• { Dri-Z-Air, calcium chloride: <www.drizair.com/faqs.html>.
• { Road Salt: <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2014/02/best-ice-melts/index.htm>.
• Fred Meyer: <https://www.fredmeyer.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?searchTerm=driveway+de-icer&urlRequestType=Base&productId=4275850&catalogId=10551>. This is, I believe, considerably less costly than the same substance @ Dri-Z-Air (same form--little globular pellets of various sizes).
• For traction, the cat-box litter I carry in my cars was extremely inexpensive @ Dollar Tree (which may be the only such store chain where literally everything costs only a single dollar per item/package) <https://www.dollartree.com/Soft-Paw-Clumping-Cat-Litter-7-lb-Bags/p297608/index.pro>. The very nice wide-mouth plastic container-with-cap in which I carry it came from there, too.
Also in the car at all times:
• Hand warmers (air activated; disposable) <http://www.sears.com/only-hot-hand-warmer/p-00655664000P>.
I also own a couple of the reusable _supersaturated solution_ kind. These are _phase-change_ systems; they liberate heat as the substance in the plastic envelope turns from clear liquid to cloudy solid. Recharge: Return to the stored-heat liquid phase in a pan of boiling water. Fairly amazing.
I intend to investigate the charcoal type, too.
(Or, DIY: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDNFLHzPIJA>; this one is not _phase change_, so is not rechargeable.
• Warm gloves.
• Silver "space" blankets (2): Keep warm, or dry, or clean.
• Cheap rubber-faced "gardening" gloves <http://www.harborfreight.com/nylon-knit-gloves-with-nitrile-palms-medium-66375.html>. These may not keep hands dry as such (because the backs are fabric), but they will prevent the worst of soiling. In addition, gloved hands are generally both stronger and grippier--and so in a couple of ways _safer_--than ungloved hands.
• Cheap retro-reflective safety vest <http://www.harborfreight.com/reflective-safety-vest-x-large-94700.html>.
• Flashlight: Human-powered doesn't need batteries, but also is awkward or impossible when both hands are needed for tasks; carry both this and a battery torch?
Human-powered torches are of three types:
- Shaker: Inefficient; slow to charge its battery; requires only one hand.
- Crank: Efficient & fast charging of its battery, but requires both hands.
- Squeeze-lever: Some of these light only while being operated; requires only one hand, which can tire.
- (Solar: An appealing solution, but once it has died, it really is dead for the night; these are useful only for helping in finding your _real_ torch.)
• Hand sanitizer.
• Zip-closure bags, light- and heavy-duty (car-sickness, messy garbage or trash, etc.).
• Paper towels (because checking or pouring oil can be messy).
I also carry a dining kit:
• Paper towels.
• Cheap flatware, including a sharp metal knife.
• Paper plates.
• Soda straws (bendy); because drinking from a big-mouth water bottle can be difficult or dangerous while under way.
• The above is stored in a plastic enclosure with cover, as suitable for transporting a sheet cake; both halves can be used as trays for snacking in the car. Also from Dollar Tree. (No, the driver would absolutely NOT do what some may be envisioning right now!)
Finally, because I am a big fan of visibility (conspicuity):
• I have added retro-reflective tape to my truck and trailer, and I have been thinking about how to do so to Cindy's car without causing either (a) mirth, or (b) disgust.
• European cars often have bright red foul-weather lights on their (left) rears (often beneath the bumper); Cindy's has this (high, instead of low). I am considering how to add such to my truck and trailer; I have had a couple of experiences with very dense fog--and I didn't like it at all.
There is a large amount of good advice online, too.
Mark_
08 January 2017
