{"id":974,"date":"2016-06-02T06:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T10:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mechanicalmalarkey.com\/?p=974"},"modified":"2016-06-02T06:00:17","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T10:00:17","slug":"22-things-i-keep-in-my-car-and-what-you-really-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mechanicalmalarkey.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/02\/22-things-i-keep-in-my-car-and-what-you-really-need\/","title":{"rendered":"22 Things I Keep In My Car (and what you really need)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve always been someone who likes being prepared. I like to be the guy who pulls out whatever item someone happens to ask for. It’s no surprise that I keep a lot of stuff in my car.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_01\"<\/p>\n

In my right door I keep a Justin Case first aid kit and a pair of gloves for if I need to work on my car on the road.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_02\"<\/p>\n

In my gloves box I keep a tire pressure gauge, phone charger, zip ties, poncho, emergency blanket, and a basic Craftsman OBDII code reader.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_03\"<\/p>\n

On the side of the center console, right by my right leg, I put a car escape tool with a window breaker and seatbelt cutter.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_04\"<\/p>\n

A small fire extinguisher sits on the floor behind my seat. It comes with a mounting bracket, but my car is too small to have a space big enough to mount it.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_05\"<\/p>\n

In my trunk I have a trash bag, a tool set, and a roll of paper towels.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_06\"<\/p>\n

The tool set is a nice Craftsman set with a nice mix of metric and fractional sockets in all three drive sizes, plus a few wrenches, allen wrenches, and an interchangeable bit screwdriver. I added a pair of pliers, they can come in very handy.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_07\"<\/p>\n

Underneath the trunk floor, the spare tire well is very full. On top I have a small tarp, 6 gauge jumper cables, and a spool of parachute cord.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_08\"<\/p>\n

Under all that I have a package of flares, a warning triangle, a cheap flashlight, and a tow strap. My car may not be powerful enough to pull someone out of a ditch, but because I have the strap, any truck could pull me out.<\/p>\n

\"2016_06_02_09\"<\/p>\n

Sitting in the spare tire I have a pair of kneepads and a roll of duct tape. Few things are worse than having to kneel on rough asphalt or gravel while fixing your car on the side of the road.<\/p>\n

Obviously this is more stuff than most people would carry, but a few things I think everyone should have:<\/p>\n