Be Road Trip Ready With Peace Of Mind Safety

Road Trip Ready! If you travel by automobile then you are familiar with this idea already. Unfortunately, many of us forget to do this and end up stranded, or worse, because of it.

This blog post is to address having your vehicle road trip ready during the winter months. Later this Spring I’ll talk about having your vehicle ready to go for the Summer months but right now, we’ll just concentrate on the cold months.

By now we’ve all heard about the motorists stranded in Virginia last weekend and this weekend a large portion of the US is facing more substantial snowfall. Through the years we’ve all heard the horror stories of what can happen to anyone.

My hope is that this post saves at least one person from an unnecessary struggle.

Please note that this is a post about taking care of your vehicles during the winter, staying safe and surviving when faced with a bad situation. However, it does contain Amazon affiliation links.

The links are added to make finding the items I talk about easier for you and, in all honesty, the commission Amazon pays me helps to keep me traveling, writing and maintaining my website. None of your purchases are affected by this in anyway.

Winter Care

Each season requires special care for our vehicles. In the winter we need to worry about preventing ourselves from being stranded and freezing. Both are legitimate concerns. Hopefully, these tips will help you avoid both of those scenarios.

Keep your gas tank at least half full. Do this for a couple of reasons:
- keeping a gas tank full helps to reduce any condensation that could form, which can freeze your gas lines.
- secondly, should you become stranded, having a full tank of gas may allow you to keep warm until help arrives
- I use this in my van during the winter:

Road Trip Safety — STP Gas Treatment $1.62 with Prime

Make sure your tires have proper tire pressure. As the temperature rise and FALL, your tire pressure can change too. When tires are too low, you can experience traction issues. Try to develop a habit of checking your tire pressure on a regular basis. Pay close attention if outside temperatures have a sudden and drastic change!

Switch to winter wiper blades and make sure your windshield washer fluid reservoir is full. Make it a habit to check it at least once a week. In the winter we have constant moisture falling on us or being kicked up from the road by the vehicles in front of us. Keeping your washer fluid full is a necessity to a good visual field for your safety and those around you.
- If you need new wiper blades, this is the brand my husband prefers:

Rain-X Wipers $22.47 with Prime

If possible, switch to winter tires. They are specially engineered to withstand the much colder temperatures and give you better performance in snow. Most of us have all-season tires, which will work in winter, but the rubber can harden in low temps. Something to keep in mind…
Have your battery checked. Absolutely no one wants to be stranded because their battery died, especially when it is cold outside! I had my battery replaced 2 years ago and I’ll warn you-I was shocked at how expensive it was. It cost me $150 at Sam’s Club (my last battery cost me $100 less) but that’s still cheaper and less of an inconvenience than being stranded in a parking lot after work. I admit, I did get a more expensive one because I don’t want to be buying a new one every year.
- Even though I do have a fairly newer battery, I never leave without this in my van – NEVER – especially for roadtrips! I have used this for more strangers than you can imagine and they all stand with their mouths hanging open, speechless at how quickly and easily it works. A little pricey but worth every penny! (I have bought one for each vehicle and for my daughter so she’s prepared when she starts driving, plus a couple for gifts. Yes, I really do like these. Personally, I hate the HALO brand that is available. I purchased three of them and they are now paperweights-good for very little and cost way more than the JumpSmart)

Have your vehicle serviced and /or inspected to make sure the following are in prime working order:
- Cooling system – make sure the antifreeze is filled, at the correct ratio and in working order
- Brakes – should go without saying but if the brakes are in need of replacing, have it done immediately
- Belts, hoses, spark plugs, etc – these should be checked any time of the year because do you really want to be stranded somewhere in the cold for a $20 belt? Me neither.

Energency Kits – Start With The Tool Kit

In my opinion, every vehicle needs two separate emergency kits. There should be a tool kit and a survival kit for the passengers. Let’s break them down:
- The tool kit should include a tool bag, a fire extinguisher, tow straps (in case you need to be extracted by someone not in a tow truck), a shovel (try a camp shovel that folds for easy storage), flares, jumper cables (or a JumpSmart), flashlight with extra batteries (JumpSmart is also a flashlight), matches or a lighter, pair of channel locks, pair of vice grips, a flathead screwdriver, a philips head screwdriver, a pair of work gloves or mechanics nitrile gloves, a can of Fix A Flat, and a tire repair kit with reamer.

I also carry a bag of cat litter in my van. Not only does it give me a little extra weight in the back of my vehicle but if I do get stuck, I can use the litter for a traction aid.

The Personal Survival Kit

This is the kit you don’t want to need but will be glad you have in that moment.

I keep mine in a backpack but you can grab a duffle bag, gym bag, whatever you have not being used in the back of the closet. Heck, use the backpack your kid had last year for school that was replaced this year for a shiny, newer model.

Obviously, the first thing that should be included is a first aid kit. These kits can be as small or as large as you like and as cheap or expensive as your budget allows.

As with many things, I feel you should purchase the best you can afford. There are a lot of things in life that you can save money and skimp on but do you want to be caught hiking 5 miles from a ranger station with band-aids that won’t stick?

Or crack your hand changing a tire without a compress or guaze wrap to stop the bleeding and take down swelling? I know I don’t.

You can build your own first aid kit but with the amount of items you need in a proper kit and with prices today on everything rising fast, in my opinion, it’s cheaper to buy a stocked kit. When you refill it, then add what you need to from the grocery or drug store.

I like this first aid kit to get you started or add to another vehicle because it has a good selection and variety of items for most emergency situations. It’s also reasonably priced – I think it would be a lot more expensive purchasing the contents individually – and the whole thing is only 10″x8″ in size!

Other items that should be in your survivial kit seem like common sense items but can be overlooked. Here’s a quick list:

Matches or a lighter, if they aren’t in your tool kit
Cell phone charger or a backup solar charger
Hand warmers. We prefer Hot Hands brand and they can be found at sporting goods stores, Walmart, Meijer etc (even Amazon)
Emergency blankets or a spare blanket. I have both
An extra sweater or sweatshirt, extra pair of socks, gloves or mittens, scarves and hats
Lip balm such as Carmex, O’Keefe’s, Blistex, Chapstick etc
Bag Balm – can be used to protect skin, hands and lips (dog/cat paws if needed)
Rags and/or Towels
Duct Tape
Extra batteries for flashlight
Pet Food- a couple of cans of pet food or dry kibble – if you travel with a fur friend

Last, but not least, is the nutritional items that should be in your survival kit. Again, most of this is common sense items that can be overlooked or forgotten. Also, this is to give you an idea – adjust it to your taste.

You will want to have items that will sustain you for awhile so think mostly protein, or even some types of carb products. I try to watch my carb intake but I have a product I buy called “Keto Bricks”. These are shelf stable, 1,000 calories and do not have unneeded sugars. I take these when we go camping and keep them with us for long days out at the beaches or hiking. They are also in our “emergency boxes” at home.

Keto Bricks are good to have in any type of survival kits – flood, earthquake, end of the world-as well as backpacks. Here is a link to their website (no, this is not an affiliate link, I’m just sharing informations and a good product): https://www.ketobrick.com/

Some other items I recommend in your survival kit would be beef jerky because it’s protein, good for long term storage and will keep you from starvation. Also, think about things such as granola, mixed nuts or trail mix, dark chocolate and dried fruit.

If your budget allows, a few MRE’s would be great or canned meat – remember to buy pull tab cans or put a can opener in your kit. I will have a link to some MRE’s below for convenience but I have also seen them at Cabela’s in the past. I would imagine most of the large sporting goods stores will have something similar for backpackers. The seem to run in price from approximately $8 on up.

The canned meat will be a personal choice, for sure. Try to pick meat that is high in protein to sustain you as long as possible. I would suggest tuna or chicken but if you like Vienna Sausages or Spam, then put a few cans in you pack.

Finally, we have to talk liquids. If you live in a warmer climate, keeping water in you vehicle is not an issue. You don’t need to worry about it freezing like those of us in the colder climates do. But, regardless of where you live, you will need water in your survival pack.

From experience – hello, Michigan here – the 16oz bottles freeze quickest and sometimes leak or burst. Gallon jugs will too but in the past I have only had this happen a time or two. This year I went with the gallon jug again.

If you really don’t want any liquid in your vehicle during the winter, consider a Life Straw to keep in your kit year around. This little wonder will allow you to access water from any source – even a mud puddle – because it filters the water as you drink it. If you’re desperate for fluids, a mud puddle will seem like manna from Heaven.

Other items to consider adding to your survival kit are Gatorade or Propel packets to add to your water for electrolytes or electrolyte tablets. (The electrolyte tablets is not an affiliate link just a good product from a great company)

A Few Last Tips If You Do Become Stranded Or Lost

If you become stranded or lost:
- Change the voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation (lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc…) and any special instructions such as you are staying with the car(horse), you are walking toward a town, etc. The best part of this is that even if your cell phone dies or stops working, voicemail still works, so anyone calling your phone looking for you will hear the message and know where to find you or where to send help. I would also send a text message with the same information to someone you know for help before your phone quits working
Don’t rush into making a rash decision. Think your situation through
In most situations, it is best if you do not leave your vehicle
Call 911 if you’re stuck or stranded
Make sure to clear your exhaust pipe regularly. You will need to run your vehicle every so often to try and stay warm but if you neglect clearing your exhaust, you could potentially poison yourself with carbon monoxide.
Make sure you are visible to any rescuers (long running LED flares are a good choice here)
If you do not have a roadside assistance membership, consider getting one. There are several to choose from and the peace of mind of not having to pay for a tow even once is worth the price
If you are in a state that allows them, consider tire chains. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the correct way to use them before using
Finally, check the weather before leaving your house. If possible, stay home and out of harm’s way

Final Thoughts

These are suggestions to help you avoid a potential crisis and if you are faced with one, get through it quickly and as stressfree as possible.

Do you need everything on this list? No, absolutely not.

Whether you choose to make only the tool kit, survival kit or both should be based on your personal needs, your driving patterns, your location and, most importantly, your own budget.

I think I covered things pretty thoroughly but, if you feel I missed something, please let me know!

Additional Links To Help You Out

Last But Not Least…

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Stay safe and stay curious – it’s a big world to explore!

*All prices mentioned in this post were current at the time of writing. Please verify the information yourself prior to any purchase

**All blog post written are my personal opinions and/or experiences. If your opinions or experiences are different – well, that’s called life