Guest Post: My Truck Kit

by The Wife

Back in August, I was asked by a friend if I would mind helping his wife improve upon an emergency kit for her vehicle. Of course I didn't mind, I replied; I like being helpful. After some back and forth regarding what conditions she expected to be in and what emergencies she wanted to be prepared for, we eventually settled on this. 

This is actually Truck Kit 2.0. My first one just didn't seem complete enough, and I realized that I still had a bit of space available, so I expanded it a bit.

The container is a Gladware food storage container (water- and relatively air-tight) with a 3 cup capacity. It's two inches deep, and six to seven inches on a side (square) depending on where one does the measuring.
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(I do not have any first aid items in this kit because I carry a minor-injuries kit with me as a separate unit.)

The contents of the box are:

• strong magnet [1]
• 30 feet of 550 para-cord (and twist ties!)
• quarters (several dollars' worth, but not a full roll)
• locking, folding box cutter [2]
• butane lighter
• antibacterial wipes
• sterile scalpel blade
• protein/ energy bar
• space/ emergency blanket
• spare key to my house
• the contents of kit version 1.5 (1.0 was completely rejected):
• list of critical phone numbers, laminated [3]
• cash in a variety of denominations [4]
• sewing kit with extra safety pins
• Star Flash signal mirror
• waterproof matches
• alcohol swabs
• tampons
• tweezers

[1] The magnet serves multiple purposes:

• It holds the kit in place under the seat. (By the way, this size box fits under the seat of every vehicle I've tried. So when I inevitably have to slam on the brakes, the kit doesn't come sliding out to cause additional problems.)
• It also holds the 1.5 tin, the knife, the quarters and the lighter nicely in place within the box. 
• If I should I need to leave my car for some reason, I can use it to hold a note to the outside of the car. 
• If I'm doing an unplanned sewing job, it holds my needle for me when I set it down.

I couldn't tell you where I bought that magnet because I used one that I already had. However, I'm making a comparable kit for my mother, and I found a pair of rectangular bar magnets that will serve the purpose nicely. They are from Home Depot, and it was less than $3 for the pair.

[2] I really like Kobalt knives because the blades are stronger and sharper than most utility knives, and no tools are needed to change the blade on this model.

[3] The list of numbers is in case of a situation when either my battery is dead or my phone has been damaged and I am unable to retrieve numbers from it. I have ~10 numbers on there, including AAA, (and my membership #!) my mechanic, my husband, and a few friends and relatives that I know I can count on to save me in event of a real problem.

[4] I got twenty dollars in smaller bills because there are occasions when cash is either much more convenient or the only option, and I can't always get change (such as tipping someone), so it's nice to have smaller bills so that I don't have to spend more than I need to.

[Not Shown] I put a copy of my house key in there because if I lose my keys, or they get locked in the house, it's much cheaper to get a locksmith to let you into your vehicle that it is to get them to let you into your house. Particularly if you have AAA.

I think the rest of the items are pretty self explanatory. I got items that served multiple purposes whenever possible. This would not be an ideal kit for everyone, but it nicely supplements the things that I either keep in my truck all of the time, or carry everyday. Feel free to add or subtract things to meet your own needs.

The Wife