There are folks who have found themselves stranded for hours along the roadside.

Cars have been stuck near Limon and at state patrol roadblocks. 9NEWS has even reported cases where people have been stuck overnight, sometimes waiting for help for days.

Survival in a tough roadside emergency comes down to this: Air, water, heat and food.

We've been on the Web researching what we call 'fanny pack survival kits,’ or 'coffee can survival kits'

You can assemble them almost for free, out of things around the house.

Keep it under the seat of your car. It has some of the basic necessities in case you are caught someplace in your car for an extended period of time.

We asked Bob Nail, manager of the Glendale SuperTarget, to quickly throw together a basic survival kit.

Before we get into the list itself, keep in mind your car is about the safest place you can be. Stay put, and wait for someone to reach you.

Make sure you've always got ventilation. Keep your window cracked open. Don't go to sleep with the windows closed, or the motor running.

Make sure the exhaust is clear of snow.

Now, for water, you don't want to carry it in your car, because if it freezes, it'll break the container.

It's a pretty good assumption that there is almost always going to be water where you are stuck. You just need to know how to get it.

In our kit we're going to include a small can, like a tuna fish can which can be used as a drinking cup. It's also a little stove. You can use it to melt snow.

Your source of heat is nothing more than a little tea candle in a votive. Light the wick ahead of time. This makes it easier to start in an emergency.

Now the added benefit of this stove is that a single votive candle in your car can keep you warm enough to survive as long as it is burning. In fact, we'll even put an extra candle in our kit.

Put your matches in a waterproof container like a Ziplock bag.
Put in five feet of strong twine or string. You can use that for your stove.

Still on the subject of heat, your survival kit should have two black plastic leaf bags. They make excellent rain ponchos.

Or you can wear a bag under your clothing to hold in the body heat.

Also include a couple of plastic bread bags or plastic newspaper bags and an extra pair of socks. Put the plastic bag between two pairs of socks. Your feet will stay warm.

For food, put in a couple of candy bars, a bag of nuts, a couple of packets of honey and a packet of soup. It's no four-star restaurant, but it keeps you alive for days.

Include a small jackknife, some fingernail clippers, a small flashlight and extra batteries.

Also include a package of tissue paper. You'll figure out why when the time comes.

Include a plastic whistle. It's a lot easier than yelling for help.
Also in your kit, have a Ziplock bag with some small change and a $20 dollar bill. That'll come in handy for a pay phone or for emergency gas.

A good addition is a piece of paper for an emergency note. A pencil and you can wrap some black duct tape around that pencil. In an emergency, you never know how handy a little bit of duct tape can be.

Finally, you could include a 9 Volt battery and some very fine steel wool. Why? As an absolute last resort, you can use the steel wool and the battery like this: to start a fire to get the candle burning.

These are some of the absolute basics. It all fits in a fanny pack or coffee can and it can be a life-saver, year round.


FANNY PACK CAR SURVIVAL KIT

- fanny pack or half-pound coffee can
- large Ziplock bags
- newspaper bags or bread bags for feet
- extra pair of socks
- heavy duty black plastic leaf bags
- matches
- flashlight, extra batteries
- empty tuna fish can
- pocket knife
- candle, glass votive, 2-3 tea candles
- 6 feet strong twine of string
- small change & $20 in Ziplock bag
- 2 packets of soup
- package of nuts, energy bar, honey packets
- plastic whistle
- package tissues, or toilet paper
- 1-2 feet duct tape around pencil
- paper
- safety pins
- plastic spoon
- 9 Volt battery & very fine steel wool