Washington Winter Vehicle Kit

What I Actually Carry in My Truck for Washington Winter Driving

A bad day on the road doesn't have to become a disaster.

Winter in Washington doesn't always mean a foot of snow.

Sometimes it's freezing rain. Sometimes it's a mountain pass covered in ice. Sometimes it's pouring rain, getting dark early, and discovering that the problem with the truck isn't going to fix itself.

And sometimes the biggest problem is simply being a long way from home when something goes wrong.

That's why I keep a vehicle preparedness kit in the truck.

But here's the thing:

Most of what I carry isn't winter gear.

It's there year-round.

The tire repair kit doesn't know what month it is. Neither does the compressor, recovery gear, first aid kit, shovel, fire kit, or jump pack.

I don't want to rebuild my emergency kit every November. I want the truck ready whenever I leave the driveway.

Winter just adds a few things and makes some of the stuff I already carry a whole lot more important.

The Truck Is Ready Year-Round

My basic rule is pretty simple:

If it can help me deal with a breakdown, bad road, unexpected delay, or getting home under my own power, I want it available all the time.

That means Pack Mule (my K1500) already carries most of what I'd consider the foundation of a winter vehicle kit.

I also try not to run around with the fuel tank nearly empty.

Half a tank is my minimum.

That isn't because I'm expecting some post-apocalyptic scenario.

It's because running out of fuel when you're already dealing with bad weather, a road closure, a breakdown, or a long detour is an entirely avoidable problem.

Preparedness doesn't have to be complicated.

Sometimes it's just good habits.

What I Carry in the Truck Year-Round

Here's what I actually carry.

Not what some internet checklist says I should have.

What I actually keep with me.

Repair and Recovery

Tire plug kit (paid link)
Air compressor (paid link)
Tool kit (paid link)
Kinetic Snatch strap (paid link)
Tow strap (paid link)
Shackles (paid link)
Soft shackles (paid link)
Small hatchet (paid link)
Small shovel (paid link)
NOCO GB70 jump pack

The idea isn't to turn Pack Mule into a mobile repair shop.

It's to have enough capability to deal with the kinds of problems that can turn a minor inconvenience into a very long night.

A flat tire is a good example.

If the tire can be repaired, I can plug it. If it needs air, I have a compressor. If the situation involves getting the truck unstuck or helping someone else, I have recovery gear.

If the battery decides it doesn't want to participate anymore, there's a jump pack.

If I need to dig something out, there's a shovel.

If I need to clear small obstacles or deal with firewood, there's a hatchet.

None of that is specifically for winter.

That's the point.

Food, Water and Staying Warm

I carry:

Water
Food
Blanket (I tend to carry a woobie (paid link) as well as a wool blanket(paid link) )
Fire kit
Extra jacket (paid link)

I also carry a Get Home Bag.

Again, none of this is particularly exotic.

But if something goes wrong and I'm sitting beside the truck for several hours instead of driving down the road, having food, water, warmth, light, and the ability to make a fire suddenly becomes a lot more important.

The goal isn't to live in the truck.

The goal is to be able to deal with an unexpected delay without immediately becoming dependent on somebody else coming to rescue me.

That same thinking is behind the Get Home Bags Aren't Go Bags guide. A vehicle kit and a get-home bag aren't the same thing, and I don't treat them as interchangeable.

Light, First Aid and the Boring Stuff

I carry:

Flashlight (paid link)
First aid kit
Gloves (paid link)
Ice scraper
Small squeegee
Fire kit

I also keep the washer bottle full and make sure I have appropriate washer fluid available.

And I wear boots every day when I'm out.

Some of this stuff is so normal that it's easy to forget it's part of being prepared.

That's actually one of the things I like about a year-round kit.

I don't have to remember where I put the flashlight in November.

It's already in the truck.

What Winter Adds

This is where my setup has some holes.

And I'm perfectly willing to admit that.

I've used tire chains before — on 2WD vehicles.

What I haven't done is use them on a 4WD truck.

I've never needed them.

So I've never owned a set for Pack Mule.

That doesn't mean I don't need them.

It means I've been fortunate enough that I haven't needed them yet.

And I'm changing that.

Tire Chains

I want a complete set for all four tires on Pack Mule.

Not because I'm trying to check a box.

Because if I'm going to carry chains as part of my winter recovery system, I want to understand what a full four-wheel setup actually gives me.

I also want to learn what works, what fits, how they install, and what they're like to actually use on a 4WD truck.

That's another area where I don't pretend to have all the answers.

I've used chains.

I just haven't used them this way.

And honestly, that makes it a pretty good BTB story.

I've got experience. I also have gaps.

That's real life.

Roadside Visibility

This is another hole in the kit.

I don't currently have dedicated roadside warning equipment.

I've got a flashlight, but that's not the same thing as making a disabled truck obvious to approaching traffic on a dark or wet road.

So I'm looking at what actually makes sense for Pack Mule.

Warning triangles?

LED warning equipment?

A beacon?

Something else?

I don't know yet.

And that's okay.

I'm going to figure it out before I need it.

Dedicated Traction

This is where things get interesting.

Pack Mule already has:

4WD
Falken Wildpeak R/T tires
A shovel
Recovery straps
Shackles
Soft shackles

So I'm not starting from zero.

But I don't currently carry traction boards.

And I don't currently have a powered winch on the truck.

So the question isn't simply:

“Should I buy traction boards?”

The better question is:

“Could traction boards give me another way to get Pack Mule moving before I need a much bigger recovery?”

That's worth finding out.

Traction boards and a winch don't do exactly the same thing.

Boards can potentially help the tires regain enough traction to drive out.

A winch is an extraction tool.

The shovel, boards, recovery gear and eventually possibly a winch can all occupy different places in the recovery chain.

I'm interested in building capability without automatically bolting every piece of recovery equipment ever made onto the truck.

Preparedness Has a Weight Limit

This is something preparedness lists don't always talk about.

Everything you carry has weight.

Chains weigh something.

A high-lift jack weighs something.

Recovery gear weighs something.

Water weighs a lot.

Tools, food, fire equipment, spare parts and traction equipment all add up.

And Pack Mule is already a 30-year-old 4WD pickup that isn't exactly known for spectacular fuel economy.

I'm also trying to take that truck from roughly 11–12 mpg toward 18–20 mpg through Project MPG.

That creates an interesting problem.

I don't want to turn Pack Mule into a rolling emergency warehouse and destroy the fuel economy I'm trying to improve.

But I also don't want to unload half the truck every time I want to make an MPG run.

If Pack Mule is going to be my actual truck, the equipment that matters needs to stay with it.

The goal isn't to make Pack Mule as light as possible.

The goal is to make it more efficient without making it less useful.

That's one of the things Project MPG is really about.

I'm not interested in getting a great MPG number by stripping the truck down to something I would never actually drive.

The truck needs to be useful in the real world.

One Piece of Equipment, Multiple Problems

That's why I like equipment that can serve more than one purpose.

The compressor handles tire repairs and tire-pressure adjustments.

The shovel isn't winter-only.

The recovery straps aren't winter-only.

The high-lift can lift the truck and potentially provide a short-distance mechanical recovery option.

The NOCO isn't winter-only.

The first-aid kit isn't winter-only.

The food and water aren't winter-only.

The Get Home Bag isn't winter-only.

Most of the kit is already doing its job before winter ever arrives.

Winter just exposes the places where I need more capability.

What I Check Before a Winter Trip

I don't need to perform a 47-point inspection every time I drive somewhere.

But before a winter trip, especially if I'm heading into the mountains or somewhere remote, I want to know a few basic things.

Vehicle

Tires are in good condition and properly inflated
Battery is healthy
Lights work
Wipers are good
Washer fluid is full
Heater and defroster work
Fuel is at least half a tank

Equipment

Tire plug kit
Compressor
Tools
Recovery gear
Jump pack
Shovel
Hatchet
First aid kit
Flashlight
Food and water
Warm clothing
Fire kit
Get Home Bag

Winter additions

Four-wheel tire chain setup
Dedicated roadside warning/visibility equipment
Traction aid, if I decide one belongs in the kit

Conditions

I also check the weather and road conditions before I leave.

Because the best emergency equipment in the world doesn't change the fact that sometimes the smart move is not to go.

Why This Isn't a Shopping List

There's a reason I'm not calling this something like:

“25 Things You NEED in Your Truck This Winter.”

Because you probably don't need 25 things.

And neither do I.

Preparedness depends on where you live, where you're going, what you're driving, what the weather is doing, how far you are from help, and what you're actually capable of doing yourself.

A Washington winter vehicle kit isn't necessarily going to look like one built for Montana.

Or Maine.

Or Arizona.

The point isn't to copy my truck.

The point is to think through your own weak spots.

That's what I'm doing here.

I'm Not Perfect at This Either

This might be the most important part.

I don't have everything figured out.

I've used chains before, but only on 2WD vehicles.

I've never needed them on a 4WD truck.

I don't currently have dedicated roadside warning equipment.

I don't have traction boards.

I don't have a powered winch.

Those are holes in my setup.

And now that I'm deliberately looking at winter vehicle preparedness, I'm going to figure out which of those holes actually need filling.

That's what preparedness should look like to me.

Not pretending you're ready for everything.

Knowing what you're good at, knowing what you're missing, and fixing the holes one at a time.

The BTB Approach to Preparedness

At Bigfoot Trails Basecamp, preparedness isn't about building some fantasy survival rig.

It's about being able to go places and deal with what happens when things don't go exactly according to plan.

Sometimes that means carrying a compressor.

Sometimes it means having enough food and water to sit tight.

Sometimes it means knowing how to fix a tire.

Sometimes it means knowing how to recover a stuck vehicle.

And sometimes it means admitting:

“I've never needed that before. Maybe it's time I carried it anyway.”

That's the approach I'm taking with the winter kit.

I'll add what makes sense.

I'll test it.

I'll learn from it.

And if something doesn't work, I'll say that too.

Build Your Own Winter Vehicle Kit

Don't copy this list blindly.

Start with your own vehicle and your own environment.

Ask yourself:

Where do I normally drive?
How far am I from help?
What happens if the vehicle won't move?
What happens if I have to wait several hours?
What happens if the weather gets worse?
What can I repair myself?
What can I realistically carry?
What do I already have?
Where are the holes?
Which pieces of equipment can solve more than one problem?

Then build from there.

The goal isn't to carry everything.

The goal is to carry the things that give you options when something goes wrong.

The Bottom Line

Most of my vehicle kit isn't winter gear.

It's just the stuff I carry because I like having options when I'm away from home.

Winter adds a few more considerations — and exposes a few holes in my current setup.

So I'm going to fix them.

Not all at once.

Not because somebody on the internet says I need 37 pieces of emergency equipment.

Just one practical improvement at a time.

And I'm going to try to do it without turning Pack Mule into a 4WD version of a moving van or killing the fuel economy I'm trying to improve.

That's how I build things at Bigfoot Trails Basecamp.

Adventure isn't a product. It's an experience.

We're not here to sell a lifestyle. We're here to tell the story.

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I only include gear because I believe it has a legitimate place in the story—not simply because an affiliate program is available.