# Things you always have in your car **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217 "2009-05-31T01:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/21 "2009-05-31T12:50:12Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > I might mention that you don’t have either food or TP on your list. > > Good luck! 😃 I have a full package of Keebler snack crackers in the glove box, and 2 rolls of TP with the clothes. Forgive, but the truck has so much in it that there are some items I left off the list (like the 2 Crazy Creek chairs, and the box of gallon ziploc bags, and the package of moleskin, etc.). Keeping too much food in the truck is impractical, as it will spoil, and if I have to hotfoot it out of town I don’t think I’ll have much trouble finding commodities later. I also have a couple of caches I’ve placed in Utah, central Nevada & Arizona in case things go badly wrong, and I know of a much larger stash (of a friend) which includes guns, ammo, salt and sugar. I appreciate that your comment was prolly a bit of haha, but I’m confident that I could scram and be able to survive. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/22 "2009-05-31T13:07:50Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Basically, if I have to scram, I can. Where I live, if the shit hits the fan, the faster you start to get outta town, the more likely you will be to actually make it. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Keeping too much food in the truck is impractical, as it will spoil, and if I have to hotfoot it out of town I don’t think I’ll have much trouble finding commodities later. > > I also have a couple of caches I’ve placed in Utah, central Nevada & Arizona in case things go badly wrong, and I know of a much larger stash (of a friend) which includes guns, ammo, salt and sugar. > > I appreciate that your comment was prolly a bit of haha, but I’m confident that I could scram and be able to survive. Are you expecting Zombies or nuclear war? I don’t mean to sound snarky, but that’s a lot of shit to haul around every day. Seven gallons of water? Firewood? A kite? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/23 "2009-05-31T13:08:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > …I could scram and be able to survive. You’ve piqued my curiosity. Under what conditions would you need to “scram?” Outstanding warrants? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/24 "2009-05-31T13:43:44Z")
Ice scraper/snow brush 20‘ tow strap with extra clevises. And a gym bag with — Assorted bungees and rope. Zip ties. Multi-tool and real tools – Phillips, slot, adjustable wrench pliers. Orange rubberized heavy duty gloves. Road flares. Water ‘proof’ picnic blanket. A very well put together first aid kit. It actually comes with my car, a little extra of this and that and it’s pretty good. Thanks Nissan. Two dog leashes. Pen/paper. Air gage. Flash light (and I think I put an extra in the first aid kit). Ever since may Labrador had a serious case of diarrhea, I also try to keep a role of paper towels and some plastic bags. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/25 "2009-05-31T14:57:59Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > a kite with 1000’ of string Now, _that_ is smart! 🙂 Seriously, as a rescue beacon it’s a fantastic idea. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/26 "2009-05-31T15:31:39Z")
Umbrella iPod Lint roller Barf bags (seriously; I get horrendous motion sickness) GPS ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/27 "2009-05-31T15:47:32Z")
Lord on high what kind of cars do you people drive?!?!? I cannot believe that half of you people have room for this crap… My turn. Cologne Floss and Listerene Pens A bag of quarters (for soda machines) Drugs (Excederin, Aleve, Immodium) Towel Ice Scraper w/ Squeegee CDs Trunk (box of junk): Gloves A better Ice Scraper than the previous one (This is the winter one, I like the other cuz of the squeegee) Football (and receivers gloves) Baseball (and mitt) I bet there is a little bit more, but none too much. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/28 "2009-05-31T16:11:51Z")
A-Z London and road atlas of UK plus whatever country I’m in Roll of kitchen towel Antibac hand gel £20 note and some parking change Lots of tapes (yes, it is a very old stereo) and an adaptor for CD player/iPod Strong shopping bag First aid kit Ice scraper/squeegee thing Lighter Book A box of car crap like spare fan belt, oil filter etc, which honestly I will never use myself because I’m incapable, but I have nowhere else to keep the box. Also it contains oil, antifreeze etc, which I can and do use! Bottled water Cereal bars and boiled sweets Binoculars Hiking boots and poles Torch currently also a gardening fork and spade, again because I have nowhere to keep them, and more rubbish than is reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/29 "2009-05-31T18:12:35Z")
Not a lot. Currently: Maps (city and provincial) Window shades CDs Tire pressure gauge Umbrella Baby wipes Kleenex First aid kit Bug spray and sun screen Window wash fluid Couple bottles of water (they get unpleasantly warm, but when you’re thirsty it’s nice) Coupon book A penguin in a t-shirt For winter I had a shovel, sleeping bag, energy bars, winter boots (they’re too awkward to drive in… I tried) and space blankets. Mom insisted. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/30 "2009-05-31T18:50:41Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Are you expecting Zombies or nuclear war? I don’t mean to sound snarky, but that’s a lot of shit to haul around every day. Seven gallons of water? Firewood? A kite? Expecting nothing, prepared for anything. I was never a Boy Scout, but their motto has always struck me as a good bit of advice. > [@EJsGirl](#): > > Now, that is smart! Seriously, as a rescue beacon it’s a fantastic idea. Yep. It’s also just fun to fly a kite sometimes. I keep a kite in all my cars, and a finger kite in my under-the-seat bag on my bicycle. There’s also a frisbee in my truck. Fun, and useful too if need be. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/31 "2009-05-31T18:51:43Z")
Uraguay, a foppish boy, printer cable, boysenberry syrup, squirrel food, sten gun ammunition ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/32 "2009-05-31T18:58:35Z")
Trauma bag (stocked) Fire helmet Visibility vest Coveralls Rock climbing gloves A fishing rod Tackle box Folding chair Jug of antifreeze Wiper solution Road atlas 400 W Inverter Halloween prop dismembered arm (hangs out of the trunk the month of October, and 1 April) My fire service radio is with me wherever I go, but it doesn’t live in the car like the stuff above. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/33 "2009-05-31T23:18:04Z")
Oh, yeah, forgot to mention I have two cardboard cartons in the back of my SUV. I put things to go to the thrift store in one. The other holds old towels and blankets and bags and cans of pet food and such that I drop off at the SPCA every so often. (When the cartons are empty they are used to hold bags of groceries on shopping days.) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/34 "2009-06-01T00:35:48Z")
Amazingly enough, I keep next to nothing in my car. It’s about the only thing I own that stays pristinely clean. Occasionally I’ll try to keep beach blankets in the trunk, but they never get dry after I use them at the beach if I don’t take them out, so despite my best efforts, they get taken out and never put back. A lot of this is probably because it’s a convertible, and you really can’t get in the habit of leaving anything that’s worth anything in it without risk of it getting stolen. The OTHER car, the one that’s technically Mr. Athena’s, has all sorts of crap in it, but nothing I leave there intentionally, it’s just stuff that gets left there. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/35 "2009-06-01T01:28:17Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Yep. It’s also just fun to fly a kite sometimes. I keep a kite in all my cars, and a finger kite in my under-the-seat bag on my bicycle. > > There’s also a frisbee in my truck. Fun, and useful too if need be. Heh- I like it. Now, I hate to ask this, but I must- do you have a disc in the truck, or a Frisbee? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/36 "2009-06-01T02:55:03Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Heh- I like it. Now, I hate to ask this, but I must- do you have a disc in the truck, or a Frisbee? 😉 It’s a 175 disc… but if you don’t say Frisbee, non-Ultimate types have no idea what you’re talking about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/37 "2009-06-01T07:53:23Z")
I have some stuff that’s not stock but mandatory where I live (chains to put on the tires and other safety items; the chains are only required in winter but my house is in an area that has been known to get snow in August). The only item I’ve been known to put in any car I drove is an aluminum heat screen. Right now I also have a bunch of pillows, for Mom. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/38 "2009-06-01T08:18:07Z")
There’s a big carton in the back of my PT Cruiser, containing: A rhinestone tiara. A red wig (female) and a styrofoam head. Big T-shaped pins, to pin the wig onto the styrofoam head. A gold wand with glitter and sequins. A rainbow clown wig. A bag of New Year’s party favors from the Millennium. A Harley-Davidson dog collar (I don’t have a dog). 2 feather boas, one red and one black with gold sparkles. A pair of castanets and lace fan from Spain. A rain stick. A print of Picasso’s _Guernica._ An 8" inflatable Godzilla. A pair of women’s tap shoes, size 12. And yes, it’s all my stuff, and I’ve actually used it all. ---
**Author:** ![Otanabi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Otanabi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanabi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/39 "2009-06-01T11:12:28Z")
Mundane stuff: umbrella, tissues, coins, maps, CD’s. Safety stuff: snow scrapers, jumper cables, tool kit Winter survival kit: hat, gloves, sweatpants and shirt, socks, blankets candles and matches, energy bars. Other stuff: Handicap sticker Sparkly dangly thing hanging from the rear view mirror Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. I love the store but won’t go without the coupons, so I store them in the car. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217/40 "2009-06-01T13:26:41Z")
Front seat: Hand sanitizer Napkins Pens Small notepad Altoids Liquor store discount cards CDs (which I never listen to) Tape measure Latex gloves (to keep my hands from getting greasy if I break down or something) Mini 1st aid kit Coins for parking meter Road atlas Tire pressure gauge Back seat: Magazine Mini umbrella Daughter’s booster seat Trunk: Gym bag Large/golf umbrella Empty gas can (in case I have to walk to a station) Paper towels Battery charger Jumper cables Flashlight & spare batteries Rain poncho Snow scrapers & brushes Have to mention- as someone who hasn’t used it in about 20 years, it amuses the hell out of me that people keep cologne in their cars. I’m imagining a side-of-the-road breakdown situation which could be remedied by the urgent application of some eau de toilette. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-always-have-in-your-car/498217.md?page=3)