Solo road trip safety

So as the other thread named this is about car issues, I thought I’d start a new thread. Going on a solo trip in a few weeks and just wondering all your experiences traveling and more significantly, sleeping in your car solo. I’ve only ever done a trip with a regular, male partner so doing it solo as a female worries me slightly more. 

In conjunction with the other thread, what at a bare minimum do you travel with for safety? Besides like jack and jumper cables.  Patch kit? Portable tire pump? I worked at a place that we carried fire extinguishers in our car kits? 

Thanks and I’ll post soon looking for partners in Wyoming/Oregon/Cali/Nevada/Utah. 

A satellite messenger would be a good tool to have, as well as some pepper spray.

Roadside service. Electronic tire pump that hooks up to cigarette lighter socket. Tire repair kit. Jumper cables. Gun.

All of these items have seen use in my home-on-wheels for 2 years, except for shooting someone. Since 2017, I haven't had a permanent residence. 

Portable battery jumper.... invaluable.... if no cell service you could be out of luck without this!!    STANLEY FATMAX 700/350 Amp Jump Starter

Hey Kalli,

I totally hear you on being nervous about traveling solo as a female on the road - I felt that way before my long road trips out West (California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming).

Luckily I didn't have any car issues; I just brought the standard car kit: jumper cables, car fluids, tire change kit, tire pressure gauge. On my first long trip, I brought an inreach just in case my car broke down in the middle of nowhere where there wasn't any phone service. The inreach can also be nice to have if you're camping in a spot without cell service, which I found to often be the case for BLM land - but there are workarounds, like texting the GPS location for your camping spot prior to leaving cell service; I didn't bring the inreach on future trips. If you own a GPS, I personally liked using it more than my smartphone just because phone coverage can be unreliable along the road and one doesn't have to have offline maps for entire states.

If concerned about safety, I would agree with FrankPS's suggestion of pepper spray; it's easy to get and cheap for a little added insurance. Personally, I didn't encounter any issues regarding safety, even when car camping in the middle of nowhere by myself in a new-to-me area. I used freecampsites.net to find places to sleep along the road, which is useful in both the U.S. and Canada - it has ratings, comments, and sometimes photos that you can review before choosing a spot.

Traveling solo is a great experience and I felt so much more empowered following my solo 2000+ mi road trips. I hope you have a great trip and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

Be aware of your surroundings. When you park for the night, make sure that your car is in a position that is easy to get out in case you need to jump into the driver's seat and hightail out of there.  If you're going to be a few hours away from the nearest gas station, have an extra gas container in your car.  Have a couple gallons of water too. I think the most important thing is listen to your instincts. If you get to a spot and you feel weird or just off little, then go somewhere else. Pay attention to your senses. Have fun and good luck.   

Hey,

I live in my truck for most of the year, both for extended climbing trips and for my regular life in AK. My favorite item for personal safety is not pepper spray but BEAR SPRAY, much stronger. I literally keep it next to my bed at night in case anyone tries to break into it- a very common problem up here, unfortunately. Its also helpful when I go climbing in bear country. :) I personally think that guns are too dangerous because of the possibility of them ending up in the hands of a criminal if they do break in and steal from your vehicle- but perhaps not a discussion for this forum.

I agree with freecampsites.net recommendation and have used it all over the country for the past 8 years, though you should know that much of the traffic on there is RVers and they have a higher tolerance for weird places because they are a bit more sheltered than the average car/truck/van dweller.
I keep a portable battery (to jump myself if I'm in a remote place) that has air compressor function on it as well. I generally keep extra oil and fluids around and a basic tool kit.

Bear spray is great, but ya gotta be careful if the safety clip is off the trigger... I once had a "recreational accident" while camping under 300-foot-tall Sitka Spruce trees in Bruceport, WA. Got so hammered by the campfire that I lurched toward a camp chair, the canister of bear spray stuck in a cup holder on the chair... hit the trigger and sprayed my leg, grabbed some paper towels to wipe the excess spray off my pants, tossed the towels into the fire, then made the GRIEVOUS ERROR of wiping my face with the same hand. Next thing I knew, my face felt like MOLTEN F#%NG LAVA, LOL... stood there yelling "AAAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHH" like Charlie Brown as the chemical burn put the hurt to my tissues, nobody else was around so I didn't hold back on the yelling. Man alive, that bear spray actually WORKS, and I heartily recommend it to women traveling solo. A good pistol provides extra security in remote locations, LOL.

I'll add the advice I give to all my nieces and nephews, some of you may find it helpful: use large truck stops or travel plazas to refuel and knock out other tasks, they carry more parts and merchandise than the average gas station, most have restaurants, plus the bigger stops & plazas usually have better lighting and security guards, 10-4? Some rest areas are fine for car or truck camping, but the big truck stops and travel plazas are a nice, relatively safe option... don't believe the standard Holywad depiction of all truckers as evil criminals bent upon mass murder, filled with road rage and intent upon destroying the vehicles and lives of others traveling on the road. Fact is, most of those truckers have FAR MORE SAFETY TRAINING than the average Class C driver... sure, there are @$$holes out there, but the majority are just regular hands trying to make a living in the transportation industry.

Here's a little more advice regarding road safety: don't hang out alongside or behind big trucks on the road, just pick your moment and smoothly accelerate past 'em, making your pass on a straightaway if possible, not on a curve or over a bridge. Reasons why ya don't wanna camp out near trucks on the highway: leaf springs can break and tumble back toward you, to literally crash through your windshield and spear you in your seat, while large truck tires can grenade next to you and send heavy fragments your way. Class C drivers have been KILLED in such incidents, no point in joining their ranks, aye? One last tip from this former OTR driver who used to transport hazardous waste to registered treatment facilities clear across the continent: teach yourself to RIDE THE GAP whenever possible, which means positioning your vehicle between packs of other vehicles on the road. You obviously can't do this all the time, but you can MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME IN THE GAP, thereby enhancing your safety. I actually employ this technique to this day, speeding up or slowing down as necessary to ride the gap, it's the safest location on the road.

I could go on here, but this is a climbing website... and I'm a long-winded bastard once I really get started, LOL. A few parting observations: put together a kit of tools specific to repair of YOUR vehicle, then keep that kit aboard your rig whenever you are on the road. Appropriate wrenches, screwdrivers (not the kind with vodka in 'em), vise-grips, pliers, razor knife, etc., and toss in zip-ties, electrical tape & duct tape, they all come in handy when effecting repairs. A multimeter is nice, but you can live without one... jumper cables are essential and should never leave your trunk or cab. Carry multiple jugs of water with you, along with oil, wiper fluid, etc., anything you think might be helpful in an emergency. Extra clothing and blankets never hurt. If you blow a tire, don't use the shoulder unless it's plenty wide, better to roll slowly to the next exit or pull off the road entirely, even if you're in a field or wherever... the shoulder can be a dangerous location, especially at night. I'm sure you've all read articles about tow truck drivers getting killed: that's a dangerous occupation, and the death stats prove it.

OKAY, ENOUGH TEDIOUS SERMONIZING FOR THE DAY, BY RIGHTS I SHOULD NOW BE DRINKING COLD BEER AT MY HOUSE, LOL. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR TRAVELS, AND BE SAFE!!!

PULL WALK-AROUND INSPECTIONS OF YOUR VEHICLE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE EVERY DAY, FOCUSING ON LIGHTS, FLASHERS, RUBBER, ETC. IDEALLY, YOU WILL HAVE FRESH OIL AND TRANNY FLUID FOR LONG CROSS-COUNTRY TRIPS!!!

IF YOU'RE TIRED, PULL OFF THE ROAD AND TAKE A POWER NAP!!! BELIEVE ME, THOSE NAPS WORK WONDERS AND YA WON'T WIND UP DEAD IN A DITCH, OR DEAD IN SOME OTHER FATALITY WRECK!!!

REMEMBER THE RAILSPLITTER'S FAMOUS AXIOM: "ANY DAY YOU DON'T KILL A WAGONLOAD OF KIDS IS A GOOD DAY!!!"

LOL, I used that line all the time in my "trucking daze"---usually over the CB radio to some hand who was bitching up a storm over trivial bullshit that didn't even really matter in the grand scheme of things, 10-4??? CHEERS!!!

Already really good stuff here.  Want to +1: listen to your gut - if a place or person feels weird, leave asap;  and always park ready to drive away quickly.
I always liked sleeping in well lit places when near highways and then just hung up a towel or two to darken my sleep space.  I never had any scary experiences with strangers but I always left a place or people that didn’t feel right, at any time of the day or night.

Seems obvious but, watch your gas tank.  I road tripped many, many 1000s of miles by myself and did manage to run out of gas twice (yep, Really).  Not recommended but good to know even that turned out well.  

And have a blast!  Memories of a lifetime coming your way.

Eta: just saw this is old.  Hope you’re out enjoying it all right now!

I would add to the other great ideas on here a few I've used in my many solo road trips. One that hasn't been mentioned is to stay up to date on the regularly scheduled maintenance on your car. A well maintained car doesn't break down. And if you don't know what your car needs, take it to an honest mechanic and have them either do the work, or tell you what to do...if you work on cars.

If you are fortunate enough to drive a stick, you can carry some old rope for when your car won't start. There may not be enough people around to push start it, but the rope allows for a pull start.

Just this last spring I got stuck in some mud right off a lonely pass in North West Nevada. They could see my car, and that I was stuck, but no one would stop...until I lit some old fashioned road flares. Carry those...people notice them burning and will stop.

I second the notion on bear spray. I also carry a length of 1.5 inch x 20 inch pipe. It's a weapon for self defense and doubles as leverage when you can't get your tire lug nuts off. I am likewise not a fan of hand guns. Concealed carry permits often don't cross state lines. And guns are just over kill in most situations. Kids and drunken partners can find and play with them...it ends badly.

When possible, try to camp near other travelers. Look for members of the "tribe". By that I mean, other dirtbags with rocket boxes on the top, bicycles and kayaks on the roof...if you climb you know the look.

If you travel with a laptop, and or like to hike and leave expensive climbing racks or cameras in the car, it's handy to have some kind of a lockable box in the car. Then lock the box to a car seat with a bike cable. It slows down the smash and grab thieves. Mine is made from nice plywood, drape a towel over it to cover the locks.

There are new sat phone messenger devices coming out all the time, worth looking into. Some of them allow you to buy minutes, like a prepaid phone.

Another much older option is a hand held ham radio. 8 year old kids have passed the ham test to get the license. You can learn it online. They can reach out 50 miles line of sight, only cost $60 and can tap into repeater nets (similar to cell towers) that allow you to talk up to 300 miles, to ask for help. I was able to talk to someone in Spokane from Seattle, via a repeater in the Cascades, on a little ham walkie talkie. You would need to program in the repeaters along your projected travel route, but it's relatively easy. They also make great radios for multipitch in noisy territory. They are as powerful as what is carried by law enforcement.

Oh, and check your spare tire now and then, they can lose pressure slowly and are easily overlooked. One last thing: keep a spare key in your wallet and hidden under the car.  Use a wing nut and some big washers to bolt it through an existing chassis hole. Smear mud on it and it will disappear.

 I like to get way solo when sleeping, so any noise alerts you.  This works out great, cause you seek out free camping in the woods, and not pay camping surrounded by everybody else. And 'combat park', backed in and ready to high-tail outa there. Have the bear spray, but run rather than use it. I dont think you want a gun for lotsa reasons. I also prefer sleeping in the open right beside my rig, as being outside is the point, right?
Check your oil and fluids everytime you fuel up.  Block ice lasts way longer in the cooler than cubed. Cover your cooler with your puffy.  A silk liner for your sleeping bag.  A couple of cheap tarps and a hundred feet of cord. Full size spare tire, not a donut. 5lb fire extinguisher that Real easy to grab averts major disasters. And a small shovel for digging cat holes. Baby wipe on your face/pits, and then your bottom. RainX your windshield. Always seek shade for your rig.
Got beyond safety---sorry!

And never get down about Anything!!  :D

44 magnum and double barrel shotgun. That's all you need.
Get it or be a pansy ass snowflake.

Appreciate all the replies! Thus far have had no issues (though a few weird vibes, just keep driving moments), and now traveling with a regular partner.  Do have bear spray but have not been sleeping with it... Power naps on driving days are real. The west is a beautiful place.

Hopefully this thread will help others too, though I really think I was more concerned than I should have been.  We're used to being on guard, this is no different.