This is why I have a “survival box” in the car

Ferrisfan

Ferrisfan

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It's a good idea. I used to keep one in the car, especially in winter. I kept things like a goose down sleeping bag, freeze dried food, coffee, water, a small camp stove, matches, spare clothes, ammunition and extra magazines for the EDC.

These sorts of situations can almost arrive out of nowhere, especially if a storm becomes unexpectedly more powerful. A few years ago, I came to work and while winter weather was forecast, it was worse than expected. It normally would take me an hour or so to get home, but that day it took about four. I had to turn around and change routes (finding one as I go, and this was before Waze) because things like a car spinning out and blocking a bridge. Finally got to I85/I40 and there were no lanes, it was just where you felt the most comfortable.

Had I gotten stranded, I would have at least been warm, fed, and hydrated.
 
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i don't have one anymore.
I did up in MI. I still have a snow shovel in my little trunk...
I never really needed any of it. Spare pants or shirt was nice to have in a pinch, but you get lazy when you don't need something for decades.
lots of people probably wish they had a couple granola bars and a bottle of water right about now.
 
Last time I got stuck like that was in SC in a snow storm. I was moving so we had everything we owned, somewhere. Odd thing, it was right as cell phones were getting big. I was getting info from the CB of a truck driver next to me and he was using my cell to call his boss.
 
ronn47 said:
Wonder how those in electric cars made out?
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Honestly, would be about the same with the exception of finding a place to charge once traffic got moving again. You can run the seat warmers on a fully-charged Tesla for 2-3 days of continuous use. The power drain comes from the system that keeps the batteries warm. You would run out of power at about the same % as you ran out of gasoline...with the exception that someone can bring you a can of gas once things are going again.
 
ronn47 said:
Wonder how those in electric cars made out?
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Electric cars idling can put all the energy into just the heat and not the entire vehicle. My Tesla at full charge has a 4 day idle with heat capacity.
 
chiefjason said:
Last time I got stuck like that was in SC in a snow storm. I was moving so we had everything we owned, somewhere. Odd thing, it was right as cell phones were getting big. I was getting info from the CB of a truck driver next to me and he was using my cell to call his boss.
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Back in the early 90s, I got a cell phone. They were still pretty much a novelty and I remember all my (electrical engineering) classmates wanted to check it out. At the time it cost something like $30 per month and for that you got 30 minutes of talk time on it. I showed it to my grandfather, who was rather miserly, who proclaimed that it was "that's biggest waste of GD money I have ever seen. If you get in trouble on the highway you need a CB. Even the signs on the road say HWP monitors channel 9". Well, about a week later, he and his sister started out on a trip to his cottage in Canada. His sister was driving, fell asleep, and they hit a bridge support, thankfully not badly. Anyway, it took over an hour before anyone would even stop to help them and when someone finally did, it was a truck driver who used a cell phone to call the highway patrol. I never heard another word about them being a waste of money and he soon had one himself.
 
When we lived in CA I put together an emergency pack for both cars-earthquake prep and one for the house. Water, food, first aid and a whole collection of items deemed valuable should we be forced out of the home, including food for the dog, any any meds. Moved to NC and redid the bags to reflect WSHTF scenarios here. Each car ALWAYS has one and the house one is in the garage. Prob could last 3-4 days, not happily, but would survive. Handgun/ammo always part of the mix.
 
In addition to the "normal" stuff like extra water, First Aid kit and blankets, a supply of towels and tissue, in the past couple years I added to all the vehicles (wife and kids too) yellow vests, 4-way a water petcock key, and a folding pack shovel/pick. Should probably add a baggie of granola bars.
 
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It was the event that spawned memes like this that made me carry one. I was lucky and was able to get from Raleigh to Clayton in about 45 min. It took my manager 12 hrs to get home (Raleigh to N Raleigh)
 
The last time that I got stranded in the snow was march of 1993. In other words, the Blizzard of 93! Wife was 6 months pregnant and we were on our anniversary weekend because she wanted to see snow. Well, we saw snow... 4 feet of it in places! We were in Boone and the truck was covered that morning to the point, you couldn’t see it! We started down the mountain making pretty good time until we hit the bottom and a transfer truck had slid sideways into the power lines. We sat there for a couple hours and made our mind up to go back to Boone. Anyway, we got stuck again when someone abandoned their van in the middle of the road and ended staying the night with a farmer and his wife. What really prized me off was that I had just come back from the cabin and had unloaded my camping gear before we left. I never go anywhere without a backup plan. Blankets and sleeping bags, my Chuck box with camp stove and can goods and coffee, water and extra ammunition and mags for whatever I’m carrying.
 
The longest I ever sat stranded around DC was about 8 hours. We had beer so no problems. Working in DC is one thing I will NEVER miss...
 
Aardvark said:
In addition to the "normal" stuff like extra water, First Aid kit and blankets, a supply of towels and tissue, in the past couple years I added to all the vehicles (wife and kids too) yellow vests, 4-way a water petcock key, and a folding pack shovel/pick. Should probably add a baggie of granola bars.
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If you don't care about "healthy", the individually wrapper Rice Krispy Treats last about a year and can fit into whatever leftover space you have.
 
Goofyfoot2001 said:
I have some pee thingies.
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that's what the side of the road is for. If you have a spare tarp, that becomes the local public restroom.
riding cross country in the old days with the folks, you'd hear "don't go too far into the woods there" as you were picking your spot.
that was when we used more country roads than highways though...
 
I too keep a FAK and very basic survival kit in our vehicles. I keep a few mylar blankets and a basic fleece blanket in each along with some hand warmers to help in this kind of situation.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
that's what the side of the road is for. If you have a spare tarp, that becomes the local public restroom.
riding cross country in the old days with the folks, you'd hear "don't go too far into the woods there" as you were picking your spot.
that was when we used more country roads than highways though...
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I peed on the side of many a roadway between NC and TN growing up.


I keep a kit in each vehicle. In my truck that's usually augmented with my hunting pack which pretty much lives there 3-6 months out of the year. It gets replenished each trip out with water/snacks/fresh flashlights and radio. But a big component of the primary vehicle kit is a few good blankets/space blankets. Exposure kills you before anything else does.
 
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From the article;

Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted that emergency personnel were clearing downed trees, assisting stuck vehicles and that he would be performing in blackface for the stuck motorists.
"I'm really good at it. I can walk like Michael Jackson you-know."
Northam also said that National Guard units would be going car to car to be sure occupants were okay, as well as confiscating any firearms and demanding proof of a covid vaccine.
"My buddy Sen. Tim Kaine will be airlifted to safety" said the Governor. "He's the most important person there and we need to get him to Washington to destroy the fillibuster and the Constitution. Everybody else is just going to have to ride it out. It's supposed to be really cold again tonight so I hope they have blankets."
A call was placed to President Bidens office to see if the Panzers could be released to aid in clearing the road, but reportedly the President was still asleep and could not be disturbed.
 
RR said:
I keep a kit in each vehicle. In my truck that's usually augmented with my hunting pack which pretty much lives there 3-6 months out of the year. It gets replenished each trip out with water/snacks/fresh flashlights and radio. But a big component of that kit is a few good blankets/space blankets. Exposure kills you before anything else does.
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We should probably all have some of those mylar emergency blankets on hand. They're dirt cheap and only the size of a pack of cigarettes. And some of you guys are so old that i'm worried a solid hour of 60° will have you joining the choir invisible... ;)
 
DrScaryGuy said:
We should probably all have some of those mylar emergency blankets on hand. They're dirt cheap and only the size of a pack of cigarettes. And some of you guys are so old that i'm worried a solid hour of 60° will have you joining the choir invisible... ;)
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Ahem. I only got you by about 5 years.... don't count me amongst the dinosaurs just yet :)
 
Key thing is to look at other resources … the people beside and in front or back of you. Serious business many times requires a group effort. If you and a couple people around you were to share one car and sparingly use gas to keep from freezing then move to another car and so on the group can triple the time of having some form of heat.

As to other resources like food and water … you don’t NEED food in that short of a time from but water you do. That’s where my Ziplock bags that hold various resources in my duty bag come in … scoop clean snow in and let it melt for water to drink. After that gloves, watch cap and a heavy pair of socks help keep heat in all of which take up very little room on the duty bag. As to TP … I carry a roll of paper towels instead because while it might be a little rough for wipin’ they can be used for more than TP can.

One thing people really need to watch for though is the battery being drained. Idling for a few minutes and turning off the engine repeatedly plus freezing weather does not allow the alternator to really keep the battery charged … especially if idiots run their radios, keep charging their cell phones or such and with the no juice it doesn’t matter how much gas is in the tank the vehicle don’t start.

Survival is not hard … maybe uncomfortable … it takes common sense … which is getting more rare each day.
 
Meera Rao and her husband, Raghavendra, were driving home from visiting their daughter in North Carolina when they got stuck Monday evening. They were only 100 feet past an exit but could not move for roughly 16 hours.

“Not one police (officer) came in the 16 hours we were stuck,” she said. “No one came. It was just shocking.”
 
Dale Gribble said:
Meera Rao and her husband, Raghavendra, were driving home from visiting their daughter in North Carolina when they got stuck Monday evening. They were only 100 feet past an exit but could not move for roughly 16 hours.

“Not one police (officer) came in the 16 hours we were stuck,” she said. “No one came. It was just shocking.”
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If you're stuck in traffic and can't get your vehicle OUT, how do you expect emergency services to get IN?
 
RR said:
If you're stuck in traffic and can't get your vehicle OUT, how do you expect emergency services to get IN?
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This often happens to folks with no concept of reality, especially those who shirk their responsibilities of personal welfare onto someone else.

Need help? The first person you should seek it from is YOU.
 
I first put together a "GHB" for my car after seeing what happened down in ATL a few years back and then we had a bad snowstorm coming up a few days later, if I remember right.
Either way, when it's supposed to be bad weather I throw some extra stuff in the car, just in case.
 
Button Pusher said:
A few votive candles in the car when I commuted into NYC years ago. One keeps the car warm.
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This. Growing up, we always had a couple candles and an old metal coffee can in case we broke down in cold weather. Amazing how warm a car can get with just those two simple items
 
Hammer12b said:
The last time that I got stranded in the snow was march of 1993. In other words, the Blizzard of 93! Wife was 6 months pregnant and we were on our anniversary weekend because she wanted to see snow. Well, we saw snow... 4 feet of it in places! We were in Boone and the truck was covered that morning to the point, you couldn’t see it! We started down the mountain making pretty good time until we hit the bottom and a transfer truck had slid sideways into the power lines. We sat there for a couple hours and made our mind up to go back to Boone. Anyway, we got stuck again when someone abandoned their van in the middle of the road and ended staying the night with a farmer and his wife. What really prized me off was that I had just come back from the cabin and had unloaded my camping gear before we left. I never go anywhere without a backup plan. Blankets and sleeping bags, my Chuck box with camp stove and can goods and coffee, water and extra ammunition and mags for whatever I’m carrying.
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Crazy time. I was at WCU and we were the only place in Jackson county that had power. Had a buddy try to pull a NG Humvee with his Bronco. The NG would not let him try and finally got it out after he stopped back 3 times to ask if they were sure. lol

Appalachian Ski Mtn evacuated the mountain via tracked snow groomers. The insurance company had to pay for multiple cars those guys ran over to get out. NG flew or drove Ski patrol in to the parkway to ski meds down to people trapped with medical issues. Wild stuff.

I've got a few things in the truck at work and packed more food just in case.
 
RR said:
If you're stuck in traffic and can't get your vehicle OUT, how do you expect emergency services to get IN?
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Maybe municipalities should take some of the tax money they're studying gay birds with and form logically distributed stations of rugged and resourceful type A men who would like to have a job where they get to aid people in peril, protect the vulnerable, champion the weak, keep bad guys on the straight and narrow, in general serve their community as a rewarding career...


Nah. Never work for long.
 
I got stuck in a day cab truck in Raleigh several years ago. After 7 hours a tow truck got me going enough to park beside a convenience store. I had water and snacks and got some spam and pop tarts from the store. Idled the truck all night for heat and had a miserable night of sleep.
 
My best friend is in Fredericksburg VA, we're texting now
Apparently 30 THOUSAND in his county alone are without power...lost it around 11am on Monday.
He said they really cant leave the house as no one is near them with power or could take them and their two dogs in (like a hotel)
BUT, he's lucky that he's got natural gas, so still has heat, hot water, and can cook on stove/oven.

But it's wild.
This happens from time to time, we must think ahead so we dont meet the same fate as those we see today.
 
HMP said:
I first put together a "GHB" for my car after seeing what happened down in ATL a few years back and then we had a bad snowstorm coming up a few days later, if I remember right.
Either way, when it's supposed to be bad weather I throw some extra stuff in the car, just in case.
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I drove into that mess and got stranded at a hotel for a few days. I got lucky and hoofed it to store for some supplies. That’s when I started adding a pack to the car with some supplies. Live and learn.
 
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