Winter emergency kit?

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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,704
5,824
146
What are up to now? About 1500 pounds of gear and post-apocalypse survival supplies?

Maybe she could just drive an RV back and forth to work. Don't forget the generator and extra fuel.
No kidding. I really like all the tool recommendations. My wife can use a screwdriver and a pair pf pliers, but to do what exactly? She's not going to repair the car.

Two things kill you. hypothermia in a few hours if it is bad, and dehydration after some days. Hunger is 3 weeks if you have water. So, unless you are preparing your wife for a post-apocalyptic car crash deep into the brush, the cell phone she carries, some water, and if you really think it necessary one of these.
https://www.rei.com/product/813511/sol-emergency-bivy
 

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,363
475
126
backup cell phone.

don't need any accounts or anything either. a $10 pay as you go new from walmart or whatever and toss it in the back and a 12v adapter. there should be more than enough juice to run a phone.
 

Jaepheth

Platinum Member
Apr 29, 2006
2,572
25
91
A rocketpack

That way once the storm that strands her has died down she can just fly home in style.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,323
5,407
136

deustroop

Golden Member
Dec 12, 2010
1,915
354
136
It appears that it never rains in them there hills so no need for wet gear, like rubber boots and a water proof jacket with hood and especially for a nice large umbrella for the time she be hitchhiking in the rain. And no need for a condom, you know, so she can persuade that dude to give her a ride.
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,660
602
126
Why don't you try sitting and peeing/shiting in snow. I mean duh...
Worked in the oil field for close to 12 years. When you gotta go and you're about three hours from the nearest highway, then another two hours from the nearest public bathroom, you don't let snowfall slow you down.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,157
13,567
126
www.anyf.ca
New Mexico? Water, sunblock, shades. Easy to overlook importance of skin protection until you find yourself in the hot desert sun. (ex: if car crashed or something and she has to get out) Maybe a gun? Protect from any potential wildlife attacks, drug lords, etc. Some kind of power source like solar charger or battery bank, or simply ensuring phone is fully charged before leaving would work. Would be a good idea to take a drive and take note of how decent the coverage is, ex: how long are the gaps between coverage. If she happens to break down in a non coverage zone it might be the thing of walking a few km to get coverage.

The very worse case scenario is breaking down half way then it's about 50km either way till civilization - a typical person is not going to be walking that easily, but chances are a car will pass by at some point and you can just wave for help to either get a ride or to get them to send help.

It's not like she's getting in a single engine bush plane and flying straight through Alaska. :p
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,660
602
126
Hot desert sun? She will be driving in the mountains north of Santa Fe during the WINTER the TC may have mentioned this already in the first post and the reply to me.

Also, it's weird to see so many stereotypes about New Mexico. When I went on vacation to Hawaii, I was asked (seriously) if we have vehicles yet. They thought we were still using horse-drawn carts and carriages.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,333
32,876
136
Hot desert sun? She will be driving in the mountains north of Santa Fe during the WINTER the TC may have mentioned this already in the first post and the reply to me.

Also, it's weird to see so many stereotypes about New Mexico. When I went on vacation to Hawaii, I was asked (seriously) if we have vehicles yet. They thought we were still using horse-drawn carts and carriages.
Please forgive him, he's Canadian. I grew up in Wisconsin and I am used to winter driving. I remember the first time I drove across the Navajo Res in winter. That's a lonely feeling out there. Driving through Eagle's Nest in summer, all I could think about was, "What do folks here do in winter?"
 
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shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
Oh, for reference those little plastic bottles of water expire because the cheap plastic slowly breaks down and leaks toxins into the water.
Aluminum bags of emergency water have MUCH longer expiration dates. But they cost a little more.


https://www.amazon.com/S-O-S-Food-Emergency-Individual-Packets/dp/B01GDMDWYO

Along those lines, I recommend you keep anything delicate in a Ziplock bag. Its not just for emergencies. Over a long period of time moisture/humidity can wreck almost anything.

https://www.amazon.com/BlueUniversal-Waterproof-CaseHQ-iPhone-Samsung/dp/B01N8WW50K
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,157
13,567
126
www.anyf.ca
Hot desert sun? She will be driving in the mountains north of Santa Fe during the WINTER the TC may have mentioned this already in the first post and the reply to me.

Also, it's weird to see so many stereotypes about New Mexico. When I went on vacation to Hawaii, I was asked (seriously) if we have vehicles yet. They thought we were still using horse-drawn carts and carriages.

It seriously gets cold in New Mexico? I always figured it was basically a desert. I guess can't always go by movies and TV shows. (ex: Breaking Bad)

And yeah you'll want metal containers for water not plastic.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,830
12,341
146
It seriously gets cold in New Mexico? I always figured it was basically a desert. I guess can't always go by movies and TV shows. (ex: Breaking Bad)

And yeah you'll want metal containers for water not plastic.

First off, deserts get cold at night. New Mexico has higher elevation places that get quite cold. They even have ski resorts in NM.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,830
12,341
146
What part of New Mexico will she be driving? I live in San Juan County and the kit I made my girlfriend is a bit different than most because of where she was driving.

I have driven south on I-25 from Colorado to Santa Fe, then down to Albuquerque and then west on I-40 to get back to Texas back in 2001, so I know the OP's route. But that was late spring, not winter. I had to look up San Juan County. Went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon last year (December 29 - January 5). Eight days, seven states, 2200 miles. Almost got stuck in Roswell on the 30th. I was driving a Camry. No 4x4. They had the most snowfall in 17 years the day before I drove through. Stopped in Four Corners on the way back. Did not go to Farmington. Instead, we headed north to Durango.

Main Street in Roswell, NM
Grand%20Canyon%202016%20-%20Day%202%20-%20037_zpsaojbk5ox.jpg


Our route
boxes_grand-canyon_road-trip_2016_zpsskcywnvb.jpg
 

Stg-Flame

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2007
3,660
602
126
The reason I mentioned San Juan County is because it's 95% oil field and if you get stuck on the side of the road, you usually only have to wait a few hours at most for someone with a tow rope to drive by.

Also, we did get some snow up here, but it's almost all completely melted. It was around 60F today and most people were out in t-shirts.

Most of New Mexico is flat desolate desert, but the northern parts rest at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains, so we do get some weather from the Rockies. North of Santa Fe is a lot worse (especially for the wind chill), but we still get our fair share over here.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,830
12,341
146
Wolf Creek Pass in Winter? You got lucky.

I had to look that up. We drove from the Grand Canyon to Alamosa that day. By the time I hit Pagosa Springs it was dark. So, I didn't get to see all those pretty mountains. Trust me, I was very disappointed. It's hard to predict everything by looking at a map. It had snowed about 3-4 days earlier. Most likely same storm that hit Roswell. So, it was fairly cleared by the time that I went through, but I had to still pay attention due to the darkness and the patchy snow.

Next day, I woke up to this view from my motel:

Grand%20Canyon%202016%20-%20Day%206%20-%20006_zps1cdrvluv.jpg
 
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IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,333
32,876
136
I had to look that up. We drove from the Grand Canyon to Alamosa that day. By the time I hit Pagosa Springs it was dark. So, I didn't get to see all those pretty mountains. Trust me, I was very disappointed. It's hard to predict everything by looking at a map. It had snowed about 3-4 days earlier. Most likely same storm that hit Roswell. So, it was fairly cleared by the time that I went through, but I had to still pay attention due to the darkness and the patchy snow.

Next day, I woke up to this view from my motel:

Grand%20Canyon%202016%20-%20Day%206%20-%20006_zps1cdrvluv.jpg
I high centered my Subaru 1600 wagon on a snow bank at the top of Wolf Creek Pass in June.