Prepare Your Car for Winter - Building an Emergency Car Kit

Oct 28

Written By Lora

Disclaimer: This post contains links for items I have tested and love. These links are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you think you might like what I’ve tried, please consider purchasing from my link. This is a great way to support me AND get the items you need to start your prepping journey.

Thanks…now on to the good stuff!

Winter has officially arrived here in Colorado! And all I can say, is BRRRR!

This winter I’ve been a little more intentional about getting ready for colder weather. My husband and I refilled our propane tanks, we got our Mr. Buddy Heaters ready, and we created plans for cooking without power, but I hadn’t thought too much about my car until this week when we got our first real snow.

When we think about prepping it’s easy to forget about our cars. But the reality is most of us spend quite a few hours in our cars each week. The average commute for most Americans adds up to almost an hour each day or more than 200 hours a year.

With this much time spent in our cars, it would be crazy not to prepare our vehicles for winter weather.

Prepare Your Car for Winter:

I don’t know about you, but when colder weather shows up I make sure I get all of winter gear ready to go. I pull out the jackets, gloves, hats, scarves, and thermal underwear. This year I’m adding some ideas to get my car ready for the weather too.

It’s time to make sure your car is in good working condition and ready for colder temps, slicker roads, and of course snow!

I’ve known about the importance of keeping the oil and filter changed and the tires rotated to keep my car in good working order, but I didn’t always think about how to get ready for winter roads (probably because I lived in Florida for 7 years!)

However, a little research shows there are few things we should to before cold weather hits to make sure our cars are in good working order.

Here are 6 items you need to think about as we get ready to roll into winter (courtesy of constellation.com):

Check your tire tread. When getting your car ready for winter, be sure to inspect your tires for tread wear and rotate them during every oil change. To check your tire’s tread, use the “Penny Test”. You do this by taking a penny and placing it in the tread groove of your tire. Place the penny with Lincoln’s head facing you, and stick the penny in the tread so that the top of Lincoln’s head is no longer visible. If his entire head is visible while in the groove, it’s time to replace your tires.
Fill up your tires. Low air pressure in your tires can be potentially dangerous on winter roads. Take your car to a mechanic to check your tire pressure and fill your tires if necessary. If you have prior knowledge on checking tire pressure, you can easily do it yourself at a free tire air pump found at your local gas station or car shop.
Consider snow tires. Switching to snow tires, especially in northern countries or mountain areas that get heavy snow on rough terrain, can help driving on snowy and slippery roads.
Tip: snow tires make your MPG (miles per gallon) lower, so only put on snow tires during harsh winter months
Change your oil and antifreeze. Regular maintenance to your vehicle will help prevent any car troubles during winter driving.
Fix your heater. Short drives aren’t too burdensome when you don’t have heat in your car, but consider what would happen if you were stuck in your car for an extended period of time -- wihthout heat. Having a working heater can help prevent daily discomfort, but it can also be a great preventative measure.
Inspect your battery. Your vehicle’s battery capacity lessens in cold weather. Be sure your car is prepared for the winter and have a professional inspect your battery’s fluid and cables.

Making sure your tires, fluids, and battery are ready for winter is just part of what you need to consider. You also need to build an emergency car kit, specifically designed for colder temperatures.

Building an Emergency Car Kit:

The emergency car kit is designed to keep you safe and warm in an any situation.

I’ll be honest, I’ve often relied a little too much on AAA to keep me safe on the road. It’s easy to assume we’ll always have a cell phone signal and access to roadside service, but the reality is as preppers we need to be ready to take care of some emergencies on our own.

Having an emergency car kit is absolutely essential and you need this kit in your car AT ALL TIMES.

How many of you have an emergency kit in your car right now?

I’ll be honest, I didn’t have an emergency kit in my car until about a year ago when I started getting more prepared. I usually had jumper cables and if I was lucky I had an extra bottle of water floating around in the backseat somewhere, but I was NOT really prepared for any type of real emergency situation.

I wasn’t intentional about what I kept in my car…which is absolutely insane considering I drove more than 50K miles in one year a few years ago. I always assumed I’d just call someone to come get me. But in rough weather that may not be possible.

Now I have created a winter car kit for emergencies. I already keep a Get Home Bag (aka Bug Out Bag) in my car, but in winter I add some additional supplies to make sure I’m warm and cozy!

Here are the items I recommend to get you ready for winter:

Cell phone
Portable Charger for my Phone (Battery back-up or Solar Charger)
Extra Hats, Coats, & Gloves (Pack one for each person who is in the car)
Boots & Warm Socks
Blanket, Sleeping Bag, or Emergency Blankets
Windshield Scraper
Small Snow Shovel
Battery-Powered Emergency Radio (extra batteries)
Flashlight (extra batteries)
Water and Snack Foods
First Aid Kit (with any necessary medications)
Tow Chains or Rope
Tire Chains (depending on your location & vehicle)
Canned Compressed Air with Sealant for Emergency Tire Repair (or 12v tire inflator)
Cat Litter or Sand (helps you get traction in ice)
Road Salt (good for melting ice)
Jumper Cables or Jump Starter (I carry both!)
Hazard Lights or Emergency LED Flares
Road Maps (if you are traveling out of town)
Waterproof Matches
Metal Water Bottle for Melting Snow to Drink (Don’t eat snow! It can drop your body temperature and increase the likelihood of hypothermia.)
Emergency Toilet Paper and Plastic Bags

I’d also encourage you to think about any special items you’d like to keep in your car to make you smile in an emergency. Pack items to keep you comfortable and sane!

I keep a deck of cards, a few books, and a journal in my car to keep me entertained if I get stuck. I also keep some chocolate and instant coffee, because if I’m going to be stuck in my car I want to have the “essentials.” Is this really necessary, no not from a pure survival standpoint, but it makes me feel more prepared.

What would you add to your car to keep you comfortable and content in an emergency?

Travel Tips:

Once you have your car checked out and packed up with your shiny new emergency car kit it’s time to think about how to handle adverse road conditions.

It’s best to avoid hazardous roads, but there are times where you’ll have to travel even in bad weather. So being prepared is also ALL about learning how to drive safely in bad conditions.

Use the following travel tips to keep you safe if you are out on the road:

Listen to your local weather reports
Let someone know where you’re going
Allow extra time to travel
Remove snow and ice from your car
Don’t use cruise control!
Watch out for black ice
Accelerate and decelerate slowly

As someone that grew up in the south without tons of winter storms, I had to adapt to winter driving. The biggest piece of advice I have is don't rely on AWD to keep you safe…4 wheels can spin as easily as 2 on ice! Also, SLOW down. The biggest cause of wrecks here are people driving too quickly for the conditions.

I added a few links below with some of my favorite emergency supplies.

Hopefully, you’ll never need your emergency kit, but just like with most prepping, it’s better to have supplies and not need them than to find yourself in a bad situation without the proper tools.

I’d love to hear about your car kits. What supplies did you add to your list?

Favorite Emergency Car Kit Supplies: