If you’re on the road and things go unexpectedly wrong, your car is your last safe place. Make sure it’s ready for that by always carrying a number of essential items.
More than transport
Your car is more than just transport. In an emergency situation it can keep you warm, provide shelter and even be your temporary home. Think of traffic jams during a snowstorm, a breakdown far from home or a power cut leaving you stranded on the road. With these ten items you’ll turn your vehicle into a compact emergency shelter – warm, safe and surprisingly comfortable.
1. Mobicool MQ40A Cool Box
Keep food and drink fresh, even without a socket. Works on 12V and fits perfectly in the boot. Ideal for camping holidays, but also very handy if you suddenly get stuck somewhere on the road. On bol.com Peter describes it like this in a review:
“Independent of ambient temperatures – from 14 to 40°C – the cooling remained perfectly at 7°C throughout our four-week holiday. Never before could I serve ourselves such a cold beer or a glass of wine from the tent.“
🧷 Available via: bol.com
2. Jackery Explorer 500 Power Station
Your personal power station. Charges your laptop, lighting or phone via the cigarette lighter or solar panel. It’s one of the lightest and most user-friendly portable battery generators on the market.
🧷 Available via: bol.com
3. BioLite Alpenglow 500 Lamp
Rechargeable lamp with multiple light settings. Lasts for hours, even in freezing cold, and brings calm during dark nights. These mini-lanterns are available in various sizes.
🧷 Available via: amazon.com (both the large and the mini version)
4. Survival-grade Bivvy Blanket
A reflective, insulated emergency blanket retains body heat if the heating fails or the car won’t start. Such insulation blankets are dirt cheap, take up hardly any space and come in handy more often than you think.
🧷 Available via: bol.com
👀 Read here why emergency or rescue blankets are so important
5. Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool
For opening tins, cord, packaging or repairing something on the road. One tool, twenty functions. We got ourselves one and are very pleased with it. Read our review here.
🧷 available via: amazon.com
👀 Read here: REVIEW. Leatherman Wave Plus
6. Heatkeeper Thermal Socks and Gloves
An underestimated luxury: warm limbs. Warm, breathable and indispensable during standstill or overnight stays in the car.
🧷 Available via: bol.com
7. Noco Boost GB40 Jump Starter
A flat battery is the last thing you want in an emergency situation. With this power booster you can restart any (non-electric) car – without help.
Purchased to be able to “boost” a flat car battery once. I now use it on trips as a backup, charger etc. review from MHVee on bol.com
🧷 Available via: bol.com
⛺️ Turn your car into a mini-base
Put a small bag with these items in your boot and check them each season. You won’t notice them in daily life, until the moment you’re glad you were prepared.
Car as a safe place
A car can be much more than a means of getting from A to B. With a bit of preparation it becomes a safe place where you can get by for days if necessary. Being self-sufficient doesn’t start with a bunker, but with smart thinking and a well-equipped boot.