Preparing Your Vehicle For The Winter

by S. Baird
(Utah)

Have you ever considered what you might do if you are driving on the freeway in the middle of the winter and something occurs that stops all traffic for hours on end? All of a sudden you find yourself in a parking lot on the freeway. To stay warm you keep your car running. But, after a period of time you run out of gas and now you're stranded with no heat.

This happened to a young man who shared his thoughts for the benefit of others. He had no heat after running out of gas. No blankets, extra coats, gloves, hat, hand warmers. Nothing that could aid him in keeping warm. He had no food or water. Misery, was all he felt as he struggled to deal with the situation that had come upon him.

After reading his story I decided to make sure that this would never happen in my husband's work car or our family van.

Our cars are now equipped with warm supplies for each member of our family. We have wool blankets, military parkas, gloves, hats, thermals (made out of polypropylene), foam, food and water. (More info below on the benefits of foam).

I am in the process of putting these items in individual bags that go under the seat of each person in my family. Not only is it important to have your 72 hour kits in your home but it's just as important to make sure that you can survive a situation that occurs away from home.

My husband has 2 of everything. One for his work car and one for the family van. Of course he spends more time in his work car but if something were to occur while we were all out as a family I want to be sure that he is equipped with all the necessary things, too.

A lot of money does not have to be spent on warm things. Many of us have clothes that we have stuffed in boxes and put away. Go through those boxes and see what warm items you have that you could add to your car supply.

Go to the D.I. Many warm things could be bought for a small price at the D.I. I have small children and many over-sized coats. But, that's o.k. My children like to use them as sleeping bags. Just think. An over-sized coat covers more of a child's body. My children love to wrap themselves up in them.

If after reading this you are considering putting together a winter car kit I challenge you to set a date to have this accomplished. Fun and freezing do not go hand in hand. Especially if you already have items in your home that you could put in your car. The last thing you want to think about in a freezing situation is the warm coat and sleeping bag sitting in your home that you could have placed in your car.

Remember.......JUST DO IT.....The day may (will) come when you'll be glad you did.

FOAM

Foam has saved people from hypothermia. There are benefits to foam that many are not aware of.

Foam cannot retain moisture. Therefore, the moisture is released out of the foam as the heat stays in.

I keep foam around because of it's amazing ability to save you from freezing. I also keep scissors and duct tape in our cars. If worse came to worse I wouldn't hesitate to do what I'm about to tell you.

If you are freezing in your car pull out your scissors and cut open the seats in your car. Take out the foam and wrap yourself in it. Use the duct tape to secure it to you. This saved 2 people a couple years ago who were stranded. They even wrapped the foam around their feet to avoid frostbite. It worked.

Couch cushions have foam. Cut up the foam in your couches if worse came to worse. Or, just add foam to your emergency supplies.

Jim Philips and his father are the wonderful men who discovered the warmth that comes from foam. Look up Jim Philips for more info on foam.

Good luck in your preparations of staying warm wherever you may be.