Grab bag for long-distance day road trips

[Cookie Monster]

After a recent trip where my credit card wouldn’t work, I keep $500 on my ankle with my Ryker Ankle Medical Kit.

[farscott]

I used to travel a lot for work by vehicle. Some things that worked for me.

1) Separate setups for summer and winter. No need to carry stuff you do not need for five or six months of the year. Mine fits into small bags that I can stow in my trunk and take into hotel rooms. Spare loaded magazines were part of those setups.

2) For winter, I kept a spare high-visibility (bright red) Filson coat in the trunk. Visibility in winter can be helpful if one is stranded due to snow. I also kept spare sets of hats, gloves, socks, and scarves. Layering can be important in cold weather, so I had a set of wool pants with suspenders I could pull over my regular pants. In summer, I was more concerned about dehydration and overheating, so I added a cooling towel, a few sets of undergarments, shirts, and socks.

3) For food, I kept beef jerky year around. I just rotated it. It is lightweight and takes up very little room.

4) In the warmer months, I kept a case of bottled water in the trunk. In the cooler months, I use insulated water bottles that I filled on regular stops.

5) In the vehicle, I carried in a Rosen StyleMaster horizontal shoulder holster for ease of access while driving. When not driving, my normal IWBs were used.

[RevolverRob]

A small, packable, down jacket would keep you warm down to 20 with ease. A compact fleece blanket would keep you warm on a cold night spent in the car.

Since you're wearing a jacket and tie, a change of clothes that was a casual pair of pants or jeans and a t-shirt + some kind of cover garment would be the way I would go.

I'd skip the hydration bladder and simply grab a case of water at the grocery and throw it in the trunk or backseat. Just drink through it as part of your regular routine, swapping it out, when you get below half-a-dozen bottles. You've got plenty of water then for both drinking and for replenishing say, a radiator that sprung a leak. Hydration bladders need constantly cleaning to use and I hate cleaning those damn things (my preference).

I agree, spare 50-rounds of defensive ammo and a fixed blade knife. Also agree re: TP.

Otherwise, a AAA membership and a cellphone with good signal. If you're regularly off the beaten path with no service, then think about one of the Garmins with an SOS signal. You can pair it to your phone and rapidly type messages requesting help of various types.

[Gearqueer]

O.P.,

I have a similar challenge. I’m in sales and travel 50k miles a year in the Midwest. I’m still establishing my kit, but here is what I have so far:

-headlamp and two USB rechargeable flashlights.
-3 large empty plastic garbage bags
-spare footwear
-IFAK
-spare full-size pistol mag and spare holster under seat.
-baby wipes
-several sets of rubber gloves
-cell Phone battery recharger (my laptop would be a spare).
-multi-tool
-5-hour energy (to keep you out of trouble)
-1 gallon of water spare along with a couple Nalgene bottles always being used.
-cash
-folding knife
-spare sunglasses
-overnight bag and toiletry bag always



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bigghoss]

Toilet paper. My dad always kept a roll of TP in his truck and now I do the same. Plenty of uses beyond the obvious.

[Sero Sed Serio]

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far! Since most of the time I'll be on well-traveled roads I didn't want to go too far down the surviving-in-the-wilderness road too much, but most of the items suggested are small and lightweight enough to be a no-brainer. Also toilet paper...why didn't I think of that already?

I'm leaning towards the Maxpedition Falcon III: since the bag will live in a closet until I toss it on the passenger floorboard, I don't really mind that it's not gray man. I like the different compartments for organization, the attachment points will allow me to add extra water in the summer, and it's already set up for a pistol.

While I like the idea of keeping a case of water in the car, I'm not sure that would work here. Interior car temps get hot enough to start breaking down disposable plastic bottles, not to mention that I've literally had steam come out when I took the cap off of one. I also want to be able to take my water supply with me if circumstances make it preferable to wait near the car as opposed to in it, or if I do end up having to walk somewhere.

As for drive plans, I'm in really good shape there--my office always knows where I'm going and the route I'm taking. My boss is former Highway Patrol, so not only will be be willing to put in a call if I'm overdue, he's likely to send a text directly to the people who will be looking for me.

[Tensaw]

T
While I like the idea of keeping a case of water in the car, I'm not sure that would work here. Interior car temps get hot enough to start breaking down disposable plastic bottles, not to mention that I've literally had steam come out when I took the cap off of one. I also want to be able to take my water supply with me if circumstances make it preferable to wait near the car as opposed to in it, or if I do end up having to walk somewhere.

Sigh... I guess this is where I out myself as "one of those guys..." I live in a pretty warm climate as well. As such, I am not crazy about leaving drinking water in any sort of plastic bottle where the heat cycling might leach who knows what sort of chemicals into the water. And then there is what it would do to the taste. My solution has been to "can" some water. It is a dead nuts simple process.

Get how ever many glass Mason jars you want to fill with water along with lids and rings. Boil some water and fill each jar to both sterilize and warm the jar. Boil some more water (more than you need to fill the jars). As the water comes to a boil, dump the water from the jars; pour the new boiling water in (leaving a good bit of room to allow for expansion if the water freezes); throw on a lid and cinch it down with the threaded ring; let it cool to room temp; you can remove the ring if you want, the lid will have a vacuum attachment to the jar. (The pre-heating/sterilizing is optional, but it makes me feel better.)

I keep six quarts of water stored like this in my trunk. In theory, I refresh it yearly. It keeps really well. I store the jars in a cardboard box. The jars are bubble wrapped and have some cardboard between them to keep from breaking. I keep a couple of empty water bottles in a pack which will receive the water if I need to tote it somewhere (so I don't have to tote the glass jars).

[Sero Sed Serio]

Sigh... I guess this is where I out myself as "one of those guys..." I live in a pretty warm climate as well. As such, I am not crazy about leaving drinking water in any sort of plastic bottle where the heat cycling might leach who knows what sort of chemicals into the water. And then there is what it would do to the taste. My solution has been to "can" some water. It is a dead nuts simple process.

Get how ever many glass Mason jars you want to fill with water along with lids and rings. Boil some water and fill each jar to both sterilize and warm the jar. Boil some more water (more than you need to fill the jars). As the water comes to a boil, dump the water from the jars; pour the new boiling water in (leaving a good bit of room to allow for expansion if the water freezes); throw on a lid and cinch it down with the threaded ring; let it cool to room temp; you can remove the ring if you want, the lid will have a vacuum attachment to the jar. (The pre-heating/sterilizing is optional, but it makes me feel better.)

I keep six quarts of water stored like this in my trunk. In theory, I refresh it yearly. It keeps really well. I store the jars in a cardboard box. The jars are bubble wrapped and have some cardboard between them to keep from breaking. I keep a couple of empty water bottles in a pack which will receive the water if I need to tote it somewhere (so I don't have to tote the glass jars).

I REALLY like this

[wsr]

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far! Since most of the time I'll be on well-traveled roads I didn't want to go too far down the surviving-in-the-wilderness road too much, but most of the items suggested are small and lightweight enough to be a no-brainer. Also toilet paper...why didn't I think of that already?

I'm leaning towards the Maxpedition Falcon III: since the bag will live in a closet until I toss it on the passenger floorboard, I don't really mind that it's not gray man. I like the different compartments for organization, the attachment points will allow me to add extra water in the summer, and it's already set up for a pistol.

While I like the idea of keeping a case of water in the car, I'm not sure that would work here. Interior car temps get hot enough to start breaking down disposable plastic bottles, not to mention that I've literally had steam come out when I took the cap off of one. I also want to be able to take my water supply with me if circumstances make it preferable to wait near the car as opposed to in it, or if I do end up having to walk somewhere.

As for drive plans, I'm in really good shape there--my office always knows where I'm going and the route I'm taking. My boss is former Highway Patrol, so not only will be be willing to put in a call if I'm overdue, he's likely to send a text directly to the people who will be looking for me.

Fire, after we went through all the makeshift fire making our instructor said go to the px and buy a 10 pack of bics...put one in your blouse pocket,trouser pocket, thebottom of a mag pouch, buttpack, top flap of your ruck etc you get the point to this day I always have a lighter in my pants one or two in the center console on top of what’s in my gear...fire is life no matter where you are stranded

As far as a case of water, hot steaming water is better than no water I always keep a small to medium cooler with water cheese, salami or summer sausage etc keep the cooler stocked and if you drink 3 or 4 bottles a day you’ll go through the better part of a case in a work week...throw the rest out and replace with new on Saturday if you are worried about out gassing I also keep the little foil pouches of flavored tuna,salmon and chicken in my gear they are cheap

I wouldn’t worry about your pack being gray or not the gray man thing has been taken a little too serious
If you are wearing a backpack of any kind you will have attention drawn to you, walking around with a backpack ( larger than a daypack) just isn’t normal in most places...as long as it’s not ridiculous the attention will be momentary, most people just don’t care

[Drang]

Toilet paper. My dad always kept a roll of TP in his truck and now I do the same. Plenty of uses beyond the obvious.

A standard roll of toilet paper will fit in a one quart ziplok bag, if you collapse the core. IIRC, two of these will fit in the outer pocket of a GI large ALICE Pack.