From a very astute and thorough friend: the survivor's survival kit for the auto . . . .

Sakej Ward February 13 at 10:13pm ·

I want to thank Mylan Murdo for this idea. Mylan asked me to put together a Vehicle Emergency Kit (VEK) list. He mentioned that many Indigneous people are concerned for their safety especially if they experience a broken down vehicle in a dangerous area (known racist/white supremist community or neighborhood). The idea is to be self reliant so you won't have to go ask for help and end up shot in the process.
I put this together as a guide that can suggest some key catergories and important items that you may consider for your VEK.

Vehicle Emergency Kit- General Purpose

The Vehicle Emergency Kit (VEK) is intended to handle situations such as vehicle breakdowns, medical incidents, and short term survival events.
Most of the items of the VEK are meant to be stashed in the trunk of an average sized car. There are a lot of items in the list so organize them well, pack them tight, and keep them packaged and protected from water.
If you can’t afford all the items at once, then start with getting categories I through VI and use the Survival kit as your main “life support system”. As you acquire more items from the remaining categories then stay away from using anything from the survival bag, as its main purpose is to be used if you have to leave the vehicle.
Keep in mind this is just a guide to provide recommendations. I purposely made it a large list to provide ideas for these items. It can be shortened. Customize it to your specific situation (situational priorities, region, season, budget, available vehicle space and available items)

VEK item categories
I. Safety equipment
II. Tool items
III. Spare parts items
IV. Medical items
V. Survival items
VI. Shelter and sleeping
VII. Clothing
VIII. Fire items
IX. Water items
X. Food items
XI. Signal and rescue items
XII. Heat items
XIII. Electronic items
XIV. Navigation items
XV. Personal Hygiene
XVI. Administrative items
XVII. Miscellaneous items

I. Safety equipment

1. Fire extinguisher – don’t put it the trunk. Keep it nearby the driver’s seat.
2. Road flares or reflective triangles
3. Seat belt cutter - in central area between driver and passenger
4. Window breaker - in central area between driver and passenger
5. Reflective safety vest
6. Spare old cell phone - charged up for 911 service and GPS locator

II. Tool items

1. Tool bag
2. Car repair info - business card of your repair shop, number for AAA, car insurance claim
3. Vehicle repair manual - such as Chiltons. Keep in a freezer bag to keep water proof.
4. Head lamp - for working hands free and under vehicle. Extra batteries.
5. Work gloves
6. Goggles/safety glasses
7. Tarp - 6'X8' - for ground sheet
8. Spare tire, good tire iron, jack (3 ton bottle jack is good) and extra spare tire if possible
9. Two 3/4 inch thick plywood squares for jack support – 1 foot by 1 foot square
10. Tire plug kit - better than fix-a-flat type tire repair
11. 12 volt mini compressor for tire inflation
12. Power box – such as Motomaster Eliminator power box
13. Screwdriver set - several sizes and heads (optional: Husky stubby set)
14. Vice grips - various size and nose types
15. Wrenches - open end adjustable
16. Ratchet set - also optional Robo wrench set with sockets
17. Breaker bar – optional but very helpful for loosening tight or rusted bolts
18. Hammer - standard (optional: Husky stubby)
19. Small Stanley hacksaw
20. Small Stanley pry bay
21. Gorilla tape
22. Electric tape
23. Cable ties - various sizes
24. Bailing wire
25. WD-40
26. Super glue
27. J.B. weld
28. Super sealer radiator repair
29. Spare shopping bags - water proofing or garbage
30. Folding shovel - military entrenching tool with case
31. Cutting tool - Pocket Sabre saw or Sven take down tubular saw to remove fallen trees on the road.
32. Tow strap - 20' long 2" wide strap with loops on each end. Rated for 20,000 lbs
33. Ice scraper with small brush on end- 2 of them
34. Tire snow chains
35. Bag of sand or kitty litter or salt
36. Folding snow shovel
Note 2: Items 33 to 36 are winter kit items

III. Spare parts

1. Small tackle box to hold the small parts
2. Fuses - various amps
3. Headlight bulbs
4. Tail light bulbs
5. Miscellaneous fasteners - sheet metal screws, nuts, bolts, washers, hose clamps
6. Spark plugs
7. Spare hoses
8. Drive belt
9. Small gas can - tape over the lid and add STA-BIL fuel additive
10. Oil – 1 quart
11. Transmission oil – 1 quart

IV. Medical items (store under passenger seat or nearby where everyone has quick access)

1. Tupper ware box or small tackle box to hold items. Well marked with a red “+” on it
2. Shears – to cut away clothing and material
3. Haemostats – to cinch off arterial bleeding
4. Tweezers
5. 2 pr of Nitrile surgical gloves
6. Tourniquet – C.A.T. (Combat Application Tourniquet or SOF Tactical Tourniquet)
7. Quick clot or Celerox gauze – Get the sponge application not the powder
8. 2 Israeli battle dressings
9. Abdominal dressing
10. 2 tampons – for penetrating puncture type wounds, including gunshot wounds.
11. Roller gauze
12. Medical tape wrapped around sharpie
13. Butterfly stitches
14. Band aids with knuckle and finger tip strips – various types. Cover in a sandwich bag.
15. 2 triangle bandages with safety pins
16. ACE bandage
17. Alcohol and anti-septic wipes
18. Small bottle of IB profin and Tylenol
19. Gravol
20. Immoduim
21. Small bottle of Benadryl
22. Epipen – even if no one is allergic.
23. Tooth ache drops
24. Personal meds
25. Glasses repair kit
26. 1st aid book
Note: Only carry the equipment you know how to use. Take a 1st aid course.

V. Survival items

This is your “Go Bag” if you leave the vehicle. It is separate from all the other gear. Don’t touch this gear unless leaving the vehicle.
1. Backpack
2. Knife – camp or survival knife with sharpening stone held on kydex sheath with ranger bands (ranger bands are 1 inch bands cut from bicycle tire tube).
3. Multi-tool - Leatherman type
4. Cover kit – military poncho or tarp or two 3 mil contactor bags with 2 emergency blankets. Emergency poncho to wear.
5. Bivy bag and sleeping bag for cold seasons. Blanket or poncho liner for warm seasons
6. Fire kit – ranger bands (cut 6 inch bicycle tire tube strips) wrapped around lighter and another fire lighting tool such as a Blast Match or Swiss Fire Steel or flint and magnesium block. Tinder – such as Wet Fire or ten cotton balls with Vaseline on them kept in a sandwich bag. 8-hour emergency candle and fire straw (plastic straw used to blow on ember or smouldering fire to produce flame). Place kit in water proof container or freezer bag. dresses for second weddings
7. Water kit – canteen, canteen cup, and canteen pouch, or stainless steel water bottle, 30 days of water purification tabs, Sawyer mini water filter, 6 gator aid drink mixes
8. Food – 3 days of meals (dehydrated or Military Meals Ready to Eat) 5 Metrex bars or 6 protein bars, container with (various packages of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, creamer, honey, emergency vitamin C drink powder) tobacco sauce, and lexan spork
9. Fishing kit – container, 4-6 hooks on a safety pin, 60 feet of 4 lbs test and 10 or 20 lbs test, 4 weights, 2 thin sliding bobbers, 50 feet of 130 lbs test bow line, lure
10. Snare Kit – container, 15 pre-made snares, bee wax, fluorescent tape
11. Navigation kit – acetated maps, compass, protractor, pace cord, alcohol marker, all in a freezer bag. Learn land navigation skills.
12. Sewing kit – cargo needle wrapped in sinew or dental floss, 4 needles wrapped in thread all in small bottle
13. Signal kit – signal mirror, Fox 40 whistle, 2 to 4 glow sticks tied to four foot cord, pen flare with flares and bear bangers
14. LED head lamp with batteries
15. 100 feet of 550 cord wrapped in a doughnut tie
16. 30 feet of 100 mph tape or Gorilla tape wrapped on old credit type card
17. Note pad in sandwich bag with pencil
18. Bandana
19. Gloves – such as mechanix
20. Bug jacket or head net, bug repellent, sun screen and chap stick – summer season
21. Personal hygiene – comb, tooth brush with cap and paste, wet ones in freezer bag
22. Personal meds
23. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer and wet ones (handi wipes) in freezer bag
24. Money - $20 to $50 in small bills and $10 in change

VI Shelter and sleeping

1. Extra Poncho liners or SOL Heat Sheets for additional passengers

VII. Clothing (during cold season)

1. Fleece or wool sweater
2. Hat or balaclava
3. Gloves
4. Wool or winter socks
5. Thermal underwear
6. Winter boots

VIII. Fire items

1. Lighter - 4 of them with six inch long 1/2 inch wide strips of bicycle tube wrapped around it to act as tinder
2. Ferro cerium rod
3. Wet fire tinder or 10 cotton balls individually smeared in Vaseline. Keep in sandwich bag.
4. Emergency candles

IX. Water items

1. Water can – 10 - 20 liter capacity
2. Water filter – Sawyer mini filter
3. Collapsible water jug - for when locating and transporting water

X. Food items

1. Backpack stove and fuel (optional) – such as Esbit foldable pocket stove
2. 700 ml or 1 liter pot
3. Mess kit – optional. You can eat out of your canteen cup but at least have a spork.
4. P-38 can opener
5. Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) or dehydrated packages – 3 days worth
6. Meal supplements - wide mouth Nalgene bottles of rice, dried beans, and oatmeal
7. Meal supplement nutrition bars - several Met-Rx or Soldier fuel bars

XI. Signal and rescue

1. Whistle - Fox 40
2. Signal mirror
3. Glo-sticks – Six of them, each tied on 4 foot cord. Spin in a circle to get attention.
4. Orion pocket rocket (optional)
XII. Heat (cold seasons)
1. Survival candles - 120 hour 3 wick candles in a metal container/holder
2. Chemical pocket hand, feet, body warmers
3. Emergency blanket – to create a smaller space in the vehicle. Taped up to section off unused vehicle interior for warmth

XIII. Electronics

1. USB mobile device charger - with various USB heads
2. Battery powered/hand cranked radio – such as Eaton survival radio
3. 2-way radios (buy two of them in case the group has to split up) - such as Baofeng UV-5R. Extra batteries.

XIV. Navigation

1. GPS – in case you don’t have cell service. Small portable with extra batteries. Download topographical maps as well as road maps.
2. Map kit - hard copy local, regional map waterproof with acetate or map case
3. Alcohol pens
4. Pace cord
5. Compass – such as Suunto A-30 or M-3
Note: take a land navigation course (also called map and compass or orienteering course)

XV. Personal hygiene and cleaning

1. Paper or shop towels
2. Toilet paper in a freezer bag
3. Handy wipes in freezer bag

XVI Administration item

1. Mini sharpie
2. Write in rain note pad – In case you have to abandon the vehicle. Write down names in the group, address, ph #, direction you went, final destination and when you left the vehicle. Leave the note attached to vehicle
3. Write in rain pen

XVIII. Miscellaneous

1. Morale kit - book, music on smart phone, cards and dice
2. Bug spray (summer season) - Cutler backyard bug control

One of the key ideas here is to attend training courses so you can be familiar with the use of these items.

I will also be following this post up with some tips on situational awareness.

Be alert, be vigilant, keep an eye on each and stay safe my Brothers and Sisters.