Gear you keep in your truck

EpicLT · April 4, 2019

Hey all. I’m moving to WI from FL, and am wondering what you all keep in your trucks every day. (Especially for winter). Right now, I am planning on water, blanket, flashlight, sandbags, recovery gear (looking for recommendations), handgun, waterproof matches, flares, jumper cables, and I’m sure more that I’m just not listing. I’m also interested to hear where you all keep everything since we have the same trucks. I am in a crew cab. Thanks in advance- and feel free to tell me what your summer gear is too!

cheyenne383 · April 4, 2019

I live in remote Alaska and I am basically on my own if anything bad happens. Here is a breakdown of what I have, I keep it in a duffel that comes inside so it doesn't freeze or get stolen... My wife and I affectionately call it the OS (oh s%*#) bag.

Coldest day this winter.. the worst I've dealt with is -73 F in 2011.

Typical road conditions for 7-8 months a year.

Odds and ends: Flares, jumper cables, 2 rolls of blue shop towels, 4x 1L water bottles, clif bars, goldfish, grill lighter, matches, heavy duty first aid kit (MyMedic brand), extra thermal socks, and 2 -20 sleeping bags.

Recovery gear: 2 recovery straps and a collapsible shovel. Floor mats/liners are a great back up traction device in slick snow.

I stop and help anyone I can... I have a wife and two kids and hopefully if it's ever needed I have karma on my side. This past winter I successfully extracted 3 drivers on the highway, all of them were driving too fast for conditions. More than having the right gear I recommend slowing down... Especially in newer vehicles it's hard to "feel" your speed, the slower you're going the closer you are to the road (easier to pull you back up) and the lighter the hit.

EpicLT · April 4, 2019

Thanks @cheyenne383! Great info and I’ll look into that first aid kit. Thanks for the brand recommendation. I will definitely be driving cautiously on the new conditions and hopefully can find an empty parking lot sometime with snow/ice that I can kind of learn to feel my truck more.

Back in a Bowtie · April 4, 2019

well since you're moving to FL no more worries about winter hahaha. I keep just about everything in my truck. Store it all in an underseat storage. Tow ropes, flares, paracord, first aid, rain gear, small shovel, box of 9mm (the gun is always on my person), a couple MREs, etc. I plan to be able to stay with the truck for a couple of days if need be.

EpicLT · April 4, 2019

1 hour ago, 14tungstenLT said:

well since you're moving to FL no more worries about winter hahaha. I keep just about everything in my truck. Store it all in an underseat storage. Tow ropes, flares, paracord, first aid, rain gear, small shovel, box of 9mm (the gun is always on my person), a couple MREs, etc. I plan to be able to stay with the truck for a couple of days if need be.

Thanks! And I’m moving FROM FL, to Wisconsin. LOL, so the winters are definitely my worry

Cpl_Punishment · April 4, 2019

I got a pre packaged emergency kit from work that includes things like blanket, candles, orange markers, first aid supplies, etc. Also tow rope, small shovel, battery booster, air compressor, boots and a bag with snow pants and extra gloves/ toques/ neck warmers/ etc.

Back in a Bowtie · April 4, 2019

37 minutes ago, EpicLT said:

Thanks! And I’m moving FROM FL, to Wisconsin. LOL, so the winters are definitely my worry

reading comprehension not great there hahahahaha. yea so even more so be prepped to stay with the truck if you had to. Box of hand warmers might be good, space blankets etc.

Jacoby · April 4, 2019

I used to have a GHB but I work from home and don't really drive far enough to worry about having one. I pretty much just keep my gun, battery booster and always make sure I have a phone charger. If Im going on some sort of a trip like camping with my boys or something I'll get a real bag together with some supplies.

Darksky · April 4, 2019

I live pretty rural and could possibly slide off the road or get stuck in the winter and be on my own. I keep a Few things in my truck. There is space behind the rear seats for a lot of things if you keep them mostly flat. I also have the rear underseat tray for storage.

Recovery stuff:

A good tow strap. A cheap one is worse than useless, as it will break when you need it most. A decent strap will come with its own bag as well. Mine is about three inches wide and a quarter inch thick. It also has leather sewn into the insides of the loops. Some short pieces of 7-9 mm rope for “mousing” the strap as needed. I have a clevis or two in there as well. I roll the strap up tight and tie a piece of 550 cord around it, to keep it rolled up.

I keep a pair of leather work gloves in one of the pockets in the rear driver’s side door as well. My car wash gives you small cloth towels for drying and cleaning. I keep one of those folded next to the gloves. I also have a pair of smaller gloves in the same place on the passenger side for my kid.

This may sound silly, I live on a ranch and seem to get dirty a lot... in the rear door cup holder, I keep a square plastic bottle of rubbing alcohol. Just the $1 bottle from a drug store. With it and a towel, you can wash your hands pretty well on the side of the road after closing a gate or moving a rusty chain. If it’s dumb but it works, it’s not dumb. I also keep a second one of the car wash towels in the outside back of the center console for cleaning my glasses.

Cold weather comfort:

A nice fleece blanket, for girls. It’s the kind that has a rectangle sewn into one end, so that you can stuff it into itself and make it a pillow. I roll it up and keep it clean in a drawstring bag. It’s a comfort item as much as a safety thing.

Safety stuff:

A river rescue throw bag- sixty feet of lightweight floating rope in a small deployment bag you can toss to someone in an emergency. The end you keep with you has a snap link attached. It’s designed for swift water or ice rescue. It fits nicely in the very corner, driver’s side behind the seat.

I have a Food Saver machine, the one that vacuum seals food in heavy plastic bags that you size by unrolling and sealing one end, then filling it, vacuum packing and then sealing the other end. You can use it for things other than food.

A poly blanket, polypropylene glove liners, socks and skull caps. Laid out flat and slid into a bag and then vacuum packed down to 3/4 of an inch thick. I also put two of those chrome, foil looking emergency blankets in there as well. It’s not been opened in years, but is there should it be needed.

An Army MRE, unopened they are good for like seven years. Contain like 5,000 calories and can be eaten cold. A sharp fixed bladed belt knife. In another vacuum bag- a few chemlights, two bic lighters, two real whistles on lanyards, a small folding razor knife and a little sewing kit.

Four or five half liter supermarket bottles of water, stuffed here and there. Lots of flashlights, one that’s ridiculous, burn your eyes out bright. A small first aid kit.-just bandaging stuff. Firearms and ammunition as I see fit.

I also have a Folding snow shovel that is bright red with an extending handle. I joke that it could be used as a flag in an emergency, but I’m not really kidding. Two chemlights lashed to it, sticking up above the roof of my truck would make a fine flag.

Lastly, as or more important than the things on this list. A small dose of common sense.

Over Confidence Kills

Dont drive through standing or God forbid running water.

Dont go out in the blizzard if you can avoid it.

If the weather is getting bad, go home!

Stay off the icy lake and out of the river.

Know where you are, be able to explain your location to a stranger.

Dont get run over at a traffic accident- it happens all the time.

Dont get horribly broken or killed unsticking a vehicle.

And a caveat to that one - chains and straps break, don’t get slapped by one.

This is hardly a comprehensive list.

wforrest08 · April 4, 2019

X10 on the recovery/tow strap. I will add do your research and buy a quality one rated for many more tons than your truck weighs. I carry a 20 ton semi strap in my 3/4 ton used many times to pull others out over the last 5 years and it still looks new - some minor fraying. I have seen more broken cheap/correct tonnage ones broken in snow/cold than mud by a long shot. You definitely want well reinforced loops on the ends seen a lot of cheapies rip out at the seams.

Also get yourself a solid quality D ring/hook with retainer receiver for your hitch since 9 out of 10 times somebody gets stuck the best way to pull them out is the way they went in. Same with the hitch pin don’t cheap out. I actually use a tractor hitch pin with the red rubber loop on the end cause I think they are easier to handle with gloves on and if I drop it i the snow it’s ez to spot.

If you pull from the front of your truck remember the “tow”/recovery hooks will bend/rip out with enough force. And a decent size strap won’t loop though them so might want to carry a small strap to loop to your big strap.

Only pull same size or smaller vehicles (that are stuck) to you. Your not pulling a 1ton dually out of a ditch with a 1/2 ton and don’t expect a 1/2 ton to be pulled out by a Wrangler.

Don’t ever use a chain in place of a strap the risk ain’t ever worth it. Chains kill period end of story.

There’s much debate about carrying weight in the back of these trucks for traction. Years ago most everybody did but now the thought is with auto 4x4 and AWDs it’s not necessary? I’m old skool and have sand bags in the back of any 4x I drive for traction and if I need I can cut one or two open for grip on ice. Have to keep them dry of course. If you choose to carry weight make sure it’s secure. Don’t want it to slide either way and take out your tailgate or the front of the box.

Some kind of “all weather” floor mats are a must IMO in the snow belt. I have the Huskies in mine.

Remeber to stock up on supplies early before they are needed. Sideway/driveway salt, sand bags disappear, shovels and scrappers, and especially groceries sell out fast when the weather person says winter storm or blizzard warning on the news. People (like my mom use to) stock up like it’s Armageddon.

Ice storms do to power lines what tropical storms/hurricanes do. We I was a kid we lived in town we went 72 hours once. At the old acreage longest I went was 5 days. Just remember you’re now doing it in the cold. I’m a firm believer in a gas hot water heater and stove for this reason. A hot shower and hot meal make these days a lot more bearable IMO.

If your or other family members vehicle is stuck on a shut down interstate or there is a “tow ban” on it might be 3 plus days before you can recover that vehicle. Here in Iowa couple years ago there was a 90+ car pile up on I-35 took over a week for all the vehicles to get cleared off. Then the body shops fill up and are weeks out and loaners are scarce same with rental cars. So it ain’t a bad idea to have a plan B and C in place for work and school travel. Coworkers/classmates that you can carpool with, public transit, ect. Also make sure everyone in the family knows what way they travel to and from point A,B,C and back and stick to that route. Same with outdoor activities know where they are at. About once every 3 years around here somebody will go off the road and end up somewhere the vehicle isn’t seen and aren’t found for days.

Summer gear in the 1/2 ton I got the Covercraft Carhartt windshield shade and it makes a big difference after the truck sits in the sun all day at work (front sides are tinted also) and I carry a white “golf” towel to throw over the wheel if I’m just running in and out of somewhere.

Darksky · April 4, 2019

Wforest08 - You sound like a man with experience. Well said.

I didn’t list tools and jumper cables, but yes and yes. Epic, you will also need to get used to buying antifreeze windshield washer fluid.

Some guys like to have a set of winter tires on old wheels or Steelies, that will be for you to decide. I don’t. I use BFG TAKO 2s year round, and like 18 inch wheels so that I have adequate sidewall to protect me from bumps in the road and winter curb rash.

Ive carried a bag of plays and over each wheel well every winter for quite a while. But, with my new traction bars, I didn’t notice the sand was missing.

Ice driving is a crapshoot. Practice getting to know your truck away from everyone, when you can. However, it’s the “other guy” that’s going to hit you the vast majority of the time.

the best advice I can give for that is increase your following distance, slow way down and exercise caution constantly when it’s icy. Avoid driving if you can when it’s shitte.

If they use salt... you’re in for a real treat. Here, because it’s so dry, they put down calcium carbonate(?) to hold down the dust during the summer months, it makes the dirt cake like you can’t imagine in the mud months. I hope your truck never has to experience that.

Ozer · April 4, 2019

Cellphone and coffee.. on my commutes lol

I don't do anything off road. Not sure why im not driving an econobox instead

EpicLT · April 4, 2019

Thanks @wforrest08 and @Darksky. Especially for tips on where to store stuff. My goal is to keep myself safe I’m not hitting anyone else. If it comes to someone else hitting me, I’ll be upset for sure but at least my dashcam is always running to catch that and hopefully get a quick at fault payment.