I drive a lot! Between my work and my hobbies I may be anywhere from 50 to 600 miles from home at any given time. I have learned over the years that it pays to be prepared in the event of a car breakdown. I have been stranded a few different places. In most places a cell phone is the only thing required to get assistance, but a lot of places that I go are out of the cell network coverage areas. This can be quite an unpleasant adventure if you aren't prepared. Listed below, are a few things you might want to consider keeping in your car. Please feel free to suggest anything you think I missed.

Water is the most important thing that you should keep with you. If you are stranded anywhere for a few hours in the heat you could become dehydrated. Dehydration presents a whole host of health risks, up to and including death. I recomend that you keep a minimum of two litres of clean drinking water in your vehicle at all times.

Ok, this one might not seem so obvious, who wants to keep food in their car? Well, you will feel differently if you ever get stranded overnight. It would not be wise to keep perishables in your car, so find something that has a long shelf life and wont melt everywhere. Just a couple of small snacks should do fine. Don't leave them in your car forever, rotate them out occasionally.

A good first aid kit is a great thing to have in your car, especially if you participate in sports or other outdoor activities. I don't usually but a "kit" because there can be a lot of stuff I will never use. I usually get a small plastic box and purchase individual items that I want. At the very least try to keep some disinfectant cleaner and an assortment of bandages with you.

If you break down in the dark and need to walk anywhere, you will need a good light. Fenix is my top pick, they are extremely well made, water resistant, and can literally run for days on low mode if needed. The MagLite is another great choice. They are well made and the LED version is extremely durable. I recommend LED lights for superior bulb life, run-time, and shock resistance. The Duracell Daylight and Energizer Eveready LED flashlight are descent options you can find at your local big-box store. Don't go and buy the $2 LED light at the corner store, they are awful. Stay away from anything that uses more than 2 batteries. The fewer batteries a light uses the easier it is going to be to find a donor from another device.

A handheld GPS is a great gadget. Although not a necessity it could help you navigate to the nearest services in the event of a breakdown. A GPS that is tethered to your vehicle is of limited use in this scenario.

Glo-Tube is a modern alternative to the chemical light-stick. It runs on a lithium battery and can provide basic illumination or serve as an emergency strobe. This is something that everyone should have for any emergency situation. They are waterproof, shock resistant, and the lithium battery has a really long storage life. These are basically the coolest things ever!

Fix-a-Flat or tire plugs can get you out of a jam when you are far from any services. Using roadside tire repair products is only a temporary fix. They can be detrimental to balance and overall tire life. If you use these, go to a tire repair facility as soon as you can. These products can be removed and a proper patch installed if you don't wait more than a couple of days.

A good portable air compressor is also a good idea. I have had a few of the less expensive (under $10) compressors fail on the first use. I paid about $30 for a nicer one at my local home improvement center and it has worked every time I have needed it for about three years now.

If you find yourself on the side of the road at night, make sure other motorists can see you. My first choice would be to get a Glo-Tube and set it to strobe. Nobody is going to miss that! Reflective and LED markers are another good way to be seen. These are available at most auto parts stores.

Everyone should carry a fire extinguisher, especially if you have an older vehicle that gets hot or a large RV. I have personnally seen the burned wreckage of several vehicles on the side of a steep road leading to the local mountains near me.

If you are in the middle of nowhere a CB radio might be of use to you. They can get a signal where a cell phone cant. In the U.S. channel 9 is for emergencies. Sometimes the local law enforcement will monitor that channel, but not always. If you are within 10 or 20 miles of a highway you have a good chance of reaching a truck driver, who in turn can call help for you. Truck drivers in the U.S. are on channel 19 twenty four hours a day.

This is a no brainer. It is best to choose a longer set of cables with a heavy wire gauge. Wire gauge works a little backwards. 20 gauge is thinner while 4 gauge is really thick. A good choice is 16 feet with 4 to 8 gauge wire.