Contributed by Rachel Wilder.

At some point in our lives our faithful wheels are going to let up down. Right now, we might be thinking about what we could have had in our houses to make ‘sheltering at home’ easier but hopefully in a few weeks we’ll be back on the road. And, it’s not going to be a world-wide event that puts us in danger but perhaps a rusty nail.

First off, before you think about getting a kit consider making one yourself. It will be cheaper and you’ll have control over the quality of items in it. Also, you can get a few items at a time and tailor it to your environment.

Before a kit, though, make sure you have your car insurance in your glove box and towing and taxi service phone numbers in your phone, or old school and printed on a card. Make sure you have an extra phone charger cord in there as well. Consider joining AAA, they really are helpful for the low cost of membership. And all the proper tools to change a flat tire or jump start your battery, won’t do any good if you don’t know how. If you can’t find anyone to show you, then watch some YouTube videos.

You might not have the room or money for everything below, but even a few items could make a huge difference in your safety. Even if your kit doesn’t have items to fix the problem yourself, have items in your vehicle that make the wait for help better. Even something as simple as water or an extra old coat.

Car Kit

• Small duffle bag to put this all in (Walmart $6-8) or a cheapy backpack
• I have a small fleece blanket folded over the duffle to help hide it.
• A blanket (mine is folded flat and used as a cargo liner)
• A gallon of water
• Easy to keep snack foods in the cooler months.
• Empty plastic gas container
• Jumper cables, long ones like 16-18 feet
• A flashlight with fresh batteries
• Head lamp
• A tire pressure gauge
• Good spare tire and know how to get to it
• Good jack (Walmart has a 2 ton in a carrying case that could go under duffle for 24.99)
• Lug wrench one looks like an X (Walmart 14.99)
• Glow sticks
• A first-aid kit (mainly blood flow stuff, medical scissors) latex gloves
• Hand wipes & sanitizer
• Ziplock bag w/ Kleenex
• Work gloves
• Extra hat & scarf (two hats for cold and sun)
• Extra clothes
• Walking shoes\boots (throw in those old gym shoes)
• Cheap reflective vest
• Basic tool kit (Flat head and Phillips head screwdriver, pliers) or multitool – Leatherman
• A roll of duct tape
• Small tarp
• An ice scraper (more for cold weather)
• Hand warmers
• Small folding shovel (opt for cold weather but also for off road adventures)
• Fix-a –flat
• Fire extinguisher
• Empty gas container
• Roadside flares
• Tow strap
• Emergency escape tool with pocketknife
• Firestarter/ matches
• Maps, city and state
• I bought a sun visor thingy that holds my escape tool in the sunglass slot, tire gauge, maps, chapstick and extra hair ties)
• Emergency gas money (hidden in my car is a $20)
• Most important: Keep your gas tank at least half full whenever possible.

Do some research for yourself- a great start is this link: https://bestreviews.com/best-car-emergency-kits

My motto is: Be prepared- not scared and consider yourself to be a…