OK, It's January. (camper, storage, dryer)

[Nor'Eastah]

Great thread, NMLM!

Both the wife and I have complete kits - hers in her SUV, mine in the back of my pickup. Not just survival kits, but automotive emergency kits, very much including a jump pack for each of us.

The real backbone of our plan is at home. We have a big cork board in our kitchen. Rule is, if you go out anywhere, you post a note saying when, where, and ETA back home. We are equipped with radios, both at home and in the vehicles. I don't want her stuck in a snowdrift at night all alone, and she would make an effort to send help out for me if that happened. Bottom line...we're retired, and just plain don't go out at night or in bad weather unless it's a real emergency. Why risk it?

[sudheers]

I keep the fruitcake in a tin so it doesn't completely dry out. Nobody knows how old the oldest fruitcake is.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

... What I need to add is some kind of food that wouldn't freeze, like nuts/pumpkin seeds, raisins, etc.

Doesn't the fruitcake freeze and how would you defrost it to eat in an emergency?

Wrap things like: nuts/seeds, raisins, etc in foil. Then wrap that with a fabric dryer sheet.

Whatever container you put all your stuff into place another dryer sheet inside, on top.

In your glove compartment, underneath your car manual, receipts, insurance and registration, is also a good place to keep a loose dryer sheet.

I have found that I MUST keep a dryer sheet inside the engine air-filter assembly, and another dryer sheet in the 'cabin' air-filter assembly.

A few times, we have found the air-filter ducting packed full of nuts and dog-food, as rodents like to store these things in the air-filter assembly. I have had candy bars laid inside the spare tire under the trunk, that were eaten by rodents. I have also seen vehicle insurance/registration paperwork eaten by rodents here.
It seems that our dog allows rodents to steal his food, which ends up being stored in our vehicle air-intake ducting.

We have newer cars now, the wiring insulation is made from soy. So when rodents decide to over-winter hidden in a new car, they may eventually decide to start eating the wiring harness, as the manufacturers have decided to no longer make it poisonous. My dealership warned me about it, because they have had to 'total' a few new cars, after rodents got inside and ate the wiring harness.



As to fruitcake, it tastes good frozen and sliced into a thin layer.

[RiverBird]

I don't get the thing of the dryer sheet (?) What does that do? You mean those awful commercial dryer sheets for clothing that are full of chemicals?

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Rodents hate the scent of Bounce dryer sheets. We put them all around in camp before we close camp up for the winter. Since we learned that about 8 years ago we have had no mice in camp over the winters.

Gather them up in the spring and they are still good for their intended use in the dryer.

[PAhippo]

wonder if it has to be that brand. I tried this a few years ago and it didn't work but then nobody ever said specifically that brand.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

We never tried any other brand. We were actually surprised when it worked the first year.

[namder1]

I throw a couple dryer sheets under my truck front seats.....especially helpful in spring with wet dogs in the back seat!

[Submariner]

We use the Dollar Store kind.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

I don't get the thing of the dryer sheet (?) What does that do? You mean those awful commercial dryer sheets for clothing that are full of chemicals?

They have a smell to them. We do not use them in our laundry, but we have to use them in our vehicles.

Rodents have eaten the registration/insurance paperwork for my truck, this seems to be the best method to keep rodents from doing that again.

Last spring my wife thought there was a problem with her car vents, the fan did not blow much air. The dealership mechanics found that the cabin air ducting was filled with dog food and nuts.