Auto Emergency Survival Kit

Intro: Auto Emergency Survival Kit

This is an emergency survival kit that I originally put together to keep in my wife's car.  She travels a great deal for her job and particularly a lot during the winter months.  This kit is designed to help 2 people to survive if stranded during cold weather.  However, most of the components are multipurpose and are useful in any season or geographic area.  Since the first kit was constructed, I have replicated it and keep one in all of our vehicles.  It would make a great base kit if it becomes necessary to quickly evacuate your home in a disaster situation.

STEP 1: A Lot of Gear in a Small Pack

All of the gear on the table is kept in the pack with a little room to spare for additional items if required.  This kit is organized in purpose groups and includes tools, survival aids, utensils, sheltering items, sanitation supplies, first aid supplies, food, and water. 

STEP 2: Protectective Gear & Sheltering Group

In this group I have the following items to help keep you warm and dry in the event you become stranded during inclement weather:

1.  Military surplus casualty blanket.  This is a light weight, heavy duty,  reusable mylar backed blanket with grommets along the edges. It can be used as a blanket or a shelter.

2.  A light weight bivy shelter tent.  It comes packaged with the tent, poles, stakes, and guy cords.

3.  (2) stocking caps.

4.  A zip seal bag with a variety of chemical body and hand warmers.

5.  (2) mylar space blankets.

6.  (1) pair of leather work gloves.

7.  (2) pair of brown cotton jersey work gloves.  These should probably be exchanged for wool gloves or mittens, but these are what I had on hand when I put the kit together.

8.  50' of 550 para cord.

9.  A zip closure bag containing a box of strike anywhere matches.

10.  A zip seal bag containing (2) tea candles, (1) 9 hour emergency candle, and a small roll (about 6') of duct tape.  The candles can be used for light and to melt snow for drinking water.  The duct tape case fix or repair just about anything.

11.  A large bandana handkerchief.  This can be used as a handkerchief, head scarf, bandage, sling, signaling device, and many other uses.

12.  A military surplus triangular bandage or cravat.  Larger that the bandana, the cravat has many possible uses.

13.  (2) vinyl rain ponchos.

STEP 3: Tools & Equipment Group

Included in the kit are several multipurpose tools:

1.  Air Force pilot's survival knife.  Any medium sized fixed blade knife with about a 4 inch blade will do.  I like this knife because it is very sturdy, and has a heavy leather case with a sharpening stone. 

2.  Folding stainless steel trowel with nylon case.  This trowel can be used to scrape away ice and snow or to bury your toilet waste.

3.  Mini LED Maglite with nylon case.  The LED model is a little more expensive, but it gives better light and has longer battery life.

4.  Pocket note pad and pencil.

5.  Map reading compass w/ lanyard and magnifier.

6.  Gerber multitool w/ nylon case.

7.  LED headband light.  This model uses the same AA batteries as the Maglite.

8.  Zip seal bag with spare AA batteries and a commando style wire saw.

9.  Pocket survival guide.  I included this in the kit mostly to remind me of the things I should already know and to keep my mind occupied. 

10.  Pocket Survival Kit.  I included this mini kit just in case one person had to leave the vehicle to go for help.  My Instructable on assembling a PSK can be found here

11.  (2) 8 hour chemical light sticks.  You'll need to keep track of the expiration dates for these and replace them when the get out dated.

12.  Waterproof match case with strike anywhere matches.

13.  Rescue whistle.

STEP 4: Water Storage & Food Prep Group

These items were included to provide containers for water storage and sterilization and to prepare hot food it you're stranded for an extended period of time. The Nalgene bottle and canteen are kept full of water most of the time until the temperatures stay below freezing. The canteen cup and the metal graniteware cup can both be used to melt snow for drinking water or to make coffee or tea.

1.  32 oz (1000 ml) Nalgene water bottle.

2.  1L Swiss Army canteen.  I chose this canteen because it came nested in an aluminum cup and it fits nicely in the side pocket of the backpack.

3.  Metal graniteware coffee cup.

4.  French military surplus 3 piece mess kit.  Look at the next photo to see what is stored inside.

5.  1 quart collapsible plastic water bottle.  This bottle takes up very little space in the pack when it is collapsed.  This container can be used to treat drinking water or for a urine bottle so you don't have to get out of the car during inclement weather.  Just don't forget what you used it for!

6.  Lite My Fire plastic combo spoon spork.

STEP 5: Emergency Food Group

I included several shelf stable emergency food stuffs just in case you get stranded for an extended period.  Although these items have a long shelf life, you will need to keep track of their expiration dates and replace them when necessary,

1.  2400 calorie Mainstay ration bar.  This food bar can be broken into (6) 400 calorie servings and has a 5 year shelf life.  It is SOLAS approved as a survival ration.  It is supposed to taste a little like a lemon bar and is not thirst inducing.

2.  (2) 2-1/2 oz cans of Underwood Deviled Ham.  As long as the cans are not bulged out the food is edible.

3.  (1) package of MRE crackers (to spread the Deviled Ham on).

4.  (4) packages of instant soup mix in a zip seal bag.

5.  (2) Oatmeal breakfast bars.

If you're planning a road trip it might also be a good idea to make up a couple of travel food packs like this one.

STEP 6: First Aid & Sanitation Group

This group contains some sanitation and comfort items to use while you are stranded and after you get rescued.

1.  3 pack of hikers/backpackers toilet paper.

2.  Toiletry kit with travel sized health & beauty items.

3.  Package of wet naps.

4.  Large and small plastic trash bags.

5.  First aid kit in waterproof dry sack.

6.  Water purification tablets & neutralizing tablets.

STEP 7: Additional Items to Keep in Your Vehicle

Here are a few items that are also kept in the vehicles along with the jack, lug wrench, small tool kit, and warning triangle.

STEP 8: Final Thoughts...

These are the items that we keep in our vehicles for emergency situations.  Hopefully, we will never find ourselves in a position that requires us to rely on them, but I think it is cheap insurance.  With OnStar, Garmin, and cell phones, the odds of being stranded for a prolonged length of time are pretty slim, but it can happen.  Even if you can reach the auto club or police, they might not be able to immediately reach you due to storms, floods, blizzard conditions, etc.  I believe fate favors the prepared and I prefer to have control of my situation.  I'm constantly tinkering with my kits adding, deleting, and changing items.  If you choose to make your own kit you should customize it to your needs and the areas you travel. 

STEP 9: Epilogue

One of the things about making these instructables is that they make you think more about the things you've made. Since originally publishing this one, I found the need to add a few things to this pack. 

1.  While shopping for something else at Walmart, I came across this 3'X3' blaze orange SOS maritime marker panel.  I thought it would make a great distress marker that could be attached to the car's radio antenna or waved at a passing vehicle or aircraft.

2.  (2) Blaze orange hunting vests.  Your first job in a survival situation is to help the rescuers find you.  These orange vests can be seen from great distances especially from the air.

3.  (3) fiber coffee filters.  These filters can be used to strain water from a pond or road ditch into your water bottles for further purification.

Comments

[dekalb87]

Instead of the hunter's orange vest, a reflective safety vest (ANSI Class 2) would provide higher visibility in low light conditions. To have the vest accessible during a roadside emergency, it should be stored under the driver's seat.

For increased visibility around the vehicle, LED flares are now available in rugged designs that can be set on the ground or attached to the vehicle by hook or magnet. They are safer and last longer than ignitable flares.

[itsruthanitha]

Recently I bought this Emergency Survival Kit, In my opinion, it's convenient and reliable, I love survival whistle, Includes led Flashlight and Multi Function tools card. I got this code "PD10" and got a 10% discount. http://patriotdeal.com/products/sos-emergency-kit

[ruggb]

FYI, a HAM radio can be used by anyone, anyplace IN AN EMERGENCY.

the issue would be figuring out how to use it without using it. Find a HAM to help u.

[gdsmit1]

Nice kit, but not something I would want to put together all at once.

I've found that strike anywhere matches have gotten really hard to find. I haven't seen them in a store in years, and online retailers don't seem to want to ship them. Any suggestions on where you find your strike anywhere matches?

[marcsachs333]

Even though you might have mentioned it somewhere in the thread, how much did it cost to put this pack together?

Thanks

[SparkySolar]

Thank you for your nice Instructable.

Rima

[johngriswold]

I would be inclined to suggest an amateur radio. Sometimes cell phones don't work. Amateur radio almost always does, and had far far better range than the FRS radios you can get at the local WalMart. www.arrl.org is a great starting place. It's an easy test to get a license.
John, KK1X (my amateur call :)

[crummett]

I agree. A ham license is pretty easy to get, and you can get a decent handheld radio for less than $40. Get a car charger for it and you're all set.

[ashutter]

I was looking at the emergency vehicle kit in the red bag. I was wondering about how much all that stuff cost in total to put that entire bag together?

[diyoutdoorsman]

Sorry for the delay in replying to your question. I really didn't keep track of the cost for the complete kit. I would guess there is probably a couple hundred dollars of stuff if you bought everything all at once. Most of the items I had accumulated over time and just consolidated into a complete kit. A lot of the gear was bought on sale or close-out at sporting goods or surplus stores and/or online. My advice is to buy the best equipment you can afford and add to the kit a little at a time. Start with things you already have in your camping kit, kitchen, etc. Then add the universal non-seasonal items. Add/upgrade items as you find them or can afford them.

[trksh22]

I'm wondering how this can be changed to work with a family with children. I have a 3 and 6 year old and wonder what would be needed to accommodate them. I mean, I have some ideas, but I have no real clue. Really, this kit should include them, right? Why do I feel the need to throw a chapter book in there? Legos to keep them occupied? The mom in me wants to over do it! Any advice? As far as I know there aren't any surviving with kids guides.

[rogue_saint_michael]

Sorry, I found only one.

[rogue_saint_michael]

I found a couple of books on Amazon: Survival Mom: How To Prepare Your Family For Every Day Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios. It's VERY GOOD!! $14.71 for paperback, $11.04 For Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, and have an Android phone or tablet without it, check on Google play. Peace.

[diyoutdoorsman]

I have seen a few survival guides for children, and I think you should definitely include items to protect them. I think I would make a kit for each of them and put it in their own pack. That way they can feel like they are part of the program. I would include the same type of clothing items that are in your kit, stocking cap, gloves or mittens, a rain poncho and maybe even a jacket. Think bright colors. After you have them warm I would include a few survival items at least for your 6 year old. If a child becomes separated from you they should know basic safety procedures, (find a policeman, fireman, adult, etc). They should have their name, parent’s name, and contact information in the pack, maybe on a waterproof card or even a dog tag. The children should know that they should stop, make themselves as comfortable as possible, don't panic, and wait for help. Their first job should be to help the searchers find them. That means they should stay in one place, have a loud whistle, a bright bandana or scarf, or something to wave. As far as food goes it may be a little harder to keep something for them, but the same items I have in my pack should work, at least for your older child. Maybe substitute Spaghetti-O's for the deviled ham. You might consider putting together a travel pack similar to this one that I use for backpacking. A few substitutions should give you a basic snack pack. For the first aid kit, you might add items related to children, but I would keep it in your pack. As far as items to keep them entertained, I would think about the things you would normally take with you on a car trip to keep them occupied.

[trksh22]

Thanks so much for the all the help! I am going to do that. They know how to react to an emergency at home, but I never thought about what to do outside of the home (like being separated - my instructions bank on other adults, easily identifiable, being around), besides the bare basics.

Again, thanks! One thing, they'd definitely go for the deviled ham over the Spaghetti-O's!

[rogue_saint_michael]

Very comprehensive! This is great BOB set up too. To have one in every vehicle is essential, imho. Survival is so much easier when every person has their own copy of this. Repetition is never underrated. Peace.

[BlackHawk7529]

What kind of backpack is that?

[diyoutdoorsman]

It is just a basic book bag type backpack. I chose red so it would be easily recognizable. It has a couple of side pockets for water bottles and some inside pouches. It is nothing remarkable but it is well constructed with good straps and zippers.

[camping crazy]

also those zip lock bags are handy in a survival situation for water storage,collecting berries, etc

[Tacks]

I realize that depending on where you live that the legality of a gun may be an issue, and you have expanded on my personal Bugout Bag, showing me several things that I do not have that I should... but living in Michigan and being outdoors and miles from society for a few weeks a year, I NEVER create a situation where I don't have the resources to protect myself from a wild animal or (god forbid) a human force that can threaten my well being without options. Even a semi-decent .22 and ammo can run you less than $150 and provide you with a resource to hunt squirrel or other small game. Again, I will be adding items you have mentioned that I do not have to my Bugout bag, but I will ALWAYS have either a .22, or the 9mm that never leaves my car, with me to protect my life;or those around me.