last minute x-mas gift for.... ANYONE

Alternative title: Yet another trailering essential that took me wayyyy too long to acquire. 

Ahem, cough cough. Guys. I'm going to be plain with y'all. I'm, uh, sorta scared of electrical stuff in general, car batteries in particular. 

that feeling when you drive into the barn and just KNOW your tow vehicle isn't gonna start

Which is inconvenient bc I own a truck whose sole purpose in life is to stay hitched up to my trailer, parked at the farm, ready and waiting for whatever adventures may come. Except. Ya know. Realistically it's a rare month where there are more than 3 trailer-worthy adventures. And in winter? Fewer still. 

who among us hasn't left a vehicle sitting neglected amid increasingly cold temperatures???

Long story short. I've killed a shit ton of batteries in my trucks over the years. Perhaps most hilariously here. It's just a thing I do. A personality flaw, perhaps. 

pictured: Brrrrrrr!*
(*for maryland)

So ya know. I've also been a participant in many many jump start operations. Tho. To be perfectly honest. My role tends to be: "Female who dangles electrical cords so haphazardly that males appear ***literally out of nowhere*** to seize said equipment and finish the job."

batteries like warmth, y'all. don't leave your emergency battery out in the cold! and give it a warm case for when it travels!

The most recent occurrence of... exactly that... was the morning of our show at Waredaca. And the male who appeared ****literally out of nowhere**** was equipped with the below emergency jump start battery. He hooked it up and my truck leapt to life instantly. Amazing!

pictured: emergency battery kit

So ya know. This is one of those weak points that gets exposed after a barn move, I think. At the last place, I knew all the people, all the handymen, all the resources available for making sure my truck ran when I needed it. At the new place? Sure, there are wonderful people able and willing to help (as evidenced by prior "male out of ****literally nowhere****").... 

But, eh, this is not a unique or unsolved problem. Products exist in the market for EXACTLY these scenarios.

 

the plug is machined to ensure correct connections -- it only fits in one orientation

So I did what the modern woman does: took a picture of the tool used by most recent "male out of literally nowhere" (sorry I keep emphasizing that, but you know what I mean) and ordered a similar model off Amazon. 

(This most recent Good Samaritan was the father of a lesson student, thank you sir!!)

don't judge me, it's my #FirstTime

And soon enough, I got my first chance to use it ALL BY MYSELF OMG. And guys.... I was nervous! I have been bringing the thing with me from home (in its insulated little tote bag) for all my trailering adventures since Waredaca -- but yesterday was finally the day I needed it. 

charge from a vehicle --- ideally, after yours is running in case you need it again next time

And it worked!! Like, I followed the directions, needed to let it just chill hooked up for a minute to charge the truck. And... Then the truck started. Amazing! Then I charged it back up again while driving the 1.5hrs to Loch Moy (post tomorrow OMG!). 

bc we got important shit to do <3 <3 <3 tune in tomorrow for details :D

I'm not an expert AT ALL on equipment like this, so I'm reluctant to specifically endorse this exact model. It's just what the guy used to jump my truck, and then it worked for me too. I'll definitely keep you updated if it either continues to work, or conks out. 

But... I gotta say, just like having my own tire inflating air compressor, this is exactly the type of essential tool I like having on hand! So. Eh. Peace of mind is its own reward, maybe. 

Do you have something similar already? If not, might be nice to let Santa know you want one ;)