[nilanjanray]

Extra coolant and engine oil. Five litres of water. A bunch of old newspapers. Mobile charger and tyre pressure monitor. Limi inflator that I have never used till now. Small toolkit - spanners, screw drivers etc. 2 metres of pipe and a funnel. Car papers. Car wiping cloth. Tissues. Hand sanitizer. Map of India.

A hat, boots and a vest. Sleeping bag. Usually a two person tent, a mattress and a bed sheet. And a child seat most of the time.

My mobile has a torch so haven't bothered getting an exclusive torch just for the vehicle. Need to add a tough jerrican, good first aid kit and a torch.

[torquing_points]

- Gym Bag & Running Shoes
- Old sunglasses which I never remove
- Hand sanitizer (apart from the obvious use, its also a great interior cleaner for coffee spills etc around the cup holders) & car tissues
- Colin glass cleaner
- Extra bottle of water in the boot
- Used to be RainX - but havent been able to source it recently!
- iPod charging / sync cable

[mmxylorider]

Most of the essential stuff related to documentation/electronic accessories is covered in earlier posts. Nothing different in my cars that way.

The Xylo makes journeys outside of Pune - so the following things are in the car as well
1. The piping from an IV drip. Useful to drain out fluids/transfer of fuel
2. Tubeless tyre repair kit
3. Mseal - the quick dry one (fatafat or jhatpat?)
4. Cable ties - about a dozen
5. Insulating tape
6. A 10m long wire cable (like clutch wire types) that I found at my local garage. I have no idea where I might use it - but occupies hardly any space in spooled up condition.
7. A couple of food grade plastic plates (compartment types) for the kids.
8. A beach carpet - can be used during impromptu road side breaks!
9. Rs 2000 (in 500 denomination) are tucked away in a easy to access yet difficuly to know location as emergency money

Most of these things are bundled up and stored in the jack compartment so the inside is pretty uncluttered.

[shadows123]

Apart from the mandatory kit of First aid, Spare tyres etc, I would say

-- Umbrella
-- Ipod Charger
-- Sun glasses
-- Wiping cloth

[raycers_honda]

In the dash-
Mandatory stuff such as car papers etc.A small bottle of hand sanitizer,tissues,pens,a small diary,mini first aid kit.pen torch(pen with a torch),glares and a pen knife.
In the front passenger side door pockets-
Plastic bags only.Never know when you need them.If i have litter i keep the garage in one of them till i can dispose them off at a suitable location.
In the driver side front door pocket-A small pouch for loose change.
In the boot-Apart from the usual spare tyre and jack etc.I have a boot organiser in which i store huge garage bags(always come in handy during the rains),an umbrella,Lots of newspapers,cleaning cloths,coolant,steering oil,wd40,rope,electrical tape,mseal,nan chaks(yup you read it right),a torch,a two bottles of water.

I also have a full fleged stanley tool box kit which helps me do any diy stuff if needed.that has the basic set of screw drivers,spanners etc.
Well thats about it.might be alot of stuff.But they come in handy quite often.

[thedreamcatcher]

Interesting thread.

I actually prefer my car to be kept light, without loading too much and creating a clutter. But then again, considering there is a kid around, sudden plans to go to the beach side, swimming etc, there a few basic essentials that are kept and all slotted in carefully and in an organized fashion. I just hate clutter.

Inside

1. Shades (in the holder)
2. Navigator (on the windshield)
3. CD Pouches or iPOD (if it is not on its docking station at home) and aux / usb cables (Kept in the arm rest or door pocket)
4. Blackberry and Nokia Charger (stored in arm rest)
5. Jabra Car Kit (sun visor)
6. Lighter and a pack of cigarettes / one or two cigars (Storage console below the audio system in the Accord)
7. Sun shade
8. Rear seat organizer (the one with the collapsible tray)
9. Tissues
10. Car Fridge
11. Soda cans and maybe a red bull or two

Trunk

1. One set of semi formal suede leather shoes (more for when I need to go to a fine dining restaurant / club etc, and it is a requirement and I am otherwise wearing my flip flops or sports shoes)
2. Trunk organizer with some basic yet essential car cleaning stuff
3. Child Seat (when not in use) or Stroller
4. Extra bag (one and off in the car which contains swimming costumes, change of clothes, some food etc)

[razor4077]

In the cabin:
Car papers, service booklet, manual etc.
Small bottle of hand sanitizer
Box of tissues
Torch
Pen
Loose Change, a few Tenners
Mobile charger
CD pouches
Cloth for interior wiping
Cushions in the back (came with the car)
Small bottle of contact lens liquid
Empty contact lens case
Fuel receipts (these pile up in a designated storage space till cleared out)


In the trunk:
Hydraulic jack
Cloth for miscellaneous exterior use
1 extra cloth
A couple of plastic packets and old newspapers (never know when they come in handy)
Tool kit (in addition to the standard OE fare)

Need to add:
Umbrella
Tyre inflator
A small bag with some spare clothes
A first aid + essential medicines box
Spare fuses

[.sourov]

In Cabin
Cell Phone Charger
Aux Cable
Sunglass
1 Spare Cig packet and match box
Cream (as my palms get dry very easily while driving)
Bottle
Wiping Cloth

In Boot
1 short and t-shirt for unplanned trips
Foot baal
Soap and water bottle for tyre change situations

[HJD]

My glove compartment is usually well stocked and well organised.
The following are the things I usually carry in my car's glove compartment.

1. First-aid kit
2. A Flashlight
3. A small knife (preferably a multi-purpose)
4. A small metal rod or hammer (in case I ever need to break the glass from within)
5. Car Manual
6. Sunglasses
7. Napkin or tissue paper etc.
8. Duct tape
9. Music system remote control
10. A pen and a small notepad
11. A Rs. 500 note

I wish to keep some more essential things, but I have run out of space .

A lot of the items listed above would be common across various glove compartments, however, I am sure different people will have different things they carry as per their needs and use, and where they live and what they do!!

Share the list of things you carry in your glove compartment and your ideas on the essentials.

Regards,
HD.

[advaitlele]

Good thread this one.

I have following in my glovebox
-> bandaid
-> extra headlight bulb and fuse (that came along with car, courtasy Tata)
-> car papers - manual, RC book, insurance, PUC
-> notepad and pen - that contains my fuel history and service history
-> CDs - Yes, I still carry CDs

I keep swiss-knife, small rechargable torch, and CD player remote on a small slot given below the steering wheel in Indica.
Same set is put in the glovebox of Alto and Zen.

Any other must haves I am missing?

[drsingh]

Apart from papers and a self made medical kit,
1.cellphone charger
2.knife
3.plastic cups
4.nylon cable ties
5.headlamp bulbs

Fantastic new thread!!

[TaureanBull]

1. First aid kit.
2. Photocopy of car documents : RC, Insurance and Driving License.
3. Torch.
4. CDs.
5. Sunglasses.
6. Notebook and pen.

[Evil]

• Car's documents.
• Alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Some money.
• Contact lenses.
• Prescription shades.
• Cloth wipe.
• Lighter.
• Legal uppers. Modafinil is great for long drives without adequate sleep.

In the back; a large jerrycan of water, an empty jerrycan, bottle of VAT 69 for emergencies.


Great insights in this thread. I'll add the protein bars and dry fruits.

[Arkesh]

Glove box
1. Original Papers
2. Hand Sanitiser
3. Wet Tissue
4. Music in Pen Drives
5. My Medical Gadgets
6. Pen
7. USB connector of my phone
8. Polaroid Glasses
Boot
No extra items other than those provided by company.

[Visaster]

In the cabin:

Car papers
Small bottle of hand sanitizer
Box of tissues
Torch
Pen
Coins and backup Rs.500/-
Mobile charger
Umbrella
Car cleaning brush
Swiss knife
Lighter
Lip balm
Cloth for hand wipe
Body deodorant
Visiting cards
All car expense bills

In the trunk:

Empty 1 liter bottle for petrol
Car cover
Jacket
Laathi stick :-)
Paper plates
Match box
Candle
Cloth

Need to add:

Spare clothes