Vehicle EDC (Everyday Carry) Thread

[TopsyCrett]

"Everyday Carry refers to a small collection of tools, equipment and supplies that are carried on a daily basis to assist in tackling situations ranging from the mundane to the disastrous." — Wikipedia

What do you guys make sure to carry in your Vehicles every day?
Does your selection vary depending on the car?
Although not EDC per se, what do you make sure to carry when going to a Track day? Camping trip? Off-Road? when Vancouver Snow-pocalypse hits?
Where did you find/purchase your VEDC's ?

Hopefully others can get ideas, and be more prepared for emergency situations from this thread. I'll be contributing a list of my own VEDC's with photos soon.

[swfk]

My BCAA card.

Spoiler!

Track day:
- spare tire that's filled
- spacer for the donut to clear BBK
- basic socket set
- torque wrench
- zip ties
- scissors
- head mounted LED light

Snow day:
- metal shovel
- jumper cables

[thumper]

i just cleaned out my trunk so i just took inventory of all this... for daily commuting:

mini tool kit
electrical tape
duct tape
zip ties (because roadkill)
bungee cords
emergency kit
air compressor flat tire kit
folding snow shovel and brush/scraper
mini battery booster pack

[320icar]

I have a new car now so it has changed extensively over the years. Used to have all kinds of shit to rebuild the entire car if needed but now I just have..

- all the factory jack/tools/spare
- booster pack w/ built in compressor
- large first aid kit
- spare old cell phone w/ charger (911 always works)
- pen, paper, bird poo wipes, knife, sunglasses, spare CD (big shiny tunes 2)

And if it's winter, gotta have extra stuff for skiing season
- folding shovel
- folding mini stool (for puttin on ski boots)
- tow rope, flares, flashlights, gloves, mini backpack, hand warmers. Emergency blanket, water, snacks, etc etc

[meme405]

This is going to be excessive for most, but I drive FSR and remote sites throughout the year, so I carry/have the truck outfitted with a lot:

-Beacon Light
-Buggy whip
-VHF radio (with all LAD channels and Range Road channels, as well as personal/Site channels)
-On the headache rack I carry a bunch of bungee cords (or inside my jobbox)
-a bunch of ratchet straps 1", 2" (ranging from 5' to 20')
-two 5/8" crosby Shackles, two 3/4" crosby shackles
-Misc Nylon Choker slings (2" 10' & a 4" 8' usually)
-Folding Shovel
-Emergency Axe (a wrecking tool actually)
-Wheel chains (for all 4 tires, with the proper wheel bungee's)

-Red Duffel Bag emergency Kit:
-Blanket
-Level 1 first aid kit
-Flashlight
-Candle
-lighter
-jumper cables
-Food
-Fire starting kit
-Basic mechanics kit (screwdrivers, sockets, etc)
-Duct tape, electrical tape
-Zap Straps
-Tie Wire

My day pack has a:
-VHF hand radio, same channels as my vehicle radio (with mic attachment)
-Food (non perishable/Long term stuff)
-Some Form of Folding knife (usually a CRKT M16)
-Fixed blade full tang knife (usually a benchmade nimravus)
-Mechanics gloves
-Dust mask
-Leatherman Wave
-Leatherman Raptor
-Lifestraw
-Portable 30000mah charger
-Laptop
-Olight S3R batonIII
-Water Bottle/Kanteen
-Zippo Lighter
-Pen's, pencil, sharpie, paper, notebooks, etc
-Emergency Blanket

Like I said, I drive upwards of 60k km a year, and on some of the worst roads, and in northern climates, so my kit is A-Typical. However if you are planning on going 4 wheeling, or winter camping, the above gives you a good idea of some of the shit some of us who do this daily carry.

Current Truck:



Driving a couple weeks ago (literally on a glacier):

[westopher]

Screwdriver, torx, and socket set.
Spare, widowmaker, zip ties, coolant.

[JordanLee]

www.reddit.com/r/vedc for a great list of ideas as well.

Looking forward to building a flat platform in my SUV with drawers

[toyota86]

daily commuting in my m3
coolant and water
couple liters of oil
small collection of common bmw sockets and tools
flash light
rags
pen/paper
zip ties/hose clamps
obd reader
jumper cable
electrical tape
first aid kit
umbrella
extra jacket
tire pressure gauge
phone charger
touch up paint
leather care
rubber care spray

daily commuting in my altezza
10, 12, 14mm socket/ratchet and a double sided phillips/flat screw driver
a paper clip
pen/paper
drinking water
napkins
squash air freshener
phone charger

[mos_skeeto]

I'm a bit paranoid if I ever had a flat and had to change it with cars wizzing by. I keep a bright orange road pylon in my trunk so I can at least put something on the road. It's better than nothing.

[MrPhreak]

I try to keep it fairly light for my cars

-Compressor
-Socket Set
-Breaker Bar
-Flashlight
-Ratchet Straps
-Zip Ties

One thing I've learned: You can fix or improvise virtually anything on the road (or trail) with a ratchet strap and zip ties

[godwin]

I recommend not to carry a full socket set but just the bits and sockets for the ones you will actually use. For me it is always 10mm, 12mm, 8mm, 18mm etc.. along with a magnetic parts tray, all fit in an old school Lenovo power adaptor bag. I carry a fully kit out spare coolant expansion tank in all my cars.. if you own BMWs, you know why.. cheap $50. I also keep photos of the wheel locks I use on my phone. Had to CNC a spare one once.. after that I keep that handy.

The reason besides weight and being pointless for the full socket set.. if you cross the border, the US side really frown on work related things.. a full set bound to get ask more questions.

Real flares, small axe, matches are in my winter kit.

[LuHua]

A bit too much in my car...
Main items:
-Lithium jump starter w/ flashlight
-12V Compressor and pressure gauge
-Tire plugs
-Collapsible shovel and brush/scraper
-Breaker bar and torque wrench
-Leatherman Surge multitool
-5L Plastic gas container(5L on a Civic gets you a looooong way)
-USB chargers, pens, some hidden change, water bottles, touch up paint, cleaners, paper towel roll, window cleaner, garbage bags...

My complete set of work tools is in the car which includes a socket set, drill/driver and bits, hand tools, jb weld, torch, zip ties, etc.

[Skittlez160]

Basically the same as most here...

- Jumper cables
- Mini ratchet set
- Tire plug repair kit
- Torque wrench
- Breaker bar
- Sockets
- 2 fleece blankets
- Valve core tool
- Nylon grocery bags lol

I'm probably forgetting about a few items here and there. I recently took out my mini tool bag with wrenches and what not. I gotta go through it and trim it down a bit.

[6o4__boi]

Jumper cables
Breaker bar with my tire socket
A small hydraulic jack
Flashlight
Umbrella
Snow scraper/brush
Small gas container

lol and an assload of of free bags i've collected over the years cus ain't nobody paying 5 cents for grocery bags

[Great68]

Couple of cloth grocery bags in the trunk,
Some bird dropping wipes, a couple of rags.

[cdizzle_996]

Condoms and a phone charger

[pastarocket]

jumper cables
shovel (packed in the winter only), snow brush
emergency survival kit (light sticks, U.S. coast guard food packs with 5 year shelf life, band aids, portable rain coat, water packs with 5 year shelf life. lighter, matches, antiseptic wipes, survival manual).
wrench, mini pylon.
phone charger.
golf umbrella,
flashlight
cloth grocery bags
paper and pen

baton (can't be too careful these days)

[godwin]

Don't store touch up paint in the car!! It is a waste of money since it will just dry out. I suggest make a paint swatch when you first get the touch up paint and note the paint code, so you can go match it at Lordco if you need to.. Who in the right mind touch up on the side of the road?! Go home, clean it, get it done properly (ie sand, paint, sand, clear coat and sand). Your car is not a delicate snow flake, it will survive a paint scratch until you get home.

Engine oil, gas, I would only bring them if I am going on the TransCanada to Alberta, where there is no Lordco etc for long stretches etc 500km. Those things don't like heat cycles. No, mixing oil grades in an emergency is not as bad as running without oil. If you really want to put 1+kg of dead weight in your trunk, make sure you cycle out your can of oil once a while before it congels into putty. Keep a 4L jug of distilled water from a pharmacy, so you get coolant and drinking water all in one. Also keep a pack of JBWeld (dry putty, not liquid epoxy) and Suguru around though. I emphasis of ease of long term storage, chances are you don't need them, but you don't want to need them and find them to be freaking useless.

For jacking up cars, it is more important to have practice, than to have a full race setup.. also keep a foot long 4x4 and 4x2 in your trunk. (I suggest sanding them and drill a hole with a string loop around it), you might end up needing them to balance or the very least you can use them as wheel chokes (or you might need it as kindling to make a fire). Check before you go on a trip that your jacking pads underneath the car are all there.

For cars that are newer than 97 and just out of factory warranty.. also get a cheap OBD2 scanner.. not so you can scan everything, but just be able to clear codes, in case you are stuck in fail safe mode. Again for emergencies.. I don't have my BMW diagnostic setup with me, but enough to see what's wrong or might need to source a part like cam sensor etc. So knowing your car ahead of time really helps at that particular daily drive or long trip.

Also store your lithium ion jump battery pack in a metal cookie tin (with a semi good air seal).. Those Chinese egg roll tins are good candidates (since they usually have 2 lids), wrap your pack in a zip lock bag first. Unless you want to increase your car's likelihood to end up like Lomac's Mx6, keep it in a metal container. Also read the instructions for power level for your particular li ion setup, you don't want it at 100% but usually 80-90%. Also mark the last time you check the battery. I assume you would park at somewhere with an electrical outlet so you can charge... if your car dies and won't start in middle of no where you are hoofed either way. Honestly because of the storage issue, I recommend an old fashion pb acid battery pack from CT any day..

The whole point about EDC is you don't want to have everything you want to do to the car with you at all times, but just enough so you can get to safety or back to the shop. Just like you don't expect an ambulance to be equipped to carry out plastic or brain surgeries.. They have enough to stabilize and have the patient good enough to get to the hospital. Modularize your pack so you can mix and match according to your needs. Also pack things sensibly, things like clothing, meds etc in Molle backpacks, tools in mole bags, oil liquid etc in storage containers. You don't want to squirrel things all over the place.

I usually keep ziploc bags of supplies like airline bottled water (Thanks AirCanada) and their snacks, so I can give away to homeless people if I see them especially at stop lights on Grandview Highway. Sometimes I will throw in an apple or banana, but it seems people who man those places prefer processed food like granola bar etc.

Oh according to RFD Canadian Tire's Road side assistance often have 50% off.

[wickedxj]

Have ELM327 OBDII readers in both vehicles. Haven't seen voltmeters listed, have cheap ones in both vehicles. Before jumping someone's car, I always check their battery voltage, maybe it's not the reason it's not starting, could help you diagnose a connection/terminal problem. Also confirm alternator output once started.

Besides that all the usuals listed already↑

[!Aznboi128]

Shit, after reading this I'm considering I'm packing light.

All I have in my trunk is a mutibit screwdriver and a muti-tool that includes pilers/sidecutters/knift etc.

In the wife's car tho... all sorts of stuff it's amazing
wife has
-spare shoes
-spare clothing
-blanket
-dog leash
-dog food
-water
-first aid kit
-road flares
-inflate a flat tire kit
-Stoptech BBK + rotors
-mastercraft 150+ pc tool kil
-torque wrench by the driver's door
-heat gun

okay the last few things is just cause I was lazy to take out but she does keep the rest in there normally.

[roastpuff]

^ x2! I thought I was decently prepared but you guys have the entire shop in there.

My truck has a big Rubbermaid box in the back:
- Washer fluid
- Straps/tie-downs/webbing
- Jumper cables
- Safety vest
- Socket set (just the simple 50-pc one)
- 12V air compressor
- Work gloves
- Tow straps, tow hooks, recovery strap, shackles
- Tarp
- Shovel + snow brush + sand/salt in sand bags in winter

Inside the cab, in the underfloor storage area:
- Blanket
- Food/water (just some granola bars and water bottles)
- Flashlight/work light

[meme405]

What people appear to be missing over and over is a first aid kit.

The thing about a first aid kit, is that it has a lot of useful things in it, string, scissors, lighter, dry wipes, etc. These can help you outside of first aid situations as well.

The other part of a first aid kit, is that even if you don't know how to use everything in there, carry it, then you give the chance to someone who does know how to use it and may not have one the opportunity to help someone.

The number of times I've reached into that first aid kit makes it among the most used items in my entire kit, Everything from helping a trucker who cut himself chaining down his load, to full on car accidents.

It can be a little bit of an expense, many more thorough kits can reach into the hundred dollar marks, but even a $20 bag with sterilized cleaning wipes, gloves, bandages, cleaning solution, etc. will be of use.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by meme405

What people appear to be missing over and over is a first aid kit.

The thing about a first aid kit, is that it has a lot of useful things in it, string, scissors, lighter, dry wipes, etc. These can help you outside of first aid situations as well.

The other part of a first aid kit, is that even if you don't know how to use everything in there, carry it, then you give the chance to someone who does know how to use it and may not have one the opportunity to help someone.

The number of times I've reached into that first aid kit makes it among the most used items in my entire kit, Everything from helping a trucker who cut himself chaining down his load, to full on car accidents.

It can be a little bit of an expense, many more thorough kits can reach into the hundred dollar marks, but even a $20 bag with sterilized cleaning wipes, gloves, bandages, cleaning solution, etc. will be of use.

I've been meaning to get/build one, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet...

[Nlkko]

Ratchet, zip ties, spare bulbs or front and rear lamps, and uhm... dog poop bags.

[Mikoyan]

Originally Posted by 320icar

- spare old cell phone w/ charger (911 always works)

Just make sure it's not an old Telus/Bell CDMA phone, the kind that didn't need a SIM card. The network's being turned down nationwide at the end of this month. It's not going to work after that.