Vehicle Emergency Repair Kits - VERKs

[MacWa77ace]

Lets get a list of Everyday Carry repair kits and tips/instructions for handling those vehicle breakdowns that may occur on a bug out.

I'll start with a VERK that I have for FLAT TIRE REPAIR.

I drive between 600-700 miles a week in my Explorer for work and I always have these items with me. I can vouch that this type of repair if done correctly will outlast the tire itself because I've used it more times than I'd care to remember. It literally takes less than 10 minutes and you don't have to remove the tire from the vehicle.

1) Portable air compressor.
2) Needle nose pliers
3) Flat head screwdriver
4) Plug kit.



This kit will work for a flat caused by a puncture in the tire tred resulting in either a slow leak or flat. It dosesn't work for sidewall damage or tears in the tire. You'll need to actually change a tire if that happens. [And I know there is the Plugs vs Patch argument, but you have to remove the tire from the rim to use a patch.]

STEP 1: FIND THE LEAK. Park in an area where you can make a repair safely and inspect the tire to find the leak/puncture. With the car parked you can veiw about 4/5 of the tire, you can also pour water on the tire or listen for a leak to help locate it. Move the car 1-2 feet if you suspect the leak is in the 1/5 you can't see. Once you find the leak move the car again to get the leak into an optimal position to work on. I prefer 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock depending on what side of the car the leaky tire is on, being a righty. I don't even jack the car up.
STEP 2: PREP YOUR PLUG TOOL. String one of the plugs onto the plug tool. Also have your 'burr' tool ready and handy.
STEP 3: CLEAR THE HOLE. Use the flat head or pliers to pull 'whatever' out of the tread. If your tire still has air in it you'll want to do this and the next couple of steps quickly, 'cause once you clear the hole the air will escape even faster. Pay attention to the direction the 'nail' comes out, you'll want to 'burr' out following the direction of hole that is already there.
STEP 4: CLEAN THE HOLE. Use the burr tool in the plug kit to ream out the hole and get it to a uniform size for the plug. Ideally you want to follow the path that the 'nail' took to go into the tread. 3 or 4 good, fast plunges into the tire should do it. Don't be timid, jam it in there.
STEP 5: PLUG THE HOLE. Use the prepped plug/plug tool and quickly drive it into the hole. I like to get it in far enough to leave about 1/2 inch of the plug exposed outside the tire. Then quickly jerk out the plug tool.
STEP 6: REFILL THE TIRE. Use a compressor with a built-in gauge and your done.

I always carry a full toolbag in the truck, but you really only need a flathead and/or needle nose as the tools in this kit. They work to pull nails screws, staples, and scrapmetal and bolts from your tred. Also If your driving at highway speeds and your tire does goes flat, you have to stop as soon as possible to avoid having the rim damage the sidewall of the tire. I don't use those cans of FIX A FLAT, because IMO this is a less expensive [in the long run] and more permanent repair option that takes only a few minutes longer than the cans.

Plugs vs Patches argument.
Plugs don't last as long as patches. Not in my experience; every plug i've put in a tire lasted until I wore out the tread and had to replace the tire because the tire was worn out.
Plugs leak. Maybe, but not the ones I've put in. Patches can leak too if they're not done right.
Plugs throw your wheel out of balance. Not in my experience; I actually had 4 plugs in one tire, 3 of which were in the same 1/5 of the tire, and I couldn't feel any imbalance from 0 to 80 mph and until the tire was literally worn out, and then just a little. But that was probably 'cause the tred was done and not the plugs. The guys at the tire place couldn't beleive it when they took that old tire off the rim and saw all the plugs.
Plugs cost a dollar a piece, are a 10 minute repair, and last the life of the tire. Patches you have to jack up the car, remove the tire/rim, you need a hydrolic tire remover or a half hour with a crowbar to de-rim the tire. Or you can pay a shop to do it $15 - $30 depending [plus tow to the shop, time for them to 'get to it' etc.]

I hope this is useful.

[Blacksmith]

I hope this is useful.

It is thanks for posting it.

[TacAir]

Some additional tools for tire work.

Tire irons (the, long old-school kind with chisel points)
Inner tube - in case you have a branch go thru the side wall out in the wilds of Montana. (Ya, but it beat walking)
inner tube patch kit - see above, it was a long drive.
good quality hydraulic jack or hy-lift jack - or both. Tho I have driven up on a log set a an angle to change a tire - to much mud for a jack to be safe...

Other bits...
Spare belts, duck tape for hoses, extra oil -- in case a branch takes out the oil filter ( no, this was in NV) and filter. Extra water, of course, and a good bit of bailing (mild steel) wire.

Had a couple crewdogs go boonie hopping in a rented Dodge truck - and managed to hit a ditch, busting both motor mounts and off-setting the motor...in the dark. So add a good flashlight and extra batteries. Recovered the truck with nothing more than a jack and some bailing wire. (sigh) Older Dodges are so simple to work on....

Anyway, most stuff - if field repairable, can be fixed with simple tools and very little in the way of spares.

Suck an exhaust valve in the #3 cylinder of a VW Bus - well, you're walking on that one. Ya, that was in the middle of nowhere (Western Utah), but got a ride in less than a half hour from some nice folks...

Good luck on field repairs, not giving up seems to be the most important thing - after duck tape.

[majorhavoc]

I would add a basic ratchet set. A bare minimum would be something to get the battery terminals on and off. Probably almost half of the problems that disable an otherwise mechanically sound vehicle can be traced to battery'/electrical problems.

[KJ4VOV]

Want to know the very best item to have in your VERK?


Patience. Patience to take the time and do the repair right. Especially if you only have one shot at fixing something.

Lack of patience to do it right wastes critical resources, and can outright kill or maim you.

[MacWa77ace]

Tire irons (the, long old-school kind with chisel points)
Inner tube - in case you have a branch go thru the side wall out in the wilds of Montana. (Ya, but it beat walking)
inner tube patch kit - see above, it was a long drive.
good quality hydraulic jack or hy-lift jack - or both. Tho I have driven up on a log set a an angle to change a tire - to much mud for a jack to be safe...

Yep, sidewall damage, that's the reason for a spare inner tube. But can you give a detailed tip for getting that tire off the rim to install it. I've tried it before and i couldn't get it. Didn't have a crowbar at the time. I think i used an oldschool iron and extra big/long flat head screwdriver. Failed miserably.

I have an ancient screw jack that was my grandfather's, I carry that and the standard jack in the truck, as my hydrolic is to big for a VERK. Screw jack is 10"hX8"wX4"d and will lift the truck. If you're on loose dirt you have to put something under it though, because of the small footprint.

[eugene]

This is my VERK, all these tools stay under the back seat of my truck. Have the compressor and a small bag with jumper cables and tire repair tools, wrench roll, tool roll with various tools, map book, repair manual, packable blanket, some fluids, extension handle for the lug wrench or breaker bar etc.

[DJH]

I carry around a small VERK in my Civic, but my show truck has the best VERK ever IMO built into it, since I get extra points at the car shows for it and all.

I set my air ride system up to also run air tools, and on top of spare airbags, wrenches, scredrivers, etc. I also keep a 30' air hose, impact, air ratchets, tire inflator, and an air jack system in a storage compartment in the bed. 2 viar 350c compressors, 12 gallon tank with 200psi inside, regulated down to 90psi for the tools. It lasts a while except for the ratchet, that thing is an air hog.

Nothing gets you odd looks of jealousy like busting off a flat tire with an impact driver on the side of the freeway.



ETA:Pic - the impact is sitting in the front of the engine bay here for show.

[TacAir]

Tire irons (the, long old-school kind with chisel points)
Inner tube - in case you have a branch go thru the side wall out in the wilds of Montana. (Ya, but it beat walking)
inner tube patch kit - see above, it was a long drive.
good quality hydraulic jack or hy-lift jack - or both. Tho I have driven up on a log set a an angle to change a tire - to much mud for a jack to be safe...

Yep, sidewall damage, that's the reason for a spare inner tube. But can you give a detailed tip for getting that tire off the rim to install it. I've tried it before and i couldn't get it. Didn't have a crowbar at the time. I think i used an oldschool iron and extra big/long flat head screwdriver. Failed miserably.

I have an ancient screw jack that was my grandfather's, I carry that and the standard jack in the truck, as my hydrolic is to big for a VERK. Screw jack is 10"hX8"wX4"d and will lift the truck. If you're on loose dirt you have to put something under it though, because of the small footprint.

Completely chock vehicle to prevent movement.

Remove tire.

Mount spare, if the jerk using the vehicle on the rotation before you didn't take it out to have a flat fixed and 'forgot' to mention it as you drove away... You get to beat yourself up later for not checking - your bad.

back to task.

Place tire under vehicle and use the jack to break the bead on the tire. You have already removed the stick in the sidewall with much energetic cursing... so no need to pull the tire stem core.

Confirm damage is limited to the hole you can see. Remove any and all debris.

(see install inner tube)

You may need to pull the tire fully off the rim to trim the inside of the tire where the stick/rebar/whatever ruined your day.

Take one tire iron and hook it in the edge of the tire and lever the tire bead outside of the
rim. CAUTION - next spet could break your ( something important ) - be careful.

Repeat with the second tire iron, you will need at least one long iron to egt suffcient leverage to pull the bead up.

Secure the first iron. I've tied this off the rim, much better if you have a second person to stand on it...

Repeat - until the entire sidewall is free. Stop and drink a beer/eat lunch.


Pull the other side wall off by going in from the outside, using the irons to lever the other bead off the rim.

Trim, inspect, etc, etc. the tire carcass as needed. Remove the tire stem - cut it from the inside of the rim if necessary.

Now comes the fun.

"*Use care in remounting the tire to avoid damaging/pinching the inner tube. **

Using the tire irons, lever one side wall over the rim.

Inflate, then empty the tube before inserting it in the tire. IF you can make some soapy water, it will help fit the tube - urine will not and nobody will want to help afterwards...word to the wise.

Pull the stem of the inner tube fully up in the rim. If you have some duck tape (in your kit, right?) you can use it to help secure the stem.

Very carefully push the other side wall over the rim - I have been able to do this with and with out tire irons. YMMV. If using irons, be careful Again, some soap will help.

Check that the tube is fully inside before inflating. You may need to press the tube to allow air trapped between the tire and tube to escape.

Fully inflate and wait to ensure the pressure stays up.

Mount tire on vehicle - almost done.

Wash up. Get a drink of water.

Press on.

It is possible to do this, with some additional steps and a 5 pound hammer - to a split rim tire -

DON'T.

It takes some training to safely work on split rims. I have seen first hand what happens when the ring comes off a split rim tire...

The procedure isn't all that much different than changing a tire on more bicycle - other than the bike tire won't kill you if you screw up. This is best done with a partner, two if possible. Always focus on control of the tire irons...

Good luck.

[TacAir]

Awesome indeed!


awesome

I carry around a small VERK in my Civic, but my show truck has the best VERK ever IMO built into it, since I get extra points at the car shows for it and all.

I set my air ride system up to also run air tools, and on top of spare airbags, wrenches, scredrivers, etc. I also keep a 30' air hose, impact, air ratchets, tire inflator, and an air jack system in a storage compartment in the bed. 2 viar 350c compressors, 12 gallon tank with 200psi inside, regulated down to 90psi for the tools. It lasts a while except for the ratchet, that thing is an air hog.

Nothing gets you odd looks of jealousy like busting off a flat tire with an impact driver on the side of the freeway.



ETA:Pic - the impact is sitting in the front of the engine bay here for show.

[MacWa77ace]

I carry around a small VERK in my Civic, but my show truck has the best VERK ever IMO built into it, since I get extra points at the car shows for it and all.
I set my air ride system up to also run air tools, ...

Dang DJH, does it have a name? I think the only thing left is you could add 1/4 steel plate to the doors, behind the seats and bullet deflectors around the engine and in front of the radiator. 4 'run flat' tires and you could run a gauntlet with it. Hey maybe add an air powered cannon/mortar to take care of those hard to reach Zombies. [or just lob T-shirts or pumpkins at the shows.] Way cool man.

And between Eugene and Tac's tips I'm adding a collapsable water carrier, a couple of old school lugwrenches and an innertube to my ECVERK.

[DJH]

Dang DJH, does it have a name?

Hades. The Zombie Minitruck (since I'm currently "ressurecting it from the dead" - aka salvage title after a ninja in a firebird decided to turn left in front of me unexpectedly.)

I think it has enough dynamat in the doors to be semi-bulletproof. It's heavy enough at any rate. It's not by BOV tho, it's afraid of getting high centered on the wrong pebble.

[MacWa77ace]

Hades. The Zombie Minitruck (since I'm currently "ressurecting it from the dead" - aka salvage title after a ninja in a firebird decided to turn left in front of me unexpectedly.)

I think it has enough dynamat in the doors to be semi-bulletproof. It's heavy enough at any rate. It's not by BOV tho, it's afraid of getting high centered on the wrong pebble.

Great name. I figured that it wasn't a primary BOV but the low profile is better when the bullets fly and for taking out the legs of Zombies you have to get past, unless your of the mindset that they'll 'go under' the ride. But slammin' into Zeds you could get a femur stuck in the radiator if you don't have that deflector.

ETA: I had a flat black '73 POS GrandPrix that I called Nazgul [after LOTR].

[MacWa77ace]

Hey does anyone have a good VERK for a punctured radiator? I can only tell you what didn't work for me.

I've had hoses blow and heard that in an emergency you can use duct tape, but I never had one blow far enough away from an auto parts store that I couldn't just buy a RPL hose and change it out right then and there with my VERK toolkit.

But what if your radiator itself gets a hole in it? [I'm talking about a hole big enough that if you drove for 15 minutes it would drain it and overheat] I did have a leak in the polymer top of my Explorer's radiator. When you get a leak in the top of the radiator its not an emergency though, you'll only loose coolant that is in your overflow reservoir but the body stays full. I tried to use that heatproof / water proof 'welding' putty and it didn't work. It sealed it up when I did it, but by the end of the day the putty had a crack that followed the crack in the plastic. I tried it a couple of times. Maybe because the leak was on the plastic top and not the aluminum body, or maybe because it was a crack and not a hole, but I ended up eventually changing out the radiator myself. Is there something that will plug the body long enough to hold coolant until you can get to another RPL radiator?

No guesses or theories please.

[DJH]

AFAIK, if you don't have a spare radiator to swap in, you're screwed there. Shut it off, and hitch a ride to the parts store or home.

However, I do have a way to help prevent radiator holes. Pull off your grill, and cut a piece of drywall mesh to fit behind it, paint it black (or not) then zip tie it in place behind the vehicle grill. Will stop a lot more rocks/sticks/etc than most factory grilles.

[KJ4VOV]

Hey does anyone have a good VERK for a punctured radiator? I can only tell you what didn't work for me.

I've had hoses blow and heard that in an emergency you can use duct tape, but I never had one blow far enough away from an auto parts store that I couldn't just buy a RPL hose and change it out right then and there with my VERK toolkit.

But what if your radiator itself gets a hole in it? [I'm talking about a hole big enough that if you drove for 15 minutes it would drain it and overheat] I did have a leak in the polymer top of my Explorer's radiator. When you get a leak in the top of the radiator its not an emergency though, you'll only loose coolant that is in your overflow reservoir but the body stays full. I tried to use that heatproof / water proof 'welding' putty and it didn't work. It sealed it up when I did it, but by the end of the day the putty had a crack that followed the crack in the plastic. I tried it a couple of times. Maybe because the leak was on the plastic top and not the aluminum body, or maybe because it was a crack and not a hole, but I ended up eventually changing out the radiator myself. Is there something that will plug the body long enough to hold coolant until you can get to another RPL radiator?

No guesses or theories please.

I'm curious as to which two part epoxy you used to try and fix that. The reason is that the shear strengths of them vary quite a bit. For example, the "Pro-Poxy" type plumbers epoxy (looks like a roll of clay) can be found in strengths ranging from a low of about 400psi to about 900psi, then there's J.B. Weld, which is a paste type two part epoxy, with a shear strength of over 6,000 psi. Obviously using an epoxy that's not up to the task, or not giving it the proper amount of time to cure to full strength, will lead to failure, and that sounds like what happened here.

For temporary repair of something like this I'd probably sandwich a little fiberglass cloth between layers of J.B. Weld and give it the proper amount of time to cure.

[TacAir]

Hey does anyone have a good VERK for a punctured radiator? I can only tell you what didn't work for me.

I've had hoses blow and heard that in an emergency you can use duct tape, but I never had one blow far enough away from an auto parts store that I couldn't just buy a RPL hose and change it out right then and there with my VERK toolkit.

But what if your radiator itself gets a hole in it? [I'm talking about a hole big enough that if you drove for 15 minutes it would drain it and overheat] I did have a leak in the polymer top of my Explorer's radiator. When you get a leak in the top of the radiator its not an emergency though, you'll only loose coolant that is in your overflow reservoir but the body stays full. I tried to use that heatproof / water proof 'welding' putty and it didn't work. It sealed it up when I did it, but by the end of the day the putty had a crack that followed the crack in the plastic. I tried it a couple of times. Maybe because the leak was on the plastic top and not the aluminum body, or maybe because it was a crack and not a hole, but I ended up eventually changing out the radiator myself. Is there something that will plug the body long enough to hold coolant until you can get to another RPL radiator?

No guesses or theories please.

The size of the hole/damage and location of the hole/damage will be the real driver for what field expedient fix will get you by.

I have had branches (sticks) take out
'an oil pan, oil filter, tire sidewall and a radiator.

The oil pan was plugged with w/wooden plug and wire, the oil filter, replaced, we covered the tire repair above - the radiator was a write off. I've fixed a pinhole leak with a sheet metal screw and a rubber washer.

I've limped in a truck by filling the block, getting up to speed and coasting w/engine off repeating until boil-over Running the heater full blast with give a tine bit more time before boilover.
Good reason to carry a walk-away kit....

[MacWa77ace]

I'm curious as to which two part epoxy you used to try and fix that. The reason is that the shear strengths of them vary quite a bit. For example, the "Pro-Poxy" type plumbers epoxy (looks like a roll of clay) can be found in strengths ranging from a low of about 400psi to about 900psi, then there's J.B. Weld, which is a paste type two part epoxy, with a shear strength of over 6,000 psi. Obviously using an epoxy that's not up to the task, or not giving it the proper amount of time to cure to full strength, will lead to failure, and that sounds like what happened here.

For temporary repair of something like this I'd probably sandwich a little fiberglass cloth between layers of J.B. Weld and give it the proper amount of time to cure.

This was a while ago and I think it was JB Weld. I'm pretty sure the relief valve on the radiator cap is way less than the 400psi mentioned above also, so my guess at the fail was the weld putty got rock hard, [you can't mix it wrong 'cause it comes in a tootsie roll shape with part one wrapped around part two.] and if it was slightly flexible maybe it would have worked on that plastic upper flexing and what not with heat expansion and retracting. Did allow the recommended time to cure also.

The size of the hole/damage and location of the hole/damage will be the real driver for what field expedient fix will get you by.

I have had branches (sticks) take out
'an oil pan, oil filter, tire sidewall and a radiator.

The oil pan was plugged with w/wooden plug and wire, the oil filter, replaced, we covered the tire repair above - the radiator was a write off. I've fixed a pinhole leak with a sheet metal screw and a rubber washer.

I've limped in a truck by filling the block, getting up to speed and coasting w/engine off repeating until boil-over Running the heater full blast with give a tine bit more time before boilover.
Good reason to carry a walk-away kit....

Yeah, I was wondering if it was possible. Good ideas, I like the screw and rubber idea. May add an assortment of graduated large diameter short shaft bolts and old innertube [another use] to cut up and try that. But for anything larger than a pinprick you'd have to have a round hole to do that. Maybe resize/shape it like you do with the tire plug burr. Also maybe carry a wood dowel to shape to fit. In a BO I wouldn't want to walk away from the stuff in the truck. Thats why I'm asking. In a PAW if I can get to a parking lot with abandoned cars. I could either swap radiators with one of those, or swap completely. But got to get there with my BOGear.

However, I do have a way to help prevent radiator holes. Pull off your grill, and cut a piece of drywall mesh to fit behind it, paint it black (or not) then zip tie it in place behind the vehicle grill. Will stop a lot more rocks/sticks/etc than most factory grilles.

You know I'm actually going to do that just for EDD [everydaydriving]. Thanks. But a tree branch and or high speed projectiles are PAW threats to a radiator IMO, and won't be deflected by that.

[Silent Kube]

I always try to keep an extra set of belts and hoses, duct tape, vise grips and baling wire. I also keep an inexpensive set of hand tools because I don't want anything too tempting to thieves. Road flares, jumper cables, battery jumper, a length of siphon hose, an extra bottle of oil, brake fluid, steering fluid tire patch kit & mini compressor along with a couple large cans of fix a flat just in case. I'm sure I'm forgetting things but can't think of what at the moment.

[KJ4VOV]

I'm curious as to which two part epoxy you used to try and fix that. The reason is that the shear strengths of them vary quite a bit. For example, the "Pro-Poxy" type plumbers epoxy (looks like a roll of clay) can be found in strengths ranging from a low of about 400psi to about 900psi, then there's J.B. Weld, which is a paste type two part epoxy, with a shear strength of over 6,000 psi. Obviously using an epoxy that's not up to the task, or not giving it the proper amount of time to cure to full strength, will lead to failure, and that sounds like what happened here.

For temporary repair of something like this I'd probably sandwich a little fiberglass cloth between layers of J.B. Weld and give it the proper amount of time to cure.

This was a while ago and I think it was JB Weld. I'm pretty sure the relief valve on the radiator cap is way less than the 400psi mentioned above also, so my guess at the fail was the weld putty got rock hard, [you can't mix it wrong 'cause it comes in a tootsie roll shape with part one wrapped around part two.] and if it was slightly flexible maybe it would have worked on that plastic upper flexing and what not with heat expansion and retracting. Did allow the recommended time to cure also.

Yeah, the roll stuff is not J.B. Weld, it's the plumbers type stuff that's a lot weaker. And the forces involved are more complex than just the pressure of the system. Think of it this way... and this is really a gross oversimplification... Let's say you have a one inch long by quarter inch thick strip of the epoxy holding the crack. The crack is in the top tank of the radiator, and the tank is about 30" wide by 3" thick and 3" high. We'll assume the crack is dead center, to make it easier to figure. Okay, so that means you have two halves, on on each side of the crack, that are 15"x3"x3". We'll assume a pressure in the system of 10 PSI, just to simplify it. Okay, each half has a total surface area 130 sq.in. At 10 lbs. per square inch, that's 1,300 lbs pushing against another 1,300 lbs on the other side of the crack, meaning there's 2,600 lbs trying to widen that crack. Meanwhile, there's only .25 sq. in. of that epoxy trying to hold it together. See why even that 900psi shear strength tootsie roll stuff will fail? And why 6,000 psi epoxy would work better?

Oh, and in any case, no matter what you use to fix it, if you have coolant you can use to replace what you lose if it boils (and it really shouldn't) you can open the cap to the first position to keep the system from pressurizing. Then the only forces acting on the repair are the weight of the coolant, pressure from the pump, and vibration or other movement.

[KJ4VOV]

I always try to keep an extra set of belts and hoses, duct tape, vise grips and baling wire. I also keep an inexpensive set of hand tools because I don't want anything too tempting to thieves. Road flares, jumper cables, battery jumper, a length of siphon hose, an extra bottle of oil, brake fluid, steering fluid tire patch kit & mini compressor along with a couple large cans of fix a flat just in case. I'm sure I'm forgetting things but can't think of what at the moment.

A couple gallons of pre-mixed coolant?

[driftking777]

Fuses, something simple that can make your car stop running, yet almost nobody has extras

KJ4VOV, call me crazy, but i prefer to just keep a gallon of coolant that isnt pre mixed. Chances are if you have ANY coolant in your radiator, and you add the concentrate its going to delute it some for you. Plus, if you pre mix, you have the chance of it leaking in your car since it no longer has a seal. Vehicles car run straight coolant no problem if they need to.

[DJH]

Fuses, something simple that can make your car stop running, yet almost nobody has extras

KJ4VOV, call me crazy, but i prefer to just keep a gallon of coolant that isnt pre mixed. Chances are if you have ANY coolant in your radiator, and you add the concentrate its going to delute it some for you. Plus, if you pre mix, you have the chance of it leaking in your car since it no longer has a seal. Vehicles car run straight coolant no problem if they need to.

You can buy pre-mixed. But I agree, concentrated is better to carry - water can be found in the wild, anti-freeze, not so much.

If you live in an area that does not get below freezing in winter, straight water is acceptable in a pinch. However, anti-freeze also lubricates the water pump, so it is necessary in the long run.

[Silent Kube]

I always try to keep an extra set of belts and hoses, duct tape, vise grips and baling wire. I also keep an inexpensive set of hand tools because I don't want anything too tempting to thieves. Road flares, jumper cables, battery jumper, a length of siphon hose, an extra bottle of oil, brake fluid, steering fluid tire patch kit & mini compressor along with a couple large cans of fix a flat just in case. I'm sure I'm forgetting things but can't think of what at the moment.

A couple gallons of pre-mixed coolant?

Nah, I'll just piss in it.



Seriously though, I do keep a gallon of concentrated coolant, forgot about that. I always have a couple gallons of bottled water and there is almost always a water source nearby around here.