DIY roadside oh-E36 M3 kit in a .50cal can, what to include?

I've amassed a small collection of .50cal ammo cans (tactical tupperware ) and want to turn one of them into a basic roadside emergency/survival kit to bolt down either in my Miata's trunk or to the roll bar (no soft top so actually decent amount of room on the parcel shelf around the roll bar) and I need some ideas of what to put in it. Obviously jumper cables and some sort of roadside signalling thing (triangles, blinky puck, flares, etc...) and maybe some basic tools, but what else? Only real stipulation is that it has to fit into a .50cal ammo can (11x5.5x7" steel box with a rubber seal for anyone not familiar with them) without having to hack up the can. Thoughts?

Other than tools, a knife, crank-powered LED flashlight, and the other usual stuff, I have a folding sheetmetal wheel chock that came with a jack I bought.

I also have a mylar space blanket, and an awesome Tyvek hoodie that is extremely light and folds up to be tiny, but is also pretty impervious to water.

I'd add a tow strap too, if you have room.

And as one who once caught a backpack full of sockets in the back of the head when crashing into the woods, tie that bish down good if you go roll bar mounted.

Multitool and some pliers.

.50 Cal ammo?

I carry two cans and bag if I'm going off the beaten path. Probably more than you want, but a ammo can will hold a bunch if you pack it right.

Tire plug kit (plugs, reamer, plug tool, rubber cement), air pump, tire gauge, two of those HF led worklights loaded with fresh alkaline batteries.

Cell phone, aaa card, credit card.

What's likely to break on a Miata you can fix on a roadside? Will you have spare parts too?

Depends on how far out into the wilderness you're going. If it's far enough, an EPIRB/PLB wouldn't be a bad idea. :)

epirb

In reply to codrus:

Or a Spot.

Dont forget a small generator.

See if you can find Peter Egan's article on his "tool kit" in a 35mm film canister.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Tire plug kit (plugs, reamer, plug tool, rubber cement), air pump, tire gauge, two of those HF led worklights loaded with fresh alkaline batteries.

MULTIPLE tire plug kits.

It's not the slow-leak screw you have to worry about. It's the giant hole that needs seven plugs every fifteen minutes to get the tire to hold air long enough to get you to civilization

oldtin wrote: Cell phone, aaa card, credit card. What's likely to break on a Miata you can fix on a roadside? Will you have spare parts too?

The guy who drove a Miata from Florida to Iowa to compete in the Rallycross Championship rebuilt his clutch hydraulics on the side of the road.

Knurled wrote:

oldtin wrote: Cell phone, aaa card, credit card. What's likely to break on a Miata you can fix on a roadside? Will you have spare parts too?

The guy who drove a Miata from Florida to Iowa to compete in the Rallycross Championship rebuilt his clutch hydraulics on the side of the road.

Schlepping across country for a competition is one thing - I'd probably have a trailer full of spares & tools. Emergency kit for everyday - jumpers, relays, fuses along with cell, aaa, credit card.

hmm...in mine I have:

+fluffy winter gloves +5$ socket ratchet set +road flare +tripod led flashlight +scraper +20' jumpers +tire iron +notepad and sharpees +hammer +hex multitool +screwdriver-bit handle set +OSHA green safety t-shirt +pancho and garbage bag +triangle +bottle of water +USB micro cable +PS fluid and a quart of oil +bottle of aspirin +AA batteries +shop towel roll +lighter & matches +tire plug kit +zip ties, electrical and duct tape

and the board's syntax guide on making a list seems to not work.

i have 2 tow straps, 3 big and a couple small ratchest straps, good jumper cables, and a few different hitch receivers with different balls on them under the back seat of my truck. i've got a 20 year old Craftsman 12 volt air compressor under the front seat... now that i think about it, i've also got a small tool bag with a $3 Wal Mart sae wrench set (which is almost totally useless on a 97 Chevy truck that is all metric except for the stuff that bolts to the engine block or heads), a couple of worn out cheap screw drivers, some fuses that don't fit in any slots in the vehicle, and a tire plug kit...

Advanced first aid kit. Hopfully not for you but having happened on some situation's over the years I am glad to have had one.

Knurled wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Tire plug kit (plugs, reamer, plug tool, rubber cement), air pump, tire gauge, two of those HF led worklights loaded with fresh alkaline batteries.

MULTIPLE tire plug kits. It's not the slow-leak screw you have to worry about. It's the giant hole that needs seven plugs every fifteen minutes to get the tire to hold air long enough to get you to civilization

This is why I tend to carry more than one spare tire when conditions call for it (winter, long trips, etc.).

A head lamp can be much more useful than a flashlight if you need both hands.

Also, I'd consider keeping emergency tools and emergency survival stuff separate. To me they're two different things, and either can easily fill up a .50 cal can on its own.

In the tool can: tools to repair the car.

In the survival kit: water, food, fire, first aid, emergency blanket, rain poncho, etc.

(I'd also not store any food/water in a used ammo can, but that's just me.)

An extra pair of socks

I carry the factory jack and lugnut wrench in my Miata. I save my travelling toolboxes for the Mini and the boat. I also don't routinely drive the Miata farther than 45 miles from home.

Don't forget your towel.