Claire-Lise and I got our first car this year. We used to be members of Zipcar and we used it a lot. Probably for these reasons, my parents very generously gave us their PT Cruiser. My sister and brother-in-law drove it for years while she was in North Bay going to school and surprisingly it still runs excellently (they must have switched it).

On the weekend I went and picked it up my sister looked at me sternly and said “You need to make yourself a emergency kit for the trunk. I’m not giving you mine. Oh you are also the best brother anyone could ever have, your intelligent and beautiful to a fault and I’m sorry for never finishing my ninja training.”*

(Click the picture to enlarge. She chose to stop her training and become a Doctor instead, we’re all disappointed.)

She showed me hers. It was nice and I could see how useful it could be. But more importantly I could see she was proud of it. Now of course, I could not let my sister outdo me in making a cool emergency kit. The world just doesn’t work that way. So after some research using Lifehacker and a few other places online I have built a pretty impressive emergency kit.

Now I’ve expanded the term “emergency” to meaning “if I’m stuck in a place that’s not home”. I put a rather significant amount of thought into this so I’m really jazzed to share it with you.

(Click on the above image to see a larger version of this image… and don’t judge the picture quality, it’s far from being my best work.)

So here’s a list in case you want to assemble your own. Most of it was assembled from the local Dollar store and stuff I already had at home.

(I’m going left to right, top row to bottom row if you want to follow based on the image)

• a pen – I have paper in the car already
• lighters – to light things on fire, why 3? Murphy’s law… the odds of three being dead are slim
• flashlights – so I can see in the dark, one’s wind up, one’s one of those crazy D-cell ones, one is LED… the last two also blink/strobe very brightly
• sunblock – SPF 2,000,000 since I burn like crazy, and it’s non-oily because oily sunblock on a shaved head? Bad idea.
• bug repellent – because Claire-Lise attracts mosquitoes like nobody’s business
• Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli – 2 cans with the tear off lids (smart, I know)
• iPod/iPhone cable – we both have iPhones (there’s a cigarette lighter to usb adapter up front)
• ziplock full of dryer lint – need to start a fire fast… meet dryer lint!
• roll of Duct tape – IT’S DUCT TAPE!!!
• backup cell phone – cheap Moto flip-phone… already saved my butt a number of times.
glow sticks – good long lasting ambient light, or in case we’re stuck at a rave.
• stack of newspaper – multipurpose… best one though: wrap tightly into a log tie of with string… long(er) lasting fake log.
• mini-screwdriver Kit – Ever had to fix anything electronic in the middle of nowhere? Carry a torx screwdriver with you everywhere? Thought so.
• roll of string – it’s string… there’s a million uses for it.
• electrical tape – 2 rolls in two different colours, the stuff is super versatile… like string and duct tape.
• wind-up radio – in case I’m stuck somewhere and need to listen to some Easy Rock.
• camping knives – 2 of them, with forks, spoons, knife, can-opener, bottle opener and cork screw
• multi-tool - pliers, and stuff
• velcro – useful (see eletrical tape, duct tape and string)
• big old bottle of Tylenol Extra Strength – do I need to explain?
• Tide-To-Go stick – I make messes… it happens
• Benedryl dabber pen – see bug repellent
• towel to go tablets – these are everywhere now, they’re little towels that open up with water
• tire pressure gauge – 2 of them… because I don’t really trust them
• bag of fuses – because I have blown a fuse far away from Canadian Tire
• Krazy Glue – useful, and how many times have you said “it’ll hold but man do I wish I had crazy glue.”? I’ve said it a lot.
• bag of toe/finger warmers – used one already when I was shooting this.
• battery operated electronics charger – in it is an adapter for iPhone, PSP, Moto cell phone, USB and Mini USB, stupid thing was costly, but saved me a number of times
• mini road cones – or emergency gnome hats
• cigarette lighter power inverters – 2 of them, one is mini. the second handles a bigger load and has a gauge to tell me when I’m about to scorch the battery, can you guess which one I got first?
• first-aid kit – inside it: bandaids, gauze, tape, sterile pads, lots of alcohol pads, burn cream
• tensor bandage – it didn’t fit in the little first-aid kit
• Benedryl tablets – I have allergies
• case with batteries inside – I have a 9V and a pile of AAs and 2 AAAs
• small deck of cards – ever been stuck with nothing to do, guess who has?
• a clamp – there’s a few more in the car… falls under useful categorie
• phone adapater for Moto cell phone – obvious no?
• glass cleaner wipes – Claire-Lise and I wear glasses
• granola bars – sustenance
• sticky notes – to make notes with
• pile of rags – formerly sweaters I was given at work, size medium… which begs the question “Cam, you don’t look like a size medium?” to which I answer, “Yes I know.”
• lint roller – come on, you know you’ve said “I wish I had a lint roller.”
• medical tape – it also did not fit in the first-aid kit
• deodorant – spray and stick, why? Oh you know why.
• hand sanitizer – because everyone has 3 million of these now
• candy – to keep the blood sugars up in a pinch
• paper clothes soap – I was once in Montreal for a week with 2 pairs of socks…
• tooth brush – oral health, come on.
• bar of soap - obvious
• bags of tea – boiling water to drink is good to keep you warm, but tastes boring, mix it up with some tea
• bungee cord - did I mention the useful categorie?
• socket driver – i should probably have a ratchet set, but this will do for now
• multi-head screwdriver – because I’d be screwed without it…
• tea-lights – light, heat-source and food warmer upper, use with a large coffee can, and it’s a stove!
• jumper cables – good ones… there are cheap ones out there… I know I had a set before these ones.
• extension cord – to be used with the power inverter

That’s everything in the box, most of it is in Ziplock bags. However, I also have in the car:

• a bag of clothes – socks, mitts, hats, long-johns, t-shirt, sweater
• blankets – two blankets, because Claire-Lise and I don’t share blankets… ever!
• case of water – gas station special… 8 for 2.99 or something like that, replaced every 3 months
• windshield washer fluid – well duh
• bag of sand – no more slippy slip
• umbrellas – 2 small ones and a gold one… we have tons of them in the house, not quite sure how though
• container of nuts – good snack, and tasty
• a varied array of re-useable bags – these things are almost as prevalent as the hand sanitizer these days.
• a tripod – I always wave a camera one me, so this is just obvious for me to have in the trunk
• a towel – because Ford Prefect said so.

Not bad huh? I know I’m missing a few things, I’ve got a short list of things I want to add to it too.

• tow-ropes – I hear bad things about chains
• coffee can – I don’t know anyone who uses coffee in that size… it’s kinda frustrating
• small shovel - I found once but it was like $100
• a small foldable saw – ’cause a stack of newspaper will only burn for so long
• small solar panel – just seems logical
• a power pack - like this one from Canadian Tire, when I shot this I had the video camera plugged in the lighter jack… I had to let the car idle a few times. I can see using this a lot.

Ok, so what do you think I’m missing, leave me a comment.

*It’s my blog, so I reserve the right to paraphrase my sister’s words to what I know she was really trying to say.















This entry was posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 6:14 pm and is filed under DIY, Opinion, Words. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.