If you are taking your family on a road trip to a national park this summer, then it is important that you pack certain items in the trunk of your car in case of an emergency situation. When you are in a remote or desolate area, you will likely find that there is no cellular phone service. Without being able to call for help, you might have to hunker down in place and take care of your family for a couple days while you wait for someone to come along and rescue you.
When traveling in the wilderness, you can keep your family safe and comfortable by carrying these items in your vehicle:
Food and Water
Since clean, drinkable water is nearly impossible to find in the mountains, you need to carry a least a gallon of water for each person and pet traveling in your vehicle. In addition, you need to carry foods that do not require any preparation, such as:
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dry cereal
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fruit snacks or roll-ups
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granola bars
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trail mix
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cheese and crackers packages
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beef jerky
In addition, it is always nice to pack your family's favorite hard candy. A sugary snack always helps you feel better in a stressful situation.
Light, Fire, and Paper
Staying safe and sane in the woods requires that you bring along a few basic necessities similar to those things you would need for camping. At a bare minimum, your car's trunk should contain the following items:
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a flashlight for each family member, plus extra batteries
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matches or a couple disposable lighters
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toilet paper, paper towels, or diaper wipes
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a Swiss Army knife or multi-tool
Since paper towels are much more useful than toilet paper in many situations, if you need to choose, then you should carry those over toilet paper. Diaper wipes allow you the ability to wash and wipe yourself without having access to water.
Entertainment
Since you cannot charge electronics in the woods and you might need to preserve all of the fuel in your car for heat, it is advisable that you carry some entertainment items while traveling the back country. Some small items that can provide your family with hours of entertainment value include:
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decks of cards
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a slinky
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a Rubik's cube
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books
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travel games
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coloring books and colored pencils
It is better to carry colored pencils in your trunk than crayons because the wax crayons can melt if the temperature gets too hot in your car's trunk.
Warm Clothing and Blankets
Finally, when you are in the mountains, temperatures can be unusually low at night and sudden storms are always a possibility. For these reasons, you should always carry warm clothing, winter jackets, and blankets to keep you warm if you get caught out on a desolate road overnight. If you do not have a lot of room in your car, you can purchase emergency blankets that fit in small zip bags and keep those in your trunk. Keep the contact information of towing companies, like the one represented at http://www.johnswreckerservice.com, accessible, too.
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