Every year, tens of thousands of people remain blocked or in difficulty on the road network, due to bad weather (particularly in winter conditions and in the event of heavy snowfall).
We have therefore listed the essential equipment to have in your car boot, in order to anticipate this type of situation.
Note that this snow kit is complementary to your EDV (every day Vehicle) and will be very useful to you in case you are stuck in your car, in the middle of a snowstorm.
Prerequisites
Before presenting the list to you, strictly speaking, it is important to establish a few prerequisites:
- It must be able to fit in a crate of reasonable dimensions (plastic storage crate style)
- Items must be non-perishable.
- It shouldn’t be too heavy
- This crate must be easily removable from the vehicle if necessary.
In addition, to this article, it is also important to remember a few points:
- This is a basis for reflection. It is participatory via comments and will be updated thanks to them.
- This article is not intended to “rescue” you from any situation but to allow you to wait for repairs or help in relatively good conditions.
- It’s about advice.
- It is essential, in the event of very bad weather, to follow the recommendations of the prefecture (if disseminated in time). Do not hesitate to multiply your sources of information.
- If you still have to go out, despite the risks, it is important to travel with some equipment.
The most important thing is your vehicle!
Before storing any type of equipment, you must first ensure that your car is in good condition:
- Check your headlights before driving.
- Plough your vehicle COMPLETELY for more visibility and that of other road users.
- Check your tires (snow tires are recommended).
- Keep your fuel tank above half capacity.
The list of equipment to have in case of heavy snow
Now let’s get to the heart of the matter, with this famous list:
- Survival blanket (number to be defined according to the number of passengers).
- Bottle of water, a small portion of which has been emptied to avoid explosion if left in the car in the cold.
- Energy bars or cereals, to quench small hunger pangs.
- A nylon rope (to be pulled from a snowdrift or other).
- A bottle of water filled with a windscreen washer (to help out in case of shortage. With salt, it is used a lot).
- Cables to restart your vehicle in the event of a battery failure (or to help someone restart).
- A flashlight and spare batteries.
- A few single-use heaters.
- One or two packets of tissues
- A cigarette lighter socket or USB cord (to make a phone call if you run out of battery).
- Special snow plastic clamps, to increase your grip. They take up less space than chains are less complicated to set up and are less expensive.
- A pair of chunky shoes for getting around if you ride with dress shoes.
- Lined construction gloves (protect from the cold and allows you to push a vehicle, summarily clear snow or other).
- A removable snow shovel (very compact)
- A water bottle is cut off the top and filled with sand and salt (if one spot lacks grip)
- For smokers, a pack of cigarettes and one or two lighters so as not to let off steam on the horn or on Igor, the neighboring Polish truck driver!
And There you go! You know everything. With these few simple preparations, you will no longer be caught off guard…
