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Last Minute Winter Emergency Road Trip List

December 24, 2014 By Barb Leave a Comment

Heading to the snowy mountains for the holidays? Here is a last minute winter emergency road trip list to keep you and your family safe!

unpredictable winter weather

 

Emergency car kit containing the following items:

A reflective hazard warning sign (this one’s a carrying case)

Jumper cables

Ice scraper

Tire pressure gauge

Ratchet set

Pliers

Screwdrivers

Electrical tape

Automotive fuses

Work gloves

Flashlight

A strong tote bag or backpack to keep your gear in. An egg crate to store this equipment is also handy as it doubles as a stool if you get stuck changing a tire.

First Aid Kit

Bottled water. I like to keep a whole case in the trunk as well.

Snacks. Some with higher protein and some just to keep your spirits up.

Baby wipes.

External battery pack to charge your phone like a Mophie. 

Road Atlas. See how I plan to use maps in an emergency. This is a great time to make notes on what’s around you when you travel.

Mylar heat blankets and hand warmers. I usually buy a large winter pack with a variety of these heated pouches each year at Costco.

Heavy blanket that you could use to cover a window if broken or wrap around you.

Duct tape.

Snow boots-tuck inside an extra set of warm gloves, hat that covers your ears, scarf, and warm socks.

Ice scraper

Snow shovel.

Siphon pump and gas can.

Kitty litter for giving your tires traction in the ice and snow.

Protein bars, water and ready to eat meals.

Matches

Light sticks

Flares

Make sure someone knows where you are going, what time you expect to be there and what roads you are planning to travel.

Stay up to date on road conditions. Many states have apps now for your phone that will keep you up to date.

Set your phone settings to receive emergency alerts. Here is a good explanation from Verizon on how Emergency Alerts work. These can be critical to your families safety. For more tips on using your phone during a winter weather emergency read Weathering the Winter on the Verizon blog. 

Turn on your geo locate on your cell phone so that the signal could be used to find you if necessary. 

Make use of the many services offered for vehicles these days like GM’s OnStar features for winter safety.

Disclosure: I have compensated relationships with both Onstar and Verizon Wireless through their social media teams. My participation in these programs has not influenced my thoughts on this post. Both of these services are very beneficial in emergency situations.

Filed Under: Beginning Prepping Tagged With: road trip, sponsored, winter

Unpredictable Winter Weather

November 22, 2013 By Barb 1 Comment

Snow is starting to fall and that means unpredictable winter weather is upon us. Taking simple steps now to plan ahead for winter weather emergencies can help thwart a disaster. Here are three posts that can get you started in your winter weather preparations in and around the home.

  • Dressing for Unpredictable Weather 
  • 11 Things To Do Before a Winter Storm
  • Preparing for the Flu

But what if that unpredictable winter weather decides to wreak havoc when you are on vacation?

unpredictable winter weather

Many of us travel to either play in the snow or to escape the snow during the winter months. Here are some tips for airline travel preparedness.

  • Always carry 3 days worth of prescription and over the counter medications on you at all times. Airport delays happen frequently in the winter. Don’t check your medicine in your luggage. You may get stuck in an airport and you won’t have access to your checked bags.
  • Always wear  a solid pair of walking shoes on an airplane. I can’t tell you the number of times I cringe seeing people wear flip flops and slippers. Think about what you would do if you had to suddenly walk a long a distance with what you have on you. When you get on a plane always think through what you will do if you get stuck on the other end without your luggage.
  • Keep a change of clothes in your carry-on and include things that can be easily layered. Always carry an easy to pack jacket with you with a hood. A small collapsible umbrella is a smart choice as well.
  • Write down emergency phone numbers. If your cell goes dead, you drop it, it gets stolen, would you remember all the numbers you need?
  • Carry cash. Don’t count on ATM’s and credit card machines working. If weather is that bad power can easily be lost, taking down ATM’s and pay machines.
  • Wear multipurpose clothing when traveling. I am a big fan of the SCOTTEVEST line. Particularly this vest that I have. I can carry a lot of essentials on me safely and conveniently.
  • Load your important documents to a secure folder of a cloud service. If you use iPhone you can use iCloud for free or anyone can use Google Drive for free. I personally like DropBox for this. Take a photo of your drivers license, passport, and insurance cards.

Traveling by car can present a different set of challenges in unpredictable winter weather. Here are some tips for car travel preparedness.

  • It’s time to update your emergency road trip kit.  In addition to everything I suggest in that post, lets add:
      1. Mylar heat blankets and hand warmers.
      2. Ice scraper (it is mentioned in that post but I want to make sure you have it).
      3. Snow shovel.
      4. Siphon pump and gas can.
      5. Kitty litter for giving your tires traction in the ice and snow.
      6. Protein bars, water and ready to eat meals.
      7. Matches
      8. Light sticks
      9. Flares
      10. Cell phone signal booster and extra battery chargers like a Mophie.
  • Make sure someone knows where you are going, what time you expect to be there and what roads you are planning to travel.
  • Stay up to date on road conditions. Many states have apps now for your phone that will keep you up to date.
  • Set your phone settings to receive emergency alerts.
  • Turn on your geo locate on your cell phone so that the signal could be used to find you if necessary. Having apps like Find My iPhone or Verizon’s Family Locator service are perfect for this.
  • Make use of the many services offered for vehicles these days like GM’s OnStar features. There is an add-on mirror available now if you do not have a GM car. It does not have all the features of a built in unit but is better than not having the service. I use OnStar and always feel safe knowing someone is available at the touch of a button via a separate satellite phone that won’t go dead. They can geolocate my car and send help via GPS coordinates even if I am unresponsive after a collision. It’s like having a guardian angel in my car.

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Filed Under: Simple & Inexpensive Prepper Projects Tagged With: #vzwbuzz, sponsored, travel, winter

How To Make An Emergency Road Trip Kit

August 18, 2013 By Barb 4 Comments

An emergency road trip kit can make or break a family trip. Besides the essentials for a mechanical or health emergency, an emergency road trip kit should contain things that make your family comfortable and happy in case of the little bumps along the road, like unexpected delays or fun side stops. Remember: prepping is about preparing for both the little things and the big ones.

State Farm sent me a tote bag containing a Road Trip Safety Emergency kit for a recent road trip I took. It sure saved the day as our 2 hour drive turned into an unexpected 6 hour drive. Here is how you can replicate this.

How To Make An Emergency Road Trip Kit

emergency road trip kit

 

  1. State Farm suggests drivers keep a an emergency car kit like the one pictured here that is good for all purposes Road_Side_Emergency_Kit
    • A reflective hazard warning sign (this one’s a carrying case)
    • Jumper cables
    • Ice scraper
    • Tire pressure gauge
    • Ratchet set
    • Pliers
    • Screwdrivers
    • Electrical tape
    • Automotive fuses
    • Work gloves
  2. You don’t need to have something as fancy as this Hadaki bag, but it sure is fun! Any tote that zippers and holds all the contents of your kit is just fine.
  3. Sunblock and Bug Spray. Great for those unexpected side trips that can occur!
  4. First Aid Kit
  5. Roadside Emergency Kit
  6. Flashlight 
  7. Bottled water. I like to keep a whole case in the trunk as well.
  8. Snacks. Some with higher protein and some just to keep your spirits up.
  9. Baby wipes.
  10. External battery pack for your charger.
  11. Road Atlas. See how I plan to use maps in an emergency. This is a great time to make notes on what’s around you when you travel.

For tips on how to winterize your emergency road trip kit please visit this post.

There are many other great road trip safety tips available but I want to hear from you. What’s in your emergency road trip kit? 

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Filed Under: Beginning Prepping, Survival Gear Tagged With: road trip, sponsored

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Preparedness for a disaster makes a lot of sense. With recent and predicted events like Hurricane Sandy, The Colorado Wildfires, Fiscal Cliffs, and rising food and gas costs just in 2012 there is no denying that things are changing in our world. Whether or not you believe "The End of the World As We Know It" is near there are plenty of everyday things to worry about: loss of a job, health emergency, local weather events to name a few.

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