What do you carry?

[arnieh]

A thought, the oil companies are now recommending that you carry less in the boot of your car to save on petrol, what do you carry and how do you justify carrying the items. If you had to leave items out what would they be & why?

[Reservior]

Water and a Snugpack Response Pak.

Water in 2 ways, I religiously drink 2 litres of water a day so I keep water in a pack of six. Useful,for drinking and topping up the Landy if needs be.

The seal on the rear door is leaking so I have plenty of rain water in the tool well

[Maddie_cat]

I have been thinking about this a lot recently.

I carry a box of basic survival stuff but recently have been adding to this: shovel, rock salt, auto socks etc. This does weigh the car down and adds to the fuel bill hence my pondering on this. However, I will only add additionals eg 25kg bag rock salt, 10l bag cat litter etc when it becomes more obvious that the weather is going to get bad. Appreciate it adds to the fuel bill but at the same time, the AA recommend added weight in the back to weight the car down and avoid aquaplaning.

[Maddie_cat]

I have been thinking about this a lot recently.

I carry a box of basic survival stuff but recently have been adding to this: shovel, rock salt, auto socks etc. This does weigh the car down and adds to the fuel bill hence my pondering on this. However, I will only add additionals eg 25kg bag rock salt, 10l bag cat litter etc when it becomes more obvious that the weather is going to get bad. Appreciate it adds to the fuel bill but at the same time, the AA recommend added weight in the back to weight the car down and avoid aquaplaning.

[Plymtom]

We hardly go anywhere at the moment so our £10 a week budget is twice what we use, it dissapears on other price increases and prepping quick enough though so the box of emregency kit is staying where it is

[The-Great-Nothing]

Hi

Does a few kilo's of preps really cause fuel economy issues for a 900kg + car?!

Don't imagine it makes much of a difference.

Cheers

Matt

[metatron]

The things in my car that weigh the most are the 1 gallon of water, oil, coolant, de-icer and a few tools/bulb kit and such, those items everyone should have in their car. The other items Kelly Kettle, food, fire bits, don't come to much, even the shovel and saw I keep in the boot in winder is not that bad.

[ctrljay]

The real question is, what is the cost if you don't have any gear in your boot?

[preppingsu]

First aid kit, folding shovel, emergency foil blanket, couple of torches, wet wipes/toilet roll/paper towels. Stuff for the car, water, snacks plus a backpack that has enough in it to 'stay over' if I am unable to get home. Waterproof clothing, walking boots, fleecy blanket, hand wamers. I'm sure there's other stuff.

I don't have an alternative cooking source for heating water/food.

I have a new car, a 107, and this kit just about fills the minuscule boot space!

[BigMacKin]

I generally keep a SAK, FAK, torch, a small tarp, a few snacks and a couple of litres of water all year round along with car tools that most folk will have in their boot - but from the end of October I add a warm sleeping bag, back pack with extra fleece, water proofs, spare socks and fleece hat. I agree very much with other folk that this weight adds negligible affect on fuel economy and feel that the consequences of being caught out without this gear is worth the pennies per year and increase in my carbon footprint to remain prepped.

I was out for 26 hours two years ago because of sudden and heavy snow fall that brought the traffic in central Scotland to a complete standstill. Even if it meant greater fuel consumption I wouldn't go without this gear.