[Feral]

So I recently acquired a nice Swiss backpack with the intentions of using it as storage compartment in my car for a "car EDC".

I'm not too concerned with basic smash and grabs. The bag will be stored in my trunk. The top of the bookbag has a grip that's reinforced and I am going to attach a metal bicycle lock through that and to the frame of the car near the spare tire. I can also lock any compartment of the bookbag that will hold anything of major value. If that doesn't stop them then it's not too much value lost.

What I'm trying to figure out is what items should I add to my bag that can survive being left in the trunk of a car in the GA heat?

I know I want some basic first aid items that can at least survive a few months in there without diminishing the quality. I have no quarrel with replacing them over time.

I am going to purchase an extra magazine and load it up to keep in there.

I'm also thinking a flashlight. Maybe even some road reflectors of some sort.

I even contemplated water but I don't know what container to keep it in.

Any and all suggestions are welcome. There is no urgency to this and therefore the budget is flexible.

 

[GAfirearmsReference]

I (Kurt) keep a lot of survival related stuff in my vehicle, but it's not all in one nice neat bag.

IN THE BAG, I have the following:

--Simple hand tools, to do car repairs in the field. 2 screwdrivers, a hammer, a cheap socket set (3/8" drive, metric).
-- Duct tape.
-- electrical tape.
-- A basic first aid kit. (WARNING: The heat will destroy the glue on the band-aids after several months. They won't stick anymore. The heat can also make tubes of first aid cream or antiseptic burst, or leak. Try to change this stuff every year, and check it every month or two to see what condition it's in).
-- A compass, a map of my county and of the entire north Georgia area.
-- Rope-- parachute cord, about 25 feet of it.
-- a knife, and a small multi-tool that also has a knife blade.
-- Two flashlights. A small (dim) LED one that is good for working on something or walking down a path, and then a big Mag-Light for seeing what's around me or signaling hundreds of yards.
-- a cigarette lighter, AND a box of matches wrapped in plastic and in a zip-lock bag. (butane lighters won't work when it's really cold out-- unless you hold them and warm up the fuel with body heat first).
-- sunscreen and bug repellent. (Ticks freak me out, and they're all over the woods around here. Even in the grass along the roads.)
-- a knit cap and gloves.
-- a sweater (not just for survival-- sometimes in the summer I go get this and put it on at certain restaurants or movie theaters where the AC is set too cold.)
-- some emergency money. It used to be $100, and in an assortment of bills, nothing bigger than a $20.
-- Coins, for vending machines. Quarters and dimes. (If I had to carry this bag on foot a long distance, I might leave those behind in the car).
-- Two writing implements-- both a pen AND a pencil. Often a magic marker, too. BUT they also tend to dry out in the extreme heat of a parked car in the summer in the South.
-- Granola bars. They have to be wrapped securely. Just tossing them in the bag in the flimsy cardboard box they came in is a bad idea. The tools and hard items will shift around and bump into them and RIP THE BOXES OPEN. Put them in a hard-sided container, or wrap them in a towel or t-shirt and tape them together.

OUTSIDE OF THIS GEAR BAG, I have my long gun, an SKS, and a small pouch with about 5 stripper clips loaded with 10 rounds each, ready to go.

ALSO, I always have a few bottles of water in my car. I drink them regularly and keep replacing them with new ones. Don't expect them to last for years. The plastic bottles are flimsy and are not only easy to puncture, but actually biodegrade in a year or so, just in storage.

 

[Feral]

Thank you. There are actually items you listed that I have needed before at previous times but did not have on hand. This gives me more to go with.

 

[TITAN308]