Swiss Safe 2-in-1 Roadside Car Emergency Kit review

Although it comes in two cases, the Swiss Safe 2-in-1 Roadside Car Emergency Kit is a near-complete way to help walk or drive away from a major road incident. The bundle of tools inside is more than enough for minor breakdowns, and includes goodies like a 12-foot set of jumper cables and a reflective vest.

The separate first aid kit is one of the best for vehicles with no shortage of bandages and antiseptic to patch up minor injuries. At $120, it might be too much for some, but it comes close to what every car should have.

The Swiss Safe 2-in-1 Roadside Car Emergency Kit may be among the most expensive ways to prepare for a roadside incident but it is also one of the most complete. Packaged in two separate cases, there’s a soft black nylon tool bag and a hard plastic first aid kit. Unfortunately, neither have reflective stripes for after-dark visibility.

Stacked one on top of the other, they add up to 12.3 x 11.6 x 7.5 inches and 7.3 pounds. That’s too tall to slide under my car’s front seat, although they did fit individually.

Together the kit has 15 major items, not the 348 promised by Swiss Safe’s packaging. I suspect if you counted all the bandages, gauze pads, gloves and alcohol pads individually, it might come to that figure. Still, it’s a lot of stuff that could help in an emergency.

The first aid kit, which sells for $60 on its own, is among the best for a car. Its case is thin and everything is well organized with dividers that create sections for bandages, gloves, alcohol and medicated wipes as well as swabs and an ice pack. There’s also a glow stick, although I immediately moved it to the tool bag. 

Oddly, there’s also a small pouch that holds the equivalent of what others include as their only first aid supplies. The contents include a few bandages, gauze pads and alcohol wipes for stashing in the glove box or center console for quick access.

While the first aid kit is a tight fit, there’s plenty of room in the tool bag for a few extras, like a fire extinguisher and flashlight. It has a small external pouch for a grab and go item, and inside it you'll find a poncho and mylar blanket just in case you’re stranded on a cold night. For night time incidents, the Swiss 2-in-1 kit has a yellow reflective safety vest but no reflective safety triangles or markers to set up beside a stalled car. The included glowstick can provide a modest aid to visibility.

In addition to a good assortment of sockets and screwdrivers, its tools include a ratchet handle, work gloves, and a warning whistle. The electrical tape, bungy cord, tire gauge and ice scraper are a nice bonus, but the kit comes into its own with its generous 12-foot jumper cables. 

It should be more than enough for even using a truck to start your vehicle, or vice versa. The cables are color coded but the clamps don’t have positive and negative symbols on them to prevent getting the polarity reversed while jump starting.

That said, the kit lacks essentials like a fire extinguisher or flashlight but the bag has plenty of room to fit them. If you can get beyond the fact that it comes in two cases, the Swiss Safe 2-in-1 Roadside Car Emergency Kit goes a long way to helping you survive a roadside calamity.