My inflator is solid. I have ratchet straps too. Should carry good gloves like that. Always have warm wool winter gear on hand in my truck unless its summer time, and usually have q pair of leather gloves but not always. I should just throw a pair of sturdy gloves in my gear bag. Never occured to me to carry road flares. A good compact flashlight and headlamp, plus spare batteries are always in my truck. If i need a weapon, i have a loaded ar pistol with 40+1 and spare mags. Way better than a flashlight for self defense. Also always keep a snubby .357 ready to go in the truck. I do definitely need to put a good lug wrench in my kit. Just put aftermarket wheels on, which use a different sized nut. I have the socket for it in my glove box, and id bet the tire iron that comes with my truck has a fixed head. Im not sure on that yet, as the truck is brand new and i havent checked. I need to do that. Ill look tomorrow. Would feel like a real faggot if i got a flat and couldnt take my wheel off. Thanks for the suggestions. Always good to consider things i may not have thought of myself. Brand new rig so im sure ill be adding more shit that hasnt occured to me yet. One ill add that few people carry: good water filter. I have an msr guardian and cant sing its praises loud enough. The thing kicks ass. Keep a couple nalgene bottles in a pack in my truck and i can pull over at any creek and fill them up in a flash and have safe water. Also keep a lifestraw and steripen in my rig as plan b and c, though ive never actually used either of those. The msr pump filter however ive put a lot of miles on. It really is a fantastic thing. I spent about 10 days i think camped out on a mountain where the only convenient water source was a small spring leeching out of the ground about 50 yards from my tent that was just enough flow to fill up some moose tracks in the mud. Drank water filtered out of those hoof prints the whole time. I consider the water filter to be the most important piece of emergency gear i carry.
I've had very good luck with the maglite. It's easy to brandish and in every instance it has been successful at getting people to back away. I've also never had a cop give me grief for holding one. When a cop approaches me I usually do something simple like turn it on and look under my wheel well to give the impression that I'm using it as a light.
That being said, if someone closes the distance on me while I'm holding it I'll quickly drop it and pull out the .380 if needed. If possible I'd probably try to use mace first. Unfortunately, once the gun comes out, chances are some overzealous prosecutor is going to try to lock me up.
If im not actually in fear for my life, but somebody needs to get the fuck out of my face, id mace them. I keep a can of bear spray in my drivers door pocket.
I carry one of the small mace things in my pocket all the time. I've used it twice and it worked beautifully both times. I'm still not comfortable carrying the .380 anywhere I end up running around with kids (soccer practice, parks, etc).
I'd also be worried about the temperature extremes in the summer with leaving bear mace in the car. At one point I tried to buy a fire extinguisher for my car. Only the full size industrial ones were rated for the temps my car sees 30 days of the year.
Unfortunately, once the gun comes out, chances are some overzealous prosecutor is going to try to lock me up.
How would they know?
If the situation successfully deescalated, I could see the criminal making up some story later. Even when it's on camera proving the need, plenty of people have been charged by malicious prosecutors.
If the situation requires deadly force, keeping that quiet is pretty difficult as well.
I used to keep a LifeStraw on me. I'd be worried about it exceeding it's temperature range when kept in a locked car during the summer.
Probably a valid concern. My garage stays cool, but at work i have to leave my truck parked outside for weeks or a couple months at a time.
Do lifestraws work?
I've seen reviews stating that they can't even remove food coloring from water..?
They might not. I've never really cared to check. I figured they'd be better than nothing but not perfect. They're not particularly expensive, so it seems like a worthwhile investment to me.
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