Most disaster prep advice focuses on the home, but you're vulnerable in your car too — a breakdown, an accident, or getting stranded in severe weather can happen on any ordinary drive, not just during a declared emergency. A well-stocked trunk kit is one of the cheapest, easiest pieces of prep you can knock out this weekend.
The Core Kit (Keep Year-Round)
Safety and signaling:
- Reflective triangles or road flares — makes your car visible to other drivers, especially critical at night or in low visibility
- Flashlight with extra batteries (a headlamp is even better — keeps your hands free)
- Brightly colored cloth or flag to signal for help
First aid and health:
- A real first aid kit with actual wound-care basics — not just a couple of adhesive bandages. Antiseptic wipes, gauze, medical tape, and any personal medications you or family members take regularly
- A window punch/seatbelt cutter combination tool — genuinely important if you're ever in a submerged or electrically-disabled vehicle with power windows that won't open
Vehicle basics:
- Jumper cables (8-gauge or lower — thinner cables underperform when you actually need them)
- A basic tool kit: pliers, adjustable wrench, screwdriver
- Tire pressure gauge and a portable tire inflator or sealant (useful for small punctures — not a substitute for a spare on major damage)
- Tow rope
- Duct tape
Comfort and sustenance:
- Non-perishable, high-calorie snacks — energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, jerky
- A gallon or two of water
- A poncho or rain gear
- A basic multi-tool
Add for Winter (Seasonal Swap-In)
Winter conditions change what actually matters — 17% of car accidents happen in winter weather, and getting stranded is a real possibility, not a remote one:
- Thick blanket or emergency sleeping bag, plus hand and foot warmers
- Extra warm clothing — gloves, a hat, wool socks, boots — kept in the car, not assumed you're already dressed for it
- Non-clumping kitty litter, sand, or road salt — pour in front of a stuck tire for traction; genuinely works and takes almost no space to carry
- A small shovel for digging out
- Windshield scraper and brush
- Tire chains or traction mats, if you're in a region where they're common
What to Skip
Pre-made "emergency kit" products sold at a low price point often substitute weak versions of the real thing — a thin Mylar blanket, a plastic-handled screwdriver, a flashlight that dies in a month. If you're buying pre-assembled, check what's actually inside rather than trusting the box copy; if you're building your own, spending a bit more on the handful of items that actually matter (jumper cables, first aid contents, a real flashlight) is worth it over a kit padded with filler.
Maintenance: The Part People Skip
Items in a trunk kit face real temperature extremes — summer heat and winter cold both degrade batteries, water, and some first-aid supplies faster than the same items stored indoors. Check your kit at least twice a year (an easy trigger: when you do seasonal tire swaps or clock changes) — replace expired first aid items, test flashlight batteries, and confirm water containers haven't cracked or leaked.
This Complements Your Home Kit, Not Replaces It
A car kit covers you for the hours you're not home — but your home go-bag and backup power plan still matter for the bigger picture. If a car kit is the first thing you've checked off, that's a good start; worth circling back to the rest of your household prep next.
Related reading: Home Go-Bag Essentials and Wildfire Evacuation Go-Bag