The essential "save your ass bag" thread

It`s happened to many of us; something breaks or comes loose on a drive that forces us to pull over and inspect, often leading to a tow truck call when a simple tool from the house or makeshift solution would have had us back on the road. Introducing the "save your ass bag".

The save your ass bag is not big or bulky, not a full tool kit. It`s the essentials that will get you out of a jam that can fit nicely into the jack compartment or the spare tire well. Mine will not be the be all, end all list, so please feel free to add to it and I can update as solid replies come along.

The SYAB for my Speed 3 consists of:
1/4" and 3/8" ratchets
short extensions for each
14mm, 11mm (deep), 10mm sockets for each.
medium channel lock pliers
med flat and phillips screwdrivers
Spare t-bolt clamps for silicon couplers.
a few small worm gear clamps
an LED work light
assortment of zip ties
small side cutters
tire plug kit
and assortment of nuts and bolts. You never know when they`ll come in handy.
an empty, cleaned out soda can (can do emergency fixes on nearly any hose with this, high pressure or not. I`ve had this hold a power steering hose leak and radiator hose leaks)
phone charging cable
WORK GLOVES (if you`re on the side of the road, the car is going to be HOT)

That all fits into a small bag, and is generally enough to at the very least get you to a safer place/auto parts store. You don`t have to spend a fortune on tools for the SYAB since the real purpose is to simply get you back to your good tools. It`s meant to (as it`s name implies) save your ass when all you needed was something small or otherwise considered an afterthought.

 

Breaker bar with appropriate lugnut socket. Spare fluids, couple quarts of oil, P/S fluid, mixed coolant and washer fluid. Battery jumper cables.

 

But running with one of these in the trunk for years. Great idea, @VoodooJef . Any person with a modded/tuned car who doesn't have one of these in the trunk is asking for trouble. Same thing with running methanol without a fire extinguisher. Or a big turbo without a Guardian Angel.

 

Great idea, and list.

I would also suggest a pair of vice grips, drove 400 km with a pair holding my exhaust one time.

 

I used to have a small toolbox in my 240SX that I could fix just about anything on the car with. Came in handy multiple times and it fit perfectly in a small recessed spot behind the passenger seat.

I do not, however, have anything like it in the Speed. Hell, I don't even carry a donut spare. The Speed has proven to be way more reliable than a 240SX with a motor swapped by a bunch of 18 year olds haha. I have often thought about putting together a small kit for the Speed, but I currently only carry jumper cables. I guess the reliability and the fact that the Speed never leaves town and I'm only an Uber ride away from my truck and trailer has made me not act on it as of yet. There are definitely many benefits to having such a kit however.

 

Dont forget the AAA membership card, with a 100 mile tow, if all else fails.

 

I keep a bag in my car that consists of the following:
3/8" ratchet
1/4" ratchet
8mm 1/4" socket
10mm,11mm,12mm,17mm, 3/8" sockets
1/2" breaker bar
1/2" 17, 19mm snd 24mm sockets
Lugnut key
9mm wrench
10mm,11mm,12mm,13mm ratcheting wrenches
3/8" and 1/2" extensions
Assorted zip ties
Pliers
Vice grips
Spare tbolt clamps for every piece of my fmic piping. (2.5", 2.75", 3.25")
Spare ewg vband clamp
3 ft of 1/4" vacuum line
1/2" tq wrench
Flat head and phillips screwdriver
Snipping tool
Then a box in the hatch with 1 extra quart of oil, 1 gallon of coolant, brake fluid

 

I like living life on the edge running meth with no extinguisher. Nothing will ever give me the pucker effect like when my meth line hit the downpipe and melted in half and sprayed meth all over the extremely hot downpipe. Coulda held a sewing needle in my ass when that happened.

 

Items to address #1 and #2 when I get my car back: braided stainless methanol lines and front seat footwell mount extinguisher.

 

I really should have a tool kit of some sort. I have like 4 smaller wrenches, and a flat head screwdriver in my car, and a roll of duct tape. Thats it.

You would think with all the issues I have I would have other tools with me.

I do have a fire extinguisher though, so that counts for something.

 

I need to get on this but I do carry around 2 quarter of oil, a 3/4 jug of coolant, windshield washer fluid, a hockey puck (in case I have to let some roadside assistance monkey jack the car), and the Gorilla wrench thin wall socket kit ( ) ...oh and a wine and bottle opener. Also I keep water bottles in every door cupholder and some snack bars in my trunk box, always good to have food and water in case of emergency.

It will definitely be one of my winter tasks to put together a quick SYAB with tools and clamps and stuff. I have a couple of these which are cheap and awesome, they were $4 before they went out of stock: https://www.walmart.com/ip/WorkChoice-Super-Bright-LED-Work-Utility-Light/46698222

 

On the useful but not fun side: I highly recommend everyone have a CAT 7 tourniquet in their car, and learn how to use it, at a minimum. When shit hits the fan nothing is better for buying some time (Pro tip: Not for use on head wounds.) Gauze, medical tape, medical shears, and gloves (both mechanix and nitrile).

 

I always find tourniquets funny being in the paramedic field. They go from being bad and we shouldn’t use them, then war happens and we realize hey these are pretty good so we start using them again. Then the cycle continues.

 

Yea I can see that. I remember them being "bad" or at least a last resort option pre 9/11. I spent multiple years in Afghanistan with one strapped to my body armor or in a pocket. Even if I was taking nothing with me other than my sidearm to the fuel pit I had the tourniquet. The last time I was briefed in for a trip I was told 3 hours before damage started to occur and 6 hours for when serious damage occurs. At the same time I'd rather lose the limb than my life so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I know a few paramedics and firefighters who highly recommend keeping one on hand just as a precaution so at least right now they're "good" again. Most people I know think this is over kill though.

That's just how medicine is though. I hear different things about eggs and coffee every 5 years or so. So I'm either going to live forever or should have died years ago since I feel like that's all my diet consists of.

 

I don't have a save your ass bag. I have a save everyone's ass arsenal:

Basic tool set (3/8" ratchet with 1/4" adapter, metric from 6 to 17 mm, cheapie set including screwdrivers and spark plug socket)
32 mm wrench (spill valve)
All fluids
1/2" heater hose (in the event of PS leaks)
12V DC air compressor
Compression test kit (the number of times this has been used on the road, and discovered MZR's with low compression, is pretty alarming)
Silicone boost line
Zipties
Boost leak tester for a 3.5" intake
Inverted torx sockets (again, used a surprising number of times)
Spare nuts and bolts of various sizes. Most of the stuff on these cars is M8x1.25.
Misc deep sockets, breaker bar, torque wrench
Electrical tape (good enough to seal blown silicone tubes in a pinch)
Stubby 14 mm wrench
Regular 14 mm wrench
Paper clips
A large towel (to lay on)
Small towels (to clean up fluids and hands)
Wideband O2 sensor and O2 sensor socket

I would say the most popular items have been the silicone boost line, zipties, basic tool set, and 14 mm wrenches.

 

I completely agree. Hence why I said war makes us realize they’re good. I think tourniquets are a life saver personally, just look at all the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that were saved by them.

 

Fire extinguisher
gas station squeege
jumper cables
socket set
screwdrivers
pliers slip joint, needle nose, crimper, dikes and wire stripper
tire plug set 12vdc inflatior tire iron and trolley jack
Meter and breaker bar
and best addition is a AAA card!
in winter i add a shovel ice melt blanket and a board.

 

It is funny indeed how everything in the EMS world comes and goes full circle every few years. I do think the tourniquets being good might hang around a little longer this go around though.

I just sat through my department's refresher on our Active Shooter protocol yesterday and think that the CAT tourniquets are a wonderful thing to have. Each of the medic's ballistics vests have five CAT tourniquets on them, along with a few Israeli bandages, Ascherman chest seals, ETC. While I know that a tourniquet can be made out of just about any cloth/material, in the heat of a situation those CAT tourniquets sure are nice to just throw on, cinch down, tighten the windlass, and move on to the next one. I've been meaning to build a bug out/save your ass bag for a while now, I might need to get on that with how crazy the world is now-a-days.

 

It’s funny to watch how fast things go away and then come back. I have a really interesting article regarding O2 for MI patients I’m gunna send you. I think you’ll find it interesting.

 

I keep a Leatherman in the glove box.

Edit. I should add that it's not even a real Leatherman but some two dollar Chinese knockoff.

I like to live dangerously