Breakdown bag.

[Gonk]

Not sure if this is the right area but it's related so I'll give it a go.

A few weeks ago my parents were travelling through Germany at night on the way back to the UK when they hit a large bit of debris in the road. It completely took at the front near side of their car and spun the vehicle. Luckily they were safe and well.

They had some provisions with them. But were lacking in others.

As they do this kind of thing often I want to get them a small bag together with a few things they would need.

I have my own idea what should be in there. But first I'd like your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks from now.

[spandit]

• hi-viz jackets/waistcoats
• blankets
• flapjack/nuts
• water
• torch

For starters. I'm assuming they already have a FAK and warning triangle in the car

[mrcharly]

Old-candybar phone on PAYG.

[Andy BB]

Brew kit - not only provides hot drinks but something to do while waiting for breakdown truck...

Also a pair of fold-down chairs - not safe to stay in car whilst broken down on major roads. By the same token, decent waterproofs/warm clothes.

[sandsnakes]

basic first aid kit.

[Suffolksteve]

disposable camera for taking photos of prangs and car positions after accidents.

Insurance information

Contact details for AA or equivilant if they have it

[deeps]

I have one of these for hill walking but normally keep it in the car. You often see family groups huddled in the rain on the safe side of the crash barrier waiting for a motorway rescue truck - a storm shelter could make a real difference.

http://www.outdoordesigns.co.uk/prod...ter_group.html

[Vulpes]

Surplus 58 pattern poncho. Not only can you wear it, but it can be pitched as a shelter too.

[spandit]

Brew kit - not only provides hot drinks but something to do while waiting for breakdown truck...

Will also help with the shock - I'm sure it was on here that I read the advice of making a brew the first thing you should do as the concentration involved helps to overcome the initial panic

[Gonk]

Thanks for all the help will type a better response when home tapatalk is failing me.

[Gonk]

So this is where I am with.
They usually have a few things with them, the ability the make tea (lots of it), High Vis jackets (kept in boot, will go in bag.), triangle and a bunch of red flashing bike lights. Though my parents have never been into bushcraft skills my dad has been in the army and my mother has looked after 4 kids and has very green fingers, assuming they can start a fire if they need to (though I'll double check, should think dad will just set car on fire to keep warm), not sure about their first aid skills either.


Small bag big enough to carry.
2x Poncho
Spare cheap mobile (emergency numbers programmed in and a small laminated card with some)
2x Head Torch (spare batteries)
Foil Blanket
Multi Tool
First Aid Kit
Disposable Camera
Waterproof pen and paper (last time it was raining heavy)
Wool Blanket
Survival Tin (Just cause it will fit)
2x Lighter
Extra Water

Rescue Knife (to cut through seatbelts break glass, stay tuned for this), kept somewhere they can just grab inside the car. (place?)

Might add in a secondary brew kit.

How's that sound?

[calgarychef]

Don't forget the toilet paper!!

[bushwacker bob]

Don't forget the toilet paper!!

Wet wipes are more useful and stowable.

[santaman2000]

I don't keep a bag but rather have items in various places in the truck (glove compartment, center console, storeage under back seat, door pockets, etc.) that I will or might need on the road or in the woods:

sungalsses
spare reeading glasses
spare regular glasses
compass (hand compass plus the one built into the truck)
Buck 110
Nepalese Khukuri (panawal)
entrenching tool
telescoping ultra-lite fishing rod with reel and small (coat pocket sized) tackle box
binoculars
toilet paper
large size wet wipes
space blanket/stadium blanket
loads of tie down gear for securing loads (cargo straps, bungees, etc.)
duct tape
small hunter orange vest (for my Godson)
pen/notebook
Paperback Bible & pocket size GI prayer book
set of coveralls
work gloves
1st aid kit
fire extinguisher
spare contact lens solution
spare meds
A couple of meals (MREs or civilian ready to eat)
reuseable, cloth shopping bags
CZ Model 83 .380 pistol with spare magazine (under the driver's seat if I'm not wearing it) or larger handgun on occassion (not applicable for UK & probably some European countries)

Items to add when budget permits:
CB radio (preferably Galaxy Dx 979 --- or --- Cobra 29)
Ham radio (probably Yaesu 2 meter)

[Fraxinus]

Hey Gonk, just caught this thread and a couple of things sprang to mind:
Flourescent jackets: keep them on the seat backs, firstly the can be donned before exiting the car, secondly when abroad it reduces the chances of being stopped for spot checks.
Spare mobile phone: great idea but it needs to be kept charged... perhaps add in an in car charger or wind up torch that will charge the phone (I have one of these with a variety of connectors to suit all phones...except mine!!! )

We also have a lunch box with spare bulbs, cable ties, fuses and jubilee clips, quality ones, of assorted sises (26th letter of abc not working on this keyboard again!) that has seen use in fixing a few problems from a clutch cable disengaging to the turbo air tube not staying put.

Rob.

[Harvestman]

Just a note on the brewkit. There have been several recent threads about the dangers of lighting fires in confined spaces. Make sure the kit is not used in the car itself, because of fumes.

[rik_uk3]

Slow down lads for crying out loud...while the original question sounds more like a request for help with a vehicle / bug out bag, we're talking about a car in Europe, not the end of the world; they ain't going down the trans Siberian highway in mid winter, they're not in Transylvania with the wicked Count waiting at the end of the highway devilish grin on his blood red lips as the sun goes down lol

Spandit in post #2 got it just about right, add some cash and maybe an anorak each and its job done.

[Spikey DaPikey]

+1 for the mobile phone car charger....

[santaman2000]

Oh yes! Lets not forget membership card for the motor club.

[cbr6fs]

A lot will depend on where and when they are travelling.

If you break down in a remote area in Greece in summer then your needs are going to be very different than if you break down in a remote area in Scotland in the winter.

Also depends on the car, if they're in a small 2 seater sports car then space is a concern.
If on the other hand they're in a big 4x4 then they can throw pretty much anything including the kitchen sink.


I usually keep at least:
2 x 1.5l bottles of water
Hi-viz vest
Wet wipes
Some rags (usually micro fibre type)
a work glove
Warning triangle
Fairly comprehensive first aid kit containing items i'm happy working with.
Bottle of tyre repair foam
12v pump
Tool kit (socket wrench and bits) screwdriver, wire cutters etc etc
Torch
The usual zip ties and duct tape

In winter i'll throw in a thick 3 layer water proof high viz jacket and a wool blanket.
In summer i usually throw a couple more bottles of water in and a bottle of sunblock.

Slow down lads for crying out loud...while the original question sounds more like a request for help with a vehicle / bug out bag, we're talking about a car in Europe, not the end of the world; they ain't going down the trans Siberian highway in mid winter, they're not in Transylvania with the wicked Count waiting at the end of the highway devilish grin on his blood red lips as the sun goes down lol

Spandit in post #2 got it just about right, add some cash and maybe an anorak each and its job done.

Not sure how much travelling you've done mate, but i can tell you from first hand experience there are hundreds of square miles of areas where there is no mobile phone service around Europe.
When we stayed in Pitlochry the other year we had a 10 mile drive before we got enough bars on our phones to make a call.

We've had vast areas in Italy, Germany, France and Greece where we went for miles without a signal.
Head off on a quiet B road and you could be waiting at least a night before anyone passes you.


In my experience as a bloke that usually drives/rides around 4000 miles a year up/down and across Europe (UK and back) you really need to be equipped so you can survive 24 hours.
If you have enough room, then ideally enough stuff to survive comfortably for those 24 hours.

Sure you might not actually need everything, but i manage to fit all those bits in my little MX5 without any worries so it's hardly a hardship to throw a few things in "just in case".

We were stranded on Lesvos the other year when our hire car broke down.
It was 8 hours before we got back to the house.
4 hours were spent out in the midday sun with a car with no running motor (so no AC) with temps around 45c in the shade.
If i hadn't had thrown a pack of 6 x 1.5 litre bottles of water in the car we'd had been in serious trouble.
This in a island that's only just over 25 miles wide, with mobile phone service, in a country were we spoke the native language, AND had local breakdown coverage.

[BillyBlade]

Hate to disagree with you Rik, and I rarely do, but whats above is spot on the money.

When I lived in Spain, I had a friend whos car decided to die one night in the mountains of northern Spain in early February. Minus 16 celcius overnight, and snow 2 feet deep. This was on the main autoroute BTW, and not a backwater.

Nothing passed him for about 5 hours, and with no phone signal, hence he had 5 hours in a frozen metal box with no food and no water. He was in a pretty poor state when they got to him. He had actually taken the aftermarket seatcovers off the front seats and wrapped them around him like a makeshift sleeping bag.

We're talking about a young fit guy in his 20's here as well, not someone middle aged or older with any underlying health issues.

Also, the floods last week in Newcastle. My wife found herself trapped in a car for nearly 8 hours. Ok, she only used the food and water I stow in her car, but all the same, she still needed it.

We tend to think in Europe that the cavalry is always just around the corner. I disagree strongly with that. When it goes bad, be able to rely on yourself, not instant help from outside.

[santaman2000]

Before we jump on Rik too much, have a look back to Spandit's post #2 & see just what he recommended; Food, blankets, water. And then Rik reccommended adding warm clothing. Probably covers most of Northern or central Europe. Maybe adjust it some for Southern Europe and warmer climates. Not EVERYTHING I would want but it should keep most people alive and reasonably comfortable overnight.

[Fraxinus]

As with most things the kit needs to reflect the intended area of travel and time of year etc. The biggest truth I have found is that; if you have it you will probably never use it but, if you don't have it you will wish you did. We often hear (in the media) of unprepared people who get into difficulties but rarely of people who are prepared and for whom it was not a major drama.

Check out some of the "I Should Not Be Alive" videos on you tube, The Date From Hell is a good one to start with and has a bit of a twist to show stuff can even happen to those who are pretty well prep'd.

CBR6FS has a valid point regarding language skills too, it is one thing to talk face to face with someone with reference to a phrase book but entirely different over the phone as you have no visual clues to assist you. I have lived and worked in Crete and Germany, worked in France,Holland and Spain and on several occassions communication has become a mime act!

Rob.

[bushwacker bob]

CBR6FS has a valid point regarding language skills too, it is one thing to talk face to face with someone with reference to a phrase book but entirely different over the phone as you have no visual clues to assist you. I have lived and worked in Crete and Germany, worked in France,Holland and Spain and on several occassions communication has become a mime act!

Rob.

IME.You just need to talk very slowly and loudly and everyone in the world can understand English.

[cbr6fs]

IME.You just need to talk very slowly and loudly and everyone in the world can understand English.

I'd say you've never visited Italy and France then Bob

[ged]

How are they with tools and mechanical/electrical stuff? In addition to some basic (or not so basic) survival gear in/on whatever vehicle I always have a toolkit of some sort with me. Depends obviously on the vehicle what tools you might need and can take, but there are a lot of breakdowns that can be managed easily with a simple tools, materials, improvisation and ingenuity. As well as the usual spanners and stuff collected over the years, the kit in the Jeep includes abrasive paper, spare fuses, bulbs, bits of wire, cable ties, chocolate blocks, tape, other odds and ends and a digital voltmeter. About 18 months ago when a new radiator sprang a leak in a van, a can of Radweld got me and the in-laws' furniture back to England from the south of Spain.

Oh, and the location for that rescue knife? It's on my belt. Now.

[santaman2000]

I'd say you've never visited Italy and France then Bob

LOL. It's been my eperience that the French speak English very well; they just refuse too. However I have noticed that when there's a shortage of tourists, French waiters will resort to insulting each other.

[ged]

... It's been my experience that the French speak English very well ...

People around Paris do tend to speak foreign languages, but out in the sticks they more often don't. Down in Catalonia even the professionals don't seem to speak any English.

[cbr6fs]

LOL. It's been my eperience that the French speak English very well; they just refuse too. However I have noticed that when there's a shortage of tourists, French waiters will resort to insulting each other.

It's weird in Italy very few locals speak English once you get out the typical tourist traps BUT it's always great fun and they tend to take the time to try to communicate.
I always find it funny when they speak to me in Italian but i tell them i don't understand, so they then talk to me in Italian slower

Some of the most ignorant people i've come across has been in France.
In the cities they don't even try to communicate many times.

My Mrs's earphones broke and as she wore them on the back of the bike we went to find some replacements while we were in Cannes.
We went into 4 electrical goods shops with the intent of spending around €60 with them, yet not only could not 1 assistant or owner speak ANY English, they were ALL rude nd ignorant.

So she waited til we got to Italy and we ended up spending 1 hour in a shop chatting to the owner him asking us about our journey and where we going, without him speaking hardly any English and us very little Italian.
He even invited us to his house for dinner that evening, although i think he had an eye on my Mrs

[cbr6fs]

I work on explosive detection systems many of which are based in airports.

I cannot work in a French airport unless i have a French citizen next to me at all times.
It does not matter if i speak some French or not, i have to either find a French guy in the office or pay to have the airport provide one.

Ridiculous.