Winter Car Prep

mawk

Hey Guys its going to be getting frosty soon and winters coming. Every few years I hear of someone I know getting stuck overnight somewhere. Like going for a walk on the beach in the evening and coming back to a dead battery and having to wait it out.

Don't forget to pack up a little car kit. Doesn't need to take up much space, but a blanket/sleeping bag, water and snacks would be a huge help. add a flashlight, change of clothes, battery bank, medicines etc to be more complete.


What do you guys keep or think is useful?

Tabnabs

Rain gear and torch for changing tyre in the hard shoulder of some road in the dark and pouring rain. Snow socks for tyres and warm clothing if the weather forecast is calling for snow.

The Continental Op

I like to have a decent shovel in the boot in the winter. I always have a little folding one but if you have to move snow or dig out of a ditch a real shovel is a lot better.

For trips out during the pandemic a Kettle and Stove (Coleman Sportster petrol) got put in the boot for making tea and coffee when out and I think they might remain for a bit longer.

Only thing I really must sort out is some food. I used to keep some really good energy bars that Dunnes sold, they were delicious and getting near their best before date so I ate them :rolleyes: , now I've discovered that Dunnes don't sell them anymore.

lucalux

Main thing for me is the Hi-Vis vest in my drivers seat pocket. Since reading about a few collisions on motorways, where someone has broken down in live traffic, I realised it's better to have it beside me in drivers seat, than in the boot. If i need to cross active lanes in the dark to get to safety, I don't want to have to get to the boot first. More important coming into winter with longer nights.

I always have water and snacks in the car. The water I bring with me every day but I also have a stash of these lovely bars:

https://www.aldi.co.uk/cashew-crush-raw-fruit-%26-nut-bars/p/071261113031400

They're just cashews and dates but tastes like cookies. They have long shelf life, plus heat doesn't make much difference to them unlike chocolate etc. Really keep you going I find.

Also the usual things like head torch (plus batteries), and a rain mac for changing tyres as mentioned, no point faffing about with a normal torch if you need your hands free I feel. Warm layers, plus a hat and gloves which are always there.

Thinking about the camping stove for replacing coffee stops in petrol stations/shops too. Must have a look for one

The Continental Op

Just thinking about it I did one major thing and that was change all the wheel nuts. I wanted to get rid of the 4 locknuts as I didn't trust them if I did need to remove them in an emergency and found it cheaper just to replace all the wheel nuts. Turned out that was a good thing as I had Swollen Nuts - a well know problem with Ford wheel nuts. The locknuts came off easy but three of the original wheel nuts had expanded and I had to hammer a socket on them to get them off. Not something I'd want to do at the side of the road.

So one piece of advice for the winter is check your nuts and make sure you can actually remove your wheels if you ever need to - check spare if you have one at the same time.

The Continental Op

lucalux wrote: »

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Thinking about the camping stove for replacing coffee stops in petrol stations/shops too. Must have a look for one

Stoves would be my thing. Gas is easy and plenty of small gas stoves on Amazon. But for straight heat to boil water hard to beat petrol stoves. One thing I'd thought about getting (and chucking out the kettle) is a titanium coffee pot and plunger https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZQD6N2H/ . Its new on Amazon and I'm hopping for it will get discounted soon, I can wait 25 quid is my limit.

EDIT: Worth the short wait the titanium coffee maker came down to €24 just after midnight - Prime day.

Kaybaykwah

Winter tires for ice rather than snow. They are mandatory here. -40c windshield washer liquid needs to be tipped constantly because rûnning out means your windshield (ok, windscreen) is going to white out completely with the dirty slush. The visibility can diminish to 20% and on a highway in sunny weather becomes very dangerous. Extra set of clothes for longer trips. Foil blanket, dry foods. Fill up with gas before hitting De La Vérendrye National Park, 2 and a half hours between gas stations.