Winter Emergency Car Kit

The holiday season sees some of the busiest travel days of the year and in Canada that can mean dealing with general winter weather conditions, road closures, and in some cases significant detours and delays. And while we can’t change the weather conditions, we can proactively prepare for any unforeseen circumstances with a bit of planning and a few key items – many of which you may already own.  

Regardless of how you go about building your kit, you should think about including these essentials at any time of year:  

  • Food: At least 24 hours of food for each of your travel group, with a minimum of 1200 calories each 
  • Water: 4 litres of water per person per day is recommended 
  • Lights: Candles and battery powered light sources like head lamps and flashlights 
  • Communications: A hand crank radio, two-way walkie-talkies for in-group communication 
  • Basic Tool Kit: Standard tools like screwdrivers, hammer, ratchet set 
  • Booster Cable & Battery: Equipment to boost your car from a dead battery 
  • First Aid Kit: Basic first aid suitable for your group size 
  • Road Warning Signs: Reflective road pyramids and roadside flares 
  • Fire extinguisher: Portable fire suppression  

Winter
Having an emergency car kit is important at any time of year, but winter brings its own set of challenges. Here are some important items that can help in a winter emergency situation:  

  • Heating: Includes personal heating like blankets or sleeping bags, as well as portable stoves or slow-burning candles 
  • Windshield Scraper & Brush: A sturdy way to remove ice and snow from your vehicle’s windows 
  • Shovel: For digging out of snow and removing debris from the roadway 
  • Traction Aids: Tire Chains, Traction pads and even kitty litter can work in a pinch 
  • Winter Grade Washer Fluid: Fluids appropriate for the temperatures you’ll be facing 
  • Appropriate Clothing: Winter-specific clothing such as footwear, gloves, and jackets 
  • Extra Fuel: For long delays extra fuel can allow you to run you engine for heat and light for extended periods 
  • Tow Rope: For getting yourself or others unstuck  

 

Total Prepare has a variety of kits designed specifically for vehicles, individuals and families, and you can easily build your own winter-ready kit by supplementing one of our existing kits with items tailored to your specific situation and needs: 

Premium Car Emergency Kit 
When you’re on the road, you want peace of mind that you’ll be safe and comfortable in an emergency. With accidents, break downs, and inhospitable weather conditions as risks – who can blame you? Our Premium Car Emergency Kit is the perfect kit to have in your vehicle, and a wonderful gift for new drivers! 

Our Premium Car Emergency Kit comes equipped with lots of great items to help in case of trouble! Everything comes packed in wide-mouthed bag for easy access. Velcro on the bottom of the bag stops your kit from sliding around when you brake hard or take corners. 

Everyone has experienced a breakdown at some point in their driving career. This kit helps people to prepare for that inevitable eventuality. It has tools for staying warm, food and water in case it takes a while for help to arrive, and car-specific items like a jumper cable and tow rope. It’s a great gift for drivers and the perfect addition to any vehicle. Full content list below. 

Kit Duration 24 Hours
Shelf Life 1-5 Years 

The Legion Survival Kit

The Legion Survival Kit was designed with senior citizens in mind. Imagine our delight when the end result was a kit that is perfect for any individual, young or… mature! Lightweight, affordable, compact, and still filled with 72 hours of basic supplies? Yes please! 

The Legion kit uses our Individual Essentials Kit as a base and adds a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, Kaito crank flashlight/radio, handwarmers, and a Mini First Aid Kit. 

72 Hour Individual Essentials Kit

This is the kind of kit you want to keep everywhere and give to every loved one. Affordably priced so you can buy multiple kits to keep in your car, desk or at school. 

 Are you a parent looking for an earthquake/emergency kit for your child to keep at school? This is the perfect kit for you and lasts for 5 years so you don’t have to keep gathering supplies every year. 

 This kit contains enough food and water for one person for 3 days. Contents may not be exactly as shown. Please see contents list below for details. 

Emergency Survival Bottle

It’s perfect for storing in your car, taking to your workplace, bringing on a hike, or sending with your kids to school. Highly portable, extremely durable, and loaded with survival gear, this is the ultimate survival bottle! It fits nicely in most glove compartments, in school backpacks and is a great kit to have tucked into a drawer of your office desk. 

Resources 

Total Prepare has some easy to use Emergency Preparedness resources to help with your emergency planning. Check out our plan template and pocket guide here: 

Emergency plan template 
Free Pocket Emergency GuideÂ