If you already have an emergency kit, well done. Essentials such as first-aid supplies, jumper cables, gloves, a flashlight, duct tape, a tow strap, and some simple tools should already be in your trunk—if not for daily driving, then at least when you set out on a road trip. Here are some winter-specific items to include for times when the roads are covered in slush.
Snow Socks: When you unexpectedly need extra traction, snow socks are a space-saving, temporary alternative to snow chains. These fabric doughnuts fit easily over the drive tires and can increase grip enough to extricate a stuck car or get it up a slippery hill.
Spare Phone Charger: The cellphone is your primary means of rescue in today’s interconnected world. But to reach help you need juice: A charging cord is a good idea, but a hand-crank charger that works away from the car or when the car battery is dead is an even better one.
Hand Warmers and Wool Blanket: Your car provides shelter, but you don’t want to run the engine—you have a limited amount of fuel and deadly exhaust may find its way into the cabin. To keep warm, use a blanket, supplemented by hand warmers when it gets really cold.
LED Flashers/Flares: Battery-powered lights work for hours and are great for alerting other drivers if your car is on the side of the road. Flares may seem antiquated, but the heat they put out prevents them from being obscured and buried by driving snow. Plus, in an extreme emergency they can be used to start a warming or signaling fire. Flares are usually sold in packs; make sure you have at least three sticks.
Food and Drink: It’s exceptionally rare for anyone to be stranded during a winter blizzard for more than a day. Long-term rations aren’t really necessary, but keeping a few energy bars and a plastic bottle or two of sugary energy drink wouldn’t hurt. Why the latter? The electrolytes and sugars significantly lower the concoction’s freezing point, ensuring you’ll still have liquid when you need it.
Shovel: While it might not look like much, a compact folding shovel is plenty big enough to use when digging your car out of the snow.
Windshield De-Icer: An extra bottle of this could mean the difference between seeing the road and seeing yourself parked in a snow bank. Plus, in emergencies you can use the stuff to melt ice on the road or any frozen car parts.
SOURCE: 7 Things You Must Carry in Your Car This Winter – Popular Mechanics