Car kit. Mostly A seat belt cutter?

With the turning weather I put 3 wool blankets in my wifes Suburban, and added a small kit with flares, first aid kit, water, food, lights. One of the biggest things is I told her never let the tank get less than 1/2 full(she use to wait until the gas light came on then drove another 30 miles :rolleyes:). People are not prepared around here, so when power is out or "disaster" strikes, usually 1 or 2 stations are open and the wait is a few hours long.
 
12345678910, If you don't tell someone why stuff is in the car, it gets used, or taken out when the car gets cleaned. Also most of the guys I know, who should know better, wear crap shoes in winter.

As for cell phones, if your SO knows that they don't charge the phone, and knows that it might not work, then they are also less likely to be relying on it (one would hope). Don't we all harp on the fact that tech is not a substitute for skills?

Some of the newer LED beacons are very bright, and have the advantage of lower power consumption. But they more than a bit expensive.
 
She's actually got two phones, and her work phone is always charge, but I don't like to call it unless it actually is an emergency. As far as her shoes, she generally wears snow boots, riding boots or insulated trail runners in the fall/winter/spring.
Her and I have talked about this stuff, so she's got an idea. I will have to go over how the gear works though.
 
Chris Pierce said:
Good idea. I hadn't thought about hand warmers. I'll talk to her about all this stuff today.

I know that some folks think that it's easier to hit the seat belt release then to use a strap cutter. But when you're dealing with an infant's car seat it's not so easy or fast. And I'd hate to be in adrenalin rush trying to cut the straps with my folder and accidentally stab my daughter. Maybe if the car was on fire I'd try and just unhook the car seal and take the whole thing, but if we go off a bridge then no way since the seat would probably fill full of water and want to sink.
Hopefully I never actually have to deal with any of this stuff. But you never know.
My wife drives an 08 Kia Spectra5 btw, so it's not like I'm forcing her to drive the kids around in a beat up old dilapidated junker.
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I agree very much. I put the strap cutter from a Gerber LMF I had in the console of my wife's car when our youngest daughter was still in the infant carrier.
 
If it were me, I'd go with a Vic SAK; probably the Dual Pro or serrated One-Handed Trekker. The Dual Pro has a pretty good seat belt blade and is rounded at the end to reduce the potential for getting poked.
 
Driving with kids, I'd add some flotation vests &/or even a dry fire extinguisher. And I'd make sure that at least one of the kids knows where the kit is and how to get help. Maybe an emergency radio or a walkie-talkie? If the possibility truly exists of driving off a bridge, then maybe a small O2 tank with masks. And some waterproof warm gear... that's all I can think of. Hope it adds up to some completely unneccessary bunch of stuff. As for the cell phone, perhaps make it your ritual to keep it charged, or just plain connected to the car charger. You can velcro the phone underneath the drivers seat, staple the charger cables so they're unobtrusive.
 
Both Benchmade [lots of options] and ZT make some interesting strap cutters with window breakers. I've been meaning to buy/make a velco accessed pouch and then using adhesive backed velco, mount the tool and pouch somewhere accessible. If you're doing a lot of high risk driving [as you describe], I'd even mount one forward and one back. I'd opt for a larger one [i.e. not foldable or key chain sized], b/c small tools or things that are fiddly can be difficult to manage with cold or injured hands. Some basic energy bars, a cell phone [not sure if it'll work on the mtn roads], warm jackets [for all passengers], FAK, jumper cables, crow bar, and some kind of road flare or safety triangle would all be good additions. I'm not sure about what kind of car your wife drives, but she may want to look at a vehicle with AWD someday, especially if she's making this commute long-term. I switched to AWD 3 years ago and I'll never drive another 2 WD. One thing I'd also recommend is tire chains - these things turn a normal car into a snow driving beast. I used to own a Honda Civic and with chains it could go almost anywhere. Especially useful for steep climbs and descents on snowy grades. Chains have gotten me out of more sketchy situations than I care to admit. Of course practicing how to install them is important too [don't forget to stash some gloves - mechanic type - in with the chains]. In terms of training, I'd go to a parking lot first and then maybe a logging road and just play with the car and see how it reacts to braking and turning ... winter driving is all about common sense: slow down, know your vehicle, and practice [a few sessions playing in a snowy parking lot will give you a clear understanding of your vehicle's limitations]. It's great that you're preparing for this!:thumbup:
 
She drives an 08 Kia Spectra 5 which is well maintained, and it's front wheel drive. The car wears a set of 4 studded snow tires. So there is no need for chains.
She's had no complaints about the roads so far, but we have had pretty warm weather, with temps dropping below freezing only after dark. But she's usually not home until a few hours after dark. So far so good.
And I think because of this she's put the thought of bad weather and wrecks in the back of her mind.
She does have a few things in her car, first aid, Spyderco Native, jumper cables, tire iron/pry bar and a diaper bag :D
But I will need to throw in water, food, flares, glass breaker and strap cutter. Maybe a blanket or sleeping bag. We all dress correctly for winter, so I'm not too worried about extra clothing, we usually bring changes of clothes for the kids just because they're still little and messy. My wife has put her snow pants in her car though, because she knows that she may have to shovel her self out of her parking space to leave work.

I'm not going to buy wet suits or an oxygen tank. :confused: If I was THAT worried my wife wouldn't be driving. Like I said before, she's worried about going off a bridge and getting the kids out. Which is pretty silly because she dries a very light weight car and I don't think she'd be able to make it through the guard rails. So the strap cutter is mostly for her piece of mind.
The rest of the stuff is more practical I think.
 
12345678910 said:
Don't tell her to, just put it in and it's done

Plus add a good set of socks and warm boots for her, women often wear shoes that are useless for winter
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Yeah, I have had to add more than a first aid kit to my girlfriends car. I guess I don't figure that she knows how alone people are a times.
I added a backpack with a double sided knife, one side serrated and the other plain, along with a blanket, food and water.. her car came with an emergency pack when we bought it new a couple of years ago. It only snows here in the desert around January though.
 
She knows exactly how alone she is at times. Weather it's in a big city getting mugged in broad daylight right in front of her office or on a remote mountain pass with a flat tire.

As far as foot wear goes, she wears snow boots or riding boots in the winter, as I stated above :)
 
Chris Pierce said:
She knows exactly how alone she is at times. Weather it's in a big city getting mugged in broad daylight right in front of her office or on a remote mountain pass with a flat tire.

As far as foot wear goes, she wears snow boots or riding boots in the winter, as I stated above :)
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Good to hear brother!
 
Studded tires are no where near as effective as chains. It's like comparing hiking boots to crampons. Obviously, studded tires are an everyday solution to general winter driving. Chains give you that peace of mind when you're driving home in a storm, or you get stuck or there's a few inches of snow down on a road. Chains are kind of a get out of jail free card. I used to put our old civic in places I never thought possible with chains on. For $50 +/-, they're a nice addition to any car that's doing a lot of winter driving. I'd even look used online. Give it some thought anyway. Sounds like once you get a combo webbing cutter/glass breaker you'll be pretty-much prepped for winter driving hell.
 
I had never heard that chains were better than studs. But after some reading it sounds like they're better for deep snow but not necessarily for ice? I'm not too worried about deep snow since her drive is all on state hwy and interstate and it's all very well maintained in the winter, it's the ice that's an issue. She drives across the boarder to Oregon everyday, which is down a very steep winding grade then across the Columbia river, and then about 30 miles of flat interstate along the river. Here in Washington the grade is always plowed and salted, but in Oregon where it's flat they don't salt the roads. And it just so happens that the interstate like to pool water when it rains, so there are sheets of ice when it freezes. We do have a set of chains for her car though, so I may throw them in the back.
 
Chris Pierce said:
I had never heard that chains were better than studs. But after some reading it sounds like they're better for deep snow but not necessarily for ice? I'm not too worried about deep snow since her drive is all on state hwy and interstate and it's all very well maintained in the winter, it's the ice that's an issue. She drives across the boarder to Oregon everyday, which is down a very steep winding grade then across the Columbia river, and then about 30 miles of flat interstate along the river. Here in Washington the grade is always plowed and salted, but in Oregon where it's flat they don't salt the roads. And it just so happens that the interstate like to pool water when it rains, so there are sheets of ice when it freezes. We do have a set of chains for her car though, so I may throw them in the back.
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Chains are great traction aids. They are also an INCREDIBLE pain in the ass to put on and will do thousands of dollars of damage to your car if they come loose, and they limit you to about 35 mph.

If you're going to carry them, make sure you understand which tires they go on. The way your 4x4 distributes power to the front and rear tires will dictate that. Check the manual.

I grew up in Idaho where the roads were ice covered for three to four months a year and never used, or even owned a set of chains, and we drove two-wheel drive station wagons which were about the worst snow vehicles ever made. Good tires are important, but controlling a vehicle on ice has everything to do with technique, and no tire or traction aid will compensate for poor winter driving technique.

Studded snow tires, especially on a 4x4, are PLENTY of traction unless the snow is deeper than the clearance of your vehicle, in which case the highway is going to be closed anyway.

If the vehicle doesn't already have one, install an outside temperature sensor so she'll know when she's climbing into freezing conditions.
 
Ten years ago, I was going to Arkansas with my family to visit my father. A few minutes after we crossed the Arkansas River on Interstate 40, a barge hit the bridge. The bridge collapsed and killed 14 people. It was alleged that some or all died because they couldn't get out of their cars. On the way home, my children would roll down the windows every time we crossed a bridge. I bought a spring loaded punch and put it in the glove box for their peace of mind. I also keep a pocket knife in the glove box.
I recently bought a CRKT Exitool to put in my son's car as he just got his drivers license. I like that it attaches to the seat belt so it can easily be found in an emergency. I haven't tried it out though. I don't really want to submerge a vehicle upside down to see if it really works. You have to rely on faith sometimes.
 
I second the CRKT tool as a nice solution. Having worked rescue with the FD for some time I can also second the previous posts of maybe .00001% of people that get in to accidents could have been saved if they had a way to cut the seatbelt. The CRKT seatbelt thingy is a nice “what the heck” gadget. My father got me one because he, like you, was worried about me driving in adverse conditions. I took it and put it on that little section that comes down from the B-frame and in to the seat belt roller. I don’t even know it’s there. I do know that it will be should I ever need it. If there’s anything important in the car that you think she might need in case of a crash just make sure she has it secured. Do you know where your phone that was sitting in the center console goes when you roll a vehicle? Me neither. There’s some good info here about just having the little stuff. I just tell my wife “put this in your trunk”. I would just toss it in but it doesn’t do any good if she doesn’t know it’s there. I also occasionally quiz her on random preparedness things because I know her and she is the kind of person that would starve to death not remembering that we packed food in the trunk.
 
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Third and fourth from the left might be good choices. Gerber EZ-Rescue and Spyderco Rescue.

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I have a Spyderco D'Allara and a Becker BK-3 in my car kit.

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Just for show and giggles, here's a prototype Camillus that was made specifically for strap cutting.

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I'm not going to buy wet suits or an oxygen tank. :confused:

Pretty funny, a wet suit! But in an extreme kind of way, not such a bad idea. Nope, I meant flotation devices or vest, just in case the car veered into water, for reasons not due to your wife's driving....
 
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