Winter Driving in New England

[Johnny A]

Hi All,
I was talking to a buddy that is the go to guy when **** hits the fan.

Last winter he came by & showed me his winter survival kit in his trunk.


He has:
JNC 660 Jump Pack
Old 1960's Small Military folding Shovel/pick
An aluminum shovel
Heavy Duty Snow Broom
Triangle reflective emergency warning kit
12v LED strobe
Air Tank
Aluminum Floor Jack
___________________________________

I asked him why so many items? He said he was a truck driver for 51 years & seen it all. He said he has used everything in his trunk to help people during the winters.


What do you guys have with you during the ice cold snow season ?

 

[Pluribus]

Warm gloves, hat, blanket or blankets, some sealed snack bars, crank flashlight...

 

[sierradmax]

whiskey..

EDIT: when not driving

 

[ford33]

Cell phone and triple A phone number.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Cell phone and triple A phone number.

HAHAHA....I am guessing you have not spent much time in rural VT, NH, and ME!

I carry stuff to keep me warm in case of a break down, but as I get older I find myself sitting by the stove and drinking the above mentioned whiskey rather than dealing with this ****....14" and coming down still today, over 40" for the year so far. It's shaping up to be one hell of a year!

 

[joe_padavano]

OH.
MY.
GAWD.

How in the hell did any of us survive the winter growing up in New England with RWD and snow tires and nothing else.

Oh, I know. We DID have common sense!

 

[ragdoll]

Mine's a little more detailed LOL

 

[Mark_17]

Mine's a little more detailed LOL

Do you fit in the car after all that is loaded up?

 

[GMCGarage]

Mine's a little more detailed LOL

Your Gas mileage must be horrible.

 

[DFB]

HAHAHA....I am guessing you have not spent much time in rural VT, NH, and ME!

Hi All,
I was talking to a buddy that is the go to guy when **** hits the fan.

Last winter he came by & showed me his winter survival kit in his trunk.


He has:
JNC 660 Jump Pack
Old 1960's Small Military folding Shovel/pick
An aluminum shovel
Heavy Duty Snow Broom
Triangle reflective emergency warning kit
12v LED strobe
Air Tank
Aluminum Floor Jack
___________________________________

I asked him why so many items? He said he was a truck driver for 51 years & seen it all. He said he has used everything in his trunk to help people during the winters.


What do you guys have with you during the ice cold snow season ?

Jumper cables (always)
30ft tow strap (always)
Tow ball and bar (always)
Bottle Jack/block of wood (always)
LED Flashlight and xtra battery (always)
Ice scraper/broom
Heavy jacket
A bucket of sand a short shovel especially if it's been icy.

Cant figure out those people that don't dress for the weather either.

IMO most driving accidents...going off road/getting stuck/sliding into another vehicle happen simply because drivers are going to fast for the local conditions. Always in a big hurry everyone seems to be.

I check my tires and pressure often

Recently started carrying the mid torque with flip socket set too Nothing worse than seeing someone struggling to change a tire on the side of the road anytime of the year. I like to help people when I can.

 

[CoogarXR]

When I delivered pizza for a living, I just kept two 2x12s, a small hydraulic jack, tow straps, a shovel, and a big *** bag of salt.

Little problems? Shovel and salt.

Big problems? Jack it up and put the boards under the drive wheels. (always delivered in RWD cars)

Even bigger problems? All of the above, and hook the tow strap to another driver's car and yank my *** out. Or yank their *** out, whomever happens to have the trouble, lol.

I did also keep an extra pair of shoes, socks, and gloves in the trunk too. You never know when there's a big puddle under the ice/snow. And being wet *****.

 

[BruceMc]

Sleeping bag. The keep-warm stuff should be accessible in the passenger compartment, not stuffed away into the trunk.

Carrying salt isn't going to help you much unless you're getting stuck in your own driveway and you don't mind waiting a day or so for it to do it's magic. Sand is what you want for traction.

 

[jd_1138]

OH.
MY.
GAWD.

How in the hell did any of us survive the winter growing up in New England with RWD and snow tires and nothing else.

Oh, I know. We DID have common sense!

A blanket, potable water to drink, some basic food/granola bars were all recommended cold weather items even back in the old days. That stuff can all fit in a small milk crate in the trunk. Could save your life.

I carry a multi-tool in my front side door pocket, water, couple protein bars, 12V air compressor (small), 25 inch breaker bar with a 3/4 impact socket, toolbox of basic tools. Small tarp and a blanket. Doesn't really take up much space. Sounds like a crapload of stuff but isn't. And I use a lot of the tools if we're over at the in-laws or other relatives' houses and I have to fix something. I don't want to wait 30 minutes for them to find their one rusty screwdriver and pair of pliers. lol

 

[Jackfre]

OH.
MY.
GAWD.

How in the hell did any of us survive the winter growing up in New England with RWD and snow tires and nothing else.

Oh, I know. We DID have common sense!

I dunno, Joe. I think you learned to just stay calm when the back end passed the front end, which it did occasionally.

 

[thin_concrete]

First aid kit, blanket, shovel, and AAA card.

Actually those are in the car all year long.

 

[nh_yota]

Thankfully the roads in NH are fairly well maintained (for a 4WD vehicle at least) and you're never very far from civilization so I can't see ever needing supplies to live in your car overnight like you might need when driving out west.

I carry the usual staples and some random stuff in my truck so I'm rarely unprepared for situations that I encounter. Tools, gloves, flashlights, ropes, etc. I drive a pickup so I'm usually the person people call when they need help and over the years I've learned what things to carry. My friends are often impressed with what I pull out of my truck at times. I keep a battery charger behind the rear seat and random cell phone chargers in the center console because you never know when someone has a dead battery and jumper cables just won't cut it.

The most overlooked but quite valuable tool to carry is a 24" breaker bar with assorted lug nut sockets. When you go to change a flat tire on the side of the road you might find that the dinky little wrench that came with the car just won't cut it.

 

[6768rogues]

I carry a hat. Then I take my convertible to FL for the winter and wear the hat so my bald head does not get sunburned.

 

[reader2580]

How in the hell did any of us survive the winter growing up in New England with RWD and snow tires and nothing else.

I expect the snow tires were a big help.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Do you fit in the car after all that is loaded up?

Hopefully he remembers his list as well so he can find it all that chit


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[walrus]

I drive my 2 wheel drive 2500hd service truck all over Maine all winter long and have for 30 something years. I have extra clothes as I work outside most of the time. Good set of snow tires is really all you need to get around

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[CJM8515]

All of that is nice, but Id want a fairly comprehensive tool kit, tire plug kit, heavy duty infiltrator, full change of clothes with old boots, blanket, hat, gloves and an old winter coat.

 

[Blazinzuk]

We have jumper cables. A small shovel, kitty litter. Couple of blankets. We also always make sure we have coats and gloves as a standard practice. Usually don't have a tow strap in my car. I have some red led flashers they are pretty bright.

Always have at least a half tank of fuel in the winter.

Where I live one direction has plenty of houses. Never more than a mile walk. Other direction is no cell phone service and several miles to any house. So being prepared is a good idea

 

[FTWingRiders]

I just keep the basics..

Jumper cables
Tow strap
Moving blanket
Gloves
basic tools
folding shovel
flashlights
chargers

When my boys started driving, one had a 4wd truck and the other a fwd car.. Took them out the first snow storms the first couple years to parking lots and back roads, had them practice breaking loose until they knew their, and their vehicles, limits. Kept at it until recovering was second nature, and what to do if they got into trouble. I still remind them to make sure those skills remain. My wife doesn't get it, and hates when I "practice"...lol

 

[TractorJeff]

I drive my 2 wheel drive 2500hd service truck all over Maine all winter long and have for 30 something years. I have extra clothes as I work outside most of the time. Good set of snow tires is really all you need to get around

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Grew up in rural New York State south of Buffalo (snow belt) so there were lots of places where you end up walking a couple of miles to a house. All we had for years were Rear Wheel Drive! You learned to handle it and if you really had to go, you put Tire Chains on. Also Cell Phones didn't exist!
Lots of guys carried a blanket but it wasn't used to sit in the car waiting for help!
My Service Truck here is 4WD only so I can get out of the Corn Field or off the Construction site.

 

[Kaizen]

OH.
MY.
GAWD.

How in the hell did any of us survive the winter growing up in New England with RWD and snow tires and nothing else.

Oh, I know. We DID have common sense!

made it through beginning of a winter in my 81 camaro with crager rims and eagle gt tires. god what an idiot. distinctly remember sliding towards a cop car and leaning on the horn. stopped inches from his door. finally got radials for christmas.

Unless the person is seriously hurt or in the middle of no where i'll just call for help. I've seen too many accidents and people killed being good Samaritans. Like white tail deer......when there is one there will be more.

 

[MushCreek]

Two words- Drive south.

 

[HenryAZ]

Here in AZ we can get stuck hard in sand, but same principle. I took one of those 4ft x 4ft squares of thick rubber with holes in it, the kind that interlock with other squares to form a floor covering. They are pretty heavy duty (at least 1/4" - 3/8" thick). I cut two 1ft x 4ft pieces from one square and carry them in my pickup, along with other emergency stuff. They make for great traction pads under the tires, once you have dug out enough sand (or snow) to get them near the bottom of the tires.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've never dealt with the conditions you guys get, but I've been out in some pretty big storms. Fortunately, I never had any trouble. Since we don't get it as bad as you do, all I carry is a snowbrush, windshield scraper and a first aid kit.

Tommy

 

[tonyciambrone]

Driving chicagoland is no picnic in the winter either...

I carry

More than 1/2 tank of diesel (bet my car will idle for over a day)
Snow tires
Cell phone
Snow brush (sometimes)
Tire patch kit and inflator


Not gonna lie I could not be bothered to carry all that stuff in my car at all times. I need the space for grocery getting and tool purchases/ hauling tools back and forth to work.

Snow tires solve 80+ percent of winter driving issues. Can't belive what people will spend money on but cannot fathom shelling out $800 to have six or seven years of easy winter driving.

 

[Falcon67]

High speed DSL, dual monitors, work from home.

 

[ragdoll]

Driving chicagoland is no picnic in the winter either...

I carry

More than 1/2 tank of diesel (bet my car will idle for over a day)
Snow tires
Cell phone
Snow brush (sometimes)
Tire patch kit and inflator


Not gonna lie I could not be bothered to carry all that stuff in my car at all times. I need the space for grocery getting and tool purchases/ hauling tools back and forth to work.

Snow tires solve 80+ percent of winter driving issues. Can't belive what people will spend money on but cannot fathom shelling out $800 to have six or seven years of easy winter driving.

All the stuff I carry is one time stuff, kept in cubby storage spots throughout my Ram. They stay there year round. That's why i have a little cheat sheet on what is where, cause I'd never remember LOL

Sure is great piece of mind

 

[jetnow1]

I am in CT, often have to drive in snow and ice. Good tires, drive a little slower than you
think the road will handle. My 2 wheel drive work pickup has always gotten me there, but I often was passed by some idiot with 4 wheel drive who I later passed in a ditch. I do carry
a AAA card, cell phone and jumper cables in addition to the tools on the truck, though they are mostly carpentry tools so they are mostly weight in the tool box.

 

[joe_padavano]

I dunno, Joe. I think you learned to just stay calm when the back end passed the front end, which it did occasionally.

Yup. Doing donuts in the empty high school parking lot also gave us good practice recovering from those situations.

 

[joe_padavano]

https://scontent-iad3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/47398188_10217927538360026_6106306642838552576_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.**&oh=4a136866d0fbc1fda8a976b92de59ce1&oe=5C68C186

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Only change I make summer vs winter is, I put in my snow brush.

In my truck I carry some tools, jumpers, strap and gloves/hat in there year round. I also run good tires, regardless of the season.

I carry enough tools to change tires, plug them, change a battery, change a belt. Other than that, I'm not overhauling stuff along the road.

 

[az45]

I usually put on a long sleeve shirt for winter driving, sometimes I go with a light jacket if its early and I'm in the convertible.

Whats a snow brush?