Road trips are the favorite way to see the sights and experience new places for many of us and so being prepared while on the road is a crucial step to give you an extra bit of peace of mind while traveling so read on to learn how to build out your road trip roadside emergency kit! Your kit should typically include a mix of tools for your car as well as other goods for you!

Your kit should include:

First aid kit - You never know when you will need it but you always seem to need it when you don’t have it. 

Jumper cables - You should already have these in your car… that’s all.

Flashlight - Incase you get stuck in the dark or need more light to see while trying to fix something. Or more likely it will get used on that camping trip where you forgot to bring a headlamp. Also don’t forget to carry a spare set of batteries or a rechargeable battery pack. 

Tire gauge and repair kit - These are good to carry in your car no matter what but especially on road trips as they can be a life-saver between getting stuck with a flat and being able to keep on going.

Duct tape and zip ties - You would be surprised to see how much you are able to at least temporarily fix with duct tape and zip ties when you need to. 

Multi tool - screwdrivers, pliers, knife, scissors: This one is pretty self explanatory as they always comes in handy and don’t take up much space at all. Even better is to carry an individual set of screwdrivers, pliers, even a socket set as well as a knife and/or scissors. If thats what you choose check out the Tool Roll to keep it all organized and in one place. 

Blanket - Another one for a worst case scenario of getting stuck somewhere in the cold and not being able to run your car for heat or more likely its for if you wanna take a nap while on the road. 

Tow strap - In case you get stuck somewhere or happen upon another car that is stuck.

Map/Compass/GPS - We all have a GPS in our pockets now but it never hurts to carry a back-up or a good ol’ fashioned map and compass if things really hit the fan and you get lost somewhere without service.

Rain jacket/Poncho - The last thing that you want when you need to fix your car is to get soaking wet while doing it, a packable rain jacket or poncho takes up a small amount of space but is much appreciated when it’s needed. 

Water and non-perishable snacks - For when you can’t find a place to stop but are starving or in the unfortunate scenario that you got stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

The best way to carry all of these items is in a box or a bag. We may be a little biased but the Prairie Boot Bag is our favorite way to store our kit. Built from heavyweight 18oz waxed canvas it is durable and water-resistant so you don’t have to worry about anything you put inside and because it is a bag, not a box it is much easier to pack around or stuff in that last remaining spot in your expertly packed car. Or if you have less to pack check out the Gladstone Tool Bag, it is smaller in size yet has many organizational pockets to store all the little things that usually get lost in the bottom of the bag.

Of course this list is not set in stone, but rather a solid starting point of essentials that you can tailor to meet your needs depending on where you are going, your knowledge, and so many other factors. As an example, if you are going on a camping and hiking trip, chances are you have packed many of the items on this list already as they are necessary for what you are doing so there is no need to double pack the items that overlap. The most important part is to at the very least take a minute and think about what you may need before you go or make a plan of where you can stop if the trip starts to go awry.