WARNING: Get Home Bag Packing List for Winter

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Don't die in your car this winter! Your best defense against surviving a winter storm and hazardous road conditions is packing a "get home bag" for your vehicle. Here are the 24 must-have items for your winter travel "get home bag."

We've prepared a downloadable list with links on where to shop at the end of the article.

Surviving your winter commute from work, school, errands, or a holiday takes planning and preparation. When emergencies and unexpected events happen, you'll need a "get home bag: a collection of items you might need when you're away from home and an emergency happens.

Your "get home bag" resources can help you get home safely in an emergency.

Why a get home bag matters

70% of winter, ice and snow deaths happen in an automobile.
25% of those deaths happen to people caught in a storm.
Most automobile deaths involving snow and ice happen to men over 40.
You have a greater chance of survival if you stay with your vehicle.

How long can you survive without air, food and water?

An average person can survive four minutes without oxygen, four days without water, and four weeks without food. However, age, gender, overall health, injuries, advanced training and other environmental factors can increase or decrease your survival ability.

People who spend time outdoors in winter doing adventure sports like ice fishing and skiing are trained to handle colder temperatures longer. This is yet another reason to #GetOutsideAndAdventure.

However, an unprepared person could die in their car from cold exposure.

Your "get home bag" survival plan will help you do more than barely survive. With good planning, you could come through a winter survival situation without any long-term damage to your health like frostbite, for example.

If stranded in a remote location, you might need to survive for 72 hours (3 days) until help arrives. And you'll need to plan enough supplies for each person and any pets in the vehicle.

During winter survival, your biggest problems are staying warm, getting enough to drink and eat, signaling for help and caring for injuries.

What to pack in a winter get home bag?

Here is a downloadable shopping and packing list of more than 24 essential "get home bag" or "go bag" survival items. We've provided links to products I've used, reviewed, or relied on when adventuring. You can also use items you own or buy discounted versions if you're on a budget.

Click to download the complete "Get Home Bag Packing List."