Car Emergency Kit

Start the car, get out of it, stay warm and stay seen. The trunk layer for the night the road stops.

Every item from the car emergency kit checklist that can be bought: the escape tool for the key ring, the all-year trunk layer, and the winter add-ons. Each one is a listing we read, not a search.

On the key ring

In reach of a belted driver. The glovebox is not.

resqme Car Escape Tool (2-pack)

Seatbelt cutter and window breaker. Side windows only: windshields, and some newer side windows, are laminated.

View on Amazon

In the trunk, all year

Start the car, fix the flat, be seen, and get through a night without leaving it.

NOCO Boost GB40 Lithium Jump Starter

Starts the car with no second vehicle and charges the phone. Top it up when the clocks change.

View on Amazon

AstroAI 12V Tire Inflator

Plugs into the car, so it has no battery of its own to find flat. Stops at the pressure you set.

View on Amazon

CARTMAN DOT Warning Triangles (3-pack)

So the plow, or the truck, sees you before it reaches you.

View on Amazon

WUBEN L50 Rechargeable Flashlight

USB-C rechargeable. The jump starter has a light too; this one you can hold.

View on Amazon

General Medi Mini First-Aid Kit (110-pc)

Glovebox size. Add a day of any medication you depend on.

View on Amazon

Datrex Emergency Water Pouches (18-pack)

Sealed pouches, five-year shelf life. A full bottle left in the trunk can split when it freezes.

View on Amazon

S.O.S. Rations 3,600-Calorie Bar

Dry, dense, Coast Guard-approved. Three days of food that sits in the kit untouched.

View on Amazon

Anker Nano Power Bank, 10,000 mAh

Built-in USB-C cable. The phone is your radio, map and 911, and the cold drains it fast.

View on Amazon

Winter add-ons

In around November, out around March: warmth, traction, and a way to keep the tailpipe clear.

Arcturus Military Wool Blanket

A real blanket, not a foil sheet on its own. One for each seat you usually fill.

View on Amazon

HotHands Hand Warmers (40 pairs)

Air-activated, no battery, nothing to charge.

View on Amazon

Rhino USA Folding Shovel

For the tailpipe first and the tires second.

View on Amazon

Tire Traction Mats (2-pack)

Under a spinning drive wheel. A bag of sand or cat litter does the same job, messier.

View on Amazon

AstroAI 46" Snow Brush & Ice Scraper

Extends to reach the roof, which needs clearing too.

View on Amazon

SOL Emergency Bivvy

A 3.8 oz heat-reflective sleeping sack. It backs up a blanket; it does not replace one.

View on Amazon

Product photographs are each manufacturer's own — resqme, NOCO, AstroAI, WUBEN, Datrex, SOS Food Lab, Anker, Arcturus, HotHands, Rhino USA — and remain their property. We are not affiliated with any of them.