I moved to Colorado in August of 2011. Before that I lived in Dallas, TX. There is a huge difference in the winters, especially when you live at 9500 feet above sea level. My first winter here I learned a lot about being prepared with a winter survival kit for your car. These are some things that you will need, and what they can be helpful for.
Battery Charger:
Booster cables are great when you have another vehicle around, but what about if you are broke down in the mountains during winter? Battery chargers are a great alternative. I purchased one after the first hard snow in the area because the battery had died in my car and there was no other person in site. I had to call a coworker to come and help.
Battery chargers are not as expensive as you would think, and they truly pay for themselves. Walmart has the battery chargers for as low as $20. I opted for a battery charger that was about $100. It has an air pump, charger ports for a USB and other regular chargers. It paid for itself in the first weeks, and I have used it for things at home as well as in the car.
Window Scraper:
Window scrapers are needed for your survival kit as well as every day use during the winter. It helps remove the snow and ice from all of your windows and mirrors. I have used this more than anything in my winter survival kit.
Blankets:
Blankets are a necessity for the winter survival kit for your car. You need at least one warm blanket for yourself. If you have a large family you may need more. The temperature in your car can drop quickly, so be prepared.
Your winter survival kit should include some foods that are high in protein such as; trail mix, power bars, tubs of snack nuts, etc. These are foods that can be stored for a long period of time and will give you foods that can hold you over longer.
Water is a necessity because you can get dehydrated very quickly in the cold, especially if you are at a higher altitude. Even if the water freezes you can still get hydration from the ice.
I try to have one individual bottle of water and a snack for each person in my household. This gives me the security of knowing that we have enough for a period of time if we break down.
Ice Melt and Cat Litter:
These two things have been the most used items from my winter survival kit. These items help if you hit snow or ice and get your car stuck. It is also helpful for those of us that do not have 4-wheel drive and need help making it up some hills. You use the ice melt to melt the ice of course, then you use the cat litter to help you get traction. Both of these items also help add weight to your car, so you can hold better traction.
Boots and Shoe Spikes:
These things are important if you need to push your vehicle or if you need to walk in the winter weather. The boots will keep your feet warm and the spikes will allow you to maintain your grip while walking. It may be beneficial to have a pair of warm socks in your winter survival kit as well.
A small garden shovel will come in handy for your winter survival kit. It will give you something to dig with if you get stuck or need to remove snow.
Warm Coats, Gloves and Pocket Warmers:
Warm coats, gloves and pocket warmers will help you and your family stays warm if you have any issues with your car. The coats and gloves are self explanatory for your winter survival kit. The pocket warmers will help add warmth to the coats and gloves.
You can purchase the pocket warmers at Walmart, or at most other retail or sporting good store. Another option is to use the Thermacare heating products from your local pharmacy. They provide hours of warmth to certain areas of your body, which will be truly beneficial in the winter.
Miscellaneous items you may need in your winter emergency kit:
There are people that die every year because they do not have a winter emergency kit in there car. I had a cousin die last year because she froze to death after a traffic accident. If we stay prepared for circumstances such as these we could save our families lives.
