Car bag for when SHTF???

[kml]

I always keep road flares in my vehicles. More for their survival uses than anything else.

Light and compact and besides signaling they can ;

- start fires when other methods wont or when you need a fire NOW.
- cut through steel and will start aluminum or magnesium on fire (fun!)
- very brutal last ditch weapon. And one even the most oppressive jurisdictions wouldn't think twice about seeing in your car.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Crank radio/phone charger/flashlight could be handy and I keep one in my bag.

Amazon.com - Ambient Weather WR-099 Compact Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/WeatherBand Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger and Cables -

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

In winter, I carry three bags in my car. A sleeping bag, cold weather gear bag and a Bug-in/walk home bag. Have most of the items listed above, plus a short snow shovel. I work about 25 miles away from home and have several routes mapped out. In winter, if I get stranded, I am staying in the car. Especially if the snow is deep and the winds are howling. Only time I would take off walking, is if I can see lights of a local house.

The one possible scenario where I could be forced to walk home is after a major earthquake. The New Madrid or Wabash Valley Faults will affect Indiana, causing major damage to roads and bridges from Southern to South Central Indiana. North Central Indiana is not immune either.We had an earthquake here in Dec 2010 along the Sharpsville Fault Line. It was only a 3.8 M but it was a surprise to the local Emergency Managers in Howard and Tipton Counties. I read a great blog about a guy stuck in downtown Tokyo after their recent major earthquake. Trains, traffic and subways were all shut down. They also lost power and cell service. He had a get-home-bag with him and a good pair of shoes. He ended up walking 10 hours to his apartment in the suburbs.

One other off-the-wall consideration is keeping a spare bicycle at your place of work. I am a bike nut anyway and ride to and from work in the spring, summer and fall. Takes a little under two hours. A fifty mile trip would be a lot easier on a bike, than by foot. If the solar flare from Hades wipes out the circuitry in my car, I have an alternate way to travel.