Coffee can survival kit for winter driving

One bit of business first...Before anyone asks...I killed DaddyBare... read about it here www.abovetopsecret.com...

now back on topic...
Remember the TV show "That 70's" the episode where Red gives Erick a coffee can and a candle to get out of trouble on a snowy road... guess what it does work...

From the Wisconsin department of transportationLink to site

You easily can equip your vehicle with essential survival gear for winter. Here's what you'll need:

A 2 or 3 pound metal coffee can (punch 3 holes at the top of can, equal distance apart). You'll be storing the other items inside the can.
60-inch length of twine or heavy string (cut into 3 equal pieces - used to suspend can).
3 large safety pins (tie string to safety pins and pin to car roof interior to suspend can over candle).
1 candle 2" diameter (place on lid under suspended can for melting snow).
1 pocket knife, reasonably sharp (or substitute with scissors).
3 pieces of bright cloth 2" wide x 36" long (tie to antenna or door handle).
Several packets of soup, hot chocolate, tea, bouillon cubes, etc. (mixed into melted snow to provide warmth and nutrition).
Plastic spoon.
1 small package of peanuts and/or a couple protein/energy bars, some dried fruit (such as dried cranberries, which come in nicely sealed snack packs), and even a little chocolate, to provide you with some energy or comfort in stressful times.
1 pair of socks and 1 pair of gloves or glove liners, depending on what will fit in the can (cotton is not recommended because it provides no insulation when wet).
2 packages of book matches.
1 sun shield blanket or 2 large green or black plastic leaf bags (to reflect body heat).
1 pen light and batteries (keep separate).

they also recommend you carry A charged cell phone. Large plastic garbage bag. Pencil stub and paper. Plastic whistle.

I made a couple of these in the seventies for a trip I made in a Cessna 150 -- circumnavigating the US.. I also included some fishing line and hooks, a compass, a couple of butane lighters asprin and bandages-- instead of the coffee can I used an aluminum coffee pot that was about the size of a coffee can, the coffee pot could be used for cooking carrying water eating out of. On the inside of the coffee pot lid I included my name and address, aircraft tail number and contact numbers of family members. Under the seat I had a Charter Arms AR-7 Survival rifle -- neat because the barrel stored in the stock and the rifle would float. I also had a really small pup tent. It was a fun project -- I tried not to put any thing in the pot that didn't have less than two uses. Concentrated on fire and food, and things I could use to keep me warm -- the extra socks are a really good Idea -- (they can be socks, mittens, pot holders, rags) I made one up for me and one for my passenger. With my girlfriend and all 21 gallons of gas we were limited to 50 pounds of baggage we were on a 6 week adventure so everything we put on board had to be important and serve multiple uses

The tricky part was going to be surviving the crash.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


R.I.P Daddybare we will miss you.

Great tip, might have to make one of those up tomorrow for the old banger.

Cheers...erm...GrandpaDave

Thank You for posting this.
I also sent a copy to my son-in-law.
S & F

Very nice, thanks for the link!

Gonna keep that in handy this winter, unfortunately the winters near Fargo aren't all that pleasant.

reply to post by GrandpaDave

Nice list. The fact that states not to store the batteries in the flash light is one thing many people forget. As a electrioncs service tech, I have seen many items damaged because of a leaky battery. Battery acid even from AA size batteries can ruin your equipment.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


I think I missed that episode. Can you enlighten me about what to do with a coffee can and a candle, on a winter road?

Is that supposed to keep you warm?

You use the metal coffee can, suspended by string from the roof of your car above the candle, to melt snow for drinking water, or to heat thusly melted snow mixed with soup mix for nutrition or something warm to sip on. A warm drink in a cold situation can really lift your spirits. You'd want to conserve your own body heat rather than rely on your candle for warmth. The candle can only last so long.

I'm kind of surprised that a govt authority would suggest this method, wait, no I'm not. I'm really talking about the candle and coffee can for melting snow- the rest is actually good info. A candle puts out a relatively small amount of heat, tiny really. Has anyone actually ever tried this? First of all, the rule of thumb is that 10'' to 12'' of fallen (think loosely packed) snow would be one inch of rain- ie, liquid water. So, in filling your can with snow, the liquid product is going to be about a half an inch of water in the bottom. You would burn the whole candle to get maybe at best, a pint of water, and I think that is probably an optimistic result. The water certainly wouldn't be warm even then. I have melted snow for water before, on a 55 gallon drum converted wood stove. It had a heavy steel cooking plate welded on it. This thing was almost too hot to stand next to for more than a few minutes. I poured buckets of snow into the pot and after about an hour, had around a gallon of water. We were going to make pasta with it. The best i could get was a very light boil, and after I put the pasta in, it never boiled again. This ended up being about a 2 hour process. I realize they're not suggesting that you're going to be able to boil water and cook pasta using this method, but in my experience, melting snow isn't as easy as it sounds. Also, having any open flame in you car is just plain dangerous. If you have ever dropped a cigarette in a vehicle, you know how easily carpet and seat fabric melt. Imagine knocking the candle over, spilling melted wax and having the candle land in it. Your only shelter could be on fire in seconds. I think the best alternative would be a can of sterno fuel. The wick is sealed in the can so the fuel can't spill and sterno puts out tons more heat than a candle. They're also cheap. You would need to remember to crack your windows to vent any CO cause you don't want to die that way either. An inexpensive butane stove puts out even more heat and a single can of fuel(4-8$) could melt snow for several days. However, I don't think I'd use one inside my car even in an emergency situation. I'm definitely going to experiment with this once we get some snow here, and I'll post my findings.

reply to post by thefurryone


I think that you will find that raising snow above freezing point is very easy with even a candle.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


just my opinion - but the can / candle is really not a preparation solution - but an emergency response to not being prepared