Re: The well-stocked IH

[tsm1@domain.elided (Tom Mandera)]

Good points, Ken.  I'll add in my $0.02.

I ALWAYS have a CB in every one of my trucks.. just because.

I also carry a small first aid kit (little yellow thingy at WalMart).

Grab a couple of space-blankets.  They fit in the palm of your hand, but are
MUCH warmer than any conventional blanket.. they also tear very easily, so
they're a one-shot item.  ~$5.

I carry two or three or four MREs.. Meals Ready to Eat, aka Army Rations.
Freeze dried and vacuum packed, you can eat the stuff out of the bag, but
it's AWFULLY dry.. water REALLY helps.  Also, the MREs include coffee / hot
cocoa, matches, and a candy bar of some sort (Carbohydrates!).. just don't
let any kids find out there's HotCocoa and candy bars in there (*I* did
that.. back in my "youth")

My Uncle gave me my grandfather the MREs way-back when (mfg in '84) after
completing some exercises.. being an officer, he had to buy his own MREs,
and didn't need the left overs.. 

I also saw similar items at the sporting goods store the other day, in the
camping area.  ~$5 per meal.

A small toolset is always in my truck, and as an extra item, I have two
wrenches in my seat cover.. 9/16" and 1/2".. solve most of your problems.
:-)  (Like when my alternator belt decided to jump off, and take the p/s
with it..)

In the winter, I always carry extra clothes.. typically a red sweatsuit I'm
too embarassed to wear.. :-)

I don't have it, but I'd sure like to get some small-ish chain to add to the
truck.. a tow strap and Hi-Lift can go a long way, but a chain has a much
more adjustable length than the Hi-Lift does.  Make sure it'll fit through
the "eye" on the top end of the jack.

Another good idea - I bought some cheap blankets ($6?).. remind me of throw
rugs or rough seat covers.  I have one triple folded or so over the top of
the back seat.  It just comes down to the bottom half of the seat, then
doubles back up.. if I ran it all the way over the seat, I couldn't get to
the seat belts.

Nice cover for the rear seat (it also has a reg'lar seat cover), plus an
emergency blanket.

-Tom