In the handwashing thread, I posted about having a packet of baby wipes/moist towelettes in my car at all times, along with last year’s phone book. What other items are essential for comfort and safety?
For me, it’s:
baby wipes (I eat lunch in my vehicle often, and also smoke in my car, and like to “wash” hands after. Also handy for quick cleaning of dashboard and console, or self.)
box of tissues (blow nose, blot oily skin, dab a spill, or even as toilet paper in an emergency)
the previous year’s phone book (it’s not that out of date, and has maps in it, as well as phone numbers and restaurant menus)
map book for our city
bottle of water (I might get dry throat, the dog might need a drink, we might be stranded and could save our life, yada yada…)
emergency snack food (a box of crackers or sumpin’)
pad of paper and pens
coins for parking and a spare twenty-dollar bill for emergency gas purchase
spare grocery bags for garbage or doggy doo pickup
flashlight (I need to put one in; I don’t have one in the car at the moment)
something to read (at lunch or if I’m running an errand and have to wait in line)
cel phone (with me usually as a matter of course)
the usual car stuff: windshield fluid, oil, jumper cables and chains, etc.
Good suggestions! I forgot about the gum–have some stashed in the glove compartment (how come glove compartments are so small?). Sunglasses won’t work for me, though, as I wear prescription glasses. Rope and towel–very handy.
An umbrella.
5 litres of oil (and a bolt that fits the hole for the oil switch).
A spare pair of shoes and socks.
A variety of ziplock plastic bags (my wet weather gear - zip valuables up in lunch bags, put back in pockets and you can even swim without wrecking anything).
This is amazing! This many posts before the essential is mentioned. Must be everybody takes this for granted, but if the gas tank isn’t close to full and some emergency comes up, all that other stuff might as well be in a tent, storage room, or boxes in the closet.
Having survived those gas rationing days in the 70’s and the scares associated with inclement weather, I always begin getting nervous when the gas gauge drops below 1/2. Not that I always react to the nervousness by hastening to a gas pump, but the awareness that I ought to lurks constantly.
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned an ice scraper. In my role as “wonder mom,” I’ve taken to tossing a couple old electrical outlet covers into each of our glove compartments. They take up almost no room and are perfect emergency ice scrapers (and new ones only cost about 25 cents). Then when the first rock hard freeze hits and you’re at college and no one has an ice scraper because who thinks it’s going to freeze in the early fall because it has NEVER EVER done that before and you’re late for class and the world is going to end, THEN you are the only one who has a scraper and sht, you have four and you can share and be a hero and people buy you beer. Also, when those cheap $1.19 pairs of mittens go on sale at WalMart, I pick up 4 or 5 pairs keep them in the car. It’s amazing how many mornings someone leaves the house and somehow doesn’t realize the steering wheel is c o l d until they are 1/2 block from home.
Icescrapers are a must, I have two, but thats because they were only 10
kroners at the local store. They are the ones with a scrape in one end an a broom in the other.
I also have a big wooden box with a lot of tools, some steel wire, band aids, car fluids, cable, Jesus-tape and an axe. But then again I’m driving a Land Rover (damn you Lucas!).
Also I have a set of snowchains, a towing rope and a winch. So far this winter I have helped three cars out from the snow. In this regard I also have a set of oilskins and boots and a pair of wool socks and a pair of padded working gloves.
And from 1 March this year its mandatory to have a reflective vest in the car as well, so that we don’t get run down if we have an emergency roadstop. And its not mandatory for pedestrians to wear something reflective? We have a strange government :rolleyes:
I didn’t even think about ice scrapers. They are so necessary here that everyone has a couple. Standard equipment.
I try to always have.
Small knife
Flashlight
Couple of plastic bags
Paper towels
Blanket
I usually always have a spare coat or two. It’s always very cold in the morning when I go to work, and I layer. Coming home in the afternoon the layers come off.
I need to start keeping a tow chain/strap in it again.
I was once riding down the highway at a bracing 3 mph (when we weren’t totally parked) and on the shoulder was a very unhappy family with a very unhappy baby with a very, very full diaper. Their car had overheated, and they were obviously not going anywhere in all that mess, and had no diapers with them. I hopped out, of course, and gave them a couple, along with some wipes and juice and snacks (figured if they had left the diaper bag at home, they probably didn’t have that stuff either.) The young mother just burst into tears when she saw me coming, and went into this whole, “I’m a terrible mother!” guiltfest. No problem, lady, really. Just…have a diaper! I had time to clean and change the poor tyke for her and walk leisurely back to my car, which my husband was still driving down the highway.
I now keep a couple in the back, of varying sizes, just in case, along with diaper wipes, the blanket, first aid kit, bottles of water, jumper cables and socket set. Never seen another stranded poopy baby, but you never know!
We also have tissues, gum, and ice scrapers, of course.
