Yahoo Autos The Ultimate Road Trip Gear Guide
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Road trips are a staple of the summer months, and despite the current gas prices around the world, we hope that families can continue to find ways to hit the open road and explore. For a short trip, you'll probably pack pretty light, but for those of us who enjoy those long, sometimes multi-day drives, this list should help you immensely. You'll want to make sure you're prepared for every scenario, and this list of some of our favorite road trip gear should help you do just that. This will be a general road trip guide, but if your needs are more specific, we can likely give you some ideas there as well:
If you're looking for a camping gear guide, we have a great list for you to check out right here, written by our resident outdoorsman, Senior Producer Chris McGraw
Traveling with a pet? Check out Senior Editor James Riswick's 7 tips for a road trip with your dog
Just need to keep the kids occupied with something other than screens? Here's a list of 5 solid road trip travel games
Speaking of kids, if you're just looking for travel advice, not gear, then you might enjoy our post showcasing tips for taking a road trip with the kids
Not that we've got that out of the way, let's get into it. We've separated our picks into 5 categories: Safety, Comfort, Organization, Entertainment, and Food/Drink. Be sure to scroll to the section that will help you the most and let us know in the comments below if you have any essential road trip gear that we've missed.
Safety
Road trips are about fun and adventure, but it's essential to be prepared for anything on your journey. The phrase "better safe than sorry" is never more applicable than when you're hours or days away from your home, so make sure you're traveling with everything you might need in case of emergency.
Waterproof Car First-Aid Kit Emergency Kit (273 Piece) - $24.99
Naturally, if you're going to be traveling any distance at all, you should have a first aid kit with you. This one is a great bang-for-your-buck option at 273 pieces for just under 25 bucks. It includes a ton of bandages, alcohol pads, an ice pack, a tourniquet, an emergency blanket, a flashlight, and much, much more.
OriStout Emergency Blankets for Survival (4 Pack) - $12.98
If your first aid kit doesn't include emergency blankets, you'll want to make sure you pick some up separately. It's much easier to freeze in a broken down car than many people think, so you'll want to have a strong mode of defense against the cold in case you end up stranded for a night waiting on a pick up.
Cobra RAD 480i Laser Radar Detector - $149.95
A radar detector is a great gadget to bring along with you on long drives. Of course, we never condone driving over the speed limit, but we do recognize that when we're cruising down the highway excited about our destination, sometimes mistakes happen. It's much less stressful to get your reminder to slow down from a radar detector than it is from a police officer with a ticket in hand.
FORTEM Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor - $29.99
It's always a good idea to keep your tires topped off even when just driving around town, but when planning a longer road trip, making sure your tires are properly inflated is essential. It will get you better gas mileage and decrease the risk of any mishaps. This won't help you if you totally blow a tire, (if you do that, you'll need a spare on hand, a lug wrench and a jack) but it's a great way to keep your tires fully inflated if they start losing pressure on your trip.
Pro-tip: You should already be checking your tire pressure at least once a month, but if you're going on a long trip make sure to check it just before you leave for your destination and again before you leave on your way back. A lot can happen over a few hundred miles.
NOCO Boost Plus GB40 Car Jump Starter - $100.40 (20% off)
A dead car battery can ruin your whole trip in a snap. Luckily, portable car jump starters are so affordable and compact these days that there's very little excuse not to keep one in your trunk in case of emergencies. This NOCO Boost Plus is a solid option that often goes on sale and it even comes with its own jumper cables.
AIMTOM 42000mAh 155Wh Power Station - $137
In addition to having a backup power source for your car battery, in 2022, you'll probably want some backup power for any other devices as well. That's where a good portable power station comes into play. This one has a 110V AC outlet, 3 12V DC ports and 3 USB ports. It includes its own built-in cooling fan and comes with a cigarette lighter adapter, a wall outlet charging power adapter and a car charging adapter.
Gasoline - Click here to find the best prices
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that gas prices are higher than ever. For a road trip, that's even more annoying than usual. If you're looking to save a few bucks by hunting for the cheapest gas near you, check out Autoblog's Cheap Gas Prices tool right here.
Comfort
What good is a road trip if you're miserable for the whole ride? Staying comfy is an important part of any travel, but it's maybe more important than ever when you're stuck in a car for several hours on end. If you're driving, some of these may not be applicable to you, but happy passengers = a happy journey.
BCOZZY Neck Pillow for Travel - $36.97
If you're in for a long ride and you think you might need a nap, consider picking up a neck pillow for the trip. These BCOZZY neck pillows are great because they provide support not only to the sides and back of your head, but also underneath your chin. They even come in 4 different sizes and a whopping 14 different color options.
ComfiLife Gel Enhanced Seat Cushion - $45.95 (23% off)
A seat cushion like this is a great idea for anyone to consider on a long ride, but if you have back pain it can become essential. This one is made of gel memory foam and it's meant to relieve pressure on the tailbone and provide some sciatica and lower back pain relief.
Bedsure Fleece Blankets Twin Size Grey - $19.99
While a wool blanket will probably do better when camping, this plush one is certainly more comfortable. Throw this blanket, a couple pillows and some snacks in the third row and whichever kid is sitting back there will be happy. We can say that from experience.
Pro-tip: At this price, get one for each of the kids. It’s worth it so you don’t have to hear them argue over who gets the blanket.
SWIHELP Dog Car Seat - $17.99
These dog car seats are a great way to make your smaller pups feel a little more secure in the car. You can even throw a small blanket in the bottom for a bit more cushion.
URPOWER Dog Seat Cover - $36.96 (18% off)
If your dog is a bit too large to fit in a car seat, you might consider something like this dog hammock. It not only keeps your seats clean from fur and scratches, but it also prevents your dog from roaming around the car causing distractions. This one is made of durable material that's waterproof, wearproof and nonslip.
Organization
If you're traveling with a large group, you can start to run out of space pretty quickly. Often, you won't necessarily need more space, just better ways to organize all of the stuff. If you do end up needing more space, though, we've got options for that, too.
IRIS Weathertight Storage Box, 6 Pack - $129.99 ($21.67 per box)
These 30.6 qt weathertight storage boxes from Iris are a good size (19.7 x 15.75 x 7.75 inches), stack easily when full or empty to conserve space, and don't break the bank, though you do have to purchase a six-pack of them. They also come in different sizes to perfectly fit whatever your car’s cargo dimensions demand.
Pro-tip: These SidioCrate Plastic Storage Crates with Dividers are a bit more expensive than the ones recommended above, but we dig the customizability.
