Anyone store the ResQVac in their car?

I get the appeal of having it in the car since that’s where a lot of accidents happen, but I’d be more worried about the masks getting warped or the seals drying out from the heat. I’ve seen rubber stuff go stiff after a summer in a glovebox. If you’re set on it, maybe just check the masks every few months.

I’ve had mine sitting in the car since last fall and honestly I think it’s tougher than people give it credit for. We get some pretty extreme heat here in the summer and it’s been through that plus freezing mornings without any visible damage. The masks still fit fine and the plunger moves smooth. I say go for it, just maybe toss it in the trunk or under a seat where it’s not sitting in direct sun all day.

Mine’s been living in the center console for about eight months now. Survived a brutal summer and a few freezing weeks without any issues. The masks still look fine and the suction works like it did on day one. Only thing I’d say is make sure it’s not bouncing around loose, but that’s true for anything.

I keep mine in the glovebox and it’s been through a full year of Texas weather without a problem.

I’m probably the odd one out here but mine stays in the car full time and it’s actually been fine through two summers now. The glovebox seems to keep it out of the worst of it. I do check the masks every few months just to make sure they haven’t gotten weird or warped, but so far nothing.

Carried mine in the door pocket for about a year and a half. Not the glovebox, the door. Probably gets more sun than the console does depending on how you park.

What I noticed was the masks getting a little stiff. Not cracked or warped, just not as soft as they were when I first got it. Still worked fine when I tested it on a cushion to make sure the seal held, but I wouldn’t say it came out of that summer completely unchanged.

The thing that got me was more the heat cycles than the cold. Winter never seemed to bother it. But sitting in a parking lot in July with the windows up, that plastic gets genuinely hot to the touch. I’d grab it and think about how the one-way valve or the plunger seal might not love that forever. No signs of actual damage yet, but it’s one of those things where you won’t know it failed until you actually need it.

Ended up moving it to the trunk in a small bag with some other emergency stuff. Stays cooler back there, out of direct sunlight, and I don’t have to look at it every time I reach for a pen. If you’re going to keep it in the car, I’d just say don’t leave it somewhere it’s baking in direct light all day. The plastic seems okay with normal interior temps but I wouldn’t push my luck.

I’d be more worried about the masks than the device itself, honestly. Heat and cold can make silicone or rubber get stiff or brittle over time, and that’s the part that needs to seal properly when you actually need it. The plastic body will probably be fine. I haven’t done a full summer with mine in the car, but I’ve left it in a hot trunk for a few weeks by accident and it still works when I tested it. The valve felt a little stickier afterward but not enough to make me think it’s broken. I guess it depends on how long you plan to leave it there. A few months, probably okay. Years of baking in a glovebox, I’d swap it out or bring it inside during the worst of the season. That’s more of a long term wear thing than an immediate failure thing.

If you’re in an area with real temperature swings, the glovebox is the worst spot for it. I’ve seen cheaper plastic stuff warp and get brittle from sitting in a hot car, and that’s not something you want failing when you actually need it. Kitchen drawer sounds like the smarter call to me.

I’m in the opposite camp. I grabbed one for the car right away and it’s been sitting in the console for about eight months now. No weird smells, no warping, masks still fit fine. I’d rather have it there and not need it than realize I left it on the kitchen counter when something happens at a restaurant.