When it comes to your car, it is always better to be over prepared and never have reason to be, than to have reason, but no preparedness. But at the same time, a car is not exactly a 3-room condo unless you own a bus, so you have to be reasonable and practical. These are the 17 essentials that every man should keep in his automobile.
First, let’s get a few of the basics out of the way, such as a blanket, fresh water bottle, jumper cables, spare tire, tire jack, tire pressure gauge, car manual, flashlight, duct tape, pocket knife and matches. These eleven items should fit neatly inside a gym sized bag with room to spare.
But you know what we’re forgetting?
Tool Kit – If you’re an armchair mechanic, you may be able to save a lot of time and money by taking care of small roadside problems yourself. But you really don’t have room for an entire tool box, so we like to keep things simple by sticking with the essentials, including an adjustable wrench, 15mm wrench, 13mm wrench, 10mm wrench and 8mm wrench. We also like to have a socket wrench and 3″ extension adapter in the same sized sockets as the wrenches. And don’t forget the multi-Bit screwdriver, slip-joint pliers and a pair of needle nose pliers.
Mechanic Gloves – After your done checking and fixing what you need to, you’re hands will be more sooty than a chimney sweep. You do have some water and a blanket in the trunk, but it is even easier just to pull off your mechanic gloves and be done with it
Suit Jacket and Tie – There are places in the urban landscape that require a guy to be in a jacket and tie to gain entrance. And while you could always borrow one from the maitre d’, there is legacy material in the man who can be turned away for looking too casual, and then saunter in 10 minutes later as a complete gentleman.
Deodorant – How many times have you been in your car on the way to something important… when you realize that you forgot to put on deodorant? We’ve done it enough times to know that it is a confidence zapper. A travel sized sample will do.
It is good to want, better to dream, but always best to have!
