Everyday Carry & Vehicle Kit
What to carry in your pocket, your vehicle and your camp, so a bad day on a southern Alberta highway stays an inconvenience instead of an emergency.
In simple terms
You don’t need a bunker. You need a few small things on you every day, a solid kit in the vehicle, and a bit of extra for camp. Around here, the vehicle kit matters most: long empty highways, ground blizzards and wind can strand you a long way from help.
Worst case scenario, we can be in the truck. Flexibility is the way.
In your pocket
Gary’s own pocket kit:
- A Swiss Army knife
- A compact pliers multi-tool and a small folding knife
- A small LED flashlight
- A lighter wrapped with paracord (fire and cordage in one)
- A USB key with important files
- Keys on a carabiner
Worth adding: a pen, a whistle and a phone charging cable.
In every vehicle: the winter kit
Ground blizzards can drop visibility to zero under a blue sky, and temperatures can fall 20 degrees when a chinook ends. Pack for the worst day, not the average one.
Stay warm
- Spare wool socks, toques, gloves and mitts
- A warm blanket or sleeping bag
- Emergency bivy sack and Mylar blankets
- Hand warmers
- A tarp
Stay safe and seen
- First-aid kit
- Reflective vest and safety glasses
- Flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries
- Fire starters and a lighter
Get moving again
- A lithium jump starter (Gary carries a heavy-duty NOCO), plus booster cables
- Tow strap
- Shovel, scraper and brush
- Sand, kitty litter or traction mats
- A multi-tool and a basic tool roll
Keep going
- Water and high-energy snacks
- Phone charger and power bank
- A paper map
Heaters and carbon monoxide
Gary carries a propane heater and enclosures for camp. If you ever use a fuel-burning heater near a vehicle or shelter:
- Use only heaters rated for indoor use, and always crack a window or vent for fresh air.
- Carry a battery carbon monoxide alarm.
- If you’re stuck in a running vehicle, keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow and run the engine only in short bursts.
More in First Aid, under carbon monoxide.
For camp and RV trips
- Two tarps (a light one and a heavy one), paracord and long stakes
- A full-size multi-tool, a fixed-blade knife and a folding saw
- A compact sharpener (Gary carries KME and Spyderco travel sharpeners)
- A gravity water filter and separate drinking water
- A pocket weather meter. Gary uses Kestrels to check the wind before putting up awnings and antennas.
- A proper first-aid kit. Gary’s old Scout box set the standard.
- Something to communicate when there’s no cell signal. A ham radio is the best option; see VE6DOK.net.
Check it twice a year
Go through your vehicle kit in October before winter, and again in spring. Replace food and water, test the jump starter, swap in fresh batteries, and move the winter gear out (or in).
Summer additions
Summer brings its own risks: heat, sun, hail and long drives between towns. When the winter gear comes out in spring, put these in:
- More water than you think. At least a few litres per person, plus a little extra for an overheating radiator.
- Sun protection: a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.
- A light, bright-coloured jacket. Evenings cool off fast, and bright colours help you get seen at the roadside.
- A heavy blanket or moving pad. If you’re caught in hail, it can protect you from broken glass inside the vehicle.
- Bug repellent and a tick check routine for stops in tall grass or the river bottom.
Even with the windows cracked, the inside of a car heats up very quickly on a sunny day.
Wind, dust and blowing snow on the highways
Lethbridge has some of the windiest weather of any city in Canada. On open stretches like Highway 3 toward Fort Macleod and the Crowsnest Pass, Highway 4 toward Milk River and Coutts, and Highway 23 north to Vulcan and beyond, the wind can pick up dust in summer or loose snow in winter and drop visibility to almost nothing in seconds.
If visibility suddenly drops
- Slow down gradually. Don’t slam on the brakes.
- Turn on your headlights (not just daytime running lights), so you can be seen from behind.
- Keep both hands on the wheel and expect gusts at gaps in shelterbelts, overpasses and coulee crossings.
- If you can’t see, pull completely off the road, as far right as you safely can, and turn on your hazard lights. Never stop in a driving lane.
Before you go, check gusts, not just wind speed. A forecast of “west 40 gusting 70” is a very different drive from “west 40”. Compare it with the live wind on our Wind in Lethbridge page, and check road reports and highway cameras on 511 Alberta.
If you’re stranded
Your vehicle is usually the safest shelter you have, and it’s far easier for rescuers to spot than a person on foot.
- Stay with your vehicle. Don’t set out walking in a storm, especially in a ground blizzard where you can lose sight of the road.
- Call for help if you have a signal. Tell them your highway, direction and the nearest town or kilometre marker.
- Clear the exhaust pipe of snow before running the engine, and check it again every time.
- Run the engine in short bursts for heat, not continuously, and crack a window on the side away from the wind while it’s running.
- Make yourself visible: hazard lights while the engine runs, a bright cloth on the antenna or door, and the dome light on at night for short periods.
- Stay warm and dry. Put on your extra layers, share body heat, and move your arms and legs now and then to keep blood flowing.
- Stay awake if the engine is running. Take turns sleeping if there’s more than one of you.
Exhaust gas has no smell or colour. A buried tailpipe can fill the vehicle with carbon monoxide. Headache, dizziness, nausea or sleepiness are warning signs. Shut the engine off and get fresh air.
Caught in a hailstorm while driving
Hail season around Lethbridge runs mostly from June to August, usually with afternoon and evening thunderstorms.
- Slow down and pull off safely if you can. Don’t stop under an overpass and block traffic.
- Stay inside the vehicle. Hail can injure you badly outside.
- Angle the vehicle so the hail hits the front windshield, which is strongest, if you can do that safely.
- Lie down or turn away from the windows, and cover yourself with a blanket or coat in case glass breaks.
Printable vehicle kit checklist
Print this, tape it inside the lid of your kit bin, and tick it off each spring and fall.
| All year | Add for winter | Add for summer |
|---|---|---|
| ☐ First aid kit | ☐ Blanket or sleeping bag | ☐ Extra drinking water |
| ☐ Water and high-energy food | ☐ Warm boots, toque, mitts | ☐ Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses |
| ☐ Flashlight and spare batteries | ☐ Shovel, scraper and brush | ☐ Heavy blanket (hail) |
| ☐ Phone charger and power bank | ☐ Sand, kitty litter or traction mats | ☐ Bug repellent |
| ☐ Booster cables or jump starter | ☐ Candle in a deep can, matches | ☐ Coolant and spare washer fluid |
| ☐ Reflective vest, road flares or triangles | ☐ Winter washer fluid | ☐ Light rain jacket |
| ☐ Paper map and a pen | ☐ Hand warmers | |
| ☐ Tire pump and repair kit | ☐ Fuel tank kept at least half full |
Replace stored water about every 6 months and food once a year. Bottles can freeze and split in a cold vehicle, so leave a little room in each one.
Building a home kit too? See the 72-hour kit on our Preparedness page, and get kids involved with Home Alone and Weather-Ready.