyone should have is a cell phone that’s charged and if possible, a way to charge it in the vehicle.  Even if you don’t have active service, you’ll still be able to dial 911 in the event of an emergency.  That in and of itself can be a huge relief to most people.  If you have actual service, it’s obviously going to be much more helpful, since if you’ve just run out of gas during the middle of the day and you’re only 1/2 mile from a gas station, the police might look dimly on you for calling them via 911, whereas with regular service, you might be able to get a friend to bring you a gallon of gas to get you to the next gas station.

  Next thing I recommend is a “mini-bug out” bag.  It doesn’t have quite as much as a full bug out bag, but it’s close.  When it comes to a bug out bag, you’ll hear most survivalists talk about this important kit whenever they talk about emergency survival situations where they might need to get out of the area quickly.  It usually contains a 3 day supply of emergency supplies.  What goes into the kit will vary from person to person and situation to situation.  The biggest thing I’m leaving out of this kit is a portable shelter, since the vehicle itself can be used as one.  I do suggest stuff that you can use to extend it’s capability as a shelter, but by and large, the car is the shelter. multiple changes of clothes are also left out since you’re hopefully not going to be stuck that long, so the only clothes I suggest are just to put on extra to keep you warm. Other than that, it pretty much has all the stuff a main bug out bag would have.

  The first thing to determine about your bug out bag is what to carry it in.  Do you put it in a backpack, or do you put it in some type of container/bin?  It again depends on the situation and environment.  If you’re regularly subjected to extremes of temperature, then you might want to go with the backpack route so you can remove the kit from the vehicle more easily, especially if you have temperature sensitive supplies, which I’ll get to in a minute.  If you have a more moderate range or your supplies aren’t that heat sensitive, then a bin in the trunk might be better.  That way, you’re less likely to have left it behind when you wind up really needing it.

  Next thing to determine is what nonperishable supplies to load up into the kit.  My suggestion would be to have at least the following:

Multi-tool
Food/Hard candy
Parachute cord
Sheath Knife
Blankets/warm clothing
First Aid Kit
Medications
Stimulant
Plastic Sheet 15x15 foot
Fire making supplies
Duct Tape
Misc stuff

• Some type of multi tool, like a leatherman or gerber.  I’ve carried both and was very satisfied with the performance of both.  There’s other multi tools out there that I haven’t tried, but in this particular, stay away from cheap knockoffs like the plague.  This is the one tool you don’t want to skimp on.  It can be used for so many purposes, that a cheap one will probably fall apart when you need it most.  If applicable, I’d suggest always having one on your belt and another in your kit.  Where I work now, we can’t have knives displayed,  so I can’t carry my multi tool.  Where I worked previously, within the space of 6 months, I had to repair/replace some of the velcro on the flap of it’s belt sheath because I had worn it out by constantly opening/closing the flap.  So my suggestion is, if you get one, try to get one with a leather sheath with some type of snap on it so you’ll never have to worry about it opening unexpectedly and losing it.
• Food/Hard candies.  If for no other reason than as a psychological pick-me-up.  One of the first things people start worrying about is not having food in a survival situation.  A piece of hard candy can take your mind off that for a period of time.  It can also help you ignore thirst, depending on the candy.  Another type of food to include would be some type of cracker/pilot bread.  It very stable with a long shelf life.  Heat doesn’t affect it much, if at all, and until it’s been opened, moisture doesn’t do anything to it either.  Again, your environment and situation will help determine what you put in in this category.
• Our favorite standby, 550 parachute cord.  A 50 ft section of this stuff doesn’t take up much space, but it has so many uses that you’ll probably have to replace it from time to time.  Downside is, if you have very high heat, the cord might be degraded, so you want to check it periodically.
• Maybe a sheath knife of some sort, with at least a 6” blade.  This is more for if you go off the road in a low traffic area or something similar.  You can possibly get by with a cheap knife, but again, you get what you pay for.  You can get a lot of knife in the $30-$50 range.  Cold steel or K-Bar are my preferred brand, but I’ve got knives from quite a few other manufacturers.  I just am really partial to Cold Steel tho, because you can get an excellent knife for a very inexpensive price.  Just request one of their “Proof” videos.  I think you’ll be impressed on what one of these knives can do. I’ve gotten several different knives/tools from them, and I’ve only been dissatisfied with one of them, which is a model they don’t make anymore.  The other knife from them that I had an issue with I fixed myself.  It was a folder that wasn’t machined correctly.  I could have gotten it replaced without a problem because it was dangerous the way it was, but with a dremel tool and about 2 min, I fixed the lock system on it.  When I put photos up on the site for that knife, I’ll point out where I adjusted it so you’ll know where to look if you get a similar knife from any manufacturer.  You preferably want a knife with a comfortable handle, with a full tang handle, with the majority of the weight in the blade.  This will be very welcome if you need to use the knife for hacking down a sapling to use as a splint for example.
• Blankets/warm clothes.  Enough said. If you break down in a storm and your car heater isn’t working, could be the difference between being ok and being very uncomfortable.  Also, in the case of an accident, you can use the blankets to prop up injured body parts, help keep someone warm to try and offset shock, and maybe even tearing strips off of it to use as bandaging.  Might also pack one of those “space blankets” that look like you’re wrapping yourself in tin foil.  If you use it as an outer layer over a blanket, can get pretty warm.
• Which brings us to a first aid kit.  Gauze, band aids, surgical tape, bee sting kit, aspirin, some type of antiseptic/antibiotic gel/cream or maybe iodine to sterilize any cuts/wounds.
• Medications.  This is an area most people overlook.  If you need certain medications on a daily basis, then you might want to have a week supply in your kit at the very least, and try to rotate it out on a regular basis.  In hot climates, you’d want to swap it out probably on a weekly basis, where if you’re in a cold climate, you might be able to get away with changing it out every 6 months.  Again, try to use common sense and/or ask a pharmacist how temperature sensitive your medications are.
• Some type of stimulant, like caffeine tablets or something similar.  It an emergency situation, having something to give you that extra burst of energy to help you get an emergency shelter built for example, could mean the difference between life and death.
• 15ft x 15 ft sheet of plastic.  Can be use to patch a broken window. Can also be used to collect dew or set up a solar still to collect drinkable water.
• Firemaking stuff. Preferably a bic lighter, one container of farmer matches(strike anywhere type), and maybe a flint and steel.  That way, you have backup methods to start a fire if needed.
• And finally, the old standby.... Duct tape.  What can’t it do?  Good to attach that aforementioned piece of plastic to fix the broken window.
• Anything else you think might be important or needed.

  You’d probably be able to put together a small kit like this that weighs less than 30lb (probably less than 20lb), so it’d be easy to transport.

  Now where you keep this kit can be just as important of a decision.  Do you keep it in the trunk, or in the back seat?  In an accident, it can become a dangerous projectile inside the cab of the vehicle, but if you damage the trunk mechanism, then it could be as good as not having the kit if you can’t get to it.  Another consideration is, if you do decide to include the sheath knife, you might want to consult a cop, or better yet an attorney, to find out what the legal ramifications would be with discovery of said knife in the cab.  If it’s buried in a bag/kit, would they consider it a concealed weapon or no?  I’m not a lawyer, so I’m not going to recommend either way.

  Hopefully this give you a little food for thought about what you might want to have in your vehicle in case of an emergency/breakdown.