Thread: The Vent and Rant Thread
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Old 01-12-2011, 09:49 PM   #14636
kindlekitten
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Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Exer View Post
After 12 years of living in Alaska and having a job that required me to often drive the entire day just to reach the job site, I've been through just about every winter driving catastrophe short of crashing my car through a frozen lake. I've come up with some tips and items that I now ALWAYS have in my vehicles during the winter months.
  • A backpack with 3 days of food/water, containing things like a flashlight, knife, flare, firesteel / waterproof matches, bivvy sack (tiny thermal sleeping bag), first aid kit.
  • Lock deicer. If your locks are frozen and you can't get in, your car isn't much use.
  • A small shovel and windshield ice scraper.
  • Extra pair of snow boots. If you get stuck somewhere and have to walk, the leather business shoes you have on will have your feet frostbitten in a mile.
  • Gloves. Always keep extra gloves in the car. Every move you are making to get unstuck depends on your hands, you don't want them exposed and getting frostbitten.
  • A jumpstart/air compressor combo kit. The kind that you pre-charge. A dead battery or flat tire can be just as big a problem as any of the more dramatic issues.
  • Keep the gas tank at least half full at all times possible. I've had my gas tank freeze up before and it isn't fun at all.
  • This will sound funny, but simply make sure your basic car equipment is present and in working condition, such as your tire iron, jack, cables. Make sure you have a spare tire, and the thing is actually inflated. Practice using this stuff during fair weather. Knowing how to already use it all is better than struggling to learn during bad weather or an emergency situation.
  • Tell someone where you are headed before you go out. It might save your life someday.

I got stuck in a van once after an accident. I was trapped for 17 hours with some broken ribs and a couple thousand pounds of equipment pressing my seat and body into the steering wheel. I tend to not take things for granted anymore, and I try to at least be semi-prepared for bad stuff that might happen.
excellent tips! I would like to add do NOT use your emergency brake! the cables on those little suckers freeze up tighter n' a drum! and you play hell thawing them out. (you really should not use your emergency brake 95% of the time anyway, but we can discuss that another time)
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