Had to do some work on the boot catch of my estate car at the weekend. Then I realised how much stuff I carried arround all the time - just in case. This list is from memory so I might have forgotten something.
Foot pump
2 socket sets - 1/2 and 1/4 inch drives
Small tool kit
Set of alum keys
Security screw bits and holder
Roof bars
Ratchet straps and ropes
Warning triangle
4 cardboard bottle carriers (for the next trip to France)
Car rug for picnics
4 large towels (used for stopping items rubbing or moving)
Screen wash concentrate
Deicer
Car polish
Interior plastic polish
Roll of kitchen paper
Set of spare light bulbs and fuses
Set of jump leads
Torch
Plastic fabric sheet (for dirty items or roadside repairs)
Umbrella
Thinking about it, I seem prepared for almost anything. Most of these items have been used recently and I would not dream of removing them.
Do you have essentials you always need to carry in your boot?
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Not as extensive as your list, but then the boot of my Coupe is probably a little smaller than the boot of your estate.
1l bottle of oil
kitchen roll
large coat
bungee straps
torch
tyre pump
deicer (I reckon I could risk taking this out now)
ice scraper (ditto)
bottle of GT85
picnic blanket
umbrella
snooker cue
football
1l bottle of anti-freeze
Wow. That's a longer lists than I thought actually.
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Mud
Muddy Blanket
Muddy Wellies
3 chewed up balls
1 chuck-it
1 broken fake chuck-it
Dried mud
Wet labrador.
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1) Nothing car related that wasn't in there when the car was supplied.
2) Various spare parts for the children.
Out of your [eminently sensible] list I have none in the car and in fact the only one of which I actually own is the umbrella - and goodness knows where that is.
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In addition to the OEM supplied items:
Subwoofer/box
Amplifier to power the above
Battery jumpstart/compressor
2 winter coats
pair of winter gloves
tyre pressure gauge
packet of Screenies window cleaners
packet of Lava hand wipes
silicone blade wiper thingy (for removing dew in mornings)
kitchen roll
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Intrigued by this thread, I've just gone and inspected our household's car boots .....
SWMBO's Yaris:
Some assorted (empty) carrier bags
De-icer
Rubber door mat (?)
Land Cruiser:
Family wellingtons (4 pairs)
2l bottle of water
Mini-compressor/emergency lantern
tyre pressure gauge
Winter gloves
Winter fleece jacket (that actually needs a wash)
Hand wipes
Kitchen roll
1 spay bottle of "Windowlene"
1 Carrier bag full of pebbles (Kid's, from a recent trip to seaside)
1 Philips radio/cass head unit and (non-functioning) CD changer (recently replaced).
1 Travel blanket.
1 Large cardboard box containing most of above.
1 Children's push chair/buggy
Omega :
1 Football
2 tennis rackets
6 tennis balls
1 waterproof jacket
3 bungee cords
1 AA map of UK 2004
1 RAC map of UK 2001 (Just in case ?)
Assorted rags (for polishing etc.)
1 helium filled balloon (that threatens to escape every time you open the boot).
1 large pack of pampers nappies.
I think I may need to do some "spring cleaning"....
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A couple of blankets,
Fire extinguisher,
First aid box,
Umbrella,
Couple of Iceland freezer bags,
A wad of tissues,
Warning triangle,
Plus the stuff under the carpet put there by the manufactuer. ie, tools and spacesaver wheel.
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Big Audi
recycling bins - empty
first aid kit
loads of mud
Small Audi
golf clubs
golf trolley
first aid kit
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Umbrella.
Baby stroller (weekends only).
Plastic carrier bags.
Road map.
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Jack, wheelnut socket and torque wrench, AA membership card!
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Having just transferred the contents from old car to new car....
Hard hat
Fluorescent jacket
Fluorescent waterproof trousers
Steel toe-capped wellingtons
Safety boots
Rigger gloves
Flourescent waistcoat
Laptop bag (empty)
Document case (empty)
Jump leads
Instructions for using jump leads
First aid kit
Lump hammer
6 cans de-icer (empty or non-functional)
2 cans de-icer (functional)
1 can air freshener (pina colada scented ???????)
1 can Rost-Off
1 can WD40
Scraper
Kit for changing spare tyre
3 empty carrier bags
1 Empty cardboard box
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Hard hat, Fluorescent jacket, Fluorescent waterproof trousers Steel toe-capped wellingtons, Safety boots, Rigger gloves
Goodness me, Duchess, take care not to overdo all this girly stuff! ;-)
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Rather a nasty pong in my boot. Took some old (and very damp) carpets to the dump a fortnight ago. Their aroma lingers on ...
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Residue (ex-River Eden) from cocker spaniel and patterdale terrier.
Safety Boots
Hard Hat
Several hi-viz jackets
coat hangers (not the shiny ones that fit the headrests)
coat hangers (the shiny ones that fit the headrests)
Seat numbers 6 and 7 (it's a Galaxy - there is no boot otherwise)
Several McDonalds Happy Meal toys
Litre of 505.01 oil (well it has got a VW PD engine, so it needs regular drinks)
Oily rags from the last time the spare wheel carrier failed
Tyrey marks from the last time the spare wheel carrier failed
Some drawings of a sewage treatment works (yes I have a really nice job...)
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Normal OEM stuff,
Map's of Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire, Surrrey, Woking.
AA truck Atlas with bridge heights.
AA Road Atlas (normal Edition).
One heavey weight Hi Viz
3 Hi Viz waistcoats
1 pair steel toe boots
1 pair steel toe shoes
1 spare set of clothes
1 set of wash kit
camping stove/kettle/pans
24v kettle
tea and coffee + Sugar
Various charger leads and votage droppers for laptop phone etc.
various bulbs, 12 and 24v
2 first aid kits (one in work bag)
small tool kit with screwdrivers, torx drivers and nut drivers.
portable LCD tv
gps satnav kit.
Work bag (contents changes depending on job)
Amazing what you can fit in a Prelude's boot.
Ahhh the joys of agency driving.
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Just reading other's lists, I too carry some of the items mentioned such as first aid kit (under front passenger seat), mini-maglite & spare 12v bulbs (glove box), Leatherman type tool (driver's door pocket), McDonalds Happy Meal toys (everywhere but boot).
.....as you can see none of these are carried in the boot. However, I can assure you that I have no Pine trees, dead birds or people in the boot of any of my cars.
I did omit a warning triangle from the boot of my Omega.
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Battery air pump
Telescopic wheel nut socket
Warning triangle
Rug
Wellies
Waterproof hat, jacket & trousers
2l bottle of water
Mars bar
Screen wash concentrate
Deicer
Tow rope
Spare bulbs and fuses
Cigarette lighter
Box of tissues
Jump leads
Compass
Road atlas
Torch
Trowel (must have fallen out of gardener's survival kit)
Rubber gloves
Hand cleaner
Umbrella
Swimming togs, towel, clipboard, stopwatch and whistle (swimming teacher stuff)
2 seats (well, it is a people-carrier)
Hawkeye
-----------------------------
Stranger in a strange land
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The christmas tree. Not found a quiet place to dump it yet.
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Theres a place in the Northants/Oxfordshire borders, up a farm track with a few houses at the end of it, wait till the Blue Landcruiser leaves.
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yeah, just leave it next to the three that I haven't found anywhere to dump yet.
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"yeah, just leave it next to the three that I haven't found anywhere to dump yet."
4 - I was passing this morning.
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What is it with Christmas trees?
Put it out on 'recycling' bin day, outside someone else's house, natch!
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Jeeez - I thought I was doing well with a tyre, jack and torch!
--
Adam
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Nothing except the third rear headrest because i couldnt see anything out the mirror with it in palce.
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Neighbour's cat, if I see it killing any more birds in my garden.
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hey frostbite, have you put up bits of wood, well long pieces of 4 foot 2X1, and put net all round them, then put simular pieces of wood up round your shed, and net round that too.
just to stop my cats sleeping on your shed !!
get a life.
you will want lions to stop killing wilderbeast next.
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you will want lions to stop killing wilderbeast next.
(a) they do it to survive
(b) they don't do it in my garden
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cats natural instinct to kill to survive, i know they DONT have to do it, but must remember to tell my 3 cats every morning not to kill any birds.
is it ok for them to kill squirrels and mice?
and i will tell them not to come into your garden too.
tic.
;[)
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"cats natural instinct to kill to survive, i know they DONT have to do it, but must remember to tell my 3 cats every morning not to kill any birds.
is it ok for them to kill squirrels and mice?
and i will tell them not to come into your garden too."
If it's your cat, keep it on your premises, and while you are telling it things (motoring link) tell it to stop leaving its muddy pawprints on my car bonnet. Dogs can't roam around killing things, why should cats? And I think you should be required to keep your lion on a lead too.
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(motoring link)
Yes please.
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Various lengths of pretty coloured rope.
and a smell of battery acid from the battery that fell over on Saturday.
--
I read often, only post occasionally
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At the moment:
Trek 4500 mountain bike.
Wheel for said bike
Helmet
Old bed sheet to protect floor
Toolkit for bike
Spare tyre (for bike and car)
Pump for bike
1 litre bottle of engine oil
Haynes manual
First aid kit
Torch
1 empty Coke bottle. (I never seem to be near a bin so bottles get lobbed in the boot)
CD changer
Zero88 DeMUX digital -> analogue lighting control signal convertor. ("Borrowed" from Stage Electrics some months ago, they haven't asked for it back yet.)
As you can imagine, it's rather full and heavy and rattles a lot. To be honest, it's usually empty apart from the oil, first aid kit, and spare tyre.
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On Monday 24 April Spikeyhead said:
Various lengths of pretty coloured rope. and a smell of battery acid
Am I the only one to be concerned by this?
ND
Oh, my boot.
Er...
Flourescent coat (it's an Alfa)
Triangle (ditto)
Two extinguishers (there's a theme here)
jump leads (hmmmm)
Umbrella (it may be raining when I break down)
Squashed Jackaroo hat (it may be cold/sunny/Australia when I break down)
Service book (to prove the repairs should be under warranty)
Assorted service invoices (ditto)
Still warm corpse of local Alfa dealership service manager.
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On Monday 24 April Spikeyhead said: >> Various lengths of pretty coloured rope. >> >> and a smell of battery acid Am I the only one to be concerned by this? ND
Are you concerned about the rope or the smell of battery acid.
The two are unrelated.
--
I read often, only post occasionally
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OEM:
-Jack
-Jack Handle
-Front Screw-in towing eye
-Wheel nut wrench (with box spanner and reversible screwdriver in the handle , nifty!)
-Spare wheel
I added:
-BIG Maglight
-2 bulb kits with various ones missing (must replace them)
-Spare coil (now not needed but is still there anyway)
-De-icer
-Ice Scraper
-Jump leads
-Emergency fan belt (for a car with an electrically driven fan, but it'll probably be used as an alternator drive should the need arise)
-Rag
Pretty pathetic really. But what?s the point in carrying oil when my engine uses none. Likewise antifreeze. By the time you need these things at the roadside, its too late anyway, and my levels are checked at home every couple of weeks. So any additional fluid are kept in the garage for when I need them. Having said that, I might invest in a litre of oil just in case and it wouldn?t harm to carry some water neither.
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Ah - the trick to guarunteeing that your engine doesn't use a drop of oil is to carry a spare bottle around with you. The moment you take it out, it knows...
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lots of dead birds, after my cats eaten half of them and leave the other half with entrails over my garden. dead mice and squirrels too.
had 1 rat once too. it was bigger than my cat.
this is for frostbite. you wombat.
;-)
tic.
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My foot.
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>>My foot.
I was going to say that! (Stamps foot on floor and pouts)
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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Dismembered body in black plastic bin liner.
Oh1 What a give away.
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docterchris, is it missing a foot?
might be madux's !
but then how would madux be able to type on a pc when he is dismembered and in a black placy bin liner in your boot.
never mind.............
;-)
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I have got a 12v power take-off that he might have used.
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BMW
1. Warning Triangle (never used)
2. Mini Maglite
3. Pair of Honda pliers
4. Holdall holding nothing
5. BMW Business radio out of my old 330d (ripped out at the weekend)
Landie.
1. Totally bonkers Springer (who has slept there since the week it arrived - the Landie that is)
2. Don't know as the Springer won't let me in ! (joke)
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true, but how would he have used his arms?
you might have only partly dismembered him?
leaving nerve endings still attached?
thus a jerking movement, would surfice in connnecting said laptop to 12v power jack in boot?
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And how exactly do you use a laptop with no lap ??
SWMBO's MINI
Nothing. Nothing at all...then she's an accountant.
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1 x Fluorescent Jacket
1 x Umbrella
... and erm, the smell of damp from when my rear lights leaked, does that count?
PP
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in the boot of the car a bag containing cd multi-changer and sat nav thingy. in the isuzu and van .. well tools for car and garden, bikes, towropes, chains, generator, gas bottles, spiders,etc etc
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Presumably the cry went out to motorists everywhere: "Fill your boots"...:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I've got a broken warning triangle in my boot. Car broke down 400 yards down the lane from the pub where we had just enjoyed lunch. Landlord drove down to see if we needed any help and ran over the warning triangle!
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true, but how would he have used his arms? you might have only partly dismembered him? leaving nerve endings still attached?
I am multidextrous - I can type with my feet.
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Dismembered body in black plastic bin liner. Oh1 What a give away.
>>
A fellow student of my daughter had her car stolen and it had a genuine skeleton in a box in the boot.
She did not get it back and had to pay £2000 to replace it.
Daughters Yaris has a stethoscope and a mask in its first aid kit.
I have in addition to some of the previous listed items.
Some surgeons gloves
A battery powered mobile phone recharger.
Some wire to tie up an exhaust box.
A full set of each physical size of fuse.
Hose bandage
An extendable wheel not wrench
Black sacks to cover a flat tyre.
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In another thread a BR thought this was a frivalous string. I would strongly disagree. Some BR's have been very thoughtful about their boot contents - I especially like the foot comment. Just shows that we all enjoy a bit of humour from time to time.
Reading all the comments I think I should add a litre of oil and a large bottle of water to my original list. This should just about be a perfect and useful selection of items to assist if my car broke down or possibly be of help to another stranded motorist.
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My Peugeot 605 has an absolutely cavernous boot but If I take my wife away anywhere that involves an overnight stay, it becomes hopelessly inadequate. Keeping the Christmas tree in there encourages her to travel with less. Mmmmmmm, pine fresh.
I adopt a similar strategy at the supermarket. Load the trolly up with cheap bottled water as soon as we get in there and that way she can?t buy so much.
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You should be called big bad buddah with such prolific words of wisdom and advice.
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I always the remember the boot of my mothers car - it could quite easily rivel Emelda Markos's collection.
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In the boot - nothing ! In the wheel well; extending wheel brace, jumper leads, pump, screen scraper, pressure gauge, de-icer.
On the other hand when being picked up from the airport recently by the father in law, he opened the boot and I sort of thought "where does the case go then ?"
And to anyone on the M6 a few weeks ago near Manchester airport at 6 in the morning - apologies. I'm getting a taxi next time !
John
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Spotless carpet, and the atmosphere.
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Two pairs of hiking boots and gaiters, and a rolled up cover. I have an estate, and I learned not to carry anything else when a PFD smashed the back screen to investigate why the cover had been drawn over.
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Two pairs of hiking boots and gaiters, and a rolled up cover. I have an estate, and I learned not to carry anything else when a PFD smashed the back screen to investigate why the cover had been drawn over.
woss a PFD?
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Woss a PFD?
Pink Fluffy Dice - just substitute your own choice of "choice" words... ;-)
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I once bought a lovely Volvo 740GLE estate off a fisherman. He had spilt a box of maggots in the boot at one time and had failed to scoop them all up. The car had lots of tidy little storage compartments in the boot and, lo and behold, one of them was full of dead bluebottles.
My wife, who hates creepy-crawlies, has not yet recovered some 10 years on!
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Barbour
Green Wellies and thick socks
My walking Stick with carved horn head
SWMBO's wellies (blue)
SWMBO's walking stick
Tool Kit comprising jump leads , screwdriver , pliers , pair of gloves and tyre pressure gauge
Wheel Nut extension wrench
Old Blanket and a length of old rope.
National Trust Handbook 2005
Filter removal tool left underneath the car after last service awaiting reclaim by service engineer.
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subwoofer12" in carpet box with 760w amp strapped to side
toolbox
note acceptors for our machines
other complicated bits of money accepting/dispensing equipment
wires/cat5/electric
nic cards
switchs
router
hub
boots/socks for onsite (building site installs)
thule roofbar strap's
laptop
documentation/paperwork
oh in wheel well, a wheel/brace/nut remover i guess?
not looked yet.
do you think i will get all that lot in a bmw 320ci coupe?
hope so, cos the megane tourer has gota go.
its a pile of pooop.
if not i guess i have the rear seats to dump stuff on.
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One full set of golf clubs (the car won't start without them)
Various other golf clubs
Golf hats, waterproofs, sweaters.
3 pairs of golf shoes.
Misc bits of fishing tackle
Spare wheel, jack and wheelbrace
Various cds
practice golf balls
Several carrier bags full of rubbish
Set of jump leads
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Very grubby load protector (that's what it's there for!)
And two bottles of malt in the underfloor compartment - courtesy of a very good P&O offer, waiting for an opportunity to sneak them into the collection so SWMBO doesn't notice another couple of additions.
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nothing...... ever .........unless its for a specific journey
i hate hearing ANY sound in my car
i hate rattles bumps squeaks trim rubbing,,,etc etc
--
www.storme.co.uk
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Three foot length of scaffold pipe. Aquired after a problem with overtightened wheel nuts years ago.
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Is the scaffold pipe any good against PFD?
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OK hear goes:
1 litre of oil (10W40)
2 litres of antifreeze (ready mixed)
Foot pump
Tyre pressure gauge
Diesel rated jump leads
Breaker bar
Torque wrench
Coil pack
HT leads
Sockets (mm): 6.5, 10, 10 (for plugs), 13, 19, 22, 24
1 ratchet and accessories for above :-)
Ring spanners (mm): 10, 13
Pliers
Stanley knife
Duck tape
WD-40
Torch
Feeler blades
First aid kit
Slotted screwdriver
Pozidrive screwdriver (No2?)
Fuses
I used to carry a whole set of sockets around with me but it suddenly dawned on me one day that my Ford only needed the sizes mentioned above, though the 6.5 is only for jubilee clips.
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Mike Farrow
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I love "duck" tape as a misdescription for DUCT tape. Nothing like getting our ducks lined up I guess, so on the strength of this thread I decided to purge the cluttered contents of my own boot.
It has been said that the only things you need in your boot are WD-40 and Duct tape. WD-40 to make those things move which should do but don't and duct tape to stop those things which move but shouldn't.
Looking at the posts above I seem to have most of the needful.
I will clear out the 10 or so empty wine bottles though tomorrow. Damned annoying, the way they rattle over the speed bumps.
What did surprise me however was to find a pair of my partner's unmentionables in the spare wheel well for which she seems to have no satisfactory explanation, beyond claiming she used them to wipe the dipstick.......
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Technically only a saloon car has a boot. Hatchbacks and estate cars have load areas. Any of the above posts relating to hatches and estated should be disqualified! We have one hatchback and one estate car. I'd love to share with you the details of the contents of their load areas, but I'm afraid the phrasing of the question rules this out.
....Now, where did I put my flat cap and string-backed driving gloves?
Chairs, Sofa Spud
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Technically only a saloon car has a boot.
Close but no cigar. I have a Coupe, and it has a boot. No disqualification for me ;)
Oh Growler, Duck tape is a brand name Duct tape, but you're right the two names have become pretty much interchangeable.
I believe a similar thing has happened with a brand of wall-plugs called (I think) raw-plugs.
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"I love "duck" tape as a misdescription for DUCT tape"
Screwfix sell Duck tape
tinyurl.com/42mdm
Reading these posts I just wonder how many of the items mentioned are ever used (Excluding golf clubs!!)- or are they just carried as "insurance"? is it really necessary to carry oil/antifreeze and screen wash or should you just check them before setting out on a journey? If you did break down would you know what to attack with your full socket set or would you just call the AA/RAC etc?
Having said that, I have some sockets, spare bulbs, triangle, yellow jacket in the little storage boxes under the floor of my Berlingo, but nowt int' boot
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Reading these posts I just wonder how many of the items mentioned are ever used (Excluding golf clubs!!)- or are they just carried as "insurance"? is it really necessary to carry oil/antifreeze and screen wash or should you just check them before setting out on a journey?
I don't carry screen wash because unless it's raining mud I can manage without it until I stop next. I also don't see the need of carrying spare bulbs in this country as they wouldn't stop the car in it's tracks. Although reluctantly I bought one of these "spare bulb kits" from Halfords on the advice of a friend who had both his brake lights go at once, but there's so much surplus in there which my car doesn't have that it seems a bit of a waste to me, even though it's cheaper than buying the bulbs seperately.
If you did break down would you know what to attack with your full socket set or would you just call the AA/RAC etc?
RAC? AA? Who are they then? :-) Seriously though I doubt It's worth the money considering I only cover 6k per year.
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Mike Farrow
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Yes, indeed I was referring to the brand name "duck" tape, the stuff in my boot. I also forgot to mention the OEM stuff, which, lacking any alloys and having real towing eyes, includes just a scissor jack and wrench. I forgot towing rope and a 5 litre can of petrol earlier as well.
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Mike Farrow
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Yes but mf, how much of your list have you had call to use in, say, the last year?
"1 litre of oil (10W40)
2 litres of antifreeze (ready mixed)
Foot pump
Tyre pressure gauge
Diesel rated jump leads
Breaker bar
Torque wrench
Coil pack
HT leads
Sockets (mm): 6.5, 10, 10 (for plugs), 13, 19, 22, 24
1 ratchet and accessories for above :-)
Ring spanners (mm): 10, 13
Pliers
Stanley knife
Duck tape
WD-40
Torch
Feeler blades
First aid kit
Slotted screwdriver
Pozidrive screwdriver (No2?)
Fuses"
Oh and I forgot the towing rope and 5 litres of petrol. And what are the feeler gauges for? And where do you put your shopping - in a roof box?? :) (Just a friendly question or two, you understand!!!)
Cheers
Phil
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Perfectly understandable Phil, I've had the 'pleasure' of using the following in the past year:
Torch (friend's puncture in the dark)
Tyre pressure guage (puncture and weekly checks)
Foot pump (puncture and weekly checks)
1 litre oil (when oil switch leaked dramatically)
Breaker bar (puncture)
Torque wrench (puncture)
Jump leads (well, 2 years ago, but who's counting :-) )
Fuses (would have been useful 2 years ago when brake lights failed)
5 litres of petrol (I've only ran out twice goddam it!)
I keep a lot of the little bits in a small toolbox so bits like feeler guages I agree would never be needed. I'd also question the coil/HT leads.
In all this stuff occupies about 2/5 of the boot space. It's all in two plastic storage boxes which are strapped firmly to the bad seats via some hooks Ford invented to provide no purpose for, so they don't knock about.
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Mike Farrow
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Fair enough! But without the feeler gauges perhaps it would all fit in one box!!
And, of course, if you had remembered to put the 5 litres of petrol in the tank rather than the can, you wouldn't have run out of petrol!!
When I next break down, I hope you are the next good Samaritan to stop and help me!
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