Abandoned vehicles give you a repository of survival tools, materials, supplies, and equipment. As long as you're not putting yourself into harm's way while you're retrieving supplies, why not gather a few items while you can!

Starting with glove departments and trunks and moving through the vehicle, you can find some type of survival purpose for just about all your needs.

Whatever is in the Trunk – The first thing you should check is the trunk. Many people keep tools, flashlights, jumper cables, blankets, and even extra clothing in the trunk. Most people who abandon their vehicles would probably try to take some of those things with them, but not necessarily. If you check a hundred vehicles, you’re bound to come across some goodies.

Whatever is in the Glove Box or Center Console – Here you might find food, lighters, first aid supplies, papers you can use to help start fires, etc. Again, you never know, so if you’re walking down a highway full of abandoned cars, check as many glove boxes and center consoles as you can.

Mirrors – Mirrors can be used for many things including signaling for help and starting fires.

Seats – The fabric in seats can make excellent insulation material in cold environments, and the seat covers can be used as ground covers. If the seats are leather, you can even turn them into useful items such as shoes, leggings, or a carrying pack.

Seat Belts – If you don’t have any cordage, use the seat belts. Just extend them as far as they will go and cut them out. If you need a cord that’s not as thick, just cut up the seat belt into smaller strands. If you unravel them enough, you could even use them as fishing line.

Battery – You can use a car battery to keep your devices charged during an emergency. But to do this, you’ll also need some 12v receptacles and a power inverter.

Wiring – The wires in the engine could be used as cordage for any number of things such as constructing shelters, making snares, bundling things together so they’re easier to carry, etc.

Gasoline – As long as you have a siphon of some kind, you could use leftover gasoline for your own vehicle. Gas could also be used to get a fire going, as long as you’re very careful. Don’t puncture a fuel tank for gas as even a small spark is enough to make a gas tank explode, even if very little fuel is present.

Abandoned vehicles are one constant you can almost rely upon in any large-scale disaster or survival situation.

While you must ensure that the vehicle you scavenge is actually abandoned (and be prepared to pay the consequences if it is not,) when you find an abandoned vehicle, it is a virtual treasure trove of survival tools, equipment, supplies, and materials.

To see a list of other components of a vehicle you can glean in a survival situation, please check out Urban Survival Life.