10 tools and tips to help you survive winter on the road

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Well, it’s almost that time of year again, when blizzards begin, all-wheel-drive reigns supreme, and common sense dictates you take a little more care in your driving. But sometimes, even with all the care I know all Driving readers exercise in all conditions, situations arise. Better be prepared for the worst is always a good idea when driving alone at night; doubly so if it’s winter and you’re well off the beaten path.

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So, this is yet another winter survival guide — though hopefully not another boring winter survival guide. So, I’m not going to admonish you to wear a pair of warm mittens and stock extra washer fluid in you car. If either of those are a revelation to you, you are well beyond anything I can tell you. On the other hand of the spectrum, if you actually remember to stuff a warm sleeping bag in your trunk from November to March, you don’t need my help an all. In fact, why don’t you drop me a line with your winter driving tips?

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10 tools and tips to help you survive winter on the road Back to video

A rubber mat

Chances are, if something goes amiss with you and your car, you’re eventually going to have to kneel in some snow. Or, worse yet, slush. A rubber mat of any kind — even that old floor mat you dumped in exchange for those fancy, custom-fit WeatherTech thingies — will do. Make it large enough — one metre by two would be ideal — to accommodate both your knees with enough space left over for whatever tools you’ll be futzing with. You may think this is just a perfunctory admonishment to prevent staining of pant legs and/or skirts, but wet clothing is the enemy of cold weather survival. If you ended up being stranded by the side — or even way off the side — of road, drier is definitely better. In a pinch, a small tarp will also do — anything to keep you and your clothing dry.

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Traction mats

Speaking of mats, something less clunky than chains is always a good fit for your winter-time trunk. Falling into two basic categories — soft, bendy one-piece polypropylene jobbies with knobs cast in, and hard plastic versions with more rigid traction edges — both are more convenient than chains. The first are cheap but can ride atop loose snow and then fold under the load, while the second are foldable and can be pushed into loose snow for better traction. They are more expensive, however, but often come with their own handy-dandy carrying case. Models range from $10 to $75 on Amazon .

A self-contained battery jumper

For anyone that doesn’t have a CAA membership — and even those that do, because freezing outside your car for an hour waiting for the tow truck to arrive is no fun — a self-contained battery jumper is absolutely essential. Thanks to the miracle of lithium-ion, there are plenty of small, portable batteries with built in jumper cables that will supply enough juice to crank even a bitterly cold engine a couple of times. There are plenty out there, but I recommend the Noco GeniusBoost, which will — and perhaps this will be an even bigger emergency if you get stranded God-knows-where — also charge your cell phone. Connectivity and engine boosts in one small, self-contained package, it’s an indispensible accessory for every car.

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An LED tactical light

Now, normally a flashlight would seem to fall into the warm-mittens-and-windshield-washer-fluid category of obvious. But trading in that crusty old lamp for a brand-new LED should be considered essential. For one thing, LEDs shine much brighter, meaning you can see better and you have a much greater chance of getting noticed when you’re using it as a beacon. The best of ‘em allow you to easily change the focus from wide beam to laser-like; you’ll see critters approaching your car from miles off. The second thing is, LED lights use about half the power of halogen bulbs, so your batteries will last twice as long. Because you probably forgot that extra pack all those other warm-mittens-and-windshield-washer-fluid lists told you to include, didn’t you?

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All-weather reflective blanket

Now, if you’re too embarrassed to pack a sleeping bag in you trunk — people might start thinking you’re a survivalist or, worse, an anal retentive accountant — a reflective blanket rolls up in a ball no much bigger than that hefty boy-wallet you keep all your receipts in, so it can be hidden pretty much anywhere.

We have the mountaineering folks to thank for this innovation since they need warmth with minimal bulk. Most of these thinnest of blankies have a waterproof outer layer with a reflective inner layer that redirects all your body heat back at you, so none of your precious calories will go to waste. They pack up small and barely weigh 200 grams.

Fire-starting shoelaces

So you’re cold, stranded, and didn’t pack your waterproof matches like mom and dad told you. What to do? Why, undo your shoelaces and start a fire, of course.

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Shoelaces? Fire? Surely you jest, Dave?

No, there really is such a thing as shoelaces that will serve as the “flint” to light your survivalist fire. Scrape off an exterior protective coating applied to the tips, rub vigorously, and eventually, your shoelaces will light your way. It’s all a bit too survivalist for me — though I do need new shoelaces for my motorcycle riding boots and who knows when my old Honda might conk out — which may explain why one of the companies selling these flinty shoelaces is called Survival Frog. And no, I am not making this up.

Emergency seatbelt cutter and glass breaker

Far more practical is an emergency seatbelt cutter and window breaker. Yes, I know I’ve recommended one of these for my summer emergency package as well, but something that can get you out of a stuck seatbelt, and then break a window if you’re trapped inside your car, is good all-season emergency gear. They’re cheap — I’ve seen them as low as $9.99 — effective, and easily stored. In fact, unlike most of this stuff which can be stored in the trunks — except, of course, your fire-starting shoelaces — you should store your emergency seatbelt cutter/glass breaker in your centre console. Seriously, this one’s an absolute must for anyone who prowls lonely roads, summer or winter.

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Winter emergency kit

Of course, you could do the whole one-stop-shopping kit and buy an already selected ensemble of tools and aids. Consumer Reports tested a bunch of these and found the All-in-One Winter Roadside Kit the top ensemble. Included are a tow strap, an ice scraper with a protective sleeve, battery cables, a flashlight and batteries, a light stick, a reflective triangle, a rain poncho, hand warmers, work gloves, a first-aid kit, a space blanket, a reflective vest, a utility knife, and a can of tire sealant. Oh, and a handy-dandy foldable snow shovel. It’s US$68.95 on Survival-supply.com , but Canadian Tire sells a lesser version for Can.$54.99.

A couple of tips

And finally, we’ll throw in a couple of safety tips, the two most important pieces of advice that pretty much every safety organization repeats in the hope that we, the overconfident, might get the message. I’ll skip over the whole “keep warm by changing positions” obviousness and get to the two basic rules of surviving being stranded in the winter.

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First, don’t leave you car. Walking through a snowstorm is a really good way to get lost. Or worse. You car is protection from the storm — relatively easy to find, and as long as you have gasoline, a source of heat. If you’re lost and secluded, think of your car as emergency shelter.

And, if you are straying off major — as in, festooned with traffic and roadside service stations — thoroughfares, bring emergency food. No, not Pringles and the week-old, half-eaten slice of pizza you threw onto the rear seat. Raisins and peanuts — better yet, trail mix — are wonderfully compact for how many calories they pack into a small volume, and they stay fresh for eons. Ditto for Power, Cliff, and whatever other health bars you might find palatable, though they don’t stay quite as fresh for as long. What you’re looking for is maximum calories with minimal volume.

And no, chocolate doesn’t count. Going into a caffeine high and then conking out in a sugar coma probably isn’t optimum cold weather survival tactics.