Never Store These Survival Items in Your Car

Source: https://www.askaprepper.com/

One of the most important survival kits that you can have is the kit that you keep in your car.

This is because if you ever are involved in a car accident far away from civilization, or if the power grid collapses and you find yourself forced to abandon your vehicle and try to make it back home on foot, your survival kit may precisely be what keeps you alive.

But while there are many important survival items that you’ll want to make sure you keep in your car at all times, there are also a number of items that you’ll want to make sure you don’t want to keep in your car as well, for a number of reasons.

Here are the top survival items that you’ll never want to keep stored in your vehicle:

Electronic Devices

When you store any item in your car, you always have to be prepared for the possibility that it could become stolen if your car is ever broken into.

That’s precisely why laptops, tablets, phones, and thumb drives should be kept out of your car at all times. The simple reason for this is because they contain information that is too valuable for you to be stolen.

With electronics like phones and tablets, there’s more than just theft to worry about.

These devices can also be used to track your movements—even if they’re turned off or the battery’s dead.

That’s why I always wrap my phone in this special cloth whenever I leave it in the car or even just want a bit more privacy. It blocks all signals—Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, you name it. It’s a simple way to make sure no one can track you without your knowledge. For preppers like us, it’s just a smart precaution.

Additionally, you never want to leave electronic devices in your car when it gets hot, because high heat can damage the batteries and circuit boards.

Candles and Matches

Candles and matches are an excellent way to quickly get a small fire going for light and heat. But they’re not the best fire starting devices to keep in your car.

This is because candles can easily melt or deform under high heat, while matches can become less effective if they are stored at above normal room temperatures for extended periods.

As an alternative, keep a magnesium flint striker and a ziploc bag filled with cotton balls soaked in vaseline for your car survival kit’s fire starters instead.

Lighters

Lighters are another fire starting device that you should avoid keeping in your car.

The reason is that it can also be vulnerable to extended high heat levels.

Again, go with a flint striker since it’s a far safer option.

Important Documents

It’s always a good idea to keep spares of your important documents like your financial records, birth certificates, insurance information, and passports, but these should be kept in a locked safe at home.

Don’t keep these documents in your vehicle, because again, there’s simply too great of a risk that they could become stolen.

Medications/Prescription Medications

Keeping a first aid kit in your car is always smart, but storing medications or prescription drugs there is something to reconsider. Heat, especially during summer, can break down medications and reduce their effectiveness over time. If you must keep meds in your vehicle, try to rotate them every six months to make sure they’re still usable.

Beyond basic first aid, it’s wise to think about stockpiling essential meds for emergencies. If you’re serious about preparedness, consider learning how to safely stockpile antibiotics. I found this guide that explains how to do it even without a prescription—having these essentials on hand in a real emergency could make all the difference.

Wet Wipes

Wet wipes are great for personal hygiene use, but they will degrade when they are continuously exposed to hot temperatures. This is also true even if they are kept in their container or bag that has not been opened.

Look for alternative hygiene items to keep in your car instead, such as hand sanitizer and biodegradable soap sheets, both of which are far more effective at resisting warm temperatures.

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