5 Emergency Items That Should Be In Your Car’s Glove Compartment Right Now

Written by: Nicholas O. How-To 2 Comments  Print This Article

These are the top five survival items that should be in your car’s glove compartment at all times, no questions asked:

1. Flashlight

The importance of a flashlight simply cannot be overstated. If your car breaks down at night, how else are you going to see what you are doing when you conduct repairs? How are you going to signal for help? How can you build a shelter or move around at night without the aid of a flashlight, other than building a fire? Don’t take flashlights for granted. Find a good quality one to store in your car’s glove compartment.

2. First-Aid Kit

Many first-aid kits are so small and compact they can fit in your pocket – and easily in your glove compartment. A good first-aid kit in a survival situation can treat injuries and prevent an infection from spreading – either of which can be quite devastating when alone on a road or in the wild. Plain and simple, you won’t want to find yourself in any survival situation without a solid first-aid kit.

3. Map and GPS

If you know your sense of direction, you hopefully won’t get lost and need to utilize your survival tools in the first place. But if you do become stranded – and you’re in an unfamiliar area — a map will be imperative to finding your way out on foot.

A GPS system can come in quite handy, but always have a paper map as a backup.

4. Mirror

With a mirror, you can signal for help, check your face and back for wounds, and start a fire by angling it at the sun’s glare. It also can come in handy during certain car repairs when you need to see under the vehicle.

5. Paracord

Finally, you should also always keep paracord in your car’s glove compartment.  With paracord, you can set snares, lash branches together when constructing a shelter, make a sling, a splint, or a tourniquet, and tie a knife to a pole to make a survival spear. Paracord is also very light and compact, and should fit nicely in your car’s glove compartment.

Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just these five, but these items are the bare minimum. They are small and light enough to fit in the glove compartment, and they all serve multiple uses.