Field guides
Straight, sourced answers on getting ready for extreme heat. No fluff, no fear-mongering, just what works and how to store it.
How to Prepare Your Car for a Heat Wave
A four-step guide: the supplies to stock, what to keep out of a hot trunk, how to protect the vehicle, and what to check before a long summer drive.
Read the guide → Safety guideStranded in a Hot Car: What to Do in a Roadside Heat Emergency
Conservative, practical steps: how to call for help, get to shade, stay visible to traffic, and watch for heat illness. Not medical advice.
Read the guide → Buying guideWhat Belongs in a Summer Car Emergency Kit (and What Shouldn't Stay in the Trunk)
The complete summer car kit list, organized for heat: what to carry, what tolerates a hot trunk, and what must ride in the cabin with you.
Read the guide → Buying guideBest Emergency Water for a Hot Car: How to Choose
What kind of water actually holds up in a hot trunk, how it compares to bottles and jugs, and how much to keep.
Read the guide → Family guideCar Emergency Kit for Driving With Kids in Summer Heat
What to add when there are children aboard: more water, more cooling, and the hot-car rules that keep kids safe.
Read the guide → ChecklistSummer Road Trip Car Emergency Kit Checklist
The full road-trip kit plus the heat-critical pre-trip vehicle checks, organized for long, remote, hot drives.
Read the guide → Fleet guideHeat Safety Kit for Work Trucks and Fleet Vehicles
Spec a per-vehicle heat kit built around OSHA's water, rest, and shade, standardized for easy restocking across a fleet.
Read the guide → Gift guideCar Emergency Kit for a New Driver in Summer Heat
Why a heat-ready kit is one of the most useful gifts for a first car, teen, or college student, and what to put in it.
Read the guide → Gift guideEmergency Car Kit for Elderly Drivers in Extreme Heat
A lighter, easier-to-use kit for an older driver, focused on water, shade, and simple signaling. A caring, practical gift.
Read the guide → Field guideCan You Leave a Power Bank in a Hot Car?
No, and here is why: how heat damages lithium power banks, what temperature is too hot, and where to keep one instead.
Read the guide → Field guideSummer Commuter Car Kit: What to Keep in Your Daily Driver
The lean daily-driver version of a summer kit, plus the one habit that keeps the heat-sensitive pieces working all season.
Read the guide → Field guideDesert Driving Emergency Kit: What to Carry for Extreme Heat
Built for the Intermountain West: more water, real shade, and the stay-with-the-vehicle rules that keep a remote desert breakdown survivable.
Read the guide → Field guideWhat to Do If Your Car AC Goes Out in Extreme Heat
Cool the cabin fast, decide whether the drive is safe, and protect anyone at higher risk when the AC quits on a hot day.
Read the guide → Family guideDriving With a Dog in Summer Heat: Car Safety and Stop Rules
The never-leave-them rule first, then what to pack, how to plan stops, and the signs of overheating to watch for.
Read the guide → Buying guideAre Windshield Sun Shades Worth It in Extreme Heat?
What a sun shade actually does for cabin heat, what it does not solve, and where shade fits in a real heat-readiness setup.
Read the guide → Safety guideHeat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke While Driving: What to Do
How to tell the warning stage from the emergency, what to do for each, and when to call 911. Not medical advice.
Read the guide → Safety guideHow Fast Does a Parked Car Become Dangerous?
A parked car heats up faster than most people expect. How fast, how hot, and the simple rules that prevent hot-car tragedies.
Read the guide → Field guideDoes Summer Heat Kill Your Car Battery?
Heat is harder on batteries than most drivers expect. The warning signs of a failing battery and how to avoid a hot-weather no-start.
Read the guide → Field guideHow to Rig Shade if You Break Down in Extreme Heat
Make roadside shade with a reflective tarp and your vehicle, plus when to stay in the car and when to get out. Not medical advice.
Read the guide → ComparisonVehicle Emergency Kit: Summer vs. Winter
Most roadside kits are built for a winter breakdown. How a summer heat kit differs, what to add, and what to keep year round.
Read the guide → ForecastEl Niño 2026: What a Hotter Summer Means for Your Heat Prep
What the NOAA and IRI outlook actually says, why El Niño summers run hot, and how to get ready at home, on the trail, and in your vehicle.
Read the guide → Field guideWhat Is Safe to Keep in a Hot Car (and What Is Not)
Power banks, sunscreen, medications, water. The simple rule for what survives a baking trunk and what you have to carry with you.
Read the guide → ComparisonNeck Fan vs. Misting Fan vs. Cooling Towel: What Actually Keeps You Cool?
Which one actually keeps you cool, when to use each, and why most people want a cooling towel plus one powered option.
Read the guide →Get the free Heat-Wave Prep Checklist
A one-page, print-and-go checklist for your vehicle, your pack, and your home. Built from CDC, NWS, and Ready.gov guidance.
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