With the weather turning warmer and summer travel season around the corner, many Americans will be hitting the road. Before you head out with your family in tow, you may want to consider these six tech products that can keep you safe and get you back on the road quickly if you have problems out on the highways. And while you’re at it, load up on these essential apps to use on the road.
Cobra JumPack
The tiny Cobra JumPack portable battery is small enough to easily fit in your glovebox at 5.04 x 2.87 x 0.98 inches, but it has enough current to jump start your car multiple times. With its 7500mAh Lithium-Cobalt battery and USB out, the Jumpack can charge phones and tablets multiple times per charge.
The tiny battery pack also doubles as an LED flashlight, so you can easily see where to place the cables under the hood. Cables are included.
Price: $129.95 on Amazon or cobra.com
Eton Road Torq
Getting a flat tire on a dark road with no flashlight is no one’s idea of fun. The Eton Road Torq is a self-powered LED spotlight that provides plenty of light, without the need for batteries.
The Road Torq is powered by a dynamo hand crank — two-minutes of cranking gives you 15 minutes of power. It also features a flashing emergency beacon to warn passing motorists.
Price: $19.94 on Amazon
Slime Safety Spair
Changing a flat tire is messy, difficult and can be downright dangerous. With just the push of a button, the Slime Safety Spair injects a special sealant into your tire, plugging punctures up to a quarter inch, and quickly re-inflates the tire with its built-in compressor. All in seven minutes…er…flat. There’s also a safety light for night use.
Price: $38.97 on Amazon
Rayovac PS73-4BT6 7-Hour Power
The last thing you want to discover when your car battery is dead is that your cell phone is dead, too. You’ll never run out of juice for your cell phone with the AA-powered Rayovac PS73-4BT6 7-Hour Power charger. The charger comes with adapter tips for microUSB and older iPhones (with the 30-pin adapter), as well as a standard USB jack to use the cable that came with your phone. And an LED fuel gauge lets you know how much power is available for a charge. Four AA batteries provide seven hours of talk for an iPhone 4S.
Price: $18.22 on Amazon
Eton ARCPT300W American Red Cross Axis Self-Powered Safety Hub
The Eton ARCPT300W American Red Cross Axis Self-Powered Safety Hub is packed with features that will come in handy during an emergency. There’s a NOAA weatherband radio for tracking bad weather conditions, a flashlight, a red blinker for alerting others to your plight, as well as an AM/FM radio for general news.
You can use its built-in hand crank to power the device, charge its internal NiMH battery or pop in three AAA batteries.
Price: $33.95 on Amazon
Spot Gen3 Satellite GPS Messenger
If you frequently drive in wilderness areas, the Spot Gen3 GPS locator and messaging device can literally be a lifesaver in an emergency. Spot Gen3 uses a satellite link to send out an SOS call with your GPS location to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). The IERCC then alerts the appropriate emergency responders to wherever you are around the world. You can also use the Spot Gen3 to send pre-canned text messages and email, and to send updates on your location at pre-set intervals of 2.5 to 60 minutes.
Price: $148.00 on Amazon or $169.95 at FindMeSpot.com, plus a $14.99 monthly or $149.99 yearly subscription.
This article was written by Suzanne Kantra and originally appeared on Techlicious.
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