What should you or do you always have with you?

In My Humble Opinion
1

On Friday, I found myself making a surprise visit to the ER, where I spent all freaking day. Everything turned out fine in the end, but I had on me my ID and cell phone. Nothing else. No cash, aside from a $20 emergency bill I carry (can’t use that in a vending machine), nothing to read, and by the afternoon, my phone was nearly dead.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time in recent months where I’ve found myself stuck some place, wishing I had a phone charger, something to drink, or a small snack–all without the time to pack something beforehand. I realize there are a few things I should carry with me (small bills, change, phone charger, bottle of water, small snacks, etc.), or at least have in a bag in the trunk that I can grab when needed. But aside from what I’ve just mentioned, I’m not sure where to begin.

I’ve done some research on “what to always have with you” and bug out bags, and while the bug out bag seem very…prepared, it also seems very extreme. (Other lists include crap like “lipstick”–seriously, if I’m stuck unprepared, I don’t want freaking lipstick.) I am thinking this would be something, like a backpack, that I could throw in the trunk of my car and have ready for times (like surprise trips to the ER) when I might need something, but not think or have the time to grab things individually.

What are things that you always have with you, that you carry in your car or on your person? What should I add to my bag? So far, I have:

[ul]
[li]phone charger[/li][li]cash (small bills and coins)[/li][li]small flashlight (I usually carry this in my coat, but it should be in the bag as well)[/li][li]Bottle of water[/li][li]Snack of some sort (hate granola bars…what will keep but not be full of sugar?)[/li][li]small pair of scissors[/li][li]band-aids or small first aid kit (this is in the car, but it should be in my bag)[/li][li]pillbox with OTC medicine (aspirin, Advil, Benadryl, etc.)[/li][/ul]

2

Swiss Army knife.

3

seriously you forgot duct tape?

4

Vacuum packed nuts and seeds will last a long time and be very filling.

5

beef jerky.
bottle of rum.
solar blanket.
compact radio with at least AM/FM bands

6

A full change of clothes, of the t-shirt/sweatshirt/sweatpants variety, in big zip-lock bags. Get a felt moving blanket at U-Haul to cover/protect stuff in the trunk while you’re driving around, and it doubles as an actual blanket if you need it.

7

I keep a 4 cell Maglite (under my driver seat, accessible) and a crowbar in my car all the time. Both have come in handy in the past.

8

Purse:

2 tampons
A small measuring tape
My inhaler
A calculator
Safety pins

Car:

2 warm blankets
Extra pair of boots
Gloves/mittens
Tire inflator that plugs into the cigarette lighter
Rope
Bungee cords
Tool kit
Kitty litter
Flashlight
Windshield wiper fluid
2 cement blocks (Winter only)

9

your antivagrancy dollar coin.

clean underwear.

10

You haven’t told us what your goal is. If it’s to ease your staying for a few hours in a building like a hotel or hospital that’s a very different list than if you’re trying to survive a car breakdown in the boonies in a blizzard.

There’s almost zero overlap between the useful supplies for those two scenarios. Not to mention the dozen other scenarios between or beyond.

11

I have a few medical conditions that flare up from time to time, so I carry migraine meds and inhaler everywhere. Add a few days of prescription RX to your list.

After we watched the F3 play pick up sticks with the semis on the Interstate, it was clear we were not getting off the ever-loving freeway for of looooooooong time. My DH got to teach my son how to pee in a paper cup. :slight_smile: In the cars I carry a few rolls of TP, and a First Responder’s med kit.

For blankets/jackets, it depends on where you live. Carry enough to get every through a cold/wet night. So I plan for everyone in my family, even if the kids don’t normally ride in the commute car. If you’re in LA, you can probably skip it.

Yes, I may err a bit on the prepared side. I’ve also been in my car during the Loma Prieta earthquake, and during the aforementioned F3 tornado. So shit happens.

12

^^^This.
In both vehicles I have Swiss Army knives (lesson learned from my Dad), jumper cables, extra device chargers. In winter add: snow shovel and either carpet scraps or kitty litter for adverse snow and ice conditions. (I’ve used both more often to help out other stuck people than myself!)

Other than that, since I’m typically not more than 40 miles from home and not out in the wilds with no phone reception where I need to rely on nuts and seeds to keep me from starving to death over the course of two or more weeks, so nothing special.

Cell phone, debit card, drivers license. That is pretty much all I need to get myself out of any adverse situation.

13

Tool kit and jacket in the car, keys and wallet on my person.

14

The only one I agree with is the cash. I don’t necessarily take coins, but I do make sure I carry at least one small bill so it’s easy to change for coins if necessary.

My phone doubles as a flashlight and if I charge it overnight, I’d have to do something weird to it for it to die during the day, so no charger. I don’t drive and only have a passport for ID, which I don’t carry, so I keep a scan of it on my phone. (As well as scans of all my cards and stuff.)

Not taking water on the off-chance that my plans change. There’s water everywhere where you can find people. No first aid stuff: a small cut or scrape will be fine until I get home, for the larger stuff a first aid kit that I can carry around isn’t going to cut it anyway.

If you want something to snack on that keeps, nuts can’t be beat.

I never leave the house without my phone, earbuds and keys, and usually my wallet.

I do keep a bag with my passport, phone charger/cable, change of clothes, essential toiletries, spare keys, bottle of water, credit card, enough cash for a night in a hotel and my computer backup drive close to the door so if I have to go to the ER or there’s a fire or some such, I’m ready to go.

15

Pocket knife and a credit card.

16

Something that can cut the seat belt off of you after an accident.
Something that can smash a car window open & allow you to get out after an accident.
Something that, if you have no civilization near by, can start a fire to keep warm.

17

a good reliable rocket launcher in case enemy vehicles or groups approach and need to be dispatched, two .50 cal magnum revolvers in case i need to ‘go hollywood’ matrix/resident evil style and also set examples simultaneously, full body armor in case of enemy attack, 190 proof everclear in order to feel even more of a badass and bulletproof, assault drone controlled by laptop to render harmless far off enemies i may declare need to be ‘enlightened’, laptop for aforementioned attack, cardboard box full of drivers licenses of people who look like me, social security cards, birth certificates, and passports along with burnt finger tips and DNA scrambled by liberated above top secret chemical compounds, CIA ID, foreign intelligence services IDs, walmart employee ID, 3 bags of Lays potato chips and bottle of gatorade, trunk full of torture tools and various halloween costume pieces (masks, gloves, suits, etc) Mr. Cool sunglasses, and among various other objects, a 6.66 ton bomb that blows out in the pattern of a rotating burning pentagram owing to advanced design and composition with a secondary explosive component radiating out radioactive materials in an illuminated rotating saw blade pattern along with a simultaneous activation system set to play heavy bass notes and church bells at high volume to be heard for miles.

but in actuality, usually just carry money and a jet lighter to light my farts on fire in congested public situations, along with a phone with a recording of laughter to cue people to laugh

18

In my car I keep tools, paper towels, trash bags, first aid kit, water, air compressor, flashlight, phone charger (ac/dc), knife, loose change, fire extinguisher, spare bulbs for head and tail lights, spare fuses, jumper cables, volt meter, quart of oil, work gloves, clip for carrying grocery bags, pens, lighter. In Winter I add small shovel, scraper, candles. I still need to find tow rope and toss that in along with small bag of salt.

19

A small, but very sharp, pocket knife; usually about $100; wallet with credit cards and ID; keys; a small but very bright flashlight for walking at night (uneven sidewalks, dark crosswalks, etc.). I’m astonished at the number of people here who wear dark clothing at night and who have no reflective items or a light of any kind. It’s not surprising that people get hit by cars.

In the car: a first aid kit and a couple of blankets, some hand warmers, a squeegee in case the windows get fogged up; an ice scraper.

20

What are you looking to survive?

A trip to the ER? A phone charger for your almost smartphone. You don’t need a current all the bells and whistles phone, but a phone that can connect you to your family/friends to help you is about the best thing you can have.

Facebook post ‘I’m at the hospital emergency from, BUT NOT DYING, and I don’t have ‘x’, can someone help?’

See what happens.