several types of fire-making methods in my truck. I have matches as well as a good ol’ fashioned flint and steel. I also keep fire-starter material on- hand, one of the best is a cotton ball with petroleum jelly worked into it – it will literally burn on water. A decent compass and the knowledge of how to use it are valuable too. Also, keep a good auto-atlas in your truck; it will save the day.
Food And Water In a small backpack, kept in the
Every vehicle should have food and water — just in case!
Two military canteens, with water and purification tablets, along with a foldable bucket — it all gets used!
In another life, I was at one time
a paramedic. I know the importance of having first-aid supplies on-hand. I keep two small first-aid kits in my truck, and they have come in mighty handy several times. I’ve come upon auto accidents in the middle of no- where, and was able to administer first- aid long before professional help ar- rived. If you haven’t taken a basic Red Cross First-Aid course, you need to! A small transistor radio, with spare batteries is helpful out in the boonies.
If you’ve ever had to “go” in the desert or in the woods, TP and paper towels make the job a lot easier.
You never know when your car’s battery will go dead, and you need to know what the weather is gonna be like, or if an emergency of some type has been declared. Flashlights! Can anyone possibly have too many flashlights? I keep several in the SUV, along with spare batteries and chemi- cal light sticks. I rotate the batteries and light sticks every year or two, so I know I have fresh ones in my truck. You need to know how to build a fire, for warmth and signaling. I keep
bottom of my emergency box, I keep food and water. I keep military-style MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) as well as Coast Guard-approved survival wafers — which are really pretty tasty. I also keep water in several can- teens, as well as foil packets of water. I also have water purification tablets, along with a canvas foldable bowl that can be used for getting water from a stream. This canvas bowl also comes in handy for watering the dogs. I keep a bottle of “Survival Tablets” – these are tablets that taste something like a malted milk treat. A bottle can allow one person to survive (with water) for 21 days. It’s not the idea meals for sur- vival, but it beats going hungry. We used to live near the Oregon
Coast, and we were really back in the boonies — about 25 miles from the nearest town. Quite often, in the winter months, we would either get a heavy snowfall, or heavy rains, and trees would fall across the road. Who- ever was unfortunate enough in the valley, to be the first one out, had to cut the fallen trees away so they could get through. I keep a small hand axe and bow saw in my truck. I also keep a folding military e-tool (entrenching tool) in our truck – if you’ve ever got- ten stuck off-road, or even on-road in deep snow, that little e-tool is a lifesaver. A small plastic tarp comes in handy for all sorts of things, from making a small shelter to keeping the dirt and rain off you if you have to work on a truck in nasty weather. A roll or two of TP comes in han-
dy, as does a roll of paper towels. If you’ve ever had to “go” in the middle of the desert, with the nearest rest stop or gas station 75 miles away, you’d pay anything for some TP or paper towels.
Survival Kit I have a small survival kit that I
Can of Fix-A-Flat can save a tire change in many cases. A flat tire repair kit can also save you time and energy — plus some hand tools for other repairs on the road.
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keep in the truck at all times. Un- fortunately, these kits are no lon- ger available – a friend who used to make them up in Alaska passed away a couple years ago, and no one has picked up on this dandy little kit.
REALITY CHECK • 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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