42 Underrated Car Essentials To Stay Ready On The Road

Water, napkins. You never know when you might need to clean your hands or spill something while driving.

I have a duffel bag that gets packed before long trips which has extra clothes for each member in our house, plus a blanket for everyone, and water, snacks, first aid kit, candle, lighter, phone charger.

Only on a boat as far as I know?

Got one in my RAV. Had one in my Hilux too.

Can you even get real maps anymore? 😄

A high vis jacket for dark o'clock is really handy too.

Eye ball protection! Good eyedea!

I can't wear glasses of any kind, I immediately get a headache 😩

Very practical. A low sun can seriously affect visibility.

a seat belt for the dog(s) is great too

Make sure you also have an emergency kit for your pets as well. If you're not sure where to start ask your vet or fire station!

I used to have a portable jumper kit that you could charge at home and keep in the car. It was pretty lightweight. And it had an air compressor built-in for tires.

I have a set at home, but only the classic has a dedicated set that lives in the car. I mainly use them for rescuing other people! They take up too much room to carry in the dailies. Might invest in a Li-ion jumper pack which would tuck away easier, but you need to keep them charged.

Actually, a portable jumper is much better. Batteries are being designed so car-to-car jumps with cables can't be done, because of all the potential crossed poles and electrocution issues. I learned this the hard way when my battery died and when I looked at the thing, I had no idea how I was supposed to attach the cables.

No need for this in electric cars ;-)

We just use these for a conversation piece in Texas! May have to use it once every 10 years or so? If that.

Re: rental cars, we put them in the cars, but people steal them. Even getting the cheapest ones possible is still a huge loss every winter.

Each car has its own that lives in the car.

Umbrellas are very handy! And a rain storm can blow up in less than 5 minutes in Texas!

And a seat belt cutter in case it gets stuck after an accident. (Just in case this isn't mentioned further down the list)

Dang the commenter and I have very similar stories. I crashed into a guardrail and flipped down an embankment. I was stuck upside-down thanks to a corn field, but I'm pretty sure I'd of been dead or severely maimed had I not worn my seat belt.

Roll of Angel Soft works just as well and has multi purposes!

Chipotle napkins are the best car napkins/Kleenex

The USB chargers that fit the vehicle cigarette lighter are great and will work as long as your vehicle battery has power.

not allowed in every country. At least the juridical use of the data

My friends were puzzled why I keep an emergency roll in my vehicles! Now they have a roll in a zip lock bag in their own! Went hunting one time 7 miles down in the woods. Had a sudden poop hit. Had to do the days of old. But at least I had a emergency roll of business paper. Screw using leaves!

Kitchen towel. More practical than toilet paper, but can also be used as such if needed. Napkins in the front drivers side pocket, water for washing/drinking.

Add an empty tin can to place the candle in so you can hold it and warm your hands.

Also a Canadian, I'd need like 20 candles waiting for ama in my city :(

alternatively, a (in some countries compulsory) warning triangle

Best place to put one of these is on your keyring.

I just had this experience yesterday at Aldi. At least their reusable bags were cheap, lol.

You can also use a hammer and nail to put a hole in a coin

Good in theory, but every local (to me) Aldi uses the previous customer's cart when ringing you out

My camper just got stolen and I'm kicking myself for not having one of these.

May be part of modern cars already

I have a bag-bag 😅

I keep all my grocery shopping bags in my car. I need my car to drive into town to get groceries and I cannot get groceries without my car, so I'm always set.

You ain't just whistling Dixie on this one!

Collapsible washing up bowl under the front seat in our car

Just splurge on the throw up bags you can get 100 for $20 and don't risk the bag ripping because it wasn't designed for holding up to stomach acid.

Inexpensive "bathroom" bags off Amazon - they have a foam top designed to assist female part havers that also helps kids to hold over their mouth, plus a packet at the bottom that reacts to liquid to turn it into a gel so it doesn't spill. And a baggie seal at the top = perfect for bathroom emergency or vomit.