16 Things You Should Have In The Trunk Of Your Car

11 Items You Should Always Keep in Your Car

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11. Emergency Cell Phone Charger

You probably have a regular charger at the ready to plug into your car when you’re low on juice. But if your car’s out of power, that’s not going to do you any good.

Keep an external portable battery charger with you. All you need to do is plug your phone into it for a quick power up. However, make sure it’s fully charged before you hit the road, which can take several hours. Otherwise, it’s as useless as your dead phone. Choose one that’s compatible with most USB-enabled devices like the Rapid Recharge Portable Power Bank ($63).

If you don’t want to worry about keeping another item charged, opt for a non-electric charger for an emergency call. Try the BoostTurbine 4000 ($80). You can charge your cell or your tablet with its hand crank—four minutes of arm power equals about one minute of talk time or a few texts. Enough time to tell emergency crews where you’re located.

16 Items You Should Always Keep in Your Car

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Equip your ride

It’s tempting to leave various odds and ends in your car so that you have access to them whenever you go anywhere (face masks, anyone?). And while there are lots of things that you shouldn’t be leaving in your car, there are other gadgets you should have on hand that can seriously help you out if you were ever to get in a jam on the road. Plus, find out the things you must do to get your car ready for winter.

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16 Things You Should Have In The Trunk Of Your Car

No one can predict when and where their car's going to break down. It's usually a very sudden malfunction that can leave you miles away from help (and sometimes even out of cell phone range). That said, there's a bunch of stuff you should be keeping in your truck at all times—with no exceptions—that could quickly get you back on the road, and maybe even save your life.

1. Jumper cables Because dead batteries are a fact of life.

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2. First aid kit For minor wounds and for minimizing damage until EMTs can arrive, you need a first aid kit. It’s actually mandated by law in most countries.

3. Kitty litter Whether you need it for gaining traction on slippery surfaces, mopping up oil spills, or simply for getting rid of the smell of that cheese you inadvertently left in your trunk, kitty litter’s significantly better than the sand your dad used to use.

4. Spare tire and/or Slime Adventures in Babysitting is a cheesy, albeit classic, ‘80s flick wherein teenage babysitter Elisabeth Shue has a blowout. In the events that follow, the cast is shot at, kidnapped, dangled out of skyscrapers, and sings with B.B. King. This is about the only situation where not having a spare tire actually resulted in something awesome. If your car doesn’t come with a spare (or even room for one), a full can of Slime is vital.

5. Jack and lug wrench So you've got yourself a spare tire and it’s properly aired up. Great! However, it’s not going to do you much good if you don’t have a means of jacking the car up or removing the lug nuts.

6. Air pump Again, you should always have a spare tire and jack in your car... but if you're close to town and can get to a shop quickly, an air pump will save you a ton of time and effort.

7. Tire pressure gauge They're small, affordable, and can give you peace of mind when journeying out on a long drive (at least as far as your tires are concerned).

8. A durable multitool Fact: a good multitool is the second most useful thing on this list. Even if you don't own a car, this is a must-have.

9. Hazard triangle/flares If you have any sort of problems on the road at night, you want to be as visible as possible, period. Like the first aid kit, this is mandatory in many countries.

10. Safety vest Many roads aren't lit that well, and some aren't lit at all. If you need to pull over in the middle of the night, you'll absolutely need to stand out to other tired, late-night motorists.

11. Blanket Ah, the blanket. It'll keep you warm in the winter if you break down and it'll keep you and your tools clean if you have to change out a tire, or get a look under your car. Have leather seats and need to pop open the hood in a rainstorm? The blanket is a perfect makeshift seat cover when you jump back in.

12. Fire extinguisher The chances you’ll actually need a fire extinguisher are thankfully slim. There’s no middle ground, though, because when you need one, you absolutely need one.

13. Tow strap Why would you need a tow strap? For starters, getting your car a relatively safe distance off the road until a tow truck can get there is extremely important.