What do you keep in your car to be prepared?

[LemonViolet]

Having the car proper valeted this evening, so given we have a clean slate am thinking carefully about what I’m allowing back in

Off the top of my head

• Parking permits for FIL’s street (in little folder to keep neat)
• Emergency window breaker/seatbelt cutter tool velcro’d in the drivers door pocket
• ice scraper/de icer spray in winter
• phone charger
• supermarket trolley token & car park change in a little purse. Although everywhere I park is an app now anyway.
• few bottles of water and snack bars in case we ever break down or hangry stuck in traffic
• dog poo bags, collapsible water bowl, spare dog collar & lead, dog towels

What else?

A spare battery for my key fob.

One stopped working previously and I couldn't get the car started!

OMG never really thought to put anything in. I've accumulated some useful stuff- spare mask and shopping bags, small change for parking, charging cable, but that's it. Thinking now i need to prep!

A shovel and mats. In case you get stuck in mud or snow.

Mines a tip.

In the car -
Blue Badge for DS
Phone charger for my old phone - does not fit current one.
In car WiFi dongle which was a freebie with my last phone contract. Now defunct as I have a different contract.
Wrap and car rug for keeping warm when collecting disabled ds from college. He spent almost all of the 2020/2021 winter at home due to shielding.
Water for when waiting for DS. (He broke up in mid June so I need to empty that!!)
Charger for ipod.
Gizmo for playing ipod through car cassette player. Didn't work last time I tried it.

A few ancient cassettes for cassette player
Pack of disinfectant wipes.

Face masks.
A few nappy sacks for disposal of said wipes and facemasks
Dehumidifier pack
Dei-cer spray
Short and long handled scrapers
Empty air freshener because its a dalek (ds)
Chamois and a rag.

In the boot.

Folding snow spade in case of getting stuck in a snowdrift (I live in urban west midlands)
Seaside bucket and spade from holiday in 2019 and assorted piles of sand.
Beach sun tent minus the pegs.
High viz jackets for me and DS. (DH refused one so can get run over)
Plug in tyre pump I was given (not new) and have never tried so may or may not work.
Several large cardboard boxes. Too big for our recycling bins and the new recycling bank is always full. But handy in case of that snow.
Ds's wheelchair as he only needs it outdoors (but not in snow as he gets stuck)

In winter I will add in a big bag with fresh water or maybe even a fask with a hit drink
walking boots and yak-track grippers,

hats, scarves, gloves and another blanket - lest I get stuck in a snowdrift and have to dig myself out and walk or hunker down and wait for rescue. Did I mention living in the urban west Midlands? And that I rarely go out in the snow?

*flask with a hot drink

Surprisingly most of it fits into the numerous cubby holes hidden around my car. There may be stuff in those cubbyholes too!!

Unlike a PP I did remove the assorted rocks from the boot!!

Fuel can
warning triangle
ice scraper
phone charger
trolley token
first aid kit
Spare headlight/tail light bulbs

@lampygirl

God I have the kitchen sink compared to some people

Phone charger
Torch
First aid kit
Hi viz
Trainers
Coat
Blanket
Screen wash
De-icer
Coolant
Warning triangle
Locking wheel nut and wrench handle and a shitty little jack that would in no way lift my 2.5t car
Some Allen keys
Some emergency rations, energy gels etc
Leatherman tool
Couple of dog poo bags and some mechanic gloves
Couple of ratchet straps

Add for winter/Alpine driving
Snow chains
Shovel
Few carpet tiles
Bin bags

Pre covid I used to do thousands of miles, modern estate car and never broken down (touch wood) but most of the things have been useful for other things! I’ve got a hidden floor in the boot though so a lot of it gets swallowed with no impact on real life load space

Where does everyone sit?

A postcard with useful phone numbers on it in the glove box.
When I was in a serious car accident my phone was damaged and didn't work. Apart from my home number (only my children were there) I only knew one other local friend's number off by heart. I was lucky she was in when I called (on a passer-by's phone).

Hardly anyone seems to have a road atlas!
We have:
Road atlas
First aid kit- plasters, paracetamol antihistamines rather than suture kits!
Shopping bags
Tissues
Pen
Pound coin.

We had:
Blankets, spare coats, spare shoes
Candles & lighter
Water
Food
First aid kit
Car stuff, de-icer etc
Tarp
Maps
Torch
Hi Vis, triangle
Money

Wellies in case of walking home in snow.

Also placemarking.

Car rescue tool (seatbelt cutter, glass breaker)
Emergency light things you can lay on road
Torch
Snakebite bandage x 2
Water
Small first aid kit
Shifter

Hi vis jacket, waterproof, folding shopping bag.
Box of disposable gloves, bag and mask set plus airways in case I have to stop at a serious accident, (I’m a paramedic) spare dog leads and numerous poo bags, pen and pad.

I always keep a blob of blu tac handy for car park tickets / permits as not all of them are adhesive or have stickers and a friend of mine had her blow away when getting out of the car.

Tissues, plasters, antiseptic wipes, antacids, ibroprofen, charger cables for both our phones, picnic blankets, shopping bags, trolley coin, car manual, scraper and de-icer in winter

Shopping bags.

A camping chair and a box of long out of date lemon sherbets. Old parking tickets. A beanbag and a stool in the shape of a dinosaur. Yep, seriously.

Bloody Hell, some of you must fill the boot with all this stuff!

I have wipes and tissues in my car, that's it. I love my car and keep it clean, hoovered and empty!

Although I do have a foot pump after having a dodgy tyre that kept going down.

Pushchair
Mosquito spray
Tissues
Talc
Shopping bags
Suncream
Spare kids shoes
Tea towel
Face masks
Jump cables and some other repair tools (I think! I'd have no idea what to do for a breakdown but I'm pretty sure there's some tools in the place where the spare wheel is kept).

A small shovel. My friend had one about the size of a beach one, which could fold actually, but it got the car unstuck!!!

In the EU a driver can't leave the car in an accident without a hi-vis jacket. That actually makes a lot of sense! We have one in our glove compartment

A de icer

Mines disgusting inside, but it's used all day for work. In mine inside the boot I have a

Jerry can

Spare PPE

A blanket not that I'd wrap it round myself cos it's what's used to cover the car during tip journeys but it might come in useful for putting under the wheels in the snow

And also lots of other pointless crap

Inside the actual car

AA Membership
Permit for the tip
PPE for work
A bottle of vape juice
A few pens that have fallen out my uniform pocket
And a shit ton of rubbish

These are all very good and sensible ideas. I usually have de-icer in the winter and an inhaler but that’s about it. Currently my boot has a chess board and a big bottle of lilt.
Think I need to up my game !

I used to fill my car boot with everything I possibly might need for any contingency. And never used anything other than de-icer/ice scraper!
No more, I rarely drive any distance, never at night because of awful night vision. And the AA card is in my purse 🙂

There's a lot of things listed that you'd just have in a handbag. like lipstick and tissues/plasters.
Anything winter driving related like ice scrapers stay in the garage until actual winter.
I hate it when someone comes to give me a lift and they're literally moving stuff out of the passenger seat so i can get in.

Books
Torch
Spare money etc
First aid kit and basic car maintenance guide
Pebbles in a emergency
Bottles of wine