I travel a lot up north to ski or hunt so I hit a lot of snow while traveling! Heres my list that I have always kept with me and have used many times! Keep in mind that even tho the main roads are plowed pretty fast I may have to go into a 5-10 mile dirt road that is NOT plowed when I get there!
1- Chains. Even with 4 WD!
2- Shovel!
3- Sand tubes from Home Depot ($2.99) for rear weight and to put under tires for traction!
4- Tow Straps!
5- Jumper cables!
6- Flashlights (2) and spare batteries!
7- Fire Extingusher!
8- CB!
9- Cell phone!
10- Metal coffee can with matches and a candle in the can! I have used this and it works!
11- Spare W/W Blades!
12- Tool box with electrcal, duct tape and knife in it!
13- 2 extra cans of motor oil and 2 gallons of premixed antifreeze!
14- Empty gas can!
15- Blankets or sleeping bag! Man its cold when your stuck and you can't use your heater!
16- Red or yellow cloth to tie on your antenna if stuck!
17- Drinking water and snacks! If you have to eat snow always try to melt it first! People have been known to die eating too much cold snow!
18- MAP and pen, pencil and paper to leave note to where I went if I was stupid enough to leave my truck!
19- Spare clothes- Hats, gloves, warm socks, winter boots and jacket!
20- Umbrella and rain-snow pouch with hood!
21- I always keep my spare parts with me ( in my older trucks) when I change them (if there still good) like the
coil, distributor cap, rotor, fan belt or belts, hoses, clamps and W/W blades!
22- A couple of cans of flat-fix!
23- A couple of cans of radiator sealer!
24- Plastic hose connectors (you can get them cheap at Home Depot) they have different sizes for all hoses in the plumbing dept (they are temporary) but good enough for a fix and clamps!
25- Bicycle pump! Don't laugh I have used it when out of flat fix!
26- Rain- X!
27- First aid kit with instructions in it!
Remember: Battery, starter, alternator, hoses, belts, antifreeze, brakes and tires are the most important and will stop you short if any of them fail! Always check your spare tire for air! That does not mean that everything else should NOT be checked regulary!
I know that these are EXTREME for just traveling a few miles but pick out the ones that best suite your traveling! These are items that I have found out that I have needed throught the years of traveling and I have used almost all of them at one time or another in my years of traveling! Sometimes I will have to drive thru a snow storm BEFORE the plows are out! I was driving to a cabin about 20 miles off the road once and hit drifts and NOT even 4 WD with CHAINS would get me thru the drifts!
Always have good all season OR better still snow tires (if possible) on your vehicle! 4 WD is only as good as that hand full of tire that is touching the road with snow, ice or water on it!!! I may have left something out! Its LATE and I'm tired! LOL! I'll edit this post later if I remember anything else!
Of course a big cooked steak, a bottle of brandy (even tho it will thin your blood) and a good woman to keep you warm would be ok too but I don't take ANY of them with me!!! LOL!!!
Hope this gives everyone some sort of idea as to what they need if they ever get stuck in a snowstorm OR just stuck in the COLD!!!
And pleaseeeee, keep your GAS TANK FULL when ever traveling!!!
Old Mechanic!
. I'll have to make sure I get loaded up before the flakes start to fly here.
