What items should all drivers carry ?

[Thankyou4calling]

I always tow a "Spares or repairs" car of the same model I'm driving. It will generally have a new MOT and be ready to go. That way if I break down I can easily scavenge parts to get me home.

The honest answer is I don't carry anything but having read this thread I'm wondering if I should get a bit more Ranulph Fiennes and put a few bits in the boot.

I wonder, is it really necessary to carry a tool to cut a seatbelt? I know someone will say they ended up in a river and had to use it before swimming through the window but really!!!

You guys sound like a cross between Bear Grylles, Ray Mears and Andy McNab.

I do have a button in my Mercedes as well and that summons them if needed.

Edited by Thankyou4calling on Sunday 28th August 18:25

[CaptainMorgan]

lewisf182 said:

People saying its overkil, i would have said the same until getting stranded myself. In the city centre of nottingham my central locking packed in, no button to pull on the door, and with my brother locked out i couldnt open anything and he couldnt get into the car even with the key (no real idea how nothing worked tbh, it was VERY cold). Fine we thought the AA will come and wel fix it no point smashing a window... 3 hours later and the AA still hadn't turned up after promising again and again there a few minutes away. Ended up smashing the window.... It was the depth of winter and the demand was high for the AA i guess, but i froze my tits off inside that car with nothing but my t shirt and joggers to wear! Lesson learned, oh and smashing the window was a bittchhhhh without the proper tools.

In fairness though, aside from your choice of clothing, having the whole of snap on in the boot wouldnt have helped you get back in.

[CaptainMorgan]

Thankyou4calling said:

I always tow a "Spares or repairs" car of the same model I'm driving. It will generally have a new MOT and be ready to go. That way if I break down I can easily scavenge parts to get me home.

The honest answer is I don't carry anything but having read this thread I'm wondering if I should get a bit more Ranulph Fiennes and put a few bits in the boot.

[HTP99]

Watermelon.

[red_slr]

Depends on where you are driving and how often.
The further away from help and the longer you are away from help the more kit you need to carry.
In the UK so long as there is no strange weather (snow mostly) I would say first aid kit, torch, warning triangle, high viz and AA card. This should sort you in 99% of locations in the UK. If you happen to do 50,000 miles a year at all times of the day / night and into the rural areas of wales / Scotland then perhaps beef it up a bit with some food, water, blankets, spare mobile.

A pal of mine learnt the hard way driving long distance in Africa in a hire car (Land Rover) which broke down several hours from the nearest town and well off the beaten track. He was ok in the end but was very lucky some locals looked after him.

[soad]

Duct tape and WD-40.

[Escort3500]

Packet of condoms, defibrillator and a bottle of Jack Daniels

[The Vambo]

Full size Maglite in drivers door bin, purely to provide illumination your honour.

[lee_fr200]

From my experience:

Spare bulbs
Fire extinguisher
Cable ties
Gaffa tape
Breaker bar with correct sockets
I used to carry a cigarette powered wheel gun which was brilliant
Umbrella
Torch
First aid kit
Change of clothes
Tyre weld

In winter all the above plus
Snow boots
Gloves
Change of socks
Shovel
An anchor of some description
Ratchet strap


I carry all that during the right seasons as I've been caught out and it's also saved my life I reckon!
My last car I got stuck in the mud and I used a ratchet strap to basically winch the car out

[Alex_225]

OP, I think that's a great idea and something I'll certainly be doing for my daughter when she's old enough to drive. 15 years to go though haha.

I actually have one of these emergency blankets in my glove box. Always thought that if I should brake down and have to be outside the car, it would be handy.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Emergency-Blanket-Therma...

General stuff I keep is a torch, tyre pump in the tyre well or tyre foam and break down recovery details written down just in case he needs them.

[V8LM]

£20 in the sleeve of the handbook in the glove box.

[Bristol spark]

In my experience (as a serial breakdowner), you can ram every tool imaginable, but when you get an issue, the one part/tool you need you cannot find/didnt think to bring,!!!

[Jimmy Recard]

I usually have some assorted crisps/chocolates but it's because I'm greedy rather than a need to survive.

I also keep a waterproof jacket in the boot but again, it's mostly for comfort. Any of those things could be useful if I broke down somewhere awkward in the middle of the night, I suppose. I'm kind of tempted to take the best ideas from this thread and stash them under the boot floor with the spare wheel

[C70R]

Nickyboy said:

Holy fk, where is he going to be driving? Across the Andes or something?

I get the impression that, along with the "this is the 4-page mandate I'm planning to give to my recently-driving son" thread, he is a bit sensitive about his son's newly found freedom.
Just let the kid go and get on with his life. The last thing I would have wanted as a teenager was an overbearing father who was constantly trying to 'impart his wisdom'.

[EazyDuz]

I carry a bag of marbles in the drivers door card for throwing at idiots, and some frozen sausages in the air con cooled glove box

[Trabi601]

One of these kits:



Much less hassle than changing a tyre.

Technically an emergency measure only - but I've used them as a repair in bike tyres and run the tyre for a few thousand miles until worn out.

[Slushbox]

Out of all the crap in my boot the most used things in the last year have been:

Jump leads for neighbours car (twice this month)

Electric compressor for own tyres (once a month)

Tyre repair plug kit as above, used very succesfully six months ago with a nail in the 4x4 tyre. Plus spare valve cores.

Glass cleaner for screen bugs. (weekly)

'Walking' Umbrella (weekly)

1 x telescopic wheel wrench. (used about once a year for punctures.)

1 x 7" Android tablet thing with European street maps. V. useful when mooching round foreign cities.

I've also got all the 'required' stuff for Euro-Touring, two warning triangles, four high-viz tabards, etc, etc and there's a bottle of water in each of the door pockets for same.

I wouldn't go anywhere without the electric compressor; some scrote let all my tyres down once as a merry jape. Compressor got them all back up within 15 minutes.

[lewisf182]

CaptainMorgan said:

In fairness though, aside from your choice of clothing, having the whole of snap on in the boot wouldnt have helped you get back in.

I was thinking more along the lines of sleeping bag, winter coat etc. Yes I was young and stupid and should have had these anyway (In fact, looking back I think I did have a sleeping bag but it was still too cold, so there goes my advice......) but the route was basically in the city center so not in the sticks, it was just the fact I got stuck in the car really else I'd have sat in a pub waiting.

[jamieduff1981]

A mobile phone
Breakdown cover number
Insurance help line number
Mobile phone charger
The stuff the car comes with for dealing with flat tyres

Throw the rest in the bin. It's just debris to have flying round the cabin in the event that he does have an accident, and he's more likely to hurt himself trying to fix a car at the side of the road than just call someone who knows what they're doing and has flashing amber lights.

[jamieduff1981]

CaptainMorgan said:

lewisf182 said:

People saying its overkil, i would have said the same until getting stranded myself. In the city centre of nottingham my central locking packed in, no button to pull on the door, and with my brother locked out i couldnt open anything and he couldnt get into the car even with the key (no real idea how nothing worked tbh, it was VERY cold). Fine we thought the AA will come and wel fix it no point smashing a window... 3 hours later and the AA still hadn't turned up after promising again and again there a few minutes away. Ended up smashing the window.... It was the depth of winter and the demand was high for the AA i guess, but i froze my tits off inside that car with nothing but my t shirt and joggers to wear! Lesson learned, oh and smashing the window was a bittchhhhh without the proper tools.

In fairness though, aside from your choice of clothing, having the whole of snap on in the boot wouldnt have helped you get back in.

Not sure if serious! Having all the st in the world in the boot isn't any use at all if you're locked out of the car