[Closed] Winter bag in the car?

Seems entirely sensible to me and I think organisations like the AA recommend it. I also keep a full change of winter mtb stuff in the boot so I'm not stuck without it at the start of a ride if I rush out.

Both our cars have warm lumi jacket, old gloves and hat and likely some old mars bar or other (if the kids haven't eaten it...) year round stuffed in the wheel well.

From November to March both cars have a spade shoved in there too (because years commuting around the Highlands).

On a longer journey in winter we will tend to have things bunged in there - but can't say I pop them in for a nip to Perth or similar.

How many times have you needed this stuff? I could understand in a rural setting, but not in a town using main roads. Do you have a mobile? In bad weather you can call from the car, rather than trudge to look for a phone box. If you're going out in winter, would you not have a hat/coat/gloves anyway?

My winter box also has a sturdy scraper, de-icer, tow rope, litre of oil, a seat cover. We are South East England though so it's rarely that bad.

Only once have I driven in 'stupid' conditions, that was when we had to empty remaining bits from a house move, and I also took a shovel, rock salt, and a hot thermos. Needless to say I got stuck once and got it out with smashing frozen snow and liberal rock sock, and once stuck properly where someone needed to tow the POS RWD van I had borrowed out of a dip.

How many times have you needed this stuff?

This is the wife's argument.
I've used the walking boots when I have dress shoes on and need to walk somewhere when the weather is bad. Not often, but occasionally.
I must have used the jacket at some point, though I can't remember when.

Warm and waterproof clothes, gloves and a snow shovel are my usual items. Tend not to bother with food and water or drinks but then I’m in a city and generally no more than about 8 miles from home. So enough to get me home if I had to walk.

I have full winter hi-viz bib and brace and jacket, gloves, hat, snood, boots, four torches, two way radios, two hunting knives, four pen knives, nine Leatherman of varying guises, camping cutlerty set, fridge, blowtorch all in a Discovery that probably won't get stuck (but may well break down)

Yes, it's my work van 😉

My parents used to have a blanket, a spade and occasionally a thermos, but they grew up in snowy locations in the 60s/70s when it was snowier all round. Is it necessary now? Not sure. These days weather forecasting is much better, so you're told when there's a snow risk; and a lot of people now can WFH so it's easy to just call in and not go to work. Also attitudes might've changed a bit. Even when I was at school in the 80s and 90s the busses had to guarantee to get kids home if they took them in, so at the first hint of snow they all came and everyone went home, so people should be less likely to be compelled to be out in the snow. Also, in the age of social media people who own 4x4s etc get together and offer lifts to essential workers e.g. health workers. So perhaps it's not quite so necessary.

Do you have a mobile? In bad weather you can call from the car, rather than trudge to look for a phone box.

Call whom from the car? In bad weather it could take quite a while for help to arrive..
In answer to the OP’s question, yes I do always carry waterproofs, boots, warm jacket, a hat, a fleece blanket and a space blanket pretty much all year round, but then I grew up in a semi-rural area and my dad has always been of the ‘be prepared’ persuasion and I guess it rubbed off on me. As I live on a steep hill that is poorly gritted I also carry a folding shovel in the winter. All of the above, apart from the boots, the shovel and fleece blanket fit around the spare wheel so it doesn’t take up much space.

I used to carry 3 big bags of rock salt in my 520 Touring. Both as the 'ghetto winter mode' weight over the rear wheels and for the inevitable ice clearing I'd need to do if I ever parked it anywhere overnight 😉 The most useless car in snow/ice I've ever had (I'm sure someone will be on telling me I was driving it wrong!)

Also had a spade, jacket, boots, gloves, big torch, emergency snacks etc. We do live in a rural location which never got gritted so sometimes the hardest part of winter was getting to the main road (and back).

Now I'm far more relaxed. Weather bad, I'll be WFH as will all my customers. I still have warm jacket/walking trousers, boots in the car but that's just for changing into after muddy MTB rides.

Not just a winter bag thing but I now always have a set of jump leads in the car. One of those things you never need them until well... you need them.

Whilst I have not used them to start my car I had a random knock on our door a while back asking if I had any and saved his bacon and just the other week at Santa Pod someone came up to me in the carpark and asked if I had any and saved them a 3hr wait for the RAC.

Oh, and my wife's car needed them as well when her car wouldn't start after a night shift at work.

My car has an emergency rescue button hidden behind the sunglasses holder 😉

My Dad always did this, I always thought he was weird and vowed never to do it. Now I'm older and wiser, I can kind of see the logic, though (damnit!).

Whilst I don't pack a bag, I was grateful for trainers I found in the boot when I got stuck in the snow in my old BMW (pre- the transformative winter tyres), it meant I could run home in the snow rather than ice skate in my work shoes.

...well the wife does get a bit more aggressive in the winter due to short days, but it's not fair to leave her at the side of the road.

My car has an emergency rescue button hidden behind the sunglasses holder 😉

I'm sure the Disco has something like this - dunno who's coming to rescue me if I push it though

dunno who’s coming to rescue me if I push it though

International Rescure surely? That bloke is floating out in space just waiting for someone to press the button.

I have things like jump leads, screenwash, boots, water, foamy puncture can thing in all year round. I add a folding shovel and some small strips of carpet for sticking underneath stuck wheels if the forecast involves snow. My commute usually involves rural B roads and I don't want to be stuck out in the dark for some daft reason when I should be at home in my slippers with the heating on eating my tea.

6 cans of tennents in the boot, warms ye up no end.

6 cans of tennents in the boot, warms ye up no end.

You realise that's not what's meant by "wee in shoes" don't you? That said I'm not sure which would be the worse one to inflict upon someone.

dunno who’s coming to rescue me if I push it though

International Rescure surely?

If it's a Disco ,probably this one ... 🙂

You don't want to be sat in the car on the hard shoulder on a black November night waiting for a hgv to mop you up.

I carry snow chains, we have them anyway for ski trips, and a shovel through winter and always end up with at least a couple of coats thrown in.

I don’t live anywhere that snowy but my work commute can end up a bit sketchy.

How many times have you needed this stuff? I could understand in a rural setting, but not in a town using main roads

If you're on a dual carriage way or motorway and there is a RTC you could be stuck in you car for hours before the traffic is released.

How many times have you needed this stuff?

Bits of the kit sure to get used (the haribo need regular restocking), but really for me it’s about how much better things would go if I do get stuck / whatever and have the stuff with me vs if I don’t have it. Plus, it’s not like carrying it is any hardship at all…

I carry a full set of biking gear, some random baselayers, post-ride clothes and some bedding.

Suppose I could just sling a tent in there as well and I could survive the night.

6 cans of tennents in the boot, warms ye up no end

And a scud book. Anything else is unnecessary.

I just have the mini bottle of voddy I won in a tombola.

Don't forget a torch in your winter bag.

Basic idea is to be able to survive subzero for however long it takes for a rescue.

Many many years ago my aunt and uncle had to be rescued by helicopter from a snowed in car in the Highlands. They were hypothermic by then.

If you’re on a dual carriage way or motorway and there is a RTC you could be stuck in you car for hours before the traffic is released.

This.
6hrs in the middle of the night on 23rd December one year, static on the M6 with no way out. There's now an LED camping light, winter blanket, gloves, hat and a thick jacket in the car plus an old cycling waterbottle for....well, you know, if you can't go at the side of the road...
Plus if my journey involves motorways now I'll always make up a thermos, and have a bottle of water and some basic sealed food like a nut bar, flapjack etc.

If you aren't swapping to winter tyres next month you're overthinking.

If you’re on a dual carriage way or motorway and there is a RTC you could be stuck in you car for hours before the traffic is released.

Never run your tank below 1/4, at least that way you can idle it all night if you have to.

I used to carry 3 big bags of rock salt in my 520 Touring.
...The most useless car in snow/ice I’ve ever had (I’m sure someone will be on telling me I was driving it wrong!)

I still think of the BMW 1 series I saw in the big snows of 2010 trying to get somewhere with tyre socks on the front wheels only. You're doing just fine.

SE England here and always have winter kit in the boot from around October. I just don’t see why you wouldn’t - can’t see the downside. It’s all about simple steps to mitigate what would otherwise be deeply unpleasant.
I don’t really get the urban/rural distinction either - round here the weather doesn’t have to be that bad for some numpty to cause gridlock so you could easily end up sat on a motorway for hours - it doesn’t have to be -18 and blizzard conditions for a night in your car to be pretty horrific

I also run either tyres - again, the emweather never gets that bad and I WFH of it looks at all sketchy but if the difference between getting stuck and not getting stuck is a zero cost risk mitigation then you’d feel pretty daft getting caught out

Last few winters I've helped quite a few people get their cars unstuck.
They always seemed amazed that I produced some type of shovel from the back of the car.

I have a Hilux from my work and managed to pull a 5 series BMW out of a ditch.
We had to beg borrow and steal all the parts required including the towing eye.

Tow rope, waterproofs, jump leads, travel blanket, water, food, torch, gloves, sleeping bag which was particularly handy for the woman lying in the snow waiting for an anbulance!

For work we are supplied with rock salt, a shovel and yak trax!

And a scud book. Anything else is unnecessary.

Happy days

I have some chilled sparkling water, a small selection of cheeses, two jars of fine French pate and a few types of crackers and thin breads to serve them on.

I guess things are different for us on the South coast

I only drive the campervan in winter. Food, drink, a bed, diesel heater. Can't be too careful...

I've two winter bags for my cars. In the alfa and fiat I carry a torch, a tiny sleeping bag, trenching shovel, hat and some water.

The caravelle gets a full set of waterproofs for all onboard, some really big blankets hidden in the drawers under the captains chairs, a torch and recently a full toolkit, haynes manual, VCDS and a laptop - it's that mind bogglingly unreliable even at 22mths old. The webasto can run all night on a tiny bit of fuel and the lesiure battery. It gets very toasty warm. I've a shovel and decent tow rope.

And a scud book. Anything else is unnecessary.

Thats not printed on the cans of Tennants anymore?

I always have and cannot see any downside. The boots often come in handy

Depends on where I'm going and what the temperature is.

Re. urban vs. country. Some years ago I broke down and couldn't start the engine, temperature was -9,-10ish.. Was told to wait with the car - you would be surprised how cold it gets in a metal box if you can't run the heater.

1) what are you preparing for?
2) do you have sufficient gear for that eventuality?

Embarking on a several hundred mile trip down the motorway in a blizzard is a different proposition from nipping to the shops.

It's easy to overthink this stuff. I have a high-vis jacket, a blanket and a bottle of water in the boot year-round, and I have a high-ish powered micro torch on my keyring. Mostly the blanket gets used for covering things up when parked. My walking boots live in the car for no other reason than if I'm going walking then I'll first be driving to a start point.

I could fill the boot prepping for a zombie apocalypse but realistically, do I need to? I used to carry a wealth of tools but these days I (annoyingly) don't even have a spare wheel let alone a requirement to start taking an engine to bits. Tow ropes? Petrol cans? Jump cables? I've sacked off all that stuff, I'd only ever be carrying those for the benefit of others. If I break down over anything that can't be fixed with a SAK then I'm calling the AA.

I wouldn't have a "winter bag," I'd just have a "bag" of random useful shit (and do). Reusable coffee cup; red triangle; bottle of ketchup and cutlery for chip shop visits where they still have those useless tiny flat wooden forks and want 12p for a sachet; box of snot rags; couple of bottles of Lucozade; disposable gloves for when you're fuelling up and the forecourt has run out; these days, masks; carrier bags; de-icer; parking disc; umbrella.

I tend to drive a lot to rural places all over Scotland, often driving back late at night. My car is meant to be a seven seater but I don't have the 6th and 7th seat, I therefore have a big void under the boot floor.

I carry a jet boil, water, tea bags, tow rope, sleeping bag, high viz, some snacks, old pair of boots, some tough gloves, head torch, dog food (for dog, not me, as she goes everywhere with me) and first aid kit. In fairness, I use a lot of it year round like firing up the jet boil if we go to the beach. Its no hassle carrying it. I'm no survivalist, I just carry stuff I use.

In full winter a shovel is chucked in the back as well.

I keep thinking I should just keep the jet boil in the car, good reminder.

I also have one of those jump starter units, I've come off the hill to a flat battery before, its not fun.

Covered on most things as my work kit bag (70l Treehog duffle) is always left in the car, hi-viz Gortex coat and trousers, fleece, spare socks, gloves, and a load of other shit. Come to think of it the bag could probably do with a sort through.

After breaking down on the M40 between Christmas and New year, having emptied everything out of the car to take my boss and his family to Heathrow, I make sure there's always a warm jacket in the boot now. Luckily that day, there was still a picnic blanket under the boot floor to keep hypothermia at bay.

Was told to wait with the car – you would be surprised how cold it gets in a metal box if you can’t run the heater.

No, I really wouldn’t! The only advantage is being able to stay out of the wind.
I used to carry a couple of the big grey wool blankets removal companies used for wrapping furniture in the back of my Octavia, along with a waterproof Hi-viz jacket, a pair of Muckboots, jump-leads, small electric pump for tyres, and some other odds and ends. The EcoSport I now have has a much smaller boot, but I’ve still managed to get my hi-viz coat under the boot-board, it has an inflation kit, and I’ve got my Muckboots in a bag along with jump-leads. I’ve thought about a portable jump-pack as well, but I’m not sure how effective the smaller ones are.

Sleeping bag, some biscuits (since they're sealed and longlived), torch, a bottle of water. And there's a small shovel, towrope and a couple of snow mat whotsits that live permanently under one of the seats, and a hiviz in the glovebox. Doesn't really take up a lot of space. I might add a book actually! I don't really see it as any different to carrying jump leads, you're not that likely to use it but there's not an awful lot of reason not to either.

Never actually had to use the "winter bag" stuff in winter, I'd rather have it than not. Have used the rope, snow mats, though never for me! When I got stranded in a flood I was there for about 6 hours waiting for recovery and I was bloody frozen.

(I have an AWD car and winter tyres but if the road's blocked I'll be as stuck as anyone else)

Absolutely. Even though we might only go 10 miles out of the city if you get stuck that is a long way and it might be someone else that blocks the road and not you.  Too many people just reach for their phones if something goes wrong but that isn't keeping you warm for very long

There's a box in the van with old bulky winter sleeping bag (just because there's space) another has post ride stuff including headtorch warm clothes other bits and pieces. Was glad on one trip from Glenmore when snow closed A9 everyone put in carparks in Perth. Slept well in my kit woke up and there was ice on the water in my pan that I made coffee from. There were dozens of cars with very cold people who were now looking for fuel as they'd had to run engines all night.
Only needed it once but it was a wake up call.

I could understand in a rural setting, but not in a town using main roads.

I've been trapped for extended periods in winter weather twice - once on the approach to Slochd Summit in the middle of the night and once in a suburb of Glasgow in the middle of the day.

The conditions right where I was in Glasgow weren't that bad - I wasn't stuck in the sense that my vehicle was unable to move - but problems elsewhere had brought everything to a halt and once you'd been stationary for long enough it got cold - a diesel engine in tick over doesnt really generate much heat after a while,  You could be in just as much bother in fairly clement weather stuck behind a motorway pileup - which again can actually be in quite urban locations - but if you're stuck between junctions even in a city you can't really leave the car and walk to the shop for some water.

Not intentionally, but i have all my swimming stuff in the car, so am pretty sure i could make some sort of warm cocoon in the car and be happy.

Having worked in Milton Keynes for a long time I've found the only thing I need when the weather turns bad is a bottle of water, empty bladder and bowel and a lot of patience. When all the middle managers pile out of their offices all at once because they saw a snowflake the roads become chaos. Pretty much nobody round here has the vaguest idea how to drive in the snow so when it starts to settle the biggest danger isn't the weather, it's idiots.

If I break down over anything that can’t be fixed with a SAK then I’m calling the AA.

Whilst I largely agree that I wouldn't be taking the engine apart I still maintain at least jump leads are worth having.

For the price of them and the fact you can just tuck them away somewhere and forget about them unless you ever need them they are absolutely worth having.

Calling the AA is fine and I've done it on a few occasions but the wait time is normally well over an hour and sometimes 3-4 hours.

Jumping a car takes minutes and I'd rather do that if it's just a flat battery than wait around in the freezing cold.

It probably is overcautious, but I do keep a hi-viz insulated jacket (old site jacket), a pair of boots, a hoodie and some leads in the boot year round.

It's mostly laziness TBH, but it's a bit like having an ice scraper in the glovebox, it's basically no use anywhere else so why would you take it out for 6 months? You can almost guarantee that the one time you need it you've forgotten to put it back in...

My car is a skip though, I can see how those a bit more "car proud" would prefer to minimise such clutter...

Sleeping bag, insulated hi-viz, gloves, hat, boots, torch, chocolate and water in both mine and my wifes car - seems sensible when we know that motorway pile ups can take hours to clear

I don’t have boots but would rarely be in totally stupid footwear. I do have a torch which I was surprised to see missing from your list and in the winter months would usually have a shovel, and blanket.

Bear in mind I live in a city and my journeys are not rural or away from main roads.

The last time I used the shovel was 1.5 miles from home in a fairly busy car park. I think everyone I know who has got stuck somewhere and walked home was in a built up area (presumably if you get stuck rurally it’s less sensible/possible just to walk home!) or very close to home.

Your wife may think it’s odd, but imagine being say 3 miles from home, unable to drive home due to snow, flood, trees blown down, petrol greedy idiot gridlock, etc and not being able to go home because you didn’t have sensible clothes to wear. What would she do in those circumstances? Call you to bring her warm stuff?

If you’re going out in winter, would you not have a hat/coat/gloves anyway?

My car sits 2m from my front door and has a heater. If my destination is also very close to where I’ll park it won’t be unusual for me to go without a jacket never mind a hat or gloves. Having a spare hat and gloves in the can is also very handy if you’ve been out riding, running etc and get back to the car soaked and cold (or one of the kids soaked/cold) you can quickly get things back to comfortable.

Ooh thanks for the reminder.
We always had a spare gear bag in the old car(hats, gloves etc.). We carry a full water bottle and snacks even for short journeys.
I need to get a bag for this car now. Will add a spare fleece blanket too.
Yes some people I know think I'm weird, as one year I had a small shovel in the boot, which I'll get sorted too.

Generally keep a big old coat, wooly hat and gloves in the car. Mostly for if I need to change a wheel on the car. Or is good to put on after a muddy ride when wet and cold whilst you're sorting your kit out and putting the bike on the car bikerack.

If I keep food in the car then it'd have to be buried in the boot somewhere well out of easy reach else I'd eat it. I've no will power of there are snacky type foods about.

When it's proper winter I'll also put a snow shovel in the boot.

I think it's a sensible idea.

Both mine and my wife's car have some old but warm sweaters, fleeces, woolly hats, scarves, coat, hiviz stuff all year round. It's used more by one of us or the kids when it turns chilly at a playground or when one of us/the kids forgets a coat as we bundle the family out the door haphazardly. There for emergencies/got wet changing a tyre events as well but generally it's just the 'I'm cold!' moments within minutes of arriving at a playground.

This thread reminds me of my dad many years ago. He was never without his huge metal cantilevered tool box full of tools when driving anywhere.

Cars where appreciably less reliable back in the 70s but even to me then it seemed crazy carrying 40KG+ of tools all year.

In winter, most of the crap people mention above went in the boot as well.

Far far too much stuff and usually if he got stuck in winter it was because somebody else blocked the road, so he was still stuck.

When I was driving for a living I had a bigger coat, some food and on days where snow was a risk, a shovel. Never felt the need to have a full on survival pack and never been stuck in a situation where it would have helped. Fuel in the tank to keep the engine running is the main thing I'd say, unless you're heading into the highlands or somewhere really remote, which doesn't really happen that often in the UK.

Nowadays, a coat, water and maybe food would be all I need. If the weather is that bad, don't go.
If I get stuck somewhere on a motorway, I'll keep the car warm ish, so fuel is the no.1.

When all the middle managers pile out of their offices all at once because they saw a snowflake the roads become chaos

I used to work on a business park on the approach to the Dartford tunnel. If the M25 had queues it got used as a shortcut to join just before the tunnel entrance. One year it started snowing heavily at lunch time, settling by 2pm and by 4 people were told they could go- as was every other office on the park.

With the people using the shortcut to the tunnel it meant most people were queueing for ages to get out of the carpark. Myself and a few colleagues decided to stay put in the warmth of the office. There was a pub on the site so we went for a meal and left for home at about 9pm. The roads were still snowy but empty and there were few other cars to worry about.

It's not something I've thought about before.

In my car there's a jacket and a changing towel. There's also a half-packet of bourbon biscuits, but that's a very fluid thing, depending on my daughters intake.

I rarely drive very far these days, and if I do, it's because I'm off riding, so I'm not heading out in a blizzard, or indeed if it's likely one will turn up. My Car is a 4x4 saloon, partly because it's cool and partly because I'd like to help my Wife get to patients if it snows, which it almost never does in Cardiff.

As for getting stuck on the motorway in the dead of night due to an RTC, only because I've thought about it and I've done my best to calculate it, my car will idle for about 40 hours on a full tank, 6 hours from the point the reserve light comes on. I think I could easily double that by using the 'Rest' function on the HVAC combined with letting stop/start as it usually would (it will typically restart for a min, every 10 mins to keep the battery going). Combined with the jacket/towel and of course my daughters Bourbons, I reckon I'll be okay.

Oh. I don't think this has been mentioned yet and it's probably in your car already anyway but,

Phone charging cable.

my dad many years ago. He was never without his huge metal cantilevered tool box full of tools

The thing with carrying tools, I assume he knew how to use them.

Big old down jacket is the main thing. But I also have 3 Land Rovers to choose from…so my main concern is that my AA cover is up to date 😉

How many times have you needed this stuff?

Reminds me of a friend who keeps a snow shovel in his car all year round. It's a kind of survivalist fantasy.

I had to call out the RAC a little while back. I was left waiting for about 7 hours. It was a nice summer's evening as it happens but I would not like to do it in the dead of winter. Doesn't really matter where you are, at a minimum you should pack enough gear to make sure you can walk home, or at least get to safety.

Nothing specifically for winter, but I'm generally prepped for most stuff. I have a van so am not short on space, and I have 3 kids and a dog. It's our main family vehicle so I carry loads of stuff just in case. Stove, hats and gloves, warm jacket, waterproof jacket, battery pack, some very basic tools, blankets, bothy bag, torch, snacks, pot noodles, picnic blanket, kite, frisbee, football, , umbrellas, chairs, cutlery, trays, water etc. The list goes on. I even carry a buggy upright against one of the seat backs. It's all very neatly packed and set up in a way that you don't notice it's there

Sounds totally ridiculous but we often go out for the day and use what's in the van - picnic while we're out, pop down to the beach, take the dog for a walk etc. Also regularly do some bigger trips and it makes life easier

Couldn't put this much stuff in a car, the boot would be full, but there's so much room that I don't even notice it. The only thing I haven't used in anger is the bothy bag

(disclaimer, the van gets used to sleep in for outdoorsy trips so a lot of the stuff gets used for things like that)

I used to live up a steep un-tarmacked track, which itself was half way up a steep road. (Outskirts of Hebden Bridge) I also drove a 1 series Beamer...My winter kit was a torch, gloves, thick socks and a pair of wellies, and I used them pretty much ever winter I lived there. Alternatively, I looked out of the window, and stayed at home!

How many times have you needed this stuff?

How many times do you "need" that helmet on your head?

hi from the frozen wastes of middle sweden.    I keep a blanket , sleeping bag ,some gloves, torch and a few snickers in the car.  No point keeping water in there as it can be minus 30c here.  plus you just eat the snow (not yellow)

everyone must have a hi vis jacket and accident triangle. i also have a sign for if i've hit a moose.

Jumpleads as well, plus a battery booster that generates elec to charge a battery when no one else is a round, which is very common here!

Snow shovel too, which has been used many many times.

Snow chains live in the car year-round, cos they fit in the wheel well and there's no point removing them. And in winter there's always a blanket in the car.

Only been caught out once - hired a van to do a house move sometime just after Christmas, and the damn thing broke down on the motorway. I was wearing a warm jersey, but didn't have a coat with me as clearly I wasn't going to need one, not with the van heating + moving furniture you get pretty hot too. Waiting for the tow truck with just a jersey wasn't enough... and since then, I've always made a point of carrying adequate clothing to cover having to stand around outside in the event of a problem, even if it just sits on the back seat all journey.

belay jacket, sleeping bag, snow tyres on, flask or stove, munchies, torch, jump leads mini shovel, rope and tyre compressor. In summer water.
I work shifts and in the cold winters got stuck on a blocked road once, couldnt believe how many people in the cars around me had nothing, it was forecast so no idea why.
Had to leave the car once when the fuel lines froze. Six in the morning, minus 17, deep snow and no phone signal. Had to walk and the 2 cars that passed me would not stop- couldn't understand their mindset, I was well equipped and alright but they didn't know that.

Reminds me of a friend who keeps a snow shovel in his car all year round. It’s a kind of survivalist fantasy.

No, it makes more sense to keep it in the car than to put in the shed for the summer, only to drive into a snowdrift and realise at that point that he'd forgotten to put it in the car.