Is Costco's Budget Emergency Kit Worth The Buy For Car Camping & Road Trips?

Whether you're jumping in your car to experience the epic road trip through Canada that covers its most breathtaking national parks, or preparing for your first RV road trip, you'll want to make sure that you don't only have an emergency kit that fits in your pocket, but also one for your vehicle. Retail giant Costco is now stocking a budget emergency kit by Bridgestone that's filled with gear and gadgets to help you in those sticky situations. Although affordable, is this kit really worth the buy for your next car camping and road trip adventure?

If there's one thing you should do before traveling to prepare you for an emergency, having a complete emergency car kit is certainly a strong contender. Available online only and at an affordable price of just $49.99 at time of writing, the Bridgestone Auto Safety Emergency Kit sold by Costco has a surprisingly well-rounded 4.7 star rating with over 250 member reviews. So, what's inside this budget emergency kit you ask? Here's a peek at what Bridgestone has provided.

The Bridgestone name has been around since 1931, and while synonymous with producing tires for many different vehicles, they also dabble in other automotive products, such as emergency car kits. Inside the easy to carry hard-shell container sold at Costco, you'll find most of the essentials needed in case of a roadside emergency, such as a high-visibility warning triangle, tire inflator, booster cables, utility knife, emergency blanket, a 27-piece first aid kit, and much more.

With over 200 five star reviews given for the emergency kit, Costco members seem largely happy with the product and the contents inside, especially when it comes to providing their newest household drivers a kit to have on-hand. HappyAlaskan writes "Great price for the handy little emergency kit. Got it for our new teen driver ... came in handy right away. Very happy customer." Costco member Doc K has purchased this kit more than once stating it was "The perfect gift for a grandson who's just gotten his learner's permit. I added a few additional items, but this kit is top quality and an excellent value. (I got this same kit for each of my daughters many years ago, and they've been useful.)"

However, not all Costco members are thrilled with their purchase. Christoper writes in his review "My main reason for purchase was the air compressor but this was the main fault. The valve leaked and the compressor wasn't strong enough to add any air to the tire."

Joph wasn't impressed either and writes "This product is overpriced for what you receive. I was disappointed with the Bridgestone Auto Safety Emergency Kit: the emergency triangle is small, the actual emergency medical supply is included but is less than the bare essentials needed in a real accident, the size of the duct tape is very small,not enough to provide real help. The only thing of value is the jumper cables — I haven't tried the tire inflater so I don't even know it really works."

While it seems like the Bridgestone Auto Safety Emergency Kit is a decent base kit to have in your vehicle, there are a few other items you should include, so you're fully prepared for any and all unexpected situations that can arise on the road.

Folks that live in northern climates, like myself that live in Canada, I have an extensive emergency kit for those snowy situations, even in my 4x4 truck. My emergency kit includes waterproof winter gloves, ice scrapers with a brush, a shovel, empty gas container, extra warm blankets, and even pillows just in case I get into a stranded situation. Having a simple toolkit can do wonders as well. A small kit including hex/allen keys, an adjustable wrench, pliers, and screwdrivers is great to have.

Having an emergency tire repair kit, so you can plug your tire in case of a puncture is another ingredient every emergency car kit should have. Most people don't travel with non-perishable food items, so having things like drinkable water (in glass containers to avoid leaching plastic into the water), canned foods, and even granola bars can help keep you nourished in less than ideal situations. When you embark on your next camping or road trip, you'll hopefully have the perfect emergency car kit assembled so you can travel safely.