[S-99]

Good stuff to keep in your car is a great thing i am curious about. In alaska, I kept a bag of clothes (for anything, just handy as hell), 2 sleeping bags (one of them was a -50F bag; i have had to take naps on the side of the road in -30F before, without a sleeping bag it sucks), cigarette adapter tire inflator (i don't like those cans of tire inflator with goo, great for unbalancing your tires, and would probably explode in certain temperatures), first aid kit, a few mre's, cell phone charger, jumper cables, 2 quarts of my favorite oil, tire iron, jack, flares, a few pieces of board (whip out the jack, get some boarding under the offending tire, remove jack, and get yourself back on the road), and a full size spare (full size spares are easy to come by, get another tire on a rim to fit your car and put on your car, replacing your most bald offending tire; put this tire it into the trunk...beats a donut any day) I try to be prepared for the worst. As far as napping on the side of the road goes, i stopped buying cars with way too comfy seats. Comfy seats can easily equal into falling asleep behind the wheel. Unfortunately as minor discomfort will keep me awake, i don't have access to real non-car sleeping arrangements for when i do wish to sleep in a house.

What other things are good to keep in a car?

EDIT: also baby wipes. Those are great for cleaning off your hands, but more importantly for when you and the willing guest break in your car.

[Scourge of Ages]

Knife with window-breaker thing, and some good rope/duct tape for just in case you need to tie something back together or to your car. Adjustable wrench or socket set for minor repairs. Sunglasses.

Alas, after having stuff in my car stolen twice, I now no longer keep things in there, besides a jack and spare tire. And really cheap sunglasses.

[Nuke]

a dead hooker.

if i owned a car thats what id keep in the trunk.

[S-99]

Cool, i got sunglasses today. Need duct tape and window breaker thing now.

[Hobbie]

About four pairs of shoes, five jackets, a coathanger, two ties, two suitcases filled with nothing, forty heavy metal albums, and a set of curtains.

This is by no means what you SHOULD keep in your car, it's just that I haven't cleaned the boot out in a while.

[Klaustrophobia]

well here's something NOT to keep in your car if you ever have the occasion to drive onto military/government installations: weapons.  this christmas i found out that my dad had stashed a couple of hunting knives in what is now my car and somehow i'd made it through two random searches without them being discovered.


but anyway, round these parts, pretty much all that's necessary is a cell phone and charger.  although that bottle of spray on rain-x and the roll of paper towels was REALLY handy driving back home from NC when it was dark and monsooning. 

[MP-Ryan]

This:  http://resqme.com/US/consumer.html  Everyone should have one.  Seriously.

That aside, I have a bunch of stuff that stays in the vehicle that is used for more than local commuting:  blankets, electrical inverter, foldable axe/shovel, snow shovel, snow brush, tarp, ratcheting tie/tow straps, tool box (including all the basics and a set of ratchets), paper towel, extra oil, flashlight, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, multitool and folding knife, and a full set of camping dishes/utensils/water bottles for four people.  I have a rubbermaid box roughly 2 feet by 2 feet by 2.5 feet in the back that carries most of it.  Oh, and a ziplock bag of non-perishable snack foods.  The concept is thus:  we camp, and regularly drive 1000+ km to visit family on some well-maintained but sometimes treacherous roads that experience periodic closure.  If ever we got stuck somewhere or had a breakdown, there is enough of the basics in the minivan to ensure we're fine for a few days if necessary.  The only thing absent is a firearm and that's due to both legality and practicality... since the vehicle is driven primarily by my wife in an urban commuter setting, a rifle in the back would cause more problems than it solves =)

The commuter car that I drive to/from work is more basic; blanket, knife, flashlight, couple basic tools, spare oil, paper towel, snow shovel, brush, and small first aid kit.

...and if you think that's overkill, you should see my work truck =)

[Nuke]

id also keep a nuclear warhead, though i may need to dismember the hooker to make it fit.

[S-99]

well here's something NOT to keep in your car if you ever have the occasion to drive onto military/government installations: weapons.  this christmas i found out that my dad had stashed a couple of hunting knives in what is now my car and somehow i'd made it through two random searches without them being discovered.

Yeah, i used to work on a base. I bought a car from one of my friends. After working on base driving it to work for a year, it could have gotten worse for me. I went in and out of that trunk top to bottom (big trunk). I found his weed pipe. I promptly gave the pipe to one of my other friends. On a base your car is allowed to be searched for any reason.

Sure i toke. Weed is superior to pain meds. I constantly got super stoned after my appendix was removed (it beat walking around as slow as yoda in pain for two weeks), sold the narcotics and made back all of the money i had to spend on my prescriptions. But, getting stoned is very occasional; i don't need the pipe in my trunk on base or a pipe for myself in general.

[StarSlayer]

This:  http://resqme.com/US/consumer.html  Everyone should have one.  Seriously.

I got mine, even though my windows are crank.  I even picked up two extra for my mom and girlfriend. 

Plus its a fun conversation piece.

[Scourge of Ages]

This:  http://resqme.com/US/consumer.html  Everyone should have one.  Seriously.

I got mine, even though my windows are crank.

Mythbusters covered this:
1) Electric windows will still work underwater. Or they should, at least.
2) If your window is completely submerged, it won't matter anyway, because the water pressure will press the window to the frame so snugly that it will not roll down before it strips the gears.
So ideally, don't be submerged before trying to open your window. Try not to drive into lakes while you're at it

[ssmit132]

This:  http://resqme.com/US/consumer.html  Everyone should have one.  Seriously.

I made sure I got a similar type of tool very soon after I got my own car.