Driving: kit?

If you have winter tyres you are unlikely to need chains.
If you do want to buy them you should follow Merryskis advice about buying them in France, in a supermarket or a branch of Norauto (like Halfords).
Re: your driving shoes...you might want to keep a pair of snow boots inside the car for when you step out into a foot of fresh snow on arrival!

Iceman wrote:Bit risky leaving until last minute?

Totally agree.
Driving down the autoroute for 10 hours ...
Need to shop for food, pull into hypermarket.
Running low on snow chains and not got right size.
Stop at next .....
etc etc
Getting closer and closer to mountains and find out that the previous 200 Brits have been on a similar mission and the stocks of chains get fewer and fewer the nearer the mountains one gets.
Also - stocks come in in the Autumn - not many left by March!
Been there, done that :cry:

Hire car, ex Geneva, didn't ask for chains, didn't think I would need them in March, weather changed!
Got into resort OK but was then in a panic all week as it continued to snow and we had an early morning departure.

Here's our Car Kit List - all ready & waiting for next Wednesday :-) :-) :-)

Fire Extinguisher
WD40
Spare bulbs
Fluorescent jackets
Snow shovel
Gaffer tape
Beam benders
Screen wash
Antifreeze
Water & sponge or cloth
Oil
Snowchains
Gloves
Plastic bag/mat (to kneel on when attaching chains)
Basic tool kit
Sat Nav with French maps
French road atlas
Screen cover (frost protection)
Brush (for clearing car & skis)
Scraper
Torch
Head torch
Documents (driving licence, reg.document, insurance, breakdown cover).

Forgot to say ,there's lots of information on the internet about driving abroad, rules, regulations, snow chains etc.


This is a useful site:-

http://driving.drive-alive.co.uk/winter_driving.htm

Blooming' 'eck! Will I have room for luggage too? ;)

tin pot wrote:Blooming' 'eck! Will I have room for luggage too? ;)

I'd leave some passengers out if space is tight.
You could have a competition based on behaviour and size of xmas pressie to help choose!
:thumbup:

Make sure your screenwash is upto the job, you don't want your windscreen water jets freezing up. On the continent all the fuel stations sell screenwash rated to -40. Don't make the mistake I made by watering down the stuff you buy in the UK & had to fight on for hours stopping every twenty miles or so to clean the windows.
Safe journey.

OldAndy wrote:

tin pot wrote:Blooming' 'eck! Will I have room for luggage too? ;)

I'd leave some passengers out if space is tight.
You could have a competition based on behaviour and size of xmas pressie to help choose!
:thumbup:

I would swap a passenger for a fire extinguisher any day...

Isnt a fire ext a bit of a step too far? My engine is on fire I will need running shoes not a fire ext. Unless it is BCF (that they dont make anymore) the rest will ruin your engine (C02 wont be as bad but dont hold the end) Just throw snow at it!

:thumbup: