The Best Winter Kit for Your Car Trunk
Growing up in Northern Maine, not dying when your car breaks down or you get stuck in a snowbank is a full-time sport. Everyone I know always had blankets, snacks, shovels and bags of kitty litter in the trunk of their car. Everything you needed to get yourself unstuck and stay warm. I moved to California many years ago, so I should officially be considered “soft” by East Coast standards, but being prepared for winter disaster is a big deal in California as well.
Lots and lots of snow. It was snowing so hard when I took this picture that the windows were covered by the time I walked around the car.
Why Do You Need A Winter Kit in The Trunk of Your Car?
My family and I like skiing and snow, and because we live in the Bay Area of San Francisco, this means driving to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Under normal conditions (meaning dry roads, no accidents and traffic) the drive from my house to the Tahoe area is about 3 and a half hours. However, there are times when it has taken me 12 hours. There are lots of reasons for this, but primarily it is because lots of people simply don’t understand how to drive in the snow, and they crash, which makes a traffic nightmare. As a result of that, and the fact that California doesn’t use salt on the roads, I-80 is frequently closed, or locked down with chain control.
There is much to be written about how to drive in the snow, and maybe I’ll write that some other day, but let me start with these two thoughts:
AWD (All Wheel Drive) is NOT All Wheel Stop. People think because they drive and AWD Tesla, that they are invincible. This is wildly untrue. Just because you can get going doesn’t mean you can STOP.
The correct tires are VASTLY more important than AWD. If you have All Season, or M+S (Mud and Snow) tires, and you think it is all gonna be fine, you are wrong. Snow and ice are VERY different and require different compounds (softness of rubber) and a much different tread (you need siping more than tread, and the treads must clear the snow, or you just make slicks anyway). So, to simplify, if you do not have Nokian Hakkapelliitas (R5’s assuming you aren’t allowed to have spikes), or Bridgestone Blizzaks (they make a few models. All are good), or Pirelli SottoZeros (again, a few models, and if you have a high performance car, these might be all you can find) you are doing it wrong. A rear wheel drive vehicle with any of those tires will CRUSH an AWD with normal tires. Hands down.
However, this is a topic about what to keep in your trunk for the winter. The reason for this is that many different bad things can happen in the winter. And you need to be able to deal with all of them. Especially if you have kids.
You can get trapped in traffic, for many hours on a very cold and snowy road. Your kids (and your wife) will need to pee. And they will be hungry. And you do not want them to be cold!
You can get stuck. Maybe you slide off the road. Maybe you get snowed in and can’t get out. But even if you don’t crash, it is easy to get stuck. How will you get out?
You can crash. Winter weather brings all sorts of accidents, and you should assume that help (in the form of a tow truck or the Highway Patrol) is likely going to take a while. Hopefully you are safe and not injured in a crash, but if your car is broken, and you are stranded, nothing good happens after that.
You can get lost. In California (especially in the Sierra Nevada) there are always stories of families getting lost, and then getting in real trouble. Hopefully this isn’t you, but bad, bad stuff happens FAST in winter. Read this story about a man who made a minor error and was trapped for 7 days!
You can run out of gas (or run out of battery in your EV). I am a stickler for always having as full a tank as possible in the winter, but people run out of gas all the time, especially when sitting in traffic.
The idea for all of these is to stay safe, be able to be comfortable and healthy and get yourself out of trouble (or at least be able to wait for help safely).
What to Pack in a Winter Car Kit?
This is an example of what I keep in my “Winter Kit”. All of this stuff stays in the bag, and is only used for the trunk of my car. I don’t keep it there always, because we don’t always drive where there will be snow. But it always gets thrown in when we go to the Sierras.
My Winter Preparedness Kit for the trunk of the car. This happens to be packed in a Ski Boot Bag, but you can use whatever bag you have. I had that label “tag” stitched on Etsy because I am crazy. But any old bag will do.
The contents of my Winter Preparedness Kit that goes in the Trunk of the Car (bag itself not shown)
As with many of the other topics I have written on, I will show you what each item is, and talk more about each. Note that there are items that are not shown, that I think you should always have. For example a Blanket. I have that always in the car anyway, so it doesn’t go in this kit. Same with stuff like Sat Phone and First Aid, etc. There’s also additional stuff I always keep in the trunk of the car (under where the spare tire goes) that is NEVER removed. I’ll talk about that later as well. This is just the contents of the bag itself. And the ice scraper doesn’t go in the bag, so I’ll cover that separately.
I’ll start at the top left.
Rear View Mirror Covers. Those things (there are two of them) that look like black baggies are actually covers to put over your rear view mirrors on the car. Many cars have heated rear view mirrors, but these cinch over the mirrors on the car, and keep them from freezing and getting covered in ice and snow. When we go skiing this really helps clean the car off quickly, and keeps the power mirror mechanisms from getting ice in them. You can buy the Rear View Mirror Winter Covers here on Amazon. Or use a big Ziploc baggie with a bungee if you want.
Bivy Sack (or sleeping bag). That Orange thing in the bag is an SOL heat reflective Bivy Sack. Basically, a Sleeping Bag that has heat reflective capabilities to keep your heat in. This is much smaller than a sleeping bag, and I could wrap my kids up in it to keep them warm and stuff other stuff in there with them. They make a bunch of versions of this, but the one I have is the SOL Escape Lite Bivy Sack. It is pretty reasonably priced, and I only have one of them.
Duct Tape. Needs no explanation. But having two small rolls of Duct Tape is always a winner. The ones shown are that same SOL brand. Check out SOL Duct Tape Rolls here.
Chemical Hand Warmers. I keep these to stick in pockets if someone forgets gloves, or if I had to toss them in a blanket to make kids cozy. Also never a bad plan when skiing. I buy them in bulk on Amazon. Here’s a reasonably priced box of Hot Hands hand warmers on Amazon. Note also that lower down in the picture (in the Ziploc Bag) you can see I also carry the Zippo fuel Hand Warmers. These are AWESOME, and work very well to keep a pocket or sleeping bag toasty.
A Warm Winter Hat. Yeah, you should already have one, maybe on your head if you are driving in the winter. But having a nice neon yellow one from Carhartt is always a good call. I chose this Knit Beanie in Safety Yellow from Carhartt to include. My theory being if I have to walk somewhere to get help, I’d like to be as visible as possible. And if I have to be on the side of the road, I want to be as visible as possible.
Ways to pee in the car This is often overlooked. As a man, it is fairly easy for me to pee on the side of the road. But for my wife and daughter, that is not so easy. If we were to get stuck (either in a snowbank or in traffic for hours) there is always a need to use the restroom. I took another picture of the different stuff I keep in my winter (and summer, honestly… I have a lot of this in the glove box anyways, especially on roadtrips) to help with car bathroom time.
An assortment of products to help go to the bathroom in the car (or near the car).
Some of these products do the same sort of thing. From the upper left:
CoolRunner Disposable Urine Bags. These are pretty basic, and are bags with a little lip on them to pee (or vomit, etc) in. They have chemicals that harden the liquid, so it is easy to dispose of. I would/do use these for my son. Makes it easier to toss when done.
TravelJohn Disposable Urinal. Similar to the CoolRunner ones, but packaged with a nice little wet nap/clean up towel, and a little more compact. These fit better in the glove box. But same concept.
The Go Girl Female Urination Device (the thing in the tube) is basically the same as the Pitch and Trek Female Urination device (the pink thing). The Go Girl is more compact, but I like the bag that comes with the Pitch and Trek, because after use, I don’t particularly want to tell my daughter to put it back in the tube. These are just devices to help women pee while standing or sitting and direct urine in to a jug (or one of the baggies above). These are important to me in the winter, because if we were stuck in the snow, I wouldn’t want my daughter freezing while trying to pee.
The Disposable Toilet Restop 2 is the most “serious” of the bunch, and is for more serious bathroom needs. This one ideally would go in a bucket to sit on, but if I had to improvise for my kids, I am sure I could.
Good old fashioned toilet paper!
Gloves. I get cold hands, so as you can see, I have a few pairs here. I have the Mechanix Winter Gloves (the bulky looking Black ones), Some stretchy Wool thin glove liners, so Industrial rubber gloves (got those from Home Depot, but you probably have them under your sink) and my very favorites, the Kinco Hydroflector Work gloves. Those neon green ones are fantastic winter gloves. They have a soft liner, and are absolutely waterproof. I LOVE those gloves. I have a bunch of them.
Warm (Wool) Socks. You cannot have too many warm pairs of socks in your life. It just isn’t possible. I always wear wool socks (every day, even in summer) but I keep this ridiculous pair of Smartwool warm socks. What fits me isn’t likely to fit you, so whatever wool socks you have will work in this kit. No need for fancy.
A Way to Boil Water. That orange “circle” in the picture is actually a JetBoil MiniMo Stove with integrated pot/mug. You can use whatever for this. But having a way to boil some water, make some hot chocolate, or whatever is a very nice way to go. This also works to make Freeze Dried Meals much tastier and fun for the kids.
Some MRE’s/Food. You can see some beef jerky in the picture, as well as a few MRE’s with the built in heaters. MRE stands for “Meal Ready to Eat” and you can buy the same ones the military uses. You could also just pack a bunch of granola bars, but I like the MRE’s because they feel really deluxe and have a boatload of calories. I think those MRE’s are from a case I bought from Amazon, but you can get MRE’s from lots of places. I will say make sure you get the ones with the heaters. Also, I don’t leave MREs in the trunk of my car in the summer. They last longer in the winter, so I use these as winter food.
Lighter/Way to Start a Fire. In the Ziploc baggie, you can see I have Zippos and fuel, but I also carry a good old fashioned Bic disposable lighter. But you really need a way to make fire.
Compass. Needs no explaining. Always have a compass.
Sunscreen. Winter glare from the snow is bad news. So ALWAYS carry strong sunscreen.
Water. You can carry bottles, of course, but I have found that these Flexible Platypus Water Bladder/Bottles work VERY well. They can freeze, and their shape makes them easier to store, and if you had to hike some place, you could easily chug the water, and then roll up the bladder to carry with you to refill later. Strong recommend. But do whatever you wish. Just used water bottle will do fine.
Whistle. I like the Mighty Fox40 Whistles but any whistle will do. My kids all have whistles on their packs anyway, so this one is more of an extra.
Coin Compressed Towels. These are in that little clear tube in the middle. They are Portawipes compressed towels and I use them for everything. I did a little writeup on them (and even made a sweet GIF showing how they work) in my topic on Giving Kids A Real First Aid Kit! Check it out.
Water Purification Tablets. These weigh SO LITTLE that you should have a bunch of them in the car at all times anyway. Even if you did melt some snow, who knows what horribleness is in that snow. So you should have a bunch of purification tablets. For me, the gold standard is Aquatabs. They aren’t gross tasting like iodine, and they work SO WELL. Read all about how they work and get them here. I need to do a topic on Water Purification!
Battery Bank and a Way to Charge your Phone From it. Pretty self explanatory, but we all depend on phones, and you need to be able to charge it without relying on the car battery. The Battery Bank in the picture is a rugged outdoor one called a NOVOO Waterproof Charger, but any bank will do.
First Aid Kit. The black thing is a First Aid Kit. I talk all about those in my topic on First Aid Kits. So I won’t repeat here.
Winter Boots. Footwear is one of the very most important things. When we go skiing I don’t always bring Winter Boots, so I make sure they are always packed in my winter bag. I used to pack waterproof hiking boots, but I upgraded to these absolutely incredible Lacrosse Winter Boots. They are called “Alpha Thermals” and they absolutely scoff at cold and wet. They are high, so I can wear them with over pants or whatever I am wearing, and they are absolutely toasty warm. 7mm neoprene is no joke.
A set of waterproof, visible clothes. I was thinking about what to wear if I had to put chains on, or walk down the highway for a long time, or shovel show on the side of the road. And it occurred to me that I should just get whatever the professionals use. And for me, that’s Helly Hansen.
The Pants (in the bag) are Helly-Hansen Workwear Alta Waterproof High Visibility Bib Pants. They are a bib, which keeps my midsection dry. They aren’t insulated, which was a tradeoff, but I wanted something I could use in wet weather as well, and these work for that too.
The jacket (at the bottom) is a Helly Hansen Workwear Alta Waterproof High Visibility Shell Jackets for Men with Detachable Hood and Napoleon Pocket. VERY VERY waterproof. And you can see it a long way off, which is great. Yes, I always have a winter jacket with me, but nothing I take skiing is as durable as this jacket. And it is cheap enough I don’t have to worry so much about wrecking it.
Reflective Vest. I carry this also because it is small, and if I had to wrap it around my wife or kids, I could use it lots of ways.
A SHOVEL. I saved the best for last, but you absolutely need a shovel. I chose a metal one, that extends. I didn’t want something too big, because I want to make sure it fits in the bag. The shovel in the picture is a Lifeline Collapsible shovel, but you could also look at basically any “avalanche” shovel (made for skiers to put on their packs so they are smaller). I always want a METAL shovel, not a plastic one.
A Blanket (or a sleeping bag). This isn’t in the photo above, because it doesn’t fit in my winter kit, but you need a blanket. I happen to use (and love) the blankets from RUMPL. They make these really nice, durable, packable blankets. Here’s a picture of the blanket I carry in the car. My kids often use it to cover themselves and stay cozy on roadtrips, so it sees lots of use not just in a disaster. Check out Rumpl Blankets HERE. I have the two person size, but they are all nice.
My RUMPL blanket. These are GREAT.
More Winter Tips for Winter Driving
ALWAYS “Combat Park” I didn’t invent the term “combat parking” but I love it. Any time you park anywhere, always think to yourself “What is the best way for the car to be parked so if it snows a ton, or the snowplow buries the car, that I will be able to get out the easiest?” This usually means that you ALWAYS back in to spots. And choose where you park in parking lots carefully to make sure you have room to back up and rock back and forth if you need to. Make sure there’s room around the car to shovel if needed, and make SUPER sure you can access the trunk and the hood (for access to your winter kit, and access to the battery for jump starting).
Keep your gas tank FULL. This is one of the things I am militant about. I NEVER let my car have less than half a tank of gas in winter. Not only does this help with water vapor (more air = more water vapor, and more water = ice, and more ice = bad in winter) as well as having as much gas as possible if you do get stuck!
Do NOT be in a rush. All of the times I got in to hairy situations in the winter was when I was pushing it. Just a liiiiiiiittle faster. Take your time and be patient. It is always a good choice.
Stay away from the Plow Truck. People always want to PASS the plow. This is never a good idea. I once had a swim coach (remember, this is in Maine) who tried this, and then her car wasn’t strong enough (Geo Metro) to outrun the plow in deep snow, and the plow driver couldn’t see her (small car, taillights obscured) and the plow PUSHED her car against the blade for miles before he stopped. She was OK, but VERY scary. Don’t pass the Plow Truck.
Make sure you have a way to jumpstart your OWN car. Look in to Booster packs. I talk about these in my topic on How to Prepare your Car’s Trunk. This is the most common winter problem (dead battery). Don’t let this one bite you.