Vehicle grab bag

[adestu]

Morning all
I do alot of driving about for my job and sometimes can be on my own . I'd like to put together a bag with a few items to be more comfortable and self sufficient in the event of a breakdown,social unrest and acts of god.i have on board a substantial first aid kit so I'd grab that in any event so any suggestions of contents and the bag please.cheers

 

[monkey boy]

Hi adestu, vehicles will get very hot in certain temperatures, this can spoil certain items like chemicals and foods. What ever you do deside to pack, it's a good idea to buy the cheaper version of gear or store old gear that you no longer use. check it every month especially the items that have dates on them.
Myself and my wife both have a tesco civvy looking £10 camping pack in our cars.
As I travel around a lot due to my job, I have found myself using items within it at times, even non emergency situations. Clothing and dry footwear has been the most used stuff, jump lead, rd triangles and first aid has been next.
Snacks and water is not a bad idea to keep, but cycle it and use them often as it can spoil easily. Look at where you travel to and pack according to that, as fix blade knives and tactical gear are not necessarily needed.
Also think about your vehicle and pack items for maintenance, if you look after your vehicle, it's less likely you will ever have to ditch her.

Hope that helps


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[Philster]

I have a sleeping bag, foam mat and poncho as well as a crusader cook set and FAK. If I had to sleep in/near the car it's good to have the necessary bits on you instead of at home in the man cave

 

[Paulm]

Hi Ade, I've been looking at the 5.11 Rush 12 and 24 bags recently, very tempted by them and I think one or other of them would be very suitable for the kind of use you have in mind. They are very well organised and very accessible, which may make them more practicable than a normal bag type rucksack where I always have trouble locating stuff that I know is in there somewhere !

 

[Mesquite]

Keep any bottled water in a coolbox.

That way it's insulated from extremes of temperature. You can also bung any chocolate bars in there as well for the same reason

 

[Tonyuk]

I keep a couple of bits of kit in an old gym bag in the car for the inevitable brake down, from memory it has in it;

- Cheap sleeping bag
- Warm jacket
- Hat and work gloves
- His vis vest
- Bottle of water (The middle of sleeping bag wrapped up)
- Hexy stove and metal mug
- Couple of tins of food, breakfast bars, snickers bars
- Torch, fist aid kit and some painkillers.
- Couple of spanners, zip ties and some strong tape

I got rid of the tyre foam my car came with when i bought it and got a proper spare wheel and change kit from a breakers yard. A big recommendation i would make is bin the included tyre iron asap and buy a proper mid length 1/2" breaker bar and socket for your wheel bolts, makes getting the wheel off far easier, no more standing on the end of the toy bar trying to brake the bolts loose. I replaced all my locking nuts with standard bolts as they have a habit of seizing on if the monkey in the tyre shop ran them in with an impact when you got the tyre put on. I've kept the air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car and its came in handy a few times.

Plan B is a basic membership with the AA if its anything more serious than a flat.

Tonyuk

 

[adestu]

Thanks guys.
The van is covered by breakdown through the lease company.my private car is covered also by the aa.as suggested i binned the factory wheel brace for a telescopic one and also again i ditched the repair kit and bought a steel wheel for the spare.i normally have a brew kit for those days when needed.i normally have water on board for screen washer and washing hands so it gets turned around regular.i was thinking basic hammock with tarp and mat.if it meant a night out the company would get me a hotel or a hire vehicle to get me home.thanks for the input.i can feel a list coming on

 

[Trojan]

Hi Ade, I've been looking at the 5.11 Rush 12 and 24 bags recently, very tempted by them and I think one or other of them would be very suitable for the kind of use you have in mind. They are very well organised and very accessible, which may make them more practicable than a normal bag type rucksack where I always have trouble locating stuff that I know is in there somewhere !

I use a Bugout Bag - that is the name of the make though now called Sandpiper. I would recommend them. Look on ebay etc.

 

[Swallow]

Put your bag within arms reach of your driving position. If you are in an accident and your legs are pinned you can get to it.

 

[Far_Wanderer]

I'd personally keep the tyre foam in the car as well as the spare as it saves trying to change a tyre if it's a puncture or leak. Companies like national and dealers will repair the puncture and clean out the disk for you as most recovery companies have said it's a better idea to use that than risk getting hit on motorways or a roads due to changing a tyre.

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[daveO]

A big recommendation i would make is bin the included tyre iron asap and buy a proper mid length 1/2" breaker bar and socket for your wheel bolts, makes getting the wheel off far easier, no more standing on the end of the toy bar trying to brake the bolts loose. I replaced all my locking nuts with standard bolts as they have a habit of seizing on if the monkey in the tyre shop ran them in with an impact when you got the tyre put on.

I do this but it's also a good tip to undo all your wheel nuts at home and torque them up correctly. A good garage or tyre shop will only tighten them using a torque wrench. If they don't then use a different garage. The torque ratings are there for a reason and not to make it easier for you to undo them.

Tyre foam is a great backup to save you doing a risky wheel change but it can also mean that tyre shops can't find the puncture afterwards because the hole has been sealed. I've had that problem before and had to scrap a good tyre because of it.