(no subject)

[vaznetti]

So, while waiting for my car to get the oil changed yesterday, I started making a roadtrip list: things I'll want in the car in case of emergency. I've never taken a trip like this as an adult, so let me know what I'm missing.


bug repellent
sunscreen
cooler
water bottles
handi-wipes
mending kit
swiss army knife
corkscrew/bottle opener (if not in swiss army knife)
detergent in plastic bag
toilet paper
wrench (in case I need to change a tire)
jack (already in the trunk with the pare)
handkerchief or bandana
towels
tapes and cds


I think that a small cutting board will be useful, and I'm tempted to pack a sheet in the bottom of the luggage, just in case. But what else should I take?

Comments

[se-parsons.livejournal.com]

I hope you already have a first aid kit in the car. If not, bring it. YOu never know when you need a bandaid.

Hand lotion. I always dry out in the car.

A sweater or jacket that is easy to access because it's CANADA and could drop to 40 degrees. I also keep a cheap IKEA picnic blanket in the car at all times in case I get stranded or want to have a spontaneous picnic.

Emergency Flashlight, one that can sit on the pavement and be bright, in case you need to change a tire at night.

Jumper cables if you don't already have them with your spare.

Lightweight rope or bungee cords because you never know when something will break and need to be tied on (like a bumper). One screwdriver of each kind.

Folding umbrella.

[vaznetti]

Thanks--I'd been turning over the bungee cord notion in my head, and wasn't entirely sure, but they are useful.

[ms-pie.livejournal.com]

Some thoughts from moi...

First off, a list from the Canadian AAA:

Make sure the spare tire is properly inflated
Extra litre of oil
Spare anti-freeze mixture
First-aid kit
Emergency road kit (you can buy these at an Auto Parts store)

Secondly, my thoughts:

Car-related:
Jumper cables (if not included in the Emergency Road kit)
Good flashlight (Maglite) and extra batteries
Blanket and/or sleeping bag "just in case"

For your enjoyment:

I always bring travel games -- I love my MENSA word problem cards. They are fun!

Agreed on the small cutting board. The knife would be on the Swiss Army Knife. I'd also bring some plastic dishware. 2 small plates, 2 small bowls, two forks, two spoons. They are light and easy to clean. You can actually buy these really cool picnic kits that have all of this in a small backpack -- plus a couple of wine glasses :)

I'd bring a couple of trash bags. they are useful for separating out dirty clothes and well, they are just useful :)

Not sure if you are going to be doing a lot of hiking/camping along the way, but I'd also keep a pair of hiking boots and a pair of flip-flops or sandals handy. One for the hiking, the other for lounging in the car.

Camera- digital, disposable, regular. something to snap some pics with

And that is about it... You can buy anything else on the way :)

[ms-pie.livejournal.com]

Oh --and a roll of Duct Tape.

As a wise person once said "Duct Tape is like The Force, it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the world together"

[vaznetti]

We used to say this about electricians tape (which has a white side and a black side) back when I did tach theater. But yes, duct tape (although as I'm in the midst of packing boxes, I hate all tape.)

[vaznetti]

Thanks--some of these I think I already knew (like the emergency road kit, which is on my "to buy" list) but I hadn't thought of the picnic kit.

[ms-pie.livejournal.com]

I figured at least 90% of that stuff you already had on your list. But yes, the picnic kit is really handy. My friends used theirs all the time on their three-month road trip last summer. I'm sure you could get a functional, yet cheap, version at target.

[fillyjonk.livejournal.com]

well, this is a fun way to come back to lj. I love lists. Maybe suggesting something for you will help me try to get though all the old ljs that I need to catch up on. I'm so far back, and it's only been a weekend or so....
Kleenex? (So's you don't have to blow your nose on tp in public) (but you probably already have this in the car)
Straws (easier to drink from than straight from the bottle)
Gorp (or do you hate it? anyway...something that you can munch on if the need hits so that you don't have to stop if it's inconvenient)
Do you have flares or those reflective triangles in your trunk already?
Hmm, my ideas are petering out...I have a feeling that there is much more, though - little, annoying things that will only strike you once it's way too late,a nd you're stranded somewhere in Saskatchewan (wow. I spelled that correctly the first time around. I wouldn't have said I was capable of such a feat!)
It is all tremendously exciting. Oh. Do you have a camera to record this for posterity? I would call that essential.

[vaznetti]

We just bought a digital camera. Now I need to figure out (a) how it works and (b) how to post pictures on the internet.

Nice to see you--how have you been?

[cofax7]

A set of silverware, or at least a couple of forks. Cutting board, definitely, so if you're sick of fastfood you can grab cheese, crackers, and fruit at a store and still eat.

Insulated coffee mug. Tea bags, if you're a tea snob like me. (Lipton: ptew!)

Book(s) to read at night.

An assortment of small plastic bags -- for garbage, for wrapping up things you don't finish.

[vaznetti]

I never travel without freezer bags. They are insanely useful. I guess I'll be putting tea bags into one of them, for the trip (although that's the kind of thing we can buy on the way, if it becomes necessary...)

[vaznetti]

and my reading is already set: Mesopotamian and Egyptian history to prepare for the lecture course I'll teach next year.

[zarahemla.livejournal.com]

Do they use 220 volts in Canada or 110? You don't have anything electric on there, but if you do decide to bring a hair dryer or something, you might want to have a voltage converter. That's the only thing I remember from living in Europe. :)

[vaznetti]

I'm pretty sure that they use regular American voltage, not evil foreign voltage. Otherwise I would be very sad.

[rez-lo.livejournal.com]

What beautiful lists. The only thing I can think of to add is probably way too obvious: a phone. If you don't already own a mobile or if it doesn't travel well, I think there might be such things as disposables. I'm on shaky ground here, though. Failing that, a prepaid phone card?

(I'm totally with you on the freezer bags, by the way; they're indispensible. Michael calls me the The Bag Lady; all those bags drive him crazy. He complains every time that it's just way over the top to bring so many, but he's wrong and he knows it.)

A vacuum flask is handy to keep the tea warm for cold night and early morning drives. And matches. I don't know why, but I always feel better if I have a box of matches somewhere about.

[vaznetti]

I'll be taking my cell-phone, although I fear that coverage may not be perfect through the whole trip. It worked in Halifax when I was out on the job interview, and I checked with the company to make sure that wasn't a fluke.

Matches! Something else to put in a plastic bag, since the B.H. left them out in some drizzle and the box is decomposing. But as I travel with a smoker, we always have some way of making fire.

[bardsmaid.livejournal.com]

Annie went trekking around the Yosemite area on her vacation and discovered that her cell phone got no connection anywhere in the Eastern Sierra. So a prepaid phone card might be a good idea for the inevitable iffy areas.

[vaznetti]

Neat! Thanks--I'll see if I can find a copy.

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone has suggested this already, but think about taking a good pair of gloves with you. Something you could protect your hands with if you need to change the tire or just ... whatever. The Auto Parts store should have a selection of driving gloves. (Though I always end up getting mine in gardening stores, because my hands are too small for most normal driving gloves.)

If you don't know, make sure the wrench fits the lugs on your tires. A can of Fix-a-Flat is a good idea in case you end up with a flat some place it isn't safe to change the tire.

A coffee can with a couple of those fat candles, so if you get stuck you can keep the car warm without running the engine or killing the battery for lights.

(Yes, any trip over a hundred miles means I pack like I'm going to be marooned in Antarctica the rest of my life, how did you guess?)

[vaznetti]

The gloves are a cool idea--I hadn't thought of that. And the candles--I'll definitely bring a couple. Apparently a single candle will keep and entire car warm.

(Yes, any trip over a hundred miles means I pack like I'm going to be marooned in Antarctica the rest of my life, how did you guess?)

Well, as this is a trip of 4,000 miles, I think I'd better plan on disaster of some kind.

[aceofkittens.livejournal.com]

Wow, I am truly impressed. And I'm glad your phone will still work.

I can't really think of anything that hasn't been mentioned; since my road trips rarely last more than 6 hours, I don't really ever have any kind of disaster or contingency plan. :) Good luck!

[(Anonymous)]

I always bring lots of indestructible snacks, like walnuts and raisins and peanut butter and such. Of course, I eat like a hobbit, so it saves everybody a lot of time and wear and tear on the nerves if I bring my elevenses with me.

Camille