About 30yrs ago, my wife got caught in a blizzard coming home from work. It was on Rt287 in northwest NJ, and it turned into an all night traffic jam that stranded hundreds of motorists on a very long stretch that has no exits for miles.
This was before cell phones were common, and a very kind fella allowed many people to use his phone to call families throughout the night.
Of course she had nothing in the car as far as water, and very little to keep warm other than running the car from time to time.

That was really a wake up call for us to have some equipment in all the vehicles, especially since our kids were little back then and a little preparation will go a long way.

Fast forward to current car packs:
We basically have “seasonal” bags in the trucks for weather appropriate clothing (winter would be warm hats, gloves, a heavy coat, hand warmers, etc). These stay in the cars all season and have come in handy more than once.

Next I have two 60liter hiking packs with internal lightweight frames that have “camping” type equipment in them, such as knives and steels, power bars, Mountain House meals, esbit stove and fuel tabs, JetBoil stove and canisters, 3 liter Camelback platypus, 1 liter bottles, space blankets & SOL thermal bivys, bic lighters, katadyn and life straw filters, road maps and depending on the area topo maps, can openers and camp spoons…. And I’m sure there’s other stuff I forgot but you get the idea. This gives us the option to walk home if necessary, and splitting everything up into 2 packs makes the weight effortless for a “team” of two people traveling together.

I have a lock box mounted in the trucks with 5 or 6 loaded mags for the EDC pistol choice. Usually it’s been G17 Glock mags kept in the boxes so no matter if I carried a 26 or 19 I was covered.

This multi bag system seems to work well for us, just grab the appropriate combination and throw it in the vehicle before leaving.

I’d be curious what others have come up with?

Here’s an old pic from 2017, splitting up items into our packs-

I do not live where it is cold for any length of time and snow is not an issue. For daily use I keep what I need to repair my vehicle during a break down (tire repair, air pump, small tool kit, flashlights etc) and for security (long gun and extra ammo and 1-2 handguns) and navigation (compass).

When I travel I will change my supplies to ensure I am self sufficient for the area where I am going. I may add handheld GPS, more spare ammo, water, food and some sort of offline maps (whether physical or through and app that does not need internet. I believe it was Para that suggested OSM maps so I have that installed on my phone and IPad).

I travel a ton for work, some by plane but a lot by car. Usually I use my own car (2014 FJ cruiser) which has a locked steel drawer system in the back for a truck gun and a locked console for a carry gun as I can’t carry onto customer work sites.

No matter what the FJ has a fixed blade knife, flash light, med kit, traction boards, a folding shovel, camp, tarp, camp axe, protein bars, bottled water, and fire starter kit.

I have seasonal kits as well in Yeti Gobox 30s. Generally the kits contain a full set of seasonal clothes, hat, gloves, MREx3, tiny emergency sleeping bag, 8 bottles of water, head mounted light, solar charger for phone, compass, and a water purifier kit. I try to keep a set of work appropriate clothes too for the more normal I spilled something on myself emergency.

Truck gun varies a little by state and location but it’s either an AR9 Glock pistol, lever action in 357mag or Flux 320. Normal front console gun is Glock 19 or Sig 320.

I could survive well, and/or get home, for at least a couple weeks, from what I keep in my truck. I have been subject to some derision from friends over the years, but in my mind...you just never know. Better to be prepared.

I have freeze-dried food, shelter materials, multiple fire starting materials, wool blankets, knives, guns and ammo, fishing gear, saws, Ham radios...you name it I've got it. Additionally, I keep a (mostly) complete tool set in each vehicle.

These days I rarely go more than 100 miles as the crow flies from home, but that can be a long damn ways should the excrement hit the fan. I like knowing that I can make it...or at least do my best,

I am usually no more than 2 or 3 miles from my home unless I am at the gun club (6.5 miles), which would be the safest place I could be should the apocalypse hit. Even rarer, I may be at a Dr’s appointment that would put me about 17 miles away. My goal, in any case, is to get home.

Normal emergency – (think car breakdown). For that, I call AAA.

Apocalyptic emergency where I’m walking - (think EMP). I keep a season appropriate “get home bag” in my car. I am way past the point of throwing on a 65 lb. pack and hiking 20 miles so the loadout is simple: A daypack (Helikon Tex) , US military poncho, Grabber, cordage (sm. roll bank line), SS canteen w/ SS cup & hanger, Sawyer water filter, Esee 5, CC4, ferro rod, fat wood, Bic lighter, (Note: Esee 5 and Izula are modified with coatings removed, 90 degree spine and convex grind), Bahco, a few energy bars, AA flashlight that clips to ball cap w/ extra batteries (Streamlight / lithium), 2 extra mags, N95 mask, gorilla tape, XL bandana, tea candle, compass, county map, leather gloves, $100 small bills, 5-2x2 gauze. Weight w/ water; warm season about 14 lbs.; cold season (add Helikon Tex swagman roll) about 16 lbs. I keep 2 gal of water in a small ice chest in the back. Would fill canteen and drink my fill before hiking. Sufficient for a few overnights with zero intention of doing so. No plan to stop to eat or listen to a radio or anything else other than getting home. Never know though. For a late in the day disaster, I may have to hunker down.

EDC: Izula, AA flashlight, P365, extra mag, CAT, bandana, wallet, keys, phone

Consider keeping an empty bottle of some type in your car(s) to piss in.

In a SHTF scenario - I'm not sure getting out of your vehicle and pissing on the shoulder is going to offend anyone.

Not a bad idea though, if you're stuck in a snowbank and it's 0 degrees outside.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
In a SHTF scenario - I'm not sure getting out of your vehicle and pissing on the shoulder is going to offend anyone.

Does it ever offend anyone?

Kind of a way of life around these parts. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do after all.