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You'll be amazed how easy it is to put together a car survival kit and always be prepared while keeping your summer lifestyle organized.
As a parent, I like to be prepared. I actually like to be prepared in general. I'm that mom. But really, a few simple things tossed into your vehicle can make the best car survival kit. With the help of Ziploc® Space Bags®, you'll toss in a few essentials and be happy you planned ahead and packed your vehicle for anything that might happen while you are out and about.
With the changing seasons, I try to dive into my vehicle, pick up all of the old french fries and food the kids have dropped, toss the trash and random granola bar wrappers I find mashed in the seat cushion and vacuum my car interior. In the winter I make sure we have blankets, change of clothes, window scraper, and sometimes a small shovel in case we get stuck in the snow. When spring comes, I move into my warm weather car survival kit and grab a few things:
- 1 large fleece blanket
- 2 full-size beach towels
- change of clothes for each of my kids that includes a sweatshirt, shorts, shirt, socks and underwear
- Ziploc® Space Bag® 2 Cube Variety Pack
- Vacuum with attachment hose
Once you gather your items, head to Lowe's, where you will find a wide array of Ziploc® Space Bags®. Grab one that fits your needs -- I like the cube version because it can "sit" upright in my car and not take up much space at all. If you have a stow-and-go vehicle you might consider a cube, or Ziploc® Space Bag® 3 Bag Flat Variety Pack that can lay flat in small spaces. Plus, the variety packs have several different sizes to fit your needs!
Side note: One thing I absolutely L-O-V-E about Lowe's is that you can find anything you need by looking on their website. For example, if you go to lowes.com on your mobile device or desktop and pop Ziploc® Space Bags® into the search bar, you'll get a ton of products. BUT the best part, if you change the store to the one you shop at and select your product, it will show exactly where your product is. You'll get an in-store map or an exact aisle and bin your product is located it. It's PURE GENIUS, especially when you have cranky kids shopping with you who don't want to be in the store because there's "no toys here!" Just pull out your phone and you'll be on your way to your product in no time. Seriously, though, Every. Single. Store. Needs. This.
I love these bags because they are high quality, plastic storage bags, you can actually feel their durability. PLUS, they allow for 3 times the storage compared to uncompressed items storage volume. Make sure you stack your items in the cube, it will stand upright in your vehicle.
Once you have all of your items ready, think about how you may need them. I find that we need the blanket and towels the most during the summer. But, we might be at a friend's house when my kids decide they want to run through a sprinkler, fully clothed and I need to grab dry clothes. That doesn't happen often, but I can tell you it happens. So I begin by putting my kid’s clothes into the bottom of the bag.
I follow my layering of items with the beach towels and finally the blanket.
Once you have everything in your bag, seal it shut with the easy seal slider. That's one of my favorite things! It ensures the bag is sealed.
Now for the fun part! Open the cover of the vacuum seal, place your vacuum hose onto the seal and turn on your vacuum. Watch as all the air sucks out and your items are compressed greatly. This is so much fun that I'm almost certain you can get your kids to help you! I know mine love to watch the air disappear!
Store your bag in your vehicle, where you'll be glad you have a car survival kit that is waterproof, keeps bugs, moths and dirt away while its all sealed up in it's little space in your vehicle.
Now I still have LOTS of room left in my bag, and you might, too, but as the summer goes on and the years pass, you'll find yourself adding additional items, maybe a sweatshirt for yourself when the nights get cool.
What else can you do with your Ziploc® Space Bags®? There's the obvious of storing bedding and wardrobes. You can also find ideas and inspiration here, or you can consider some of my storage solutions:
- Place dog beds into bags when traveling with your pet
- Load up with beach towels before your trip across country to the beach
- Store baby clothes until you're ready to bring a new member into your family
- Packing camping essentials
Need some more help getting organized? Check out some of our other posts:
Kathryn Minas
I love space saver bags. They are essential for all our storage needs, especially living in a New York City apartment. I never considered them for road trips, but this is a great idea!
Eileen
These space saver bags would be great to keep winter clothes. It would also be great to store a "guest essentials kit" (towels, bathrobe, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc) I like how you also used these bags to store items for your road trip. That sure made it compact!