Here’s What To Pack In Your Winter Road Trip Emergency Kit
LonoLife is headquartered near the beach in Southern California, which may make you think life is all palm trees and sunny days… As it turns out, we are only a short drive away from the local mountains, which means we can go from 70 degrees and sunny, to snow chains and sketchy in a couple of hours. And while we love the switch from surf to snow, we’ve also found ourselves ill-prepared for road closures and long drawn out road trips. That’s why we decided to put together our very own Winter Road Trip Emergency Kit list so that if you find yourselves in a similar situation, you can relax knowing you’ve got the basics covered.
The following assume you’ve already taken care of the vehicle basics, such as jumper cables, spare tire, and jacks — these are more for the “We’ve been stuck in a snowstorm on the freeway for 6 hours now!” scenarios!
BLANKETS + WARM CLOTHING
You’re at a quarter tank of gas and there are no signs of them clearing the accident ahead of you any time soon. Truth is, you could be stuck in place for another three hours… If you turn the engine off to save gas, the heat off goes off with it. You’ll be glad you packed some extra blankets and/or down jackets if this happens! Worse still, if — like one of our crew — you find yourself in your own accident during a storm and have to vacate the car, a good blanket will be a blessing. Check out these Large Thermal Mylar Foil Space Blanket which have the bonus of taking up almost no room in your car!
EXTRA WATER
It’s always a good idea to have a bottle of water with you when traveling in the car, but when you’re on a true roadtrip think bigger. In fact, think about how much water each person (and pet) traveling in the car will need if you get where you need to go on time, and then double that (or more) to make sure you have a big enough reserve if you get stuck. Although it’s tempting to think there’s always a gas station at the next exit, in times of inclement weather and blocked roads, that next exit might take much longer than you were expecting.
A CAMPING STOVE
A camping stove? Really? Yes! Especially if you are heading on a long road trip. There are mini, portable camping stoves that are worth every inch of space they take. When the freeway got shut down for three hours while one of our team was trying to get back from the mountains recently, they kicked themselves for not being better prepared. A steaming cup of coffee or — dare we suggest — a satisfying mug of bone broth, would have made the time stuck between two exits a lot more bearable. We like this one because it comes with its own carry case and is so low profile. Don’t forget to pack a mini pot to heat your water in!
LONOLIFE BONE BROTH STICK PACKS
While it’s all well and good packing an icebox of food and stocking up on granola and protein bars, sometimes the easiest way to make sure you can maintain your energy and keep going in an emergency is with a cup of bone broth. The 10grams of protein packed into just one cup make sure that you can keep powering through without the bulk. They are easy to stash in your glove compartment or a box filled with emergency supplies. All you need is some hot water (enter the camping stove you were questioning!) and a mug. Better still, leave home with a thermos of hot water, and you can have a liquid meal in seconds! Stock up here.
SMALL FOLDABLE SHOVEL
Have you ever got stuck in snow drift? What about that time you left your car for a few hours only to find it totally buried in snow? These are just a couple of the reasons you might find yourself wishing you had a shovel to hand — but who has space to keep a shovel in the car? Well, say hello to the small foldable shovel (like this one), the best invention since, well, bone broth. Keep one in the car and if you don’t ever end up needing it for an emergency, we’re sure there’s a snowman or two left in you!
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PC : @drheatherspalding
