Being prepared for any type of emergency is important & responsible, regardless of where you live! Whether it’s a car accident, fire, flood, medical pandemic, power outage, etc… emergencies happen every single day and being prepared can save your sanity or even your life! While there are many different ways to prepare today I am going over what I keep in my emergency car kit!
Please keep in mind, I don’t say ANY of this to scare you! Fear is not my intent at all! I believe that it’s important to prepare for the worst, and then hope for the best. Many items in this kit, I HOPE I never have to touch! But should a situation arise, I’ll be glad to have them.
There are aspects of emergency preparedness that can be expensive, thankfully you’ll likely find that you already have 95% of these things. Now it’s just a matter of organizing them so that they are accessible in the case of emegrency!
PACKING YOUR EMERGENCY CAR KIT
How you decide to pack your Emergency Car kit is up to you! Figure out what works well in the space you have. Whether it’s a clear rubbermaid bin, a backpack, a tote, etc. I chose to pack mine into a backpack, a clear bin for my first aid kit, and a basket with car essentials that are used more often.
This isn’t a comprehensive 72 hour emergency kit or a emergency food storage. This is just what I can realistically keep in my car at all times which will help if I end up in an emergency situation!
Recently I wrote another blog post about 100 Things To Stockpile For An Emergency and it goes over more items to have in your home in case of an emergency!
While planning I thought of several different types of situations; if there is a flood/fire and we’re evacuated from our home, a car accident, being stranded on the side of the road for many hours, being locked in our home because of a pandemic or natural crisis, etc.
Car Essentials
These aren’t in my actual “kit” but are essentials that we always keep in the car!
- Jumper Cables
- Road Flares
- Spare Tire
- Jerry Can with Gasoline
- Engine Oil
- Windshield wiper fluid
- Basic tools
- Blanket
- Shovel
- Ice Scraper
- Tire Pressure Gauge
- Spare House Key
Emergency Kit Essentials
I realize this seems like SO many things and you might think there’s no way you have space for this in your car but I promise it won’t take up nearly as much space as you think! I drive a small car, and all of these items fit into a small backpack in the trunk and a small container I can tuck under a seat.
- Full change of clothes – Warm & Cold layers, socks, underwear
- Warm Mittens & Hat
- Duct Tape
- Flashlight & Spare Batteries
- Matches / Lighter
- Glowsticks – Helps you to be seen in the dark
- Rope
- Rain Jackets / Umbrella
- Paper Roadmap of your province/State
- Important Phone Number – If your phone died/was lost in an emergency, what phone numbers would you want access to? I laminated this and will keep it in my glove box with insurance information!
- Knife
- Toilet Paper / Kleenex
- Empty Garbage Bags
- Phone Charger – A solar charger would be ideal!
- Pen
- Water Purification Tablets / Water Bottles
- Whistle
- Snacks – Long shelf life / won’t melt or freeze / nutrient dense
First Aid / Hygiene
If you are familiar with my blog, you’ll know that I ALWAYS turn to natural, holistic remedies first. Even in my emergency car kit, you’ll see that these are the items I would want to have on hand because I KNOW they work! I wrote a whole post about my Holistic Medicine Cabinet if you want to learn more!
- Bandages
- Gauze
- Medical Tape
- Sterile Wipes
- Medical Gloves
- Scissors
- Bug Spray – I make my own with Eucalyptus, Cedarwood, Tea Tree and Peppermint Essential Oils
- Essential Oils – I’ll go into these further in the next section!
- Sunscreen
- Colloidal Silver – Can be used for infections
- Doterra’s Correct X – Holistic wound treatment
- Doterra’s Deep Blue Rub for aches / pains
- Wet Wipes – I made my own with paper towel and my On Guard Cleaning Concentrate
- Pad/Tampons
- Hand Sanitizer
- Hand Soap – A small bottle of biodegradable hand soap like Dr Bronner’s
- Toothpaste / Toothbrush
- Coconut Oil – Has so many uses from mild SPF to skin care to diluting Essential Oils for topical use
- Ibuprofen
- Medications You Rely On – keep in mind the temperature in your climate and how to correctly store these
- Activated Charcoal – will cause you to throw up if you eat something harmful
- Digestive Enzymes – I like Doterra’s “TerraZyme” which helps digest food, especially if you have to eat things you normally wouldn’t!
- Vitamin C – High dosage of Vitamin C has been studied to be extremely effective with fighting viruses
- Raw Honey – Can help with low blood sugars, and is also anti-bacterial and has many health benefits
- Safety Pins
- Floss – To use as floss, but also as a fine thread / string
- Himalayan Sea Salt – A small amount of water added to water helps your body retain water which aids in dehydration
Essential Oils
- Peppermint – Should be diluted with coconut oil before putting on skin, especially with children, elderly or those with sensitive skin. Helpful for sore muscles or body aches, helps with headaches, boosts energy, cools rashes and burns, repels bugs, reduces nausea, freshens breath.
- Lavender – Calming to the skin & mind. Helps with anxiety during uncertain situations, soothes burns, reduces itching.
- Lemon – Cleansing. Can be used to clean surfaces, supports digestion
- Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint together are helpful for seasonal distress such as a runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.
- Tea Tree – Has beneficial anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties when used on skin. Use as hand soap if you don’t have access to soap or sanitizer. Tea tree can be helpful for skin blemishes.
- Digest-Zen Blend – A digestive powerhouse for any digestive discomforts
- On Guard Blend – Boosts the immune system to keep your body strong & healthy.
- Balance Blend – Helps calm feelings of anxiety & uncertainty
I hope this was a helpful resource for you as you begin to plan your Emergency Car Kit! Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect today. Start with what you have or what you can afford, and then add onto if every few weeks or months! It’s better to start small, than to not start at all.
If I missed anything that you think is important, be sure to let me know!
