A few years ago, there was a major incident on a highway during winter time. Thousands of cars were stranded on a major highway for more nearly 24 hours with no way to get off the road and no one bringing help to the stranded motorists.
This story has always haunted me. What would you do if you were unexpectedly stuck in your vehicle for a while? Especially in the winter?
That’s why it is essential to have a car emergency kit. While a larger preparedness kit is ideal, these mini water bottle emergency kits will be just as important to have.
A water bottle kit is great because it can fit into a cup holder or glove compartment. It doesn’t take up a lot of room.
It is an easy and inexpensive emergency preparedness kit.
I suggest making one of these kits for each vehicle, as well as giving them to your children and grandchildren to have in their car or truck. While they might not appreciate the gesture at first, if they ever needed to use the contents they would see how it is invaluable.
These are all of the essential emergency items that I was able to fit into a small Dollar Tree water bottle. Details and explanations are below.
Many of the smaller items are secured in mini plastic bags. I highly suggest getting some of these because they are very inexpensive.
Water Bottle
I used a common plastic water bottle bought at the Dollar Tree. It was a 24 ounce bottle.
This is one of the smallest sizes and easily fits into a cup holder. I wanted to show just how much you can actually pack into a water bottle emergency kit even in a small bottle.
You can use any size that you would like. The larger the bottle, the more you can fit in.
Stainless steel (single layer, not insulated) would be the absolute best choice because you could heat the bottle over an open flame.
Zip-Top Plastic Bags
There are so many uses for zip-top plastic bags!
I put two into my bottle because they are thin and flat and don’t take up much room. Be sure to wrap them around the inside of the bottle before adding anything else in.
Among the ways to use the bags are:
- Collect water
- Emergency pee bag
- Collect used tissues used for toilet, other trash
Printable Lists
Get my free printable lists to use in your water bottle emergency kit, including a list of what items are inside; alternate uses for these emergency items; and two lists for emergency phone numbers and addresses.
These should around the inside of the bottle to take up less room.
Pieces of Paper
Necessary for leaving a note of where you are heading if you leave the vehicle.
Also works for jotting down notes; important things to remember such as people’s names, phone numbers, license plate numbers, etc.; playing games; fire starter; etc.
Wrap these around the inside of the bottle before adding anything else.
Crossword Puzzle / Other Word Game Page
Boredom will be a problem if you don’t have a phone or your phone goes dead or has no signal. A word game is a great way to pass the time.
Wrap these around the inside of the bottle before adding anything else.
Emergency Blanket
Necessary for staying warm in your vehicle should you need to stay the night.
Also works as a great tent when used with the paradors. Can also be used to collect rain water and funnel it into your bottle or zip-top bags.
These cost less than $2 each when bought in multi-packs.
Flashlight
One of the must-have items in any emergency kit. Solar-powered or hand-crank is the best, but those rarely fit into smaller water bottles.
Make a reminder on a calendar to switch out the batteries every 3 months so that they are fresh and not corroded.
These flashlights are similar to mine and are affordable when bought in bulk.
Mini Knife
Knives can be used to cut duct tape, paracord, branches, and more.
Most knives are too big to put into small water bottle emergency kits. However this mini knife is small enough to fit inside even the smallest water bottle!
We are really surprised at how well the knife cuts and highly recommend it for small emergency kits not intended for off-grid survival for several days.
Cash
Always important when the grid goes down. Keep small bills such as $1, $5 and $10. Add in some coins, such as quarters, too.
Rain Poncho
In case of rainy weather, you are going to need a rain poncho to keep yourself dry and comfortable.
Plastic rain ponchos also work great as a waterproof layer between you and the ground when sitting or sleeping.
Ponchos can also be used to gather and collect water.
Bandana
A cotton bandana is best.
Choose a bright color that will attract attention in an emergency, such as safety orange, yellow or red.
A bandana can be tied to your rearview mirror or radio antenna to signal an emergency.
Bandanas can also be used for:
- Filtering water
- Emergency toilet paper
- Sweatband
- Wrap wounds
I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for .99 cents.
Paracord
No emergency kit is complete without paracord!
This thin rope can be used to tie around trees to make a tent with the emergency blanket. It can also be used in a variety of other ways.
Paracord can be opened at the end to reveal several more strands inside, which means you have even more string to work with.
It can also be used as a firestarter.
Waterproof Matches
Important to start fires to keep warm, boil water or cook. You can easily make your own waterproof matches using dollar store matches, rather than spending a lot of money on pre-made ones.
Duct Tape
Essential for patching punctures and holes in tarps, blankets and other things. Can also be used as an emergency large-size bandage.
Water Purification
There are a variety of water purification methods to choose from including powders, tablets, mini-filtration systems, etc. What you use will depend on the size of the bottle.
Some great solutions are:
- P&G Water Purification Packets
- Portable Aqua Tabs (put in your own mini plastic bags)
- Aqua Tabs (individually wrapped)
- Mini Sawyer Filtration System
Aluminum Foil
Can be bent and molded to create a drinking cup or bowl.
Make a bowl to heat water or food over an open fire.
Whistle
Be sure to get a small, thin whistle that takes less room. There are larger whistles with compasses and other emergency supplies that could be used in larger water bottles.
Tissues
A pack of tissues takes up a lot of room in a bottle, so wrap the tissues with a rubber band to compress and remove air.
The rubber band is also another great tool kit for your bottle, too.
Hand Warmers
Even in warm weather climates, add at least one hand warmer or foot warmer to an emergency kit. You never know when the weather might be unusually cold.
Pen
Necessary for writing notes or doing word games. Use a pencil if you prefer, instead.
Waterproof pens are available, but can be expensive. A pencil with a knife for sharpening are budget-friendly ideas.
Band Aids
Alcohol Pad
Not only is this great for cleaning wounds, but they can also be used as a fire starter and a hand sanitizer.
Hand Sanitizer Packet or Wipe
Necessary for cleaning hands, also works as a fire starter. I got mine at the Dollar Tree.
Ibuprofen
Add whatever over-the-counter medications you may think are important, such as pain relievers, anti-diarrheal, etc.
Benadryl
Super important in case of insect bites or other allergic reactions.
Instant Coffee Packet
An easy pick-me-up with necessary energy in an emergency situation. Be sure to use instant coffee crystals which can be added to water.
Don’t drink coffee? Add a tea bag instead.
True Lemon Packet
Disguises the taste of water purification methods. Also is a morale booster to drink a flavored beverage.
True Lemon can be found at the Dollar Tree as well as supermarkets and Walmart.
Zip Ties
Can be used in a lot of ways! Get a pack at the Dollar Tree and you will have enough zip ties for 10 bottles.
2 Large Paper Clips
These can be used in so many ways, including bending the wire into other shapes for whatever you need.
Safety Pins
Glow Stick
Make sure to get a bright safety color, such as orange or yellow. Not only does it give emergency lighting but it can also be put outside your vehicle to alert an emergency in the night.
Latex Gloves
Protect your hands when needing to use the bathroom outdoors or cleaning up a wound. When you have limited water and tissues for cleaning, you will want to prevent messes from happening.
Can also be used to collect water, though it wouldn’t be great for drinking because of the latex.
I put the glow stick inside the glove in case it leaked.
Sugar Packet
Important if you have low-sugar. Also a morale booster to have something sweet.
Hard Candy
Salt Packet
Not only would it flavor foraged greens, but also can use as a very weak disinfectant. Salt in a little water is a natural cleaner for wounds.
Watch my YouTube video showing how I got all of these items in a water bottle!
Want to save this list for later or share with friends? Be sure to Pin It to Pinterest.
This is just one of our many emergency preparedness ideas. Be sure to see our other helpful guides, such as:
- 27 Free Things To Add to Your Prepper Supplies
- 50 Things We Did Right Prepping for Hurricane Helene
- 25 Things We Did Wrong in a Hurricane
- Stocking Stuffers for Preppers
