What You Should Pack Before a Winter Road Trip
Road trips can be fun adventures, but they can also become dangerous if something goes wrong, especially in the winter. Before embarking on your winter road trip, pack these emergency essentials so that you’re ready.
What You Should Always Keep in Your Car
Before we get into the specifics of winter road trip essentials, you should know about the things you should always keep in your car. These should be present whether you’re taking a quick trip to the grocery store or a road trip across the country. Have these essentials in your car for emergencies:
- Jumper cables
- A first-aid kit
- Water and non-perishable food
- A spare tire kit
- A phone charger
It’s also wise to keep a pressure gauge in your vehicle at all times to check and correct your tire pressure when needed.
Essentials for Winter Road Trips
Assuming that you always have those essentials in your car, there are some other things you should pack before a winter road trip to ensure you’re always ready for emergencies.
Warm Clothing
If you plan on driving anywhere through the winter cold for many hours, you want to ensure you have extra clothing and blankets. You never know if you may get stuck on the side of the road or in a ditch in freezing temperatures and have to wait for help.
If you’re waiting in your car in winter, you don’t want to rely on the light jacket or sneakers you brought to keep you warm. Before a road trip, ensure you have a heavy winter jacket, hat, gloves, and extra blankets for emergencies.
Scraper and De-Icer
You need to see while driving, but the snow, ice, and winter can block your view. Instead of waiting for the defroster to melt the snow and ice away, invest in an ice scraper and a windshield de-icer.
Windshield de-icers use chemicals to melt the ice from your windshield faster and keep it clean. Also, you should ensure you have a snow-brush and scraper combo to take care of the accumulated ice and snow on your car.
Portable Battery Jump Starter
While it’s wise to have jumper cables in the car, you don’t want to rely on the availability of other vehicles in winter. In the winter months, the roads may be less busy, so if you’re in a sparsely populated area, you could be stuck for hours waiting for another car to pass and offer a jump.
Instead, bring a portable battery jump starter to take care of a dead battery and escape the cold faster.
Shovel and Traction Mats
If you’re driving somewhere with plenty of snow and ice, you must be prepared just in case your car gets stuck. The simplest tools are often the most important, so pack a collapsible snow shovel and some traction mats.
If you need to remove snow, the shovel will be handy, and the traction mat will keep your tires from slipping on ice.
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