The Cargo Hold: 9 Things Every Man Should Have in His Trunk

If you're currently using the back of your car as one big dumpster, you're not only disgusting, you're wasting space. Clear out your trunk of meaningless debris and pack it with these essentials so you're ready for any emergency - from serious road side troubles to a serious case of beach boredom.

Junk in the trunk is usually a good thing; we can all agree on that. However, the trunk of your car should be completely devoid of junk and used only for temporary storage. That being said, a little bit of cargo space must be designated for seven items that every man should have within reach at all times.

Of course, I realize it’s the 21st century and men aren’t expected to be prepared to solve every car problem as much as they used to be and “I can have feelings too” blah blah blah (although I’ve yet to hear a legitimate reason why this willful automobile ignorance is beneficial in anyway), your “I’m a modern metrosexual man who doesn’t need to know about cars” attitude will not do you a lot of good when you’re alone in a puddle of tears on the side of the road.

(Note: I’m neglecting to mention “a spare tire and jack” in the following list because if that’s not in your car already, you’ve got some serious problems.)

Jumper Cables

jumper cables Derr. No-brainer. Maybe your battery with Durablast Technology won’t ever die but you can jump someone else’s car for them. That’s basically like taking a bullet for them, in the parlance of automobiles; they’ll never forget.

If you can swing it, a portable AC/DC power system is a great way to ensure you’ll never have to depend on the kindness of strangers and/or the chances of someone having jumper cables when YOU need a helping hand.

Check out Grease Monkey Part 3 for proper Jumper technique.

Flashlight

Even when you’re stuck during the day, some areas of your car are very obscured by darkness and difficult to see. Getting one that can hang from the inside of the hood or that will sit still without rolling is key to you not losing your mind while trying to locate both of the terminals on your car battery after an endless New Year’s Eve party.

First Aid Kit

Hopefully you’ll never need it in the way you expect but I promise you’ll end up opening it in search of a Band Aid within weeks.

By the way: in isolated situations, “First Aid Kit” also means having a fire extinguisher nearby because fires and gasoline generally don’t put themselves out (in your car or someone else’s).

Tool Box

You will not actually require a complete tool set but a pair of screwdrivers and some “self-adjusting” pliers (like the Robogrip) are a must for nearly any problem you’ll encounter/attempt to solve on your own. Others I would recommend: duct tape, crescent wrench, and a knife.

Fabric Shield

emergency kit Either a blanket or towel is essential in protecting you from kneeling/lying in filth on the side of the road, when there’s a problem nearer the ground. A blanket also proves extremely useful when you’re stranded in the cold, waiting for someone while the towel can serve a purpose as a seat cover when you’re transporting something that could stain/ruin your seats (pets, plants, bags of ice, etc.).

Many of the above items can be found bundled in reasonably priced sets designed for one’s trunk (like this AAA Roadside Assistance Kit plus an emergency blanket). However, you can save yourself some cash if you create your own “Survival Kit” with items you already own – you’re better off assembling a team of tools with which you’re familiar than plunking down $30+ for a case full of cold, new, foreign items (some of which you’ll never need, anyway).

Clearly I wasn’t telling you anything you have not heard by saying that you need to stock your car with whatever’s necessary to keep all of your car-bases covered. However, most guys neglect to consider that they should also equip their cars with items to keep the DRIVER covered, in the case of trouble.

Cargo items

Freshen Up

For the paranoid, self-conscious, obsessive-compulsive teenage girl in you, create a Man-side Assistance Kit. Items like waterless hand cleaner, hand sanitizer, deodorant spray (I’d recommend Kill It Dead), moisturizing cream, suntan lotion, cough drops, and some sort of aspirin are never a bad idea to keep handy in case you don’t have time go home or the drug store before a party or a meeting.

Target has an entire aisle dedicated to “$1 or Less” travel-sized items; do yourself a favor and check it out.

Game On

You’ll be very wise to ensure you keep some entertaining items in your car that aren’t CDs, to protect against boredom when you’re a part of an impromptu trip to the beach or park or something.

Toss a deck of cards in the glovebox and a football in the trunk. Above all sporting goods, the football is the most logical one to keep by your side: you can play catch without needing gloves, you can play a real 11-on-11 game in any open space (it doesn’t even need grass!), and – unlike with soccer – everybody will want to play, once you start tossing that pigskin around. It doesn’t hurt to toss a small hand air pump back there, either.

Do You Copy?

I always buy an extra battery for my current cell phone and stow it away in my glovebox. You may always keep an eye on your charge meter but there's bound to be a day where you're stuck on the side of the road but your phone is without power because you absent-mindedly spent too much time on the phone talking to your girlfriend earlier.

Insert: an extra battery — the car's version of the green “1UP” mushroom. I should also point out that the back-up cell battery is a good idea even for those of you with cigarette lighter cell chargers because if and when your car battery dies, your cigarette lighter goes with it.

Snack Bar

A bulk box of granola bars from Costco in the trunk means two things: a) you’ll never worry about leaving the house without breakfast, b) you won’t have to fake not-being-hungry at that party at which you don’t want to stay long yet feel obligated to attend.

Tossing a couple big bottles of water back there is not a bad idea, either; especially for when you personally need hydration after the impromptu pick-up basketball game and/or when you’re stuck in traffic in August and your engine is nearing the melting point of steel.

It’s your car. It’s your personal vessel. It’s your Millennium Falcon. You owe it to yourself (and the rest of us) to make sure you cannot only keep it going but that you could survive in it.

Justin Brown

Justin Brown is an artist and writer living in Virginia. He channels most of his enthusiasm into making things for his online art shop, Artness! by Justin Brown. You can keep up to date with him, his worldly adventures, and his dogs by following him on Instagram and on Facebook