My Mobile Survival Kit Failure

This week, a very strong Canadian cold front hit the east coast. In spite of the cold, I wanted to warm things up, so I decided to go to Starbucks and get a nice hot Mocha. I drove there, bought the drink and now it was time to jump back into the warm car. I turned the key and… nothing. The car was dead.

Apparently I had left the lights on. The result was that the very cold weather helped draw down the battery quickly. Bottom line, this got me to thinking, what if I wasn’t stuck here at Starbucks.

What if I out on one of those super long and winding deserted roads in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. Would I have the needed gear to help me last with no power and no phone? What if my phone bars were gone?

Now if I had my act together, this is what could have been. I would have had a portable generator in the car, which could be used for the car and other devices. An EDC or Every Day Carry bag would have been perfect.

It would contain some light shelter, food, lighting, alternative communications and firemaking gear. All of this might make the issue more tolerable. And it might very well help successfully resolve the matter that much quicker.

Mobile Survival Kit Practical Steps

So what are some practical Survival Kit steps to take to resolve this?

The big idea that gets you through all of this is to have a Survival Kit in your car. And if you think a Survival Kit is too much, then consider an EDC or Every Day Carry bag, which is similar but more mobile and smaller. Once you are on board with the EDC, here are some things to think about.

Lets start with no Survival Kit power. I had a dead battery. My phone could have been low on bars. And with no operational car or phone, there’s not a whole lot to work with, especially in a deserted area.

Then you must walk your way out or waving down for help, which is risky depending on where you are at. So let me ask you this.

Are you at risk of finding yourself in a situation like this or could this happen to you? Is there is a Survival Kit Power Plan to keep you from getting stuck?

Your first step is to get a portable power device. Now there are plenty of big and bulky ones out there, but research the Jumbl mini portable car charger. It only weights 1 pound, puts out 12 volts and even has USB ports. This could easily fit into your Survival Bug Out Bag believe it or not.

Another issue might be your phone. With no car battery and phone bars down or no charger cable, there’s a problem.

The backup plan here is to have a CB radio in your EDC. Something like a handheld Midland 75-822 is one idea. Forget the shrink wrap walkie talkies at WalMart. They will be useless on a deserted road. Of course, make sure your CB has good batteries!

Additionally, I’ve got a Scosche SolBat II solar USB charger in my Survival Kit. So if electronic device batteries are dead, I can use the Scosche to recharge the phone.,

The Third issue is warmth and fire. Imagine that your car is dead and you have no batteries. The road might be infrequently travelled by others, so there’s no one to wave down.

And without comms or a phone, you don’t have a quick fix to get out of this. In the winter, the cold will start to eat at you.

With a BlastMatch and WetFireTinder cubes on hand, you could create a little fire on the side of the road to keep warm. You don’t want to burn down someone’s fields.

But if this was a life threatening situation, then your fire making gear would come in very handy. You could also use it as a signal fire, by putting something that generates smoke onto the flame.

Mobile Survival Kit Wake Up Call

Look, I don’t want to leave you here with a list of to-do items that wont get done. And I can assure you, there was no way I was going to start a bonfire in the Starbucks parking lot to keep myself warm!

But I wanted to use this short article to get you to start thinking about your own mobile preps. Its one thing to have a BugOutBag at home, but what if your car breaks down in some unexpected place?

For me, this was a small wake up call. And I could use this as a practice session where I failed.

What about you?