Five important things to pack for your car on your next road trip

Road trip! So you’ve packed the car, booked the accommodation and have a bag of sweets and your favourite nostalgic '90s playlist ready to stream. Who are we to judge? What you might also consider is a few things to keep your car going in an emergency (minor or major) that might occur over long distances. Here are some key items to bring along just in case that your car and your passengers will thank you for.

Yeah, we know. Properly inflated tyres help your car grip and brake properly, and guard against deflations and excessive tyre wear especially when it is loaded to the gunwales. Don’t put your trust in a service station air hose that’s been run over several thousand times or those weirdly variable dashboard displays. Double-check with a simple analogue tyre gauge or an easy-to-use digital version and keep it in the car.

You might be a mechanical genius although, like the rest of us, probably not. But for the want of a simple tool you could be stranded waiting for roadside assistance or a tow truck. Screwdrivers, a shifting wrench and a hammer can at least tighten something loose, or loosen something tight. Good quality cloth gaffer tape and plastic cable ties can reattach just about anything (at least temporarily) and are remarkably handy for other holiday emergencies.

Look, every car should carry one anyway but let’s make this road trip an excuse to buy a decent, compact fire extinguisher. Engine fires happen not just to old bombs but the odd Tesla or Ferrari and a few quick squirts beats watching your car and contents burn to the ground. You might otherwise be able to help out a fellow motorist or heroically stop a grass fire from spreading. A one kilogram dry powder extinguisher should do the trick; just make sure it is securely stowed.

Uh-oh. Something is leaking out from under the car. Could be engine coolant, oil, fuel or any number of fluids that keep your vehicle ticking. Chances are it needs a mechanic to fix it properly but if you’re lucky and halfway observant a temporary patch might get you to the next garage. If it’s a radiator hose, the radiator itself or even the windscreen washer reservoir some kind of two-part epoxy putty that sets like stone might patch the problem.

Possibly you are perfectly capable of changing a flat tyre, or don’t mind waiting three hours to get the roadside assist guy out of the Manangatang pub at 10.30pm to help. Or (naughty, naughty!) your spare might be flat. But if you’d prefer not unloading the boot on the side of a busy road and going through the rigmarole, spend around $10 on a can of aerosol tyre sealant and within minutes head for a safer location or better, a tyre repair shop with a hoist or trolley jack. It’s a temporary fix and might not work all the time but darn useful when it does.

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