10 Things Every Guy Should Keep In His Car

So, you bought a sweet new set of wheels with all the bells and whistles. And you think your job ends there? Nope! As I’m sure you know, no car is complete without a few essential items that will make your day of driving around all the more safe and convenient. 

Most of these items you probably already have lying around your house somewhere! One of them  could end up saving your life if you get in a crash, and another one just might save your butt from getting all sandy if you want to have a chilled-out day on the beach! 

So let’s get into it! Here are 10 things every guy should keep in his car!

#1: Flashlight – All Of the Light

Apart from it’s obvious use for telling ghost stories and making shadow puppets, a flashlight could be the difference between getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and cruising back home safe and sound. Imagine that your car’s broken down on the side of the road, your phone’s dead, it’s just past midnight, and you pop the hood of your car only to realize that you can’t see what the fix is because you have no light. That’s where a flashlight comes in handy! 

Whether it’s a problem under the hood or a dent in your drivetrain, being able to see is a pretty handy thing when you need to make a repair. Not to mention, a flashlight’s a great thing to have for all those times when your phone drops in the dreaded crevice between your center console and seat. We’ve all been there. 

And if you’re looking for the right flashlight, having one that’s high-powered, waterproof, and compact. Check out these sweet flashlights from Hoxida that you can even recharge in your car!  

#2: Phone Charger – Large and In-Charge

Speaking of things you need to charge in your car, every guy should have a phone charger in their car. I personally prefer to keep two phone chargers in my car, for the inevitable times when I take one of them out of the car and forget to bring it back. But, anyway, let’s start with one. You can handle that, right? 

It’s important to keep your cellphone charged in case you get into a situation where you’re lost or in danger. If you end up on some unrecognizable backroad and you want to find out where the hell you are, being able to pull up Google Maps is going to be pretty helpful. If you get into an accident and can’t get out of your car, having a charged-up cell phone could actually save your life.

Also, not a bad idea to invest in an external power bank. Seriously, these things have saved me so much hassle trying to find a place to get a charge when I’m on the go. Personally, I use the Anker PowerCore. It’s only $20 and could save your life!

#3: Pen/Pencil – Might Need to Write

I know you probably have at least 10 pens stuck under the floor mats and in the weird crevice spaces throughout your car. But having a pen or a pencil readily available in your ride is extremely useful, trust me. 

What if you’ve got to write down some important information in a pinch? Like the address of your friend’s apartment, the location of a long-lost treasure trove, or even a beautiful woman’s phone number. What’s it going to look like if she gives you the digits and then you take a half hour sifting through the nooks and crannies of your car looking for a pen? She’s probably going to lose interest. 

Now, I must add in that we here at Ideal Media do not endorse writing while driving. Not safe. But you’re inevitably going to be in a position where you want to write down some important information on the back of an old receipt when you’re pulled over or at a stoplight. 

So get yourself a pen, a pencil, a crayon, or a quill and ink. I may seem old school, but it’ll come in handy, I promise.  

#4: Jumper Cables – An Item to Jump All Over

There are a lot of heroes out there in the world that get overlooked every day, but one of the greatest heroes that we very seldom think about… Mr. Jumper Cables. Saving dying car batteries all over the world, Mr. Jumper Cables keeps people rolling and arriving wherever they need to be on time. 

So get yourself a pair of jumper cables and keep them in your car, you’ll be doing a service to society and to yourself. Because if it should so happen that your car battery dies, you’re sure going to be glad that you have those crafty cables. 

Maybe even consider getting yourself a jump starter pack if you don’t want to have to rely on other cars. They’re fairly affordable, like this one that we found for a little over $70, and they can help get you or someone else out of a sticky situation. 

Just another crisis averted by Mr. Jumper Cables.

#5: Paper Map/Atlas – Old School’s No Fool

I know what you’re thinking: “Why the hell would I want one of those old, dusty, flimsy paper maps? I have my GPS that’ll take me anywhere I need to go!” Well, believe it or not, there are actually roads in the world that aren’t on your GPS. And not in some foreign country like Sri Lanka or Papua New Guinea, they’re right here in the grand old USA. 

And if that worries you, I have even more bad news, many GPS systems have batteries, and those batteries can die. 

So what’re you going to do when you’re on some random backroad without the faintest idea of where you are, and your GPS and smartphone are both dead. I’ll tell you what you’re going to do! Pull out that paper map and get where you’re going! 

Rand McNally makes great road atlases that have every road in the USA mapped out for you, and they’re also pretty fun just to look at. They’re entertaining and useful… plus they might be an antique one day. Get a paper map.

#6: Blanket – Stay Warm

The blanket is an essential for any guy’s car. Maybe it leads to the perfect picnic, or maybe it could end up saving your life! What if you’re out on a road trip and somehow you get trapped in the snow? If you end up having to spend the night in your car in sub-zero temperatures, believe me, you’re going to be glad you have a blanket. 

And maybe you’re saying, “I live in Southern California, when am I ever gonna be in that situation?” Well, you probably won’t. But blankets have other uses as well! You can use them for picnics, prop them up with some sticks to create some shade from the sun, or even use them to make your Tinder date feel a bit cozier at the drive-in movie theatre. Do those even exist anymore? If they don’t, we should bring them back. 

Anyway, a blanket is a car essential for guys who live the fast life, where an impromptu romantic picnic or trip to the beach could happen at any time. Be prepared, get a blanket.

#7: Some Cash – Dolla Dolla Bill Y’all

I get it, you’re a Millennial, or even worse, a Zoomer. Who the hell carries cash anymore right? I mean, why would you? It’s easily lost or stolen, it takes up all that space in your pocket, and you’re not earning any airline miles when you pay your bartender with an Andrew Jackson. 

But there are places all throughout the USA that still don’t accept credit or debit cards. So, to stay on the safe side, keep some cash in your car. I’m not talking Scarface-sized stacks of hundred-dollar bills, although, that’d certainly impress your date… I’m talking like $20 to $50 that could help you out in a situation where you really need to make a purchase but you can’t use a card.

This small amount of cash could also be a real help if, let’s say, you can’t pay your restaurant bill because your card is getting declined because you’re Brad Danger and keep buying one-wheels and electric bikes… totally hypothetical…

Better to have a stash of cash than to wash plates to pay for your steaks. 

#8: LifeHammer – The Life-Saving Specialty

Out of all the items on this list, this is probably the most important. Everyone, and I mean everyone, on the road should have a LifeHammer in their car. For less money than you probably spend at the bar on a typical Saturday, you could buy a tool that could be the difference between life and death if you get in an accident. 

The LifeHammer was built to easily break through car windows if you can’t open your door after an accident. It’s also got a seatbelt cutter that will help you out if your seatbelt gets caught and can’t be unfastened properly. Which is really handy, if you have Submechanophobia, the fear of drowning in your car… And it comes with an easy-to-access mount that makes it readily accessible if you have little space to move and you’re pressed for time. 

Most of the items we’ve listed so far have been more for convenience than for actually protecting your life in an accident. But I can’t stress enough how great of an investment in your safety the LifeHammer is. It’s just $15, so do the responsible thing and keep one of these in your car.

#9: Food/Water – The Basic Provisions

Here’s another item that could end up saving your life if you get in a really tough situation, or could just save you from getting the stomach rumbles on a long car ride. FOOD! WATER! SNACKS, MAN! 

It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your stomach. No one wants to be driving for hours on an empty stomach, and those long stretches of country roads without a convenience store in sight can be devastating if you’ve got nothing to munch on. So stash a couple granola bars in your center console, or a bag of peanuts in your glove compartment, and make sure you bring some water with you if you plan on going for a long ride. 

I personally like to buy those big gallon jugs that they sell at 7/11 or pretty much any other convenience store. They usually cost like $1 and will last you several trips. Plus, you can refill them and never go thirsty again!

#10: Extra Motor Fluids – Energy Drinks for Autos

One of the worst possible things you can do to your car is to drive it with old funky motor oil. Or even worse… without any oil at all. That’s why we think every guy should keep a few extra bottles of motor oil, coolant, power steering fluid, and brake fluid in their car at all times. 

If you care about your car, you’ve got to take care of it and give it what it wants. Driving with old motor oil can seriously screw up your engine, and could cause you to have to pay a big bill to fix it. Much better to spend that little bit of extra cash to buy some extra fluids and keep your car in tip-top shape.