Vehicle Keys, Battery, and other tips.

Consider leaving your vehicle keys with your car while afield. Find a water safe, well hidden, location near the vehicle and put them there.

I had an extremely painful experiences where I had brought my lanyard toting keys with me and this was enough. Even if you have a good pack, you can always be sure, if the keys are left behind, your way out will be secure; plus they are an extra weight and every ounce counts.

Note that a weak battery, whether in the vehicle or your fob, will have an even harder time working if it's cold. 

For the fearless solo, in true cold (-30c or lower) bring an electro booster pack. A better, cheaper option or alternative may be to simply haul along another fully charged car battery (if you have a spare) with booster cables. You can pick up a cheap small one at a pick your part or breaker. 

For extended outings, I unplug my battery. Cars and trucks still have a small draw on the current when completely turned off; they also draw on the battery when you open and close your door and when the dome lights turn on. The last thing you want is not be able to start your vehicle when you need to. Unplug the battery (disconnect the ground BLACK wire (-) only), but make sure you have taken all measures to be able to get back into the vehicle without the power source - mechanical key - NOTE: if it is very cold, make sure the mechanical lock won't seize (the best way to do this is not heating the key as this won't work in very cold conditions, not using wd40 in the key hole as this will gum up with dirt over time, but DO use a strong solution of alcohol in the key hole).

Also, if I am disconnecting the battery, leave the hood closed but not fully so I don’t wear out the pulley or if its cold, it freezes closed - and hope no one steals the battery. 

On that note, pulling a battery from a car is one of the best things you can do for your car if you leave it, without driving, for extened periods (more than three days), in warn climate (you only need to disconnect the negative terminal after locking the car in this case), but especially when its cold; when the battery is then stored in a warm place, this gives you vehicle the best chance at a start; keeping a battery at above 0c will also extends the working life of the unit.

Consider puting some cheap dry pants on the car or some other indication you may be near the vehicle to deter potential vandalism, theft, or harrasment.