14 Essential EDC Items to Keep In Your Vehicle

You might think that the only way to carry around useful gear in your car is in rear compartment, but with 5.11’s new HEXGRID seat organizer and Utility 9x9 Gear Set, you can keep the most essential pieces of kit close at hand right in the passenger seat of your vehicle. The HEXGRID system is a load-bearing seat panel that lets you attach compatible pouches like the Utility 9x9 Gear Set, which offers 249 cubic inches of organized cargo space with two primary compartments and a front zippered storage area to separate your gear efficiently. And because it’s attached to the HEXGRID system, the most critical parts of your vehicle EDC don’t go flying around as you drive from place to place. Once you get to your destination, you can take the pouches off your seat and right onto a larger 5.11 AMP bag without having to repack, making it a great option when modularity and speed is key.

Accidents happen, and we’re not just talking about fender-benders. Having a well-stocked first aid kit handy in your car helps ensure you always have what you need to treat injuries wherever you find yourself. This kit in particular comes with a wide array of bandages, pads, medicines, and the tools you need to tackle cuts and scrapes both large and small. And it comes with its own high-visibility case for easy identification when time is of the essence.

If you find yourself stranded on the side of the road for a while, it might not make sense to keep your car powered up just to listen to the radio or keep your devices powered while help arrives. This radio unit from FosPower is set up to receive NOAA emergency weather broadcasts as well as standard AM/FM stations. Its integral 2000mAh battery lets you plug in your phone, and it’s powered with a hand crank for quick juice as well as a solar panel for extended recharging over time.

A big wool blanket is a nice thing to have in the back of your car. Obviously, you can use it to keep yourself warm if you find yourself stranded somewhere in a sudden blizzard. But it’s also nice to have on hand when you need to give extra padding to larger items you might need to haul. This’ll keep items from crashing against each other in the trunk, as well as pad any irregular items from poking holes in your interior paneling or windows.

The Surge is Leatherman’s biggest multi-tool, well suited for heavy-duty tasks you might have to take on in and around your vehicle. And while the Surge might be too big for most people’s pockets, size means less when you leave it in your car’s toolbox. The Surge features 21 tools including full-sized pliers, replaceable wire cutters, screwdrivers, scissors, and a saw. And with its 25 year warranty, the Surge is a tool that’ll likely outlive the life of your vehicle, making this a long-term purchase that you can feel secure about making.

You can try to scrape off ice off your windshield with a credit card, but for really thick layers in serious temperatures only the right tool will do. This Mallory tool has enough length and width to get the ice off your windshield quickly, and the integrated brush on the backside lets you gently remove snow off surfaces as well.

The worst thing that can happen in a car is getting in trouble somewhere and not being able to call for help. Cell phone service isn’t available everywhere, and even in a big city the lines can get jammed when everyone is trying to call in an emergency. With the right licenses, you can transmit messages on ham frequencies with a radio like the UV-5R, letting you get the help you need to yourself or for others.

From engine fires to electrical fires the First Alert Auto Fire Extinguisher can help you tackle the problem and hopefully save your vehicle in a serious emergency. And if you mount it properly so it doesn’t rattle around during transit and within reach from the front seat, you can rely on it as a first response while waiting for emergency services to arrive.

You’d be surprised how many people don’t carry jumper cables in their car. Don’t be like the rest, and have these on hand so that you can get your car started when your battery dies. Plus, having a pair of cables lets you help others as well. These cables are color coded for easy ID when you’re attaching battery to battery, and with 16 feet of length, you should have enough to do a jump safely on the side of the road if needed.

If you don’t want to rely on others to get your car started (or if you regularly forget that your lights are on at night when you’re home), you can use this to get your car going on your own. The large throughput and battery capacity comes in handy outside of jump-starting too, as you can use it to power your USB devices in a pinch as well.

If you don’t have a jack, you can’t fix a flat tire on the side of the road, plain and simple. This scissor jack is rated up to 1.5 tons, and it’s small and compact. Save yourself a lot of aggravation, and keep it with your spare tire if you don’t already have one ready to go when you need it.

This tool combines a seatbelt cutter and push-button window glass breaker, letting you break out of your car if you find yourself in a bad crash or sinking into a body of water. Its small size lets you keep it on your keychain or around the drivers side of the vehicle for quick access, and the hi-vis colorway and simple operation helps you take action quickly and efficiently.

If you need to work on your car on the side of the road in the dark, the best way to keep both hands free is to have a headlamp for lighting instead of a flashlight. Something like the Black Diamond Iota, for example, which features a strong oval 150-lumen output from a single LED and output modes that let you dial it down to what you need, especially for up-close work. There’s even a strobe mode which can come in handy if you’re trying to signal for help. The Iota can also be recharged easily via USB, giving you a full charge after just three hours.

Even in the days of having a virtual AI assistant on your phone, the weather report can get it wrong. If you leave home without a jacket, you can rely on having a rain poncho in your car ready to go so you can keep yourself dry when the weather takes a turn for the worse. This particular poncho is lighter than most as well, because it’s made out of 210T ripstop fabric with a PVC coating that’ll keep out the rain without weighing you down, especially if you need to step outside your vehicle during an emergency.