Emergency Car Survival Guide: How to Prepare for Winter Travel Disruptions

An overhead shot of I-95 on day 2 of the highway shutdown from a snowstorm.

Introduction

With the holidays approaching and travel inevitable, we wanted to take the time to share a personal story and give tips for vehicle preparedness.

This post will discuss how a usual 4.5-hour journey unexpectedly extended into a three-day saga and will highlight the critical nature of being prepared.

Fortunately, I had a lot of luck, a little bit of preparedness and some insight on my side during this incident. But things could have been far grimmer.  

What Happened

Before marrying my husband, we lived in different states, often commuting over four hours to see each other. I was heading home after celebrating New Year’s weekend with him when a light drizzle rapidly escalated into a snowstorm.

After a long day of 15+ hours crawling in traffic, cell service going in and out, power outages, plummeting temperatures and dwindling gas, I was approaching what seemed to be the last available exit before an endless sea of stopped cars.

The first bit of luck was on my side. My brother-in-law knew someone who lived at that exit. Fortunately for me, an amazing family welcomed a stranger into their home at midnight. I was able to have a warm place to sleep, unlike the many others who had to spend the night in their vehicles on the highway.

At dawn, I ventured back out to avoid overstaying my welcome. It was evident that the situation hadn’t improved; power outages and abandoned cars littered the town. The highway remained clogged in both directions, dashing any hopes of an easy continuation of my journey.

Cars parked on the highway from the night prior. No sign of movement in either direction.

The beginning of Day 2 was not looking good. I had to make some decisions. 

Due to power outages and cell towers being overwhelmed, I couldn’t reach my husband, my family or my workplace. I realized I might not be making it home any time soon. I needed to prepare for that.

I filled up on gas, stocked up food for myself and my dog, and found a sunny parking spot near hotels and a gas station. I shut my car off for the day to conserve fuel.

I watched from the beginning of the day to late afternoon as the gas station was depleted of all of its gas and the shelves wiped clean of food and drinks.

Thanks to my father’s teachings on preparedness, I had a bin of supplies in my car. While it wasn’t a comprehensive survival kit, it contained a beanie, a blanket, a water bottle, a scarf, a jacket, and waterproof boots, all of which proved useful throughout the day.

As evening approached, it became clear that I’d be spending another night in my makeshift refuge. I approached several hotels for a room; one turned me away because of my dog, another was full, but the third placed me on a waitlist. After a tense wait in the lobby with my dog, I finally secured a room. Luck was on my side again as many spent a second night in their vehicle or had to sleep in a hotel lobby.

The third morning, the roads began to clear and I was eventually able to return home safely.

In reflection, my luck included:

• finding the last possible exit

• having a connection that provided shelter

• securing a hotel room

My preparedness involved:

• the resources in my car

• the actions I took to prepare for an extended stay

Mentally, I remained tough, focusing on what I could control despite the lack of cell service and dwindling local resources. This experience taught me the true value of being prepared and the strength of maintaining composure in the face of uncertainty.

All the contents of the emergency bin we keep in the back of our vehicle.

Going Forward

Since experiencing this ordeal and marrying my husband, we've prioritized preparedness. The essentials listed below provide a basic guideline, but remember, your needs may vary depending on your location. Do you live in Alaska or Death Valley, California? Consider the specific items you'd need to comfortably spend 1-3 nights in your vehicle, based on your region and travel destinations. Below are our recommendations for the minimum items we carry living in the Mid-Atlantic region:

• Heavy Winter Jacket

• Beanie, Scarf, Insulated Gloves

• Winter Boots & Wool Socks

• Rain Jacket & Pants

• Two Wool Blankets - Wool is a great insulator, can keep you warm even when wet, and unlike a sleeping bag it’s qualities aren’t degraded by being folded up in a bin for months on end.

• Toilet Bags - Sometimes #2 strikes at the worst times. These will save you from squatting on the side of I-95 and wiping your butt with a leaf.

• Garbage Bags - For disposing of toilet bags, dirty diapers, and underwear you’ve soiled in fear. They also come in handy if you need to cover a broken window.

• Duck Tape - There are over 100 uses for duck tape, including taping the garbage bags to your broken window, or spelling out help on the roof of your car once you realize you’re going to miss the season finale of The Bachelor.

• Road Atlas - Look at this while you wait and think about all the other routes available to you that you should have taken.

• Hand Warmers - Because we had a pack laying around.

• 1-3 Gallons of Water - For drinking or adding to freeze dried meals.

• Freeze Dried Meals & Spoon - These are great to set it and forget it. We will normally have extra snacks as well that we pack up for each trip and keep up front.

• Jet Boil & Fuel - Heat water to rehydrate your meals or put under your jacket to help keep you warm.

• Lantern & 9-Hour Candles - These will provide a little bit of heat and light. Remember to crack your window slightly to get fresh air in. Candles inside a large coffee tin also work well for some radiant heat. Safety: Don’t ever use the lantern to investigate a suspicious noise. If we learned anything from horror movies, its that the person using a lantern to investigate, dies.

• Bic Lighters & Matches - See above.

• Baby Wipes - You know why.

The items we keep up front and readily accessible.

• Trauma Kit & Tourniquets - Leg pinned and bleeding after a car wreck? You’re going to want to be able to apply a tourniquet and save your own life.

• Particulate Masks - Useful for being around a collapsed building or driving through a forest fire, or volcanic ash.

• Bear & Pepper Spray - Good for bears, or a sea of protestors swarming your vehicle. Crack the window, dispense liberally, and continue driving slowly through. (The legality of that tactic might vary by state.)

• Flash Light, Head Lamp & Extra Batteries - Please don’t ever be the person using their I-phone as a flashlight.

• Solar Charger, Battery Bank, & Cords - You’re going to want to conserve gas - turn your vehicle off if you’re going to be sitting for a while. Use the solar charger on the roof to charge your phone or refill your battery bank.

• Paper Road Map - Since google probably got you in this mess to begin with.

• Pee Bags - These bags have a funnel top and a gel in the bottom that absorbs your pee. I’ve used these before and they’re a life saver when your teeth start floating in traffic.

Our vehicle emergency kit all packed up. We also keep a collapsable wagon which comes in handy if you need to abandon your vehicle.

In conclusion, the essentials mentioned are just the starting point, complementing the universal must-haves like a jack, spare tire, jumper cables, ice scraper, tire patch kit, and other tools vital for your vehicle's continued operation. Remember, these items will differ based on your local environment and personal expertise.

Consider this as your basic toolkit. For the avid preppers among us, stay tuned for an in-depth discussion on advanced preparations, including the "get home bag" and other critical gear.

Until then, we’re wishing you all safe travels.