Don't Hit the Road Without Your Essential Travel Kit!
Planning a road trip? Prepare yourself for any unexpected situations by packing a reliable travel kit with these essential survival items.
RELATED: 19 “Old World” Primitive Survival Skills You’ll WISH You Knew Before SHTF
Essential Items for Your Safe Travel Kit
Recently, a friend of mine asked for help assembling a “just in case” travel kit before leaving for Michigan. Coincidentally, it was time for me to inspect my bug-out bag, and I had several spare items to compile a practical kit for him.
This compact yet effective travel kit can easily be created on a budget, ensuring you’re ready for anything while on the road.
Travel Kit Contents
Insulated Lunchbox.
This handy item can do double-duty; while it's generally used to keep lunch cold, its insulation also prevents essential supplies from freezing in cold weather.
Two 2400-Calorie Ration Bars.
Consider packing some Mayday ration bars that taste a bit like apple pie and won't make you thirsty. Just remember, after consuming them, they may sit heavily in your stomach!
Two Liters of Water.
Use Mayday water rations packaged in individual 4.25-ounce Mylar pouches. I prefer these over juice box-style containers for their compactness and durability. They won't break if frozen, making them more reliable for emergencies.
These come with a Ziplock pouch that features a pour spout. While I don't recommend pouring every pouch into one container, they work great for gathering snow to melt in case of an emergency.
It may not be extensive, but even a basic first aid kit can be incredibly valuable for treatment of minor injuries or scratches on the road.
Two Space Blankets.
These emergency blankets are essential but can be noisy and tear easily. I recommend supplementing them with a few traditional blankets to ensure comfort.
Bic Lighter.
While you could attempt to start a fire the old-fashioned way, why would you when you have a lightweight lighter that ignites with a flick of your thumb?
Box of Weatherproof Matches.
Always have redundancy for starting a fire; it’s essential for cooking, warmth, and signaling for help.
Survival Whistle.
If caught in a snowstorm or emergency, signaling for help becomes critical. A whistle is an effective means to alert others to your location, and it also comes equipped with a flint for fire-starting.
This section is customizable; consider including beef jerky, bouillon cubes, or tea bags. Comfort items like these can help maintain morale during tough circumstances.
Portable Solid Fuel Camp Stove with Fuel Tablets.
When it's cold, nothing boosts morale like a warm cup of soup or tea. Don’t settle for drinking cold chicken soup—bring along a portable stove!
Stainless Steel Mug.
Choose a durable mug suitable for use over the stove, ensuring you won’t damage it while cooking your meals.
If you prefer a ready-made option, check out the travel kits available on the market!
For great survival gear you can’t create at home, visit the Survival Life Store!
Want more tips? Check out these related articles from our website:
- Traveling for the Holidays? Make Sure You're Prepared
- Prepping for Travel
- 7 Travel No-No's to Avoid at All Costs
- Top Survival Skills | Learn Now, Survive Later
- 29 YouTube Survival Skills That Could Save Your Life
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Feb 6, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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A deck of cards and/or a light-weight set of dominoes. Most humans are used to instant gratification and the wait can damage the mind of the toughest.
Hard candy in the snack kit to help with the stress.
Yes I forgot about entertainment, cards are good, and if you bring domino’s you might need to include a piece of stiff cardboard or a small sheet of plywood to play them on, but that all dependss on how much space you have in your vehicle. crosswords, sudoku, and other mind games would be good. If you have kids it would be a good idea to bring extra batteries for their game boys and PSP’s if they have them.
I would include at least one small LED flashlight and a stout ‘pillar’ type candle. If you have to spend an overnight in your car (or worse)you’ll be amazed how comforting the light from one candle can be in a hunkering down situation.
i always keep a wool mil. style blanket packed in the vehicle, just in case. i also keep a cotton towel handy as well. A towel can be used for many things, in many situations. it can be rolled and used as a pillow, used as sling for a dislocated shoulder (Have actually used it for that), can be torn into multiple strips for bandaging or a compress dressing to absorb blood at a roadside accident.
Ah! I forgot about the flashlight! I didn’t include it in his kit as he actually had one in his glove box already
I was Born & Raised in Central Michigan, & you have the Very Basics in your Bag, But you lack a good one for Night time Survival. My Bag Always Contained 1 Roll Gorilla Duck Tape. This stuff is Super Strong, Sticks to almost Everything & Can even be made into a Working Boat if Needed.
1 roll of 50 Lb. Spider wire Fish line & Fish-line swivels/connectors, Lead weights & bobbers. Hooks from All sizes, Great for catching Small Game as well., About 200Ft. of Para-Cord With Assorted Eyelets. 4-Heavy-Duty Mylar Sleeping bags, A small Tube of Super compressed wash Towels(cotton) Waterless Soap in a Squeeze tube., A med.Locking box for Smaller Items & First-aid. Including; Needed Medical, Fresh Garlic Caps. B-12, An Emergency Inhaler, Sting-kit, Snake-bite-kit, Poison IVY & Oak Treatment Kit, EMT-Dental kit,, Plus 3 types of Tapes & Cutters. All of that & it weighs less than 3 Lbs. Next I use a Water-Bag( Military Type, Folded, That holds 6 Gal. & filters the water at a Gal per Hour., Fire Starting Kit Includes; Small Buckskin pouch(homemade) that Comtains1 – Magnesium & Flint Fire Starter, With 1/8 Rods made from Cutting a spare Magnesium block, Great for Distress Flares at Night As once lit, they will never Blow out. Note, Bic Lighters are fine, But they tend to Break easy, It’s Far Better to relight on a Good Lighter or backup. In my Kit, I always have one or more C-Card lenses,, Some Fresh Steel Wool in a Pill Bottle,With a Taped Button Battery, Waterproof Matches, A Small Folding Knife, And Cotton Balls and GAUZE that was Dipped in Bees Wax., Now on to the last 2 Things, 1 Extra Set of SILK underwear ( A Union Suit), Water-proof Socks, Bacava mask & Gloves. A Military Rain Poncho, 2- Hunting & Survival Knives with wet stone. A LED Head Gear, 2 LED Lights, 1 Hand Crank Charging LED Light. And on the OUTSIDE of my Bag is a Solar Panel, Max. Output 9V at 300mah. A Swiss Multi-Powered -Radio, Survival water Straws & Cleaning Kit, 1 Attached Mess Kit. Without the Food Bars & Water, My Pouch weighs out at 13.7 pounds. I have a Fanny Pack with extras like Food Bars & Dried Meats. All of my gear has been Washed & Soaked in a Hot Bath of Bee’s Wax Then Air Dried under Pressure, A Trick I Learned from a Yukon Trapper years ago. That’s about it.
A Good OLD Book to read would be, FOX FIRE Trapper’s Bible, or, Survival tactics – SAS, Wilderness Survival, Desert Survival, Wintered Kills, Survival guide. Or Contact Me at Quester550 on You Tube, for even more advice for Field Survival. Did you know that having a Bucket Fire while Ice Fishing serves 2 purposes? ! it Helps Keep you warm, 2. Add a Stick & Roast the Fish you Catch over the Flames, Yum Good.
Might take a pretty big bag for all that stuff, huh? And what if you have to WALK? You are a target victim. Fire starter sticks, prescription meds, cold weather gear, topo maps, courage…..
Hi Joe…
Excellent advice , as usual and very timely.
I’m including this link to a very sad story that did not have to happen. http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20121219/NEWS01/312190019/Woman-found-dead-near-Enterprise
Unfortunately, we are seeing this type of unprepared behavior all too often. This is the second incident within a month that I know of where people became stranded in the snow, LEFT the safety of their vehicle and a death resulted. Sad and completely preventable. Please people, if this happens to you, stay with your car. Don’t take rides into the back country, especially on unpaved and unmaintained roads. If you must go off-roading, let someone know your route, your estimated time of arrival and stay in contact when you do arrive at your destination.
This is amazing for cold travel, but anything out there like this for those of us who live in the South? Not planning on cold travel, but a kit or ideas for warm would be great. Thanks so much.
I am not about to try fishing if stranded in cold weather. If I am traveling by car, it is just a small thing to throw a couple of bags of jerky, some good energy bars and some snickers bars into a gallon zip lock bag. You can be doing a bunch of other stuff like lighting a fire, building an add-on shelter to your vehicle rather than squatting by a stream trying to catch a torpid fish. I would rather carry a wood cutting chain than fish hooks and line. A wood cutting chain will allow you to harvest bigger logs for a longer lasting fire.
What no mention of a magnifying glass (or one of the thin wallet size ones? they are great for starting a fire in a pinch, and can aid in the removal of splinters. YOU do not think splinters are such a big deal? Wait til you get one and it gets infected then you need a bigger first aid kit. Oh and you need to check out http://www.readyman.com for their wallet kits with snares, hooks and spears for catching game. also you did not mention paracord which has many uses. I carry it on a bracelet and a paracord grenade from Survivalfrog.com