A Car’s Flotsam Says Much About Priorities of Automotive Pack Rats

Never let it be said that county drivers aren’t prepared for any emergency.

If our cars break down in the middle of nowhere, we need only reach under the seat or into the glove compartment or trunk and pull out those handy flower seeds, baseball cards, short-story outlines, wilted vegetables, losing lottery tickets and peacock feathers.

Those are just a few of the odd items Life on Wheels readers confessed to carrying in their cars, in addition to such mundane provisions as flares and flashlights, tire gauges and tie-down ropes.

Jennie of Anaheim found the following assortment of items during her auto inventory: 2 bath towels, 4 bed sheets, a pink thermal blanket, a gold bedspread, 1 large hook rug (“uncompleted after 10 years”), 1 stuffed toy cat, 1 insurance card, 1 ice chest (empty), 1 gold plastic heart-shaped Christmas ornament, 3 large brown paper bags, 30 baseball cards, 1 paper towel, 6 tissues, 1 hair clip, 1 gallon antifreeze, 1 drinking glass, 6 stale crackers, an unopened box of laundry detergent, 1 sunshade (in the trunk), 1 small mirror, 34 cents in change, 4 grocery coupons, 1 night light (broken), 2 quarts of motor oil, 1 small plastic bag filled with laundry detergent, 1 Pepsi bottle filled with water for emergencies, 6 magazines, 3 empty pie tins, 1 owner’s manual, 1 spare tire, 1 jack, 4 spare fan belts, 1 pair of black knee socks, 1 deck of cards, 1 Easter card and 1 California map.

D.S. of Santa Ana carries 2 pillows--and a sleeping bag. Also on the D.S. list: a puzzle book, glass cleaner, a magnifying glass, a screw driver, scratch paper (but no pencil), hair spray, two garage door openers, a battery jumper, an umbrella, peacock feathers (“for daughter”), personalized license plates waiting to be installed, an emergency kit, a tow rope and magazines.

D.S. also carries gloves, as does M.F. of Orange. “I hate gas smell on my hands,” M.F. noted. Also on M.F.’s list: a box of flower seeds, a flashlight (“It didn’t work very well this wee1797289832tickets (“all losers”), a day-old copy of The Times, a bandanna, junk mail, a paperweight (“gift from my father”), a box of books (“to go to office someday”) and furniture pads.

Like Jennie, M.F. doesn’t leave home without a supply of baseball cards. Maybe these two should get together and do some trading.

George, who lives in Seal Beach, keeps his short story’s outline in his car, along with: 2 webbing slings, 1 T-shirt, 1 notebook, 1 pair of running shoes, an overcoat, an “old worn-out half-inflated volleyball, my favorite rock, 3 pictures of my friends and me when we rode our bikes to San Diego . . . a walking staff, rock-climbing equipment, 2 water bottles, a towel, a cooking spoon, a cooler with a pack of rubbery and smelly carrots . . . an ashtray full of change ($8.43) . . . Hemingway’s ‘A Moveable Feast,’ Bullfrog sun block, a Navajo blanket, a plastic washbasin, a Coleman stove, a roll of toilet paper, plastic bags, old shorts and a belt, a Popsicle stick with phone numbers on it (I’m single), 3 receipts from Vons on the floor, 2 Smashball racquets, a whisk broom . . . my sunglasses, a pink enamel flamingo . . .” and more.

“Goodness, I didn’t know I had THIS much junk,” wrote Janet, who lives in Tustin. She said a friend’s father once told her: “Your car interior looks like the inside of a giant purse.”

The contents of Janet’s car include: business cards, plastic bandages, matches, a screwdriver, a flashlight, empty envelopes, a “Call Police--Need Help” sign, napkins, throat lozenges, artificial sweetener, a list of radio station numbers, a badge that says “With God All Things Are Possible,” cassette tapes (“Lots are baked after 8 years in the car and don’t work too well. ‘Doors’ tape is usually in the tape deck”), foot powder, baby washcloths, pillow for back, cookies, lunch, sweat shirt, empty soft-drink can, office supplies, a tarp, power-steering fluid, tire fix-it in a can . . .” and more.

“As you can see I like to be prepared,” Janet wrote. “I feel like I live in this car anyway.”

William doesn’t live in his car, but he does sometimes live in the 32-foot trailer he tows with it. The rest of the time, he lives in Orange. His is a no-nonsense list; a plastic bag filled with science fiction magazines and paperback books is about the only item he carries that has no practical use (although some items aren’t at all useful in the car itself).

Highlights of William’s list: spare and jack, 25 feet of TV cable, a CB radio, an emergency kit, an air pump, a fire extinguisher, oil, a sanding disc, a flashlight, a 10-inch squeegee, a can of bug and tar remover, a can of “Squeak No More,” a can of TV tuner cleaner, binoculars, a chamois, a bottle of lube, 2 tire gauges, a can of waterless hand cleaner, a hammer, a mallet, pliers, tape, electrical adapters, spare eyeglasses, clip-on sunglasses, a hydraulic jack, a 12-volt air compressor, a wire brush, a 2-ounce baster and 2 safety chains.

William may need all that stuff for his trailer travels, but most drivers can get by with much less, said officer Ken Daily of the California Highway Patrol’s San Juan Capistrano office.

Flares are the most important item, but most drivers store them in the wrong part of the car and don’t know how to use them, he said: “They usually leave them in the trunk, where they can’t get at them. If you do that, you might get rear-ended before you can get them out.”

Daily also recommended keeping a flashlight and a map in the car. “You’d be surprised how many people don’t have maps. People call us to find out how to get to Pennsylvania, or they ask, ‘Can you tell me how to get to Phoenix?’ ”

Also on his list: a small tool kit, an extra fan belt (one will suffice), a roll of duct tape (“in case one of your radiator hoses springs a leak”), a tire gauge and some extra fuses.

“Those are just little things that can be bothersome if you don’t have them,” he said.

What about a fire extinguisher? Daily carries a small one himself, but he doesn’t think most motorists should bother. “They’re almost more trouble than they’re worth unless you get a full-size one,” he said. “It’s not something you’re really likely to need.”

Jumper cables can be handy, as well as a CB radio, Daily said.

And if you’re traveling to an unpopulated area with few services, take along food and water--”but for just driving around Orange County, I wouldn’t think it would be necessary,” he said.