Winter Road Trip Survival Kit ??

well if your stuck in winter then the water that you pack,,might not be water anymore,,, your better off bringing some way to keep yourself warm and melt snow ,,,or melt the frozen water that you packed . Im not really sure how long water "lasts" when its packed in a car?, does it go skunky? i know at work (in the shop) the water in the pipes going to the shop does not take long to get a real bad smell in it in the heat. I suppose that in the winter time water might last longer in a car ?
heat is your 1st concern i would think . if you have heat you can melt snow for water. and you can cook whatever you have . without heat being stuck in the snow is not too pleasent
i dont carry any kind of survival kit in my car ,,but if i did it would be a gallon can of white fuel(coleman) and my single burner coleman camping stove . with that i could heat the car up every couple of hours for several days ,,while melting water,,heating food
 
A folding shovel was mentioned, but those darn things can give out and are pretty flimsy. I like a good alumn. grain scoop.:thumbup:
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I put together a mini-kit to keep in our car for winter travel here on the prairies, and I would advise against the big-arse grain scoop, and more in favor of a cheap spade-point shovel (non folding). The grain scoop would move a lot of light snow, but if the snow were heavier, or if you had to shovel gravel or soil, it would be way too big... not to mention it takes up a lot of space in the trunk.

I would add....

Some large orange garbage bags (emergency poncho, stronger than space blankets, very visible)
Definitely several ways to start a fire.
Spare gloves
Spare toques (we picked up some at WalMart for $1.50 each in the spring)
Wool blanket
Cell phone
Not sure how long-term you're thinking she might be stuck, but perhaps a bowl or pot to melt snow in for drinking water.
Empty Nalgene to store some water post-melting.
Flashlight or (better) a headlamp
Trail mix or similar food that doesn't freeze solid at 30 below.
 
MIKE MACINTOSH said:
Blanket's, and shovel for car travel in winter axe or saw for wood to throw under wheel's of stuck car
Click to expand...

+1 on the shovel, but I'd add that it should make be a short handled heavy duty steel square point shovel. Much better to chop ice with, in addition to shoveling ice and snow. I'm up in the air as to recommend a wood handle or a synthetic handle, although a wooden shovel handle could come in awfully handy in a pinch for all sorts of adaptations.
 
There is a cheap but extremely useful shovel in the Swedish infantry entrenching tool, also called "attackspade". It is a bit bigger than the US version and have a sturdy metal handle. It can also be fitted with a snow shovel kit
http://www.surplus.se/component/opt...ypage,shop.flypage/product_id,8242/Itemid,26/

There is also good use to always bring the snow shovel. Some years we were to turn around on a road and backed out on a beach and we ended up digging out the car.
 
Hi guys!! I completely forgot all about this thread. I was initially going to go to Alaska in Dec./Jan., but I am going before the winter.
I will be heading to Alaska. But, instead of going in the winter time, I should be heading there in Sept. Since my headache etc. is all gone, I have decided to go back to being a traveling Surgical Technologist. I am going to go see Alaska (I have wanted to go there since I was 4.), Montana, and Idaho. I will work for a traveling company; they will find and pay for my housing. I am VERY excited about this. I WILL be driving to all these states, and I AM bringing my dog with me. I DO now have the Milepost & Frommer's Alaska guides. THANK YOU ALL!
 
FYI, I DO NOT know yet where in Alaska I will be YET. I just thought that you guys would want to know that.
 
Between VA hospital, Alaska Native Medical Center, Providence, and Alaska Regional in Anchorage, and Valley Hospital here in Wasilla the Mat-Su valley might be a good place to start. Alaska is only twenty minutes or so outside of Anchorage ya' know....:D Squarebanks is one of those places that everybody either loves or hates. Me? well...I don't love it....:D

Please don't hesitate to drop an email to the wife and I if we can be of any help to ya'. She was born and raised in the Eagle River/Mat-Su valley area, and I've been here since '91

Oh! and don't forget to visit Northern Knives on 5th Avenue if you wind up in Anchorage. run by very, very good people with a great selection of Alaskan made customs.

Oh yeah, back to the topic at hand...immediately available extra hat, gloves, socks, or other warm clothes. Sure, you could get to the stuff in the back of a truck or a car trunk, but it's a bit more of a challenge if your car is upside down ON the trunk, or your gear gots scattered out of the back of a truck.

Them battery boosters are pretty slick too..

And for the REAL survival stuff, don't forget an Mp3/ipod with a radio reciever and a DC/110V converter for brewing up coffee in the mornings...

Have fun!
 
chains
zip ties (loose chain ends)
wire -- chain repairs and snares
rope-- heavy enough to tow with or a tow strap AND rope
kitty litter (traction)
shovel
ditto on toilet paper mentioned before
road flares -- best fire starter there is
ground/air signal panels
ditto on communication gear--- cell phone with car charger, CB, GMRS too (get one that scans channels).
sleeping bags and blankets
tent (if you have to abandon the vehicle). A tarp would be better than nothing.
sleeping pads
food-- canned, dried soup, granola bars, candy, dehydrated hiking dinners, MRE's.
If you have a dog, food, bowl, leash, paw snow boots in cold country
water-- we keep a case of bottles in the car most of the time
axe and saw
compass, gps, maps
flashlights
spare batteries
a couple good books
chemical hand warmers
basic hand tool kit -- wrenches, socket set, screwdrivers, small volt/ohm meter
jumper cables
spare parts: fuses, lamps, fan belts, hose clamps, spark plugs, oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid (unopened).
starting fluid (ether)
gas line antifreeze (methanol-- fire starter too)
"Fix a flat" tire repair
12 volt air compressor
first aid kit
duct tape, electrical tape, self vulcanizing rubber tape
"normal" PSK stuff-- knife, multiple fire starters, multi-tool, whistle, signal mirror
extra clothing -- fleece, rain coat, hats, gloves, socks, long underwear, insulated pants (old ski pants), and boots you can walk 50 miles in.
sunglasses
leather work gloves
day pack(s)
ground sheet or tarp --- great to lay on while putting on chains too
water purifcation -- pump and/or chemicals
collapsible water jug
Esbit stove and fuel (butane would be good too)
cook pot
eating utensils, bowl, cup
portable am/fm/sw/weather radio
fishing kit (carried 365/year)
5 gallon bucket (gear storage, water carrier, and a porta-poty if you get a toilet seat lid)
garbage bags -- black ones-- white won't show on snow.
baseball bat
If firearms are legal and desired, a 12ga with slugs, buckshot, and birdshot
 
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