5 Must-Have Items for Your Car Emergency Kit, According to Preppers – Jalopnik

Are you fully prepared for the effects an EMP can have on the power grid and your personal electronics? What about the widespread civil unrest that could result from the total collapse of the global economy? More importantly, is your car ready for these events?

Maybe, like most people, you have more pressing things to worry about than the remote possibility that the dollar will collapse and we’ll suddenly find ourselves in a “Mad Max” movie. However, preppers worry about things like this all the time, and not just these scenarios. They also worry about solar flares, nuclear fallout, the Yellowstone supervolcano, and devastating natural disasters, to name a few.

While it sounds extreme, it doesn’t mean that preppers don’t have good ideas sometimes. After all, natural disasters are a reality that happens every day around the world. It’s good to be prepared if something catastrophic happens. These people can be especially practical about what to keep in the car in case of an emergency. There are, of course, the basics: a first aid kit, jumper cables, tools, a spare tire (or items to repair a tire without a spare), a flashlight, etc.

Preppers, however, make sure their cars are extra ready with food and water that will last for days, first aid kits containing advanced medical equipment, hidden money, paper maps and a compass, as well as backup smartphones stored in Faraday cages. Some will also pack fully stocked homecoming bags, filled with everything they need in case they need to leave their vehicle and walk to a safe location.

Food is also important. You want non-perishable items like protein bars, beef jerky, dried fruit or military rations. If you store canned goods, don’t forget to stock up on a can opener. Of course, after consuming all that food and water, you’ll need a place to go to the bathroom if you’re stranded. Preppers have thought of this too and some bring buckets and garbage bags for this purpose. Pleasure!

Why do we think this prepper suggestion is worth thinking about? It’s not unheard of for people to be stranded for days on remote mountain roads in the winter. That’s why food and water are essential items for your winter emergency kit. Or maybe you’re driving somewhere very remote and get stuck miles from the nearest real road and/or cell tower. Extra water and food rations will come in handy.

Why do we think this prepper recommendation is worth considering? We hope none of us ever have to use any of this stuff, but car accidents happen. Sometimes they happen on remote stretches of road where it can take a while for EMTs to arrive. It’s better to have some of this stuff and never need it than to need it and not have it. However, if you decide to pack some advanced items in your first aid kits, you may want to take some first aid classes so that you know how to use the supplies.

That money could come in handy if the electricity grid and internet go down. In that case, stores and gas stations would not be able to make debit or credit card transactions. Cash would be the only way to pay for anything. Okay, so you just go to the bank to withdraw some money. But how does the cashier know if there is enough money in your account if the power goes out? Don’t forget the roaming gangs of looters ready to loot banks and anything else. That’s not a problem if you hide cash in different places in your car.

So why do we think this prepper suggestion is worth considering? We acknowledge that even though the U.S. power grid is not the most modern or up-to-date network in the world, the chances of everything going down at once are probably quite small, and even a nationwide outage is likely to be temporary. However, during natural disasters, power goes out, preventing businesses from processing card transactions. It doesn’t hurt to have some cash on hand. But if you’re stopped for a search while crossing the Canadian or Mexican border and customs officials find piles of Benjamins behind your steering wheel, let’s just say there might be questions.

In fact, we think technology has made reading a paper map a lost art, like weaving baskets and balancing a checkbook. We don’t mean to come across as complaining about modern technology. But if the power grid goes down and you’re left with no data, how can you find your way back home, especially if you’re stranded miles away? That’s why preppers recommend keeping some paper charts in your car.

Why do we think this prepper recommendation is worth considering? Think about what it might be like to evacuate your area during a natural disaster. If you live in a busy city, evacuation routes can easily become clogged and you may need to find alternate routes. Cellular networks may go down, meaning your GPS app may lose connection. A book with maps of your city may come in handy. A good highway almanac wouldn’t hurt either, depending on your location. If you’ve never learned how to read printed maps, now might be a good time to start.

Why do we think this prepper recommendation is worth considering? We’re not sure if that’s the case. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency calls an EMP a “low probability” event, but is working on contingency plans. Still, we can apply this principle to taking a power bank in the car, in case you get stranded and need to charge your phone.

You may not load your car with all of these recommended items, and we probably won’t either. We would have to pull a trailer to carry it around, which seems like a lot of trouble for a trip to Kroger. But hopefully we’ve given you some ideas to help you prepare your car a little better for an emergency.