No one goes on the road expecting something bad to happen. However, the truth of the matter is that most will at some point run into a little bit of car trouble, whether it is a flat tire, dead battery, or something else entirely. And while I am not trying to scare you off the road, I am trying to make you aware that there are things that can happen, and by accumulating a small stash of items, you can cover yourself from a grand majority of challenges you may face on the road. I am going to give you my top five items that I recommend be in your vehicle’s emergency kit.
1. Jumper cables
One of the most common car problems many of us have is a dead battery. A dead battery will keep your vehicle from starting. Having a set of jumper cables in your vehicle means you will always be prepared in the case of a dead battery – just remember you will need another vehicle that does not have a dead battery to help. I have had good luck with the simple Amazon Basics jumper cables. They are long enough to make getting two vehicle’s batteries attached easy. If you need are not familiar with how to jump your car, check out this article for the straightforward steps.
2. A tire pressure gauge
Taking care of your tires takes a little bit of maintenance. One of the easiest ways to start maintaining your vehicle’s tires is by keeping them inflated to the correct PSI. This will help even out tread wear, increase your gas mileage, and improve your overall driving experience. I recommend checking your tire pressure at least every month. I use the Milton S-920 tire pressure gauge. It is small enough to fit in your glove compartment and is extremely simple to use. It also goes up to 70 psi which will allow you to check the air pressure on a spare tire. This model also has the added feature of a tread depth gauge to check the tread wear on your tires. You could say it is a swiss army knife for your tires.
3. A bicycle pump
Why would I recommend a bicycle pump? Imagine being stranded on the side of a road changing a flat tire. You have taken the flat tire off your car and are preparing to put on your spare tire only to check the air pressure and find it dangerously low. This happened to me. The truth is, the spare tire’s air pressure is something many people forget to check. If you have a solid bike pump, you can at least pump the tire up to a drivable air pressure. Remember, spare tires are generally expected to be inflated to 60 psi. The bike pump I use is the Schwinn 5-in-1 floor pump. It is built well and can pump up to 140 psi, which means it will easily be able to inflate most tires.
4. A flashlight
While we would all like to assume that our vehicles will only ever have issues in the daytime with no rain in sight, the reality is that is not always the case. The fact is, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we are under the hood of our vehicles in the pouring rain at 10 o’clock at night. Having a flashlight can be very useful, having one with a hook and a reliable battery is even better. That is why I recommend everyone have a flashlight that will allow them to have hands free light no matter where they need to work. Two hands are better than one. I like flashlights like the EverBrite work-light. It is LED which means the light is bright and the batteries last longer. It also has a hook for a hands-free experience. As an added bonus of the EverBrite model, it also has a magnet which will allow you to stick the light almost anywhere. The model I linked to runs on AAA batteries. This is good in the case your vehicle’s battery is dead, and you still need the light. With that said, if you do plan on using the flashlight infrequently, you should remove the batteries to prevent corrosion.
5. A socket wrench set
The last item I recommend is a socket wrench set. A small set will do. When it comes to vehicles, there are many different nuts, screws, and bolts. Unfortunately, no one can predict what nut, screw or bolt you will need to interact with, so having a small socket wrench set will cover most scenarios that you come across. I would recommend getting the Stanley 40-piece socket set. The main reason I like this set is the many different socket heads – which should cover most any need under the hood. I also like that this set comes with a screwdriver and some different bits. Not all socket sets come with a screwdriver and bits.
Putting together a small emergency kit for your car will not take much. But it will be extremely handy if you or someone else needs it. All of these things can fit in a small bag in the trunk. You can set them and forget them until you need them. And who knows, even if you do not need them, you may run into someone that needs some help, and you will have the tools to help them!
Quote of the day: The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
If you would like to use some of the products I have talked about, I have them listed here. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Products I have used:
- Amazonbasics Jumper Cable – 4 Gauge, 20-Foot
- Milton (S-920) Pencil Tire Pressure Gauge with Tread Depth Gauge
- Schwinn 5-in-1 Floor Pump
- EverBrite 2-Piece 27 LED Compact Work-light Magnetic With hook Batteries Included
- Stanley STMT71648 40-Piece Socket Set
