Roadside Preparedness Kits For Car Rental

Put together a Roadside Preparedness Kit for your next road trip.  In some car rental locations all cars, including rental cars, are required to have certain emergency items in the vehicle at all times.  In Costa Rica these items include a reflective vest, a flare, and a spare tyre.  These items are all a great idea to have, but this is, in my opinion, even less than the bare minimum you are likely to need in the case of a roadside emergency.  

Store Bought Kits

You can find Car Emergency Kits on Amazon.com for as cheap as $25, but the quality of the individual items is typically not very great.  Items such as a multi-tool or jumper cables can be very frustrating or even dangerous if they are cheaply made and it is often better to purchase them separately.  However, a store bought car emergency kit is a great option for last minute preparedness if you don't have time to put a kit together before you pick up your car rental.

DIY

Putting together your own Roadside Preparedness Kit is easy and often more affordable because you may already have some or most of these items as spare in your home.  Check out this great video by [ 

Put together a Roadside Preparedness Kit for your next road trip.  In some car rental locations all cars, including rental cars, are required to have certain emergency items in the vehicle at all times.  In Costa Rica these items include a reflective vest, a flare, and a spare tyre.  These items are all a great idea to have, but this is, in my opinion, even less than the bare minimum you are likely to need in the case of a roadside emergency.  

Store Bought Kits

You can find Car Emergency Kits on Amazon.com for as cheap as $25, but the quality of the individual items is typically not very great.  Items such as a multi-tool or jumper cables can be very frustrating or even dangerous if they are cheaply made and it is often better to purchase them separately.  However, a store bought car emergency kit is a great option for last minute preparedness if you don't have time to put a kit together before you pick up your car rental.

DIY

Putting together your own Roadside Preparedness Kit is easy and often more affordable because you may already have some or most of these items as spare in your home.  Check out this great video by]2 for tips on what a good Roadside Emergency Kit should include:

While the suggestions above are all great, I also pack the following items in my kit any time I take a road trip by car hire:

• extra water
• multi-tool (leatherman, swiss army, etc.)
• reflective vest and road triangles
• matches
• lighter
• whistle
• pepper spray/mace

Enjoy your next vacation by car rental with more peace of mind knowing you have everything you need in the event of a breakdown or other emergency.