How to build a survival car kit

How to build a car kit for survival

Build a survival kit for your car!
Prepare your car for emergencies and build a car kit.

Prepare your car for emergencies.
You spend a lot of time in your car commuting to work or school,
running errands and travelling on vacations and weekends. If
catastrophe strikes, big or small, you can be ready with a survival
kit. Build a survival kit for your car!

With a well-equipped kit in your car you can have virtually
everything you might need to survive. Build a survival kit with a
sturdy utility box right. Make space under the car seat, in the
trunk or tucked in the glove compartment or the seat pockets for
these "must haves" in your car...

How to build a car kit for survival
Here's our list of essential things to keep in your vehicles for
survival, so you're ready for bugging out:

Car Kit Item #1: Water, metal water container, filter
and tablets.
When building your car emergency kit, remember the water
purification Preppers seem to underscore the importance of water
storage for their home, but for travel water is doubly important!
Always carry water in your ride, along with ways to purify water in
case you get stuck somewhere.

Water. Always carry fresh water with you. Fill a BPA-free
bottle with filtered water, (we recommend the Big Berkey
water filtration system), tap water if you must, but carry
water with you always.

Metal water container. With a metal water container, you
can boil water if need be. The metal water container will also
be useful if you pack food, which you can cook.

Water purficiation tablets. Potable Aqua tablets will help
you source water in an emergency.

Water straw filter. A water filter such as AquaMira,
Lifestraw, Sawyer).

Drinking water. Water is life. Be sure to stock some Datrex
Emergency Water packets or your water bottle!

Car Kit Item #2: Fire Starter.
A fire starter should be part of your everyday carry. In fact, you
should have at least
three methods available to you, for example:

A Swedish Fire Steel, pictured right in orange, is an
excellent addition to your collection.
Hurricane matches, also pictured right would make another
good everyday carry for your car.
BIC lighter or a Zippo lighter. They are dependable fire
starters!

Here's a tip for fire starting: pack a pencil sharpener (or a tinder
box), so you'll be able to shave sticks into tinder.

Car Kit Item #3: Fixed Blade Knife.
Why carry a fixed blade knife in your vehicle? There is no lock to
fail! Seriously, check local laws and you may find that carrying a
folding knife is illegal, while a fixed blade knife is not illegal.
Knife up on knife laws.

If you don't already carry a firearm (and even if you do) consider
having any kind of legal survival knife handy in the car. You may
find it necessary to escape a dangerous situation with people
(mob or individual), or may find yourself stranded in the car to
survive the night.

Right is the MTech USA fixed blade hunting and survival knife.
The ABS handle features wing walk inserts which provide a
superior grip in even the wettest of conditions. Ideal for camping
expeditions and survival training, this knife has a 7-inch stainless
steel blade, and a handle with a glass breaker on the end making
this knife useful in any rescue situation. This knife comes
complete with a black nylon sheath for easy and safe carry.

Car Kit Item #4: Emergency Blanket or Bivvy.
Winterize your car with a wool blanket ready for emergencies. For
trauma, shock or fire, or snow and ice conditions, an emergency
blanket is essential and wool is best. At minimum, vehicles
should contain a mylar blanket, which can fold flat into the glove
compartment:

Bivvy. A bivvy is a lightweight sleeping bag designed to
retain body heat and is an absolute necessity when traveling
in snow. The slogan on the orange bivvy, pictured right, is
"Expect the unexpected." That's so true!

Emergency Blanket: The quality emergency blanket,
pictured immediate left in orange is made of a flame
retardant fabric. Because of the moisture and oils present in
wool fiber, when exposed to a flame, wool fabric self
extinguishes and turns to ash. Made in the United States,
it's loom woven with 80-percent wool and 20-percent
synthetic reflective material.

Space Blanket: A space blanket is thicker than Mylar.
Originally developed for NASA, the MPA Space All Weather
Blanket, pictured right in a variety of colors, is warmer than
wool pound for pound. It retains 80% of radiated body heat,
preventing hypothermia and providing unsurpassed
protection in sub-zero temperatures.

Mylar Blanket. The most economical option is a mylar
blanket. A pack of ten is under $7. It's also a space saver!
Mylar blankets have many survival purposes. Include one in
your bugout bag! Ensure you have two mylar blankets: one
for each passenger seat in your vehicle. One mylar is for the
ground to prevent dampness and the other is to help retain
body heat.

Heavy Duty Garbage Bag. Even a trash bag can help you
retain warmth in an emergency situation, and is considered
the poor man's bivvy! A trash bag is also convenient as a
biohazard bag. Learn the many survival uses of plastic bags.

Hand Warmers. Be sure to add hand warmers to your list,
particularly if you live or drive in snow regions!

Car Essential #5: Car Escape Tools.
It's natural for preppers to think about "Getting out of Dodge,"
but what if a prepper's survival depends on getting out of a
Dodge (or a Ford, Toyota, or Jeep, etc.). Entrapment is an
everyday survival concern and easily mitigated with access to the
proper tools.

Where to stow it! Stow the car escape tool in your car's center
console a lifesaver that cuts seatbelt latch and breaks glass to
escape your vehicle!

Life hammer. Escape entrapment in your car with Life
Hammer! Be prepared for an earthquake or accident with the
Life Hammer Escape tool, pictured left in red. Its double-
sided, steel hammer head breaks through side and rear
windows. Life Hammer's razor-sharp blade cuts easily
through safety belts. Includes a mounting bracket for
installation. A fluorescent pin glows in the dark for easy
retrieval.

Ranger Rescue Entry Tool. The Ranger Rescue Entry Tool,
pictured above is a professional grade tool that combines the
functionality of five separate devices into one universal head
design. Use the Ranger Rescue Entry Tool as an axe, prybar,
hydrant wrench, gas shut off and spanner wrench (2 1/2"
hoses and water mains). This tool is a necessity for all
emergency and rescue professionals, and a real luxury for
preppers. It weighs 6.35 lbs. Be prepared for anything, even
self-defense with this tool if you have extra room to store it.

Get yourself unstuck with a tow strap! The Neiko tow
strap, pictured left in yellow can help you tow 10,000 lbs,
which is more than strong enough to extract any vehicle from
a ditch or rough spot. With two safety hooks on both ends,
this tow strap allows for easy and fast hook ups and
releases.

Car Essential #6: Gas Siphon and/or a Gas Can.
Worry not that a gas siphon is an item for petty criminals. A
siphon pump is a good idea to carry with you on your travels in
good times and in bad. Good Samaritans exist and will allow you
to pump a bit of their gas into your car should you need it.
You can worry later about the unethical dilemmas you may face in
uncertain times when gas is hard to secure (and you have a
means to secure some). Carry also a gas can! It is otherwise
unwise and unsafe to carry gasoline in an open container.

Gas Siphon: Safety experts caution against the unsafe
practice of siphoning petroleum by mouth, warning
specifically, that it can result in loss of life. Beckson's
answer is the patented Siphon-Mate® pump; a combination
displacement lift pump and siphon pump with valves suitable
for transferring fuel. Pictured left, the Beckson Transfer Pump
for fuel Pump half strokes to start flow. Once flow begins,
fully extending the handle will allow siphoning rovided that
the source is higher in elevation than the receptacle.

Multi-Use Pump Siphon: Liquid transfer of gasoline, water or
air with the multi-use Siphon Inflation Pump with Hose. Ideal
for transferring gas from the truck's tank or other large
containers into engine tanks while in the field. Dual-action
pump. The intake tube is placed at the bottom of the liquid
to be moved and the outgoing tube is fed into the receptacle
receiving the liquid. Pump the handle a couple times to
prime the pump and then pull the handle fully out. To stop
the flow at any time, simply depress the handle. U.S. made,
it also helps inflate toys!

Gas Can: The No-Spill 1450 5-Gallon Poly Gas Can is CARB
and EPA Compliant. Most spills happen when tipping a
normal can to get the spout into the tank opening before the
liquid comes out, or removing the spout from the target
vessel before overflowing. The No-Spill spout is fully in your
control, so you tip the can vertical, insert the spout into the
vessel opening, then press the button to begin and control
pouring. To stop pouring just release the button. It
practically eliminates spills and overflows!

Car Essential #7: Cash.
Cash is king in an emergency. The electricity may be out, and
having cash to buy the necessities could mean the difference
between life and death. Think for example of being in a pharmacy
trying to get a vital prescription, or at a gas station and all you
have is a useless credit card, but the hurricane is headed your
way. The importance of carrying cash in your car is essential.

You can hide money in the crevices of your vehicle. Just make
sure that your hiding spot isn't found by the valets, mechanics
and auto-detailers who may have access to your vehicle.

Car Essential #8: Wheels or Walking Shoes.
Preppers always have a contingency plan for getting home or
"getting out of dodge." In case your car won't start, or in case all
cars won't work, as with an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP), you'll
need to stow either wheels or good walking shoes! Proper
navigation is essential, so have a compass and a map on hand as
well:

Fold up bike.
Scooter
Skateboard
Roller skates
Skis
Snow shoes
Walking shoes. You won't want to safety in flip flops,
sandals or high heels in case debris is blocking the way. A
pair of sturdy and comfortable old shoes or boots in your car
will provide a means of hiking long distances, should you be
unable to take public transportation or your car to safety.
Old shoes have the benefit of being less likely to blister, but
just in case, add moleskin or BlisterMedic to your car kit.

Car Essential #9: Vehicle First Aid Kit.
Be equipped to deal with an accident or minor mishap by having a
first aid kit handy. Almost everything you will need is in the metal
container of this handy vehicle first aid kit.

QuickClot: Be sure to add QuikClot® Sport™ Silver to your
first aid, which has added antibacterial advantage of ionic
silver. Silver acts to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi
which can be especially important if medical care is not
immediately available (or ever at all).

Wool Blanket. A wool blanket is essential to help a shock
victim, and can be a lifesaver in inclement weather. Not only
is wool the warmest natural fiber, a wool blanket can also
help put out a fire.

Pandemic supplies. Having a few simple pandemic supplies
handy is another convenience to have. Keep supplies ready
in the glove compartment, including an antiviral mask or
respirator, and nitrile gloves. For your glove box, get an
Official Department of Defense Pandemic Flu Preparedness &
Protection Kit for around $7.75. pictured right. This official
kit contains 2 NIOSH-approved N95 Masks, 4 surgical masks,
a 4oz bottle of hand sanitizer and an information card.

Car Essential#10: Food and Snacks.

Ration bars. Here's food for thought: include Datrex
Emer g ency Ration Bars in your car. Ration bars are too
heavy for the bugout bag, but ideal for storage in remote
locations, cars, trucks, and boats. In fact, Datrex ration bars
originally were created for watercraft preparedness purposes,
ensuring rations for survivors stranded at sea, because they
are non-thirst provoking. Datrex ration bars provide "smooth
sailing" and peace of mind because they:

U.S. Coast Guard approved!
Are ready to eat (no cooking required);
Offer a high energy value;
Are non-thirst provoking;
Have a five-year shelf life
Withstand fluctuations of heat and cold in your car.
Are in tablets sub-packaged for ease of rationing.

Not into coconut? There are bars available in other brands and
flavors. Here is the complete review of ration bars.
Ensure you have some food in your vehicle (provided you're not
living in bear country) and a folding stove or other means to cook:

MREs. For long trips, it's imperative to pack Meals Ready to
Eat,or freeze dried foods with a means to cook. Even for
short trips, you may like the added security of these foods
on your journey. The advantage of MREs is you don't need to
bring extra water or a stove to cook them - the flameless
heater uses any kind of water whether it's potable or not.
However, in freezing temperatures, you should not rough
handle.

Snacks: Beef Jerky is a great item to stock in the car, but
don't stop there. Dried fruits and nuts are wonderful addition
(provided there are no allergies). Remember the protein
bars! Datrex bars are another good survival option.

Hard Candy and Gum, 5-hour Energy Bottle. Also often
overlooked by even the most advanced preppers and super
easy to store in your car is hard candy, gum and an energy
drink.

Gum. Chewing gum is for survival! It provides a stress
release and helps aid in concentration, and so much
more. The sweetness boost is also a morale. In a car
emergency situation, you can use gum for temporary
repair of a radiator to plug a leaky hose. Want to learn
more about the uses of gum? You'd be surprised that
you can also use gum as catfish bait! Learn more
interesting facts about gum and uses for preppers.

Hard candy. Why pack hard candy for survival?
Lifesavers could well be a lifesaver! The sugar in hard
candy provides excellent quick energy for activities,
which you may need if you're stuck on the road. Look for
organic varieties and those made with real cane sugar.
If the label reads "sugar" then it very likely is beet
sugar, a GMO product to avoid.

5-hour Energy drink. At only two ounces it goes down fast,
a 5-hour energy drink has zero sugar, zero herbal stimulants
and only four calories. It's packed with B-vitamins, amino
acids, nutrients and as much caffeine as a cup of the leading
premium coffee. That will get you going if you need to
prepare an escape by foot power.

Car Essentials #11: Tarp or Camouflage for your Car.
The time may come when it's best to go undetected. With a little
advanced planning, you can hide in plain sight using special
netting designed to make your car look like it's part of mother
nature. Get enough to cover your vehicle, then make sure to
cover add local foliage to enhance the look. Right, you'll find
camouflage cover for your vehicle, bike

Car Essential #12: Power Inverter.
Turn the DC current from your vehicle into AC current for your
survival and communications gadgets. It's the next best thing, if
you don't have a generator.

Pictured immediate right in red is the best selling power inverter
you'll find for the price (it's under $30). It has the highest review
rating of any power inverter brand. It's a 300W power inverter
with 2 USB ports and 2 AC outlets. This is a road trip "must have"
with wide range of applications for preppers. Full protection
features and auto-shutdown keep your appliance and car from
damage.

Car Essential #13: Shovel.
Consider a folding shovel. The Gerber Gorge folding shovel,
immediate right, is an essential hand tool for any prepper
whether at home, camping or on the road.

Incredibly versatile is ergonomically minded to help with light
snow shoveling around tires and even strong enough to break ice
to get you out if you're stuck in the snow. Don't overlook this
important car essential just because you don't live in the snow. A
shovel can help you dig an emergency latrine or serve as an
improvised weapon. It's small enough to toss in your bugout bag
without weighing you down. Besides its digging abilities, it's able
to operate in hammer mode, which is an ideal option for pounding
in tent
stakes.

Car Essential #14: Sanitary Supplies.
Personal emergencies happen, not just if you're a woman. Even if
you don't have room for a portable toilet, pack the sanitation
essentials in your car for proper sanitation, including:

toilet paper and facial tissues
Paper towels (or shop towels)
Hand wipes and hand sanitizers
Sanitary napkins (they also come in handy in first aid)
Plastic Bag Survival tip: Store sanitary supplies inside zipped
plastic bags to
keep all your paper products dry and your hand wipes and
sanitizer moist.

The bag itself may prove useful for survival to collect water.

Car Essential #15: Communications.
Important for snow drenched regions, or hurricane country,
tornado alley or flood-prone zones, an ambient weather radio
communications device could be a livesaving
decision for your family. And in earthquake zones, you will always
have access to communications about the events that have
transpired. During the 1989 earthquake in California, people were
huddled by the radios not quite sure about what to do.

Cell phone.
Cell phone recharger.

Car Essential #16: Fire extinguisher.
A fire extinguisher can save your life. Do you know how to use
one? Here's a prepper's guide to using a fire extinguisher.

Car Essential #17: Car repair kit.
A car repair kit is an essential. Look for one that contains bit
driver, slip joint plier, drive ratchet handle, driver extension bar,
drive spark plug socket, adapter, cable ties, SAE Hex keys, drive
sockets, and bits.

Bonus: Welding equipment? Well that's a little extreme, but
many advanced preppers bring along welding equipment.

Above, Practical Preppers, consultants to Doomsdsay Preppers, illustrates the
importance for advanced preppers on using welding equipment in their car
kits.

Finally, be careful to stay a safe distance from traffic that passes.
You can aid your chances for survival with flares and by wearing
brightly colored clothing. Why not pack an orange reflective vest in
your car for added measure?

Road Assistance Kit

Having the tools to get you back on the road takes only the
foresight of buying a kit.
The compact 70-piece road assistance kit by AAA, top center
of page, includes:
1 heavy duty booster jumper cable
1 hand-charged dual LED flashlight
1 pair of dimpled work gloves
1 emergency poncho
1 emergency whistle
1 flat head screwdriver
1 Phillips head screwdriver
1 roll of duct tape
1 utility knife
1 bungee cord
2 shop cloths
10 cable ties, and
45 piece first-aid kit

Now let's tall about the ordinary things you'd expect to have in
your car...

Air filter - Be sure to check your car's air filter ever 12,000
miles. A clean air filter helps keep damaging particles from
entering your engine and causing increased engine wear.
cardboard or cat litter - for icy and snow conditions to get
traction.
car manual
flare and reflective triangle
first aid kit
flashlight or a headlamp
fluids - Oil change, transmission fluid, and radiator coolant.
ice scraper
jumper cables
paper towels or sham to clean windshield visibility
proof of insurance
registration - yeah, you only need this one for the authorities
spare tire
shovel*
tire jack
tire pressure gauge
tire chains
WD-40
wiper blades (replace them every winter)

Six things to avoid being stranded if your car breaks
down:
Being prepared is about having the essentials on hand if your car
breaks down. Here is a list of the top things to consider so you'll
have the major things you need to deal with roadside emergencies:

#1: Air pressure. Maintaining proper air pressure will help
keep your tires in top shape. A good tire gauge can help you
keep track of the air pressure. Keeping the air pressure on
your vehicle is free at the service station, but there are also
While you're at it, check the spare.

#2: Coolant. If you don't take proper care of your vehicle's
factory installed coolant, you'll spend almost $2000 on fixing it
with a new radiator, heater core and water pump. Worse yet,
you void the extended warranty by not regularly maintaining
your vehicles coolant system. Ensure fluids are always
between the maximum and the minimum line.

#3: Oil and Oil filter. It almost goes without saying to keep
clean oil lubricating your vehicle, but an often overlooked
component of car care is the oil filter. The oil filter provides
the necessary layer between debris and critical parts of your
car. Don't wait for your oil filter to disintegrate and cost you
hundreds in repair bills.

#4: Spark plugs. A spark plug doesn't cost much, but if you
don't maintain them or your vehicles, you'll spend around $500
in ignition-related repairs. Prevent misfires, which damage
spark plug wires, along with the ignition coils by taking
necessary maintenance precautions.

#5: Timing Belt (Luxury item). One sure fire way to get
yourself stranded is to have a broken timing belt. It's never
convenient, but as Murphy's law will have, it will probably
happen when the temperatures are dangerously high, or when
you're escaping a storm. More about timing belts versus
chains... On replacing timing belts you must take care to
ensure that the valve and piston movements synchronize
correctly. Get the parts you need on Amazon.

#6: Transmission fluid. The cost of rebuilding a transmission
is a few thousand dollars, but far more expensive to the
prepper is being stuck when the transmission goes out and
there's no way to get a repair.

How to survive a night in your car.
What you may stock in your car as a prepper is vastly different
from conventional thinking if you want to learn how to survive a
night in the car, you'll have to think deeper. Traditionally car
essentials might include jumper cables, a blanket and a little white-
boxed first aid kit. Those are all excellent things to have in your
car; however, the prepper list of car essentials to consider for your
personal survival plan is far more extensive. We've gathered a list
of essential items to stock in your vehicle to survive the night and
help prepare for a life-changing catastrophe...

While there is a lot of survival gear you could include in your car or
truck, if you had to pair it down to three things, then these three
items would virtually guarantee your survival ~ a quality fixed
blade knife, a metal water container (appropriate also for
cooking/boiling water) and a fire starter.

Getting your car kit together may take some planning, but it will be
well worth the effort.

Happy endings...
Now you know how to build a car kit for survival, but if you had to
pair it down to three things, then these items would virtually
guarantee your survival — a quality fixed blade knife, a metal
water container, and a fire starter. Make sure always to have these
things with you at all times with several redundancies in your get
home bag, bugout bag and 72-hour emergency kits.

The road less travelled is never as interesting. Pack your vehicles
and enjoy when the rubber meets the road. You can handle
anything that comes your way, because you're a prepper!

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