I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.

I always carry some plain old bottled water in my truck though. Plastic bottles are handy even if you don’t need the water.

One of the most important things you can add to a first-aid kit is Benadryl. Until we figure out what aspect of modern life is causing severe allergies to become more common, we’re just going to have to deal with them. Allergies can turn more severe at any moment too, so the cats that gave you a runny nose and itchy eyes last week might make your skin break out in a giant rash this week. (I’m living proof!) Benadryl is the gold standard in dealing with allergic reactions, and taking some as soon as symptoms develop can literally be the difference between life and death by anaphylactic shock.

And even if you don’t consider yourself qualified to judge when it’s appropriate to administer something like that, there’s every chance the 911 operator might ask “Do you have some ____ to give the victim while waiting for the ambulance?”. If just once in your life, you say “Yes, right in my glovebox!”, it was all worth it.

Preparedness thread! Post your tips!

Another handy car addition: Capri Sun. They’re single-serving liquid pouches, with sugar and vitamin C. They pack pretty dense in the box, so there’s almost no wasted space. They don’t burst when they freeze, so you can leave them in the car year-round. Humans can go a long-ass time without food, but clean water is essential. Water pouches are available from a number of emergency supply outfits, and having some isn’t a bad idea, but you can get the sweetened flavored stuff from any grocery store.

In my Jeep, I also carry a small folding spade and a small axe, both of which have come in handy. The nice thing about the Jeep (G. Cherokee) is that you can stuff all sorts of things like this underneath the rear seats.

As for the flashlight, are they serious? The tungsten age is over! The Mag incandescent is good for 8-ish hours of yellow light. For ten more bucks, you get the MagLED with thirty-plus hours of pure white light, and zero susceptibility to filament breakage. It’s worth it just for the spare batteries you don’t have to pack (but should anyway).

The only innovation here is the Velcro strips on the case that stick it to the carpet in the back of your grocery-getter. The less it slides and rattles around, the more likely you are to leave it there so you’ll have it when you need it. Now would be a good time to go through your existing emergency kit. Double-check the expiration dates on the first-aid supplies, rotate stock on the batteries… Do it today, because it might save your butt tomorrow!