Emergency
Tools for the Car,
Truck or Van
And overview with pictures
There
are as many opinions on what emergency
gear as there are drivers, but most would
include some of the basics. And most
drivers would agree that having some
emergency gear is important to have in
he trunk or behind the seat. Here is
an overview of the gear one of our editors
carries in his vehicle. The gear is all
kept in one bag, a tool pack from CLC
Tool 1130 26 Pocket Backpack it's dimensions
are 14"W
x 16"H
x 4"D These retail for about $50. I bought
this years ago to do maintenance work
on AC units and it worked well to carry
many small tools, but it was too time
consuming to open and close it so I stopped
using it as a daily use bag. As a vehicle
bag however it's ideal. It can easily
be carried between vehicles. I'll grab
it and take it with me when I drive in
a friends vehicle just to be sure we
are covered. It weighs about 18 pounds
loaded with tools as pictured. This bag
is not packed tot he brim, there is room
for more in the bag as it is equipped
now.

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The six (6) outside
pockets are fairly small, and
have a simple flap with a small
tab of hook & loop. I don't
use these pockets for anything
too important because they are
to to get things out of (probably
because of the raincoat behind
them). Tape (re-rolled onto a
nail to save space), a small
first aid kit, a fold up stove
and fuel (to boil water), a rifle
/ pistol cleaning kit (spare
for hunting trips) and matches
Gina waterproof container
fill these pockets.

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The bag unzips around
the entire perimeter (either
way, two zippers) and the bag
opens like a book with the tools
organized on the right and large
pockets to the left. The
"Tools-In-A-Row" system
folds open, then open again to
layout your most-used tools.
This lets the bag keep tools
organized, but it also makes
it hard to get in and out of
the bag for a specific tool.
I keep a can of tire repair and
fill inside this emergency bag
as well as a cheap ball cap with
a brim (I live in the desert).
Everything else inside is still
contained at this point.
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On the left side behind the
front of the bag there are two
large pockets and a hook and
loop tie down. I use the tie
down to secure a warm cap, and
two pair of gloves (warm and
leather work). There are clean
rags and bandanas in these pockets
and a large raincoat which really
fills the large pocket which
is probably designed for paperwork,
etc

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20 Inside and 6
outside pockets organize a wide
variety of tools and accessories.
I keep a few socket wrenches,
a few nut drivers, a couple of
crescents (large and small) Wire
cutters, long nose, lineman's
pliers, a variety of screw drivers
a few light sticks, zip ties,
wire and a knife

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All loaded this
bag and gear weighs just 17 pounds.
worth it's weight in gold if
it save you the time and expense
of a tow

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