Road Tripping with the Family

So this weekend we are packing up the SUV and heading over to Alabama for a family reunion. Spare the inbred, redneck jokes as I’ve heard most of them. As with any road trip I like to try to keep myself prepared for any possibility that may arise and I thought I would share some of the things I take with me on a trip like this.

First and foremost I always make sure that I have plenty of water. There is a cool little compartment in the back of our Honda Pilot that I keep stocked with about 12 bottles of water. These serve multiple purposes. Obviously drinking water is the first potential use but in a pinch I can also add to the radiator if I need to if the vehicle starts to run hot. It is also handy to have bottled water for skinned knees and other assorted boo boos that might need to be cleaned prior to first aid. Remember I have a toddler and that little booger gets into everything so water for cleaning, washing, and drinking is very important. I also keep a tool bag in my vehicle for any mechanical problems I may have. Typically in the bag I keep 2 adjustable wrenches, 2 different size pairs of channel locks, a screw driver kit with interchangeable bits, electrical tape, duct tape, wire strippers, a socket set with metric and SAE sockets, hose clamps, tire plug kit, and a electrical connection kit that has various electrical connectors. This allows me to make just about any quick fix that I may come across. I also keep a can of fix-a-flat, quart of oil, and jumper cables in the vehicle at all times. These items will help keep me on the road and mobile in a minor emergency, but what happens if I have to leave the vehicle? Glad you asked! I keep a backpack full of nifty little items for just such an occasion. Oh! Before I go over what I keep in the backpack, I want to stress the importance of having a stroller in your vehicle always when traveling with kids. If you have to hoof it to a gas station you’ll be glad you can push your rug rat instead of having to carry them for miles. Carrying an ill toddler sucks, plus most strollers have a compartment to carry a bag or two so now your backpack can be stowed. Ok, back to the backpack. In my pack I keep items that I would need in the event where I’m in the middle of nowhere and I might have to start walking and may or may not get to civilization before dark. I decided this would be a good Idea when my wife and I went to Montana and I now carry this pack on all road trips. So, contents, I keep an emergency tube tent with rope, a metal water container, a SOG knife, 2 different compasses, 3 different ways to start fire, a first aid kit, water purification tablets, maps of the area I’ll be in, a head lamp, a flashlight, a hand crank weather radio with light, a fleece pull over, a sling shot with replacement band, and a SOG tactical tomahawk. With these contents I can make a shelter, get food and water, and make life much more bearable for my family if I need to. Last but not least, I always carry a firearm with me as well. I will usually take a pistol that accepts magazines and 2 full mags of ammo with an appropriate holster on a road trip. The last thing you want is to be robbed, carjacked, or worse and left on the side of the road. Well this about sums up my road trip preparations. Hopefully the trip goes just the way I like it… uneventful!