# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 166
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3301 "2026-10-04T22:17:33Z")
So, what’s in the typical auto emergency kit? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3302 "2026-10-04T22:58:07Z")
Flashlights, gloves, duct tape, some tools, waterproof jacket/poncho, reflective warning signs or flashers, jump starter, first aid kit, bottled water (best if in metal cans). Blanket and a tarp. Some hard candy like lifesavers. Also in colder areas a wool sweater or something, maybe you have one that has a couple moth holles. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3303 "2026-10-04T23:02:57Z")
Our winter emergency kit includes a few MREs in our AWD vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3304 "2026-10-04T23:09:09Z")
I find it hard to imagine needing food on an emergency basis in the car. That would suggest being stranded someplace for more than a day or two. Why not include TP, too? (If I’m driving far enough that i think i might get peckish before i get to an ordinary place to eat, i might pack snacks for that trip. But leave them in the car, just in case? Where do you folks drive?) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3305 "2026-10-04T23:10:54Z")
I’m embarrassed to say my current road emergency kit consists of a smart phone and a AAA card. I used to have jumper cables but I donated them to a stranger trying to get to Nevada on a bad battery. Except for a couple flat tires, my last roadside breakdown was 30+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3306 "2026-10-04T23:14:50Z")
I commute into snow country during the winter, and have been snowed in. I want my companions to have something to eat, lest they start thinking that I might be quite tasty if cooked over an open fire. And the emergency kit has a roll (or two?) of TP in it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3307 "2026-10-04T23:22:38Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’m embarrassed to say my current road emergency kit consists of a smart phone and a AAA card. I used to have jumper cables but I donated them to a stranger trying to get to Nevada on a bad battery. Except for a couple flat tires, my last roadside breakdown was 30+ years ago. My gas car still has jumper cables and a first aid kit. My EV has the same as yours. Oh, and i carry a small snow shovel in the winter, and don’t leave home in the winter without tossing a warm coat in the car, even if i don’t expect to wear it. (I won’t bother putting it on if I’m just crossing the parking lot to the supermarket, or to a friend’s house. I just leave it in the back seat.) But it doesn’t live in the car. It’s the same coat I’d wear if i wanted a warm coat. The reflective triangle and vest strike me as a good idea, although I’ve never carried those in a car. I was thinking along those lines. I had a flat time that i changed… 40 years ago, and haven’t had a roadside emergency that i was going to fix some then. I guess I’ve jumped other people’s cars a few times, most recently maybe 5 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3308 "2026-10-05T00:42:11Z")
Off the top of my head: Emergency kit - jumper cables, tire inflator, a crescent wrench, reflector triangle, hi-vis mesh vest, a couple of 20 year old road flares Bug-out kit - weather radio, granola bars, canned water, sewing kit, face masks, tampons, multi-tool, tube tent, fire starting gear, $200 in 20s, other survival stuff from my backpacking days Also in the trunk - fire extinguisher, recognition panel, tarp, kukri, battery charger, stadium blanket, trauma kit, tow strap Lots of this is a holdover from the days we’d go exploring down jeep tracks in the Mojave. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3309 "2026-10-05T01:18:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Emergency kit-wise, I carry blankets, winter clothing, a basic medical kit, a tire inflater, and a portable battery/phone charger with flashing light capability. Yes, all of the above. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > It’s not really a “kit”, and I do not have roadside flares, emergency drink/rations, or roadside reflective signage. But I have this as well (3600 Calorie SOS food bar, 6 SOS water pouches), a few reflective signs not to mention a few spare mylar “tarps” that can also be used for signals, though they’re mostly as “spare” layers if there’s anyone in the car with me. Most in the first list are just common sense things, the latter half is because there have been a couple of bad Colorado Winters where if things had gone differently, I would have _needed it_, especially the one year I went to visit my mom in Texas for Thanksgiving, only to find the road was shut from snow past Raton pass, and they were about to close Raton pass. I turned around and made it back, but there were moments… Bug out/Emergency Evac bags are a different thing entirely, but my wife and I have those as well, just not in the car. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3310 "2026-10-05T05:17:28Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > my current road emergency kit consists of a smart phone and a AAA card. Pretty close to the same, though we do have a tire pump and a set of jumper cables. Our car is one year old and we virtually never drive it anywhere outside the metropolitan area. Should we ever take it on a road trip, I’m sure we’d bring along other supplies, but it hardly seems necessary for local driving. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3311 "2026-10-05T05:21:18Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Bug out/Emergency Evac bags are a different thing entirely, but my wife and I have those as well, just not in the car. Yeah, that’s different, is usually stored at home, and includes things like passports that you really don’t want to store in your car. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3312 "2026-10-05T14:42:15Z")
We’re probably going to see dipshit. I’ll make sure my phone is charged so I can do a “live stream” thread in P&E. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3313 "2026-10-05T15:22:31Z")
Does that mean that you are giving money to him? Or is it free? Buying tickets seems morally questionable in that it’s supporting MAGA. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3314 "2026-10-05T15:24:10Z")
No, tickets are free. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3315 "2026-10-05T16:44:50Z")
Still, putting extra butts in seats will only make the dipshit look more popular and beloved. Do what you want, of course… I’d stay as far away from that insanity as possible. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3316 "2026-10-05T16:59:26Z")
If you follow your team to an away match, you will be cheering for the visiting team. Is that what you meant @RollOutTheBarrel ? ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3317 "2026-10-05T17:05:26Z")
About 80% of the local sports teams are teams that I despise. My father took me to the opening game at the now demolished Giants Stadium in the early 70s. We had just moved from Dallas and the Giants were playing the Cowboys. I was very excited to go to a game wearing my #12 Cowboys jersey. The amount of abuse we took that day left a deep and lasting impression. I would say I have been rooting for the visiting team at about 90% of the professional sports events I have attended since then. ---
**Author:** ![RollOutTheBarrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rolloutthebarrel/32/1649_2.png) [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3318 "2026-10-05T17:37:18Z")
Yes, that’s what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3319 "2026-10-05T17:39:59Z")
I attended the University of California, San Diego for a couple of years, and my brother graduated from there. We had a friend who played for UCSD’s basketball team. I think their first preseason game one year was at UC Berkeley, so we trekked on over to Cal (about 75 miles or so) to watch and cheer on the mighty Tritons. Who got slaughtered. There may have been only a couple hundred people in the stands, and we might have been the only two idiots cheering for the visitors. Fun times. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3320 "2026-10-05T18:21:58Z")
I make it a habit of seeing Dodger games at Petco in San Diego whenever I can. Easier to get to, close hotels, cheaper seats. And half the crowd are wearing blue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=165) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=167)