7 Must-haves for your emergency road trip kit
Whether you’re heading to the trails for a morning of mountain biking, driving cross country on a road trip, or embarking on a multi-day overlanding camping trip, an emergency kit is a must-have. Here are a few essential items that you can store in a Wolf Pack Pro and leave in your vehicle:
© Craig Kolesky
1. First-aid kit
Most chemists and outdoor shops stock basic first-aid kits. Make sure your kit includes a range of dressings, closure strips and bandages, as well as disinfectants, burn cream and tweezers. We also recommend adding a space blanket, antihistamines (for insect bites and hay fever), pain killers (such as aspirin and ibuprofen) Buscopan (for stomach cramps), as well as Imodium and Smecta.
© Craig Kolesky
2. Food supplies
Having a stash of supplies (enough for one night at the very least) could save your life. Pack enough dry foods that won’t spoil, such as energy bars, biscuits, rusks and perhaps even a packet or two of dehydrated meals. Also keep two liters of bottled water in your kit.
3. Spare clothing for all conditions
A change of clothes may seem like something you pack for your toddler, but you never know when an extra shirt will be needed. Start with a thin, fleece long top and a moisture-wicking short-sleeved shirt, as well as a simple rain poncho that packs small and build from there. For longer trips on which you’re likely to encounter mud, a set of Wellington boots are invaluable.
Dead batteries happen. When they do and you’re without support, you could find yourself truly stuck. The Scosche PowerUp 700 Portable Jump Starter is a small unit that packs a big punch. It holds its charge for up to 12 months. It is capable of jump-starting vehicles up to 10 cylinders and features dual 5V (2.1A + 1.1A) USB ports for charging mobile devices as well as an ultra-bright LED flashlight.
Watch any episode of the Tasmania series from our collaborator, Sidetracked Australia , and you’ll see just how useful these lightweight and tough recovery devices are. They use integrated teeth that grip into a tyre’s tread to provide traction in sand, mud or snow. The convenient Front Runner mounting system and nesting design ensures MAXTRAX MKII can be stacked and stored compactly to increase load capacity. As our collaborator Corey Seemann said, “I just put them on the rack and forget about them. Until I need them.”
Plugging a tyre is easier than you might think - mountain bike pros use the method to fix flats during races. The kit includes a rasping tool (to make the hole big enough for the repair plug to fit) an insertion tool (a thick, T-handled needle of sorts), plugs and rubber cement. It is a lot less intimidating to make use of the plug than it might seem - simply coat the plug with the supplied rubber cement, push the plug into the hole, pull back on the T-handle until it comes free leaving the plug (hopefully neatly) in the hole. Re-inflate your tyre using the Rough & Tough 2 cylinder air compressor and off you go.
From digging yourself out of a sticky (or sandy) situation, to flattening a camping site or digging a fire pit, you should not go anywhere without a spade.
