I often find myself on a road trip in the winter in the middle of nowhere. Not getting stuck and surviving in the cold if I do is my highest priority. Here is a list of things I take with me on winter road trips, hiking trips.

Things I carry

• Chains (so far I only had to use them once)
• Lock de-icer (that one is in my photo bag so I have it with me outside the car at all times)
• Ice Scraper
• Windshield de-icer
• A thermos jug. I always refill it with hot tea at the hotel breakfast bar. This way I have hot tea after I just photographed the sunset at freezing temps. Its great if you get stuck too.
• A large trash bag and duct tape so that I can tape off my radiator (otherwise my car doesn't get hot enough to keep the cabin heated)
• A coleman outdoor heater (Its also great for outdoor night photography in winter when it gets extremely cold).
• A jetboil personal cooking system in case I am stuck in the middle of nowhere with a small selection of instant meals and soups (for hardcore outdoor people thats a must anyways).
• A pair of Yaktrax shoe grippers for hiking in the snow and on ice
• A shovel for digging myself out of the snow
• A dust pan and a small broom for clearing the car from snow
• Bottled Water for hydration and cooking.
• A outdoor gps (eTrex Venture HC) with topographic maps to help me navigate outdoors and a Car Dash GPS. Two years ago a father died in Oregon after walking off in the wrong direction looking for help. The city was exactly in the opposite direction and he got lost in the snow. A gps would have saved his life.
• A radar detector for cops.
• Tire seals and inflaters (I have been contemplating a compressor but so far I have none)
• A spare tire.
• Two windshield repair kits. I once got showered with stones on a gravel road. If you can fix it before it gets really cold at night, you stand a chance that your window won't crack and you won't have to replace the windshield. It has happened to me before.
• Several Blankets in case I get stuck and to cover up things in the car from thieves eyes.
• A knive to cut things.
• Silverware and cleaning supplies to eat outdoors.
• Two flashlights, a small one and a powerful 2 Million Candlepower search light. The small one is for hiking and the large one is usually for light painting photography but its also a great signalling light if you get stuck somewhere.
• Boat toasters (boot warmers and dryers that you plug in)
• Hand and feet warmers from the outdoor store.

What to do if you get stuck

• I have had someone riding on the bumper for better traction more than once. It improves the traction on my rear wheel drive car.
• You may want to take some dirt, sand, cat litter with you for traction. I don't, but I have used my mats for that before. Just take your floor mat and place it in front of your tires, rock back and forth until the tire hits the mat and gains traction.
• Rocking back and forth is generally a good idea. Don't just hit the gas, as you will just scratch through to the ice underneath.
• Keep moving in a higher gear (2nd or 3rd) once you are going to keep the momentum and prevent the tires from spinning too fast.

I am sure I forgot a couple of things. If you know what else to do, feel free to post your solutions.

Andre

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