When you need to get out of town as quickly as possible in an emergency, not all vehicles are created equal.
What’s ideal in one situation probably won’t be ideal in a different set of circumstances. Therefore, this article will look at several affordable – totally different – vehicle options.
Option 1: Fuel Efficiency and Mobility (Starting at $4500/ Used But In Good Shape $3000)
In this first approach, you will focus on being able to travel as far as possible on a given amount of fuel and have the option to cut through traffic. The most affordable option is the motorcycle.
Its advantages include:
- Relatively low start up cost. Even a new motorcycle can easily cost less than $5,000. The more expensive models are still significantly cheaper than a new mid-sized car.
- Maneuverability. Motorcycles can cut through traffic and get around abandoned cars more easily than any other vehicle option.
- Fuel efficiency. A large number of motorcycles get at least the equivalent of a fuel efficient mid-sized car, but with far superior performance. For example, the Honda Gold Wing gets around 35 miles per gallon (MPG). Many motorcycles will get over 60 MPG, such as the Triumph Thunderbird.
But a motorcycle isn’t the perfect bug out vehicle for all situations.
Some disadvantages include:
- Not-so-great overall range on a single tank of gas (although you get a lot of miles for each gallon).
- You need practice in order to safely and effectively drive a motorcycle.
- You’re exposed to the elements.
- A motorcycle offers no built-in shelter. However, there’s always the option of towing a small camper.
- Motorcycles are often louder than a typical car.
- Motorcycles don’t handle ice or snow very well.
- A motorcycle has limited cargo and passenger carrying capacity, even when towing a trailer.
Option 2: Balance and Blending In (Starting from $27.000, Used But In Good Shape $12.000)
This second approach emphasizes not standing out and being able to do a lot of things moderately well. An affordable recommendation is the hybrid sedan.
The reasons for this recommendation are:
- Good fuel efficiency. A hybrid sedan will easily get 40+ MPG.
- Decent passenger and cargo space. A backseat and trunk provides a moderate amount of room to carry supplies and people.
- Makeshift shelter. A car isn’t an ideal place to sleep, but it will protect you from the elements. It also has built-in cooling and heating, although these features will use up precious fuel.
- It doesn’t stand out. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably going to be more prepared than the average citizen during an evacuation. This means you are a prime target for charitable requests (at best) or thievery and violence (at worst). The last thing you want your vehicle to do is broadcast the fact that you have plenty of supplies.
Some drawbacks to using a hybrid sedan as your bug out vehicle include:
- Poor off-road handling, at least compared to a dedicated off-road vehicle.
- A more intricate engine compared to a non-hybrid vehicle. This makes on the spot repairs a little more difficult and complex.
- Not as much carrying or towing capacity as a van, truck or other large vehicle.
Slightly higher cost than a non-hybrid sedan, although easily affordable. Many hybrid sedans can be purchased new for under $30,000.
Option 3: Extra Space and Blending In (Starting at $25.000 – Used But In Good Shape 15.000)
This third approach is to use a minivan, which is very similar to the second approach, but provides more cargo carrying capacity while still blending in.
Advantages of using a minivan as a bug out vehicle include:
- Plenty of carrying capacity, whether it’s extra passengers or supplies.
- More livable space. If you’re going to be sleeping in your vehicle for more than a few nights, you’ll appreciate the extra room a minivan provides.
- Blends in very well with other vehicles in traffic.
- Has towing capability if a hitch is installed (and the minivan itself isn’t already fully loaded).
Cons for having a minivan as your bug out vehicle include:
- Usually more expensive than a smaller car
- Generally poorer performance and lower fuel efficiency than a sedan.
- No off-road capability.
Option 4: Off Road (Starting With $20.000, Used But In Good Shape $6500)
If you know you’ll be avoiding the roads in your bug out situation, an off-road vehicle is probably a must-have. There are many off-road capable vehicles, but an affordable and practical option is a pickup truck with a camper shell.
The benefits of this bug out vehicle include:
- Good off-road capability, with high ground clearance and four wheel drive.
- Towing and hauling capability with a high torque engine.
- A diesel fuel option for certain pickup trucks.
- Plenty of cargo space.
- With the camper shell, the truck bed can protect your passengers and/or supplies from the elements. The camper shell will also help shield your supplies from unwanted attention.
- Good durability.
Potential pitfalls for having a pickup truck with camper as your bug out vehicle are:
- Relatively poor fuel efficiency.
- Could be harder to blend in, compared to a sedan or minivan, due to stereotyping.
- Not as affordable as some sedan options.
- Less seating than a minivan.
- Harder to maneuver than a sedan.
Option 5: The Kitchen Sink (Starting With – $70.000, Used But In Good Shape – $10.000)
If you want to be able to have the most amenities and carrying capacity while bugging out, a recreational vehicle (RV) is your most realistic option. While not the most affordable when new, a used 2001 Class C RV with less than 100,000 miles can be purchased for under $10,000.
The benefits of having an RV as a bug out vehicle are:
- Comfortable transportation. From bathrooms, to showers to a kitchen, an RV can be setup so it’s like a second home on wheels.
- Plenty of carrying capacity. With an RV you can carry a lot of supplies and people with plenty of room to spare.
However, the drawbacks to bugging out in an RV are significant:
- Compared to other vehicle options, RVs have very bad gas mileage.
- A new RV will be fairly expensive, so only a used RV can be considered affordable by most people.
- An RV literally screams “I have a lot of stuff.” As mentioned previously, you don’t want to give others the impression you have a lot when everyone else has a little.
- Large size can be extra difficult to maneuver and operate.
- Depending on the size of the RV, a special driver’s license may be required.
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When considering what kind of BOV is best, or whether to make do with what you already have, I think people fail to analyze what conditions will be like two hours, two days, two months or even years after a full blown SHTF situation occurs. Highways and main traffic arteries are likely to be gridlocked almost immediately. Backroads will become increasingly dangerous to drive on, day or night. Conventional law enforcement will be non-existent, and will be replaced with armed roadblocks and roving gangs.
The ability to quickly go off road and cross country will become a key to successful bugging out. In my view, high clearance, 4WD capability is essential. Having a 40mpg hybrid is irrelevant if you are stuck in the mother of all traffic jams.
I have a 4×4 pickup, diesel with a 60gal. Extra fuel tank, can get to the hills quick and easy
If EMP I dont think your vehicles will start people. All of them have computers… Buy older vehicle that does not run off computer..
I agree… but people also make the mistake of being too obvious about it. people tend to want to have a fully decked out, tons of stuff strapped to it, lifted to the sky, painted and decaled with anti-zombie I’m a super prepper SHTF I have stuff for you to steal, looking like a beast from the netherworld, off-road monsters!!… When really, they should have something more like the one pictured in the article, I’d go with something full-size personally, but, the point being, something low key looking, it can have upgrades, loaded with gear (inside)… but outwardly, it should appear as just some dude’s everyday driver, work rig, or weekend camping rig, something the everyman might just have, just cuz.
And it is entirely possible to get decent fuel milage outta trucks, but really, it’s not so much about how far can I go, as much as gettin’ the hell outta dodge. no matter what vehicle one chooses, part of the included gear should be extended on foot travel gear. because, even if you’ve fully prepared, mapped out the perfect bug out location and path to get there, something out of your control WILL most likely happen, maybe your path is over run or washed out, maybe your car broke, maybe a different scenario occurred than what you expected, maybe you get to your bugout location and someone has discovered it and moved in, maybe something happed where you couldn’t even use the vehicle in the first place…. then there’s just the fact that even if everything went as planned, well, now time has gone by and fuel has run out, but you still need to keep moving. (besides, if you can drive to your bugout location, perhaps you want to rethink that) …. point is, you need to get out now, get off of main roads, and even roads all together, and at some point you will most likely need to ditch your vehicle (unless it is only a short term or localized SHTF situation) Either way, you do NOT want to be on the highway or other major roads, at very least you want to be able to go around the gridlock. And ideally, you want as little as possible strapped to the outside of your vehicle, and that stuff should only be items for getting unstuck, and not easily removeable by some guy at night while you’re sleeping. And I believe a roofrack if incorperated should be accessible from inside, like through a sunroof or similar opening, with nonchalant looking stuff on it (perhaps even disguised) and as much as I see spare tires up there, do you really want to climb up there and lug down that heavy tire, all the while looking over your shoulder… No, you want this to be as quick and easy a proccess as possible, a rear or front mounted spare works great, and front mounted can even act as protection for the front of your truck, and if your tires aren’t ginormous, you could even fit 2 spares side by side. (I know I said you don’t want obvious stuff strapped to you truck, but if you went with the Grandad’s camping rig look, this would look totally natural, also a rear spare comes on some trucks, so this would look normal as well) The undermount style is a nice way to hide your spare, but keep in mind that they take a looooong time to lower them.
If you want to blend in AND have some of-road capability, get a late model Subaru. They are all 4-wheel drive, they get decent mileage and if you buy the Outback or the Forester, you have a space that provides some extra carrying capacity and a place to shelter
Subarus are great vehicles but they are not 4 wheel drive, they are all wheel drive. There is a big difference in how the 2 very different systems work. You need to be familiar with how both systems work to make an intelligent choice of vehicle. Personally, for a bug out situation I would only have a 4 wheel drive. All wheel drives are great for slippery on road conditions and very light off road conditions but they pale in comparison to a 4×4.
Yes, Subarus aren’t 4-wheel drive, and that’s what makes them better; the AWD system in a subaru (1992 & newer) actually use a torque splitter, or viscous coupler that puts the power more efficiently to the ground, and it’s always engaged, meaning you don’t have to do anything when approaching an off highway area. My 1994 Legacy wagon climbed hills better than most of my friends’ jeeps, and was great fun driving ralley style. Extremely well built, extremely capable, and extremely fun. I would probably get another subaru instead of MOST 4×4 trucks out there that are late models- they are all subframe, soft ,urban cowboy sissy cars
I too have a 97 Legacy wagon and except for ground clearance, I haven’t been stuck once . When I first bought it , I took it to a local mall snow covered parking lot and tried to do a power slide . Turn Sharp left and stomp the gas , it just drove in a circle! And truth be known , a four wheel drive only has one wheel pulling in front and one in back ! Unless you have some kind of posi-traction .
Never attempted to go anywhere in our Forester, it wouldn’t go. 26MPG, great ground clearance and we use it in the mountains. This is our second one, gave the first to our daughter. It will not be my last.
Guess I might just stick with my ’99 Eddie Bauer Expedition which is 4 wheel drive only and plenty of power and I have taken it off road plenty of times and this baby climbs like a mountain goat
While I am not shilling for Rokon because I have absolutely no financial interest in the company, if you are going to spend money just for a bug out vehicle, you really need to look at the Rokon. It is a two-wheel-drive motorcycle that has trailer towing capability. Not as fast as a Honda Goldwing but not as pricey either. Mileage is not as great as a 250 cc dirt bike but can haul a pretty hefty load on its trailer and will carry two people. And the last time I checked, you didn’t have to be Bill Gates in order to buy one.
The Rokon is an excellent choice for a 1 or 2 person bugout, Also the small size would make it great for putting in a truck bed as an auxillery vehicle. One would be hard pressed to find a place you couldn’t take it.
Prelusive, I wrote that post with information copied from the Rokon website in response to LCC who did NOT post any current and valid information. And if you read it carefully, it clearly explains it is NOT Street Legal, so if this is an example of your “situational awareness” you’re going to have a rough time in a real world SHTF situation of any significant duration.
If the stores, dentist, etc. are still operational, then I bet my street legal truck will get us there and back just fine. So please go stand in front of mirror and lecture yourself on how to improve your reading comprehension and cognitive abilities.
I just checked the Rokon website, and the prices shown on 17 June 2022 are from $7,675.00 to $9,275.00.
They also post this disclaimer: “Call or email us to order! This product is not available in California or for purchase online.” So, I checked for dealers within 500 miles, and it shows the closest is in Lake Isabella, CA (in contradiction to the disclaimer), and the next is at Pahrump, NV. I would call first to see what you can actually get from these dealers.
another disclaimer:
“Per 40CFR 85.1703 ROKON off-road motorcycles do not meet the definition of a motor vehicle and do not have mountings that allow it to be legally modified to be a highway motorcycle. Specifically,
The headlight is not DOT compliant and lacks a high/low beam feature.
There is no horn or controller/switch for a horn.
There is no mounting of turn signals. There is no option or place to mount turn signals.
There is no wiring harness and controller offered or onboard that would be capable of operating turn signals or a horn.
DOT tires are not present. We use off road ATV tires.
The labels marking the bike lack the statements required by the NHTSA to indicate our off-road bikes to be street legal. The EPA required label states clearly that the bike is off road only.
There is no speedometer or odometer.”
So legally the Rokon Motorcycles are for off-road only, but that is what you would want them for.
Rokon
Not exactly, DZ. If you’re relying on a vehicle to get you to and from the grocery store (if there is such a thing at the time) or the pharmacist or a doc (assuming you know these people), you’ll need a “street legal” dirt bike. Where we’re headed in society is the left is trying their best to criminalize the right. If ‘they’ catch you on the road with that bike, you’re walking home, at best. Probably going to jail. That’s how they roll. You’re better off having your legal ducks in a row and at least appearing to comply with some of the BS. So you want to be ready for that attitude. For example; if they ‘outlaw’ AR-15’s, they won’t confiscate them but if some dirtbag breaks into your home and you shoot him with it, they’re coming after YOU, not the dirtbag. Then your family is left sitting in that vulnerable situation while you’re locked up in the pokey downtown somewhere. Then you have a day or two walk back home if you ever get out of that pokey. That’s how they roll. You have to out-think them strategically.
Make sure you have all maps of the direction of your travel. Individual county road maps if you think you may go on the back roads and USGS topo maps if going off road.
Maps are a great idea, and I would even mark my primary, secondary, and even thirdary routes, in different colors. Practice these routes, and while practicing them, keep an eye out for alternates, and hidden spots to park, areas, that could be compromised and how so, perhaps even possible supply caches, and areas where there maybe resources such as rivers for water and fish, maybe there’s a grain mill or farm, perhaps a store to either check or avoid, speaking of, also keep an eye out for areas you shouls keep away from, whether it poses human, animal, or other threats such as maybe a flooding river, electrical substation that maybe “live” (in a bad way) be aware of dams that could break (upstream), small towns that may not take kindly to strangers (speaking of wihich, if there are such places on your route, stop and get to know the locals during your practice runs, that way when you show up when SHTF, they’ll be like “oh, that’s just Bill.” and possibly even offer help rather than run ya off or shoot you.) GPS may or may not work, depending on the nature of the situation and while may be nice, should NOT be relied upon.
….Oh, and if you have maps with your route marked, keep them private, don’t just throw then up on the dash for all the world to see, keep them in a hidden but accessible place.
“Thirdary” ??? You mean tertiary ! Pfffffft !
Ive got a 77′ JEEP 4×4 that runs on LPG. Also an M105 covered trailer with 3-55 gal. drums…for water, tools and clothing. Got a good supply of canned and dry goods with plenty of tarps, blankets, prepper gear, and my guns and ammo. That being said this is for secondary use…I plan on bugging in because I live outside of a small town in the country.
What about a high roof delivery van. They are usually on an heavy duty frame and can be had with diesel engine and 4×4. A couple of Joe bobs plumbing signs stuck on the side is about as low key as it gets. Off road tires and heavy duty bumpers fit into this package well.
I thought about a buying a used moving van. Put your gear inside and if your delayed getting to your destination you could park at a Uhaul lot with the rest of moving vans and hide in plain sight. Of course the vans outside color should match the vendor’s lot your parking at or near. Don’t park a truck you bought from Ryder in a Uhaul Lot.
Mon rêve : un polaris général. Le premier prix est de 8500 euros avec un moteur de 500 cv. On peut les équiper d’un treuil puissant et ils ont un petit coffre. Ils peuvent se faufiler dans les forêts si les arbres ne sount pas trop serrés
France est assez petit pour votre marcher, vélo, ou bateau à un refuge de bug-out pre situé et préalablement fourni.
Beaucoup abandonnés et demi-abandonnées villages médiévaux dans le Sud-Ouest France. Localiser un refuge loin d’et à chaque fois, et qu’en transit, les autoroutes majeures et chargeur.
True this is but France is a ways from me, I am sure there a places where this is good advice even her in the USA, but around here where I am there are just to many people, and there are places that are even more populated then where I live..If God and finances ever allow I will be moving out to where there are less people as I feel crowded as it it is and as I like to hunt and fish it is getting harder to do that also. I any event the information in the article is accurate and useful as stated, but for my self I would want to have a vehicle that could run on a number of different fuels and continue to run for a long while there after, I have seen that a diesel vehicle can run on cooking oil with no additions as a deuce can run on straight gasoline, but not for a very long time without major damage to the engine, I would like to get to where I am going and still have a vehicle to continue on even further if needed
Climate matters. Diesel fuel can grow bacterial mats in warm-humid places, or get ‘jellied’ in really cold weather.
An option not mentioned in main article is multi-fuel multi-terrain vehicles. Rather popular in Australia, and South and Central America.
I think most of this talk about buggin’ out is nonsense. Where would one go to?…up to the hills? Everyone else will be fighting to get there too, or already there. Roads will be jammed with crazies and yahoos that are working in freak out mode already. And, who are we running from; ourselves? If things get that bad, wake up folks, we’re all in this together, like it or not. It would be wiser to stay where we are and try to work together in a civilized manner to help each other rather than jumping to freak out mode.
None of us know what it would be like if we all freak out together; I am sure none of us wants to go there.
“work together in a civilized manner to help each other” sounds good . Cut off food stamps for one day and see how that works out for you.
Lol
Bugging out is the last thing I would want to do, but I also realize that I won’t be the one dictating the circumstances. Even if you can successfully remain in place, you will still need a vehicle that can handle the new reality of permanently blocked roads.
The largest metro area in my state has 3.9 million residents and nearly 5 million registered vehicles (private, commercial and govt.). Excluding semi-tractor trailer rigs, that equates to nearly 28,000 miles of vehicles end to end. Do anyone seriously think they could navigate through that kind of mess?
Like button pressed.
When it comes to the survival of my family, protection and supplies are a number one priority. Therefore on my way out I will be stopping by your house to take your stuff. Wake up cupcake, people will go into survival mode not freak out mode. There is no compromise, just survival of the fittest if SHTF.
So let’s analyze this: you’ll be using the “STOPS” (start taking other people’s stuff) method by stopping by some guys house to take his stuff as he shoots your a s s dead??? LOL. You failed to prep for yourself so you’ll use this method instead and probably die in the process…. a real winning plan…..LOL
The hills way out to the hills Alaska, or Artic Canada, will not be to many people prepared to or having enough knowledge to survive there, however you are right in certain aspects it is better to bug sometimes, that is why moving out to a place like that before TEOTWAWKI happens and preparing to stay there even if the worst was to God forbid actually happen
like2liver, I agree and would with folks like you but I have too many nutsies around me. I won’t make it out in the first wave and don’t want to either. We’ll hunker in place, do the grey man thing, which we do already and wait till we see our window. When the shit hits the proverbial fan it’ll be ugly as it builds up steam.
Use your God- given common sense. If you live in a neighborhood where everyone would go heathen. GET OUT NOW, while the getting is good or at least move somewhere else even if it is a cheaper place and lacks conveniences. There are good neighbors still in this world and a lot of them are thinking about things too. Educate yourself. If pepper spray is not available use wasp and hornet spray. Cheaper but will cause permanent damage. Embrace guns as they are your best friends when the grizzly or heathens come. Have suitable clothes, 25 year food in mylar packs are a great option along with small propane bottles and a propane stove. If at all possible be very close if not at where you need to be. If you truly think this thru,are prepared, and pay close attention, you are way ahead of the game. Let not your heart be afraid!
Amen.
‘Prepper’ means something, and not necessarily those nuts planning to rumble about in a reconditioned military tank or HMMWV
Has anyone thought of maybe a E.M.P during your bug out ? I have chosen a 1976 international scout as my bug out vehicle ..it’s 4×4 and doesn’t have electronic ignition so impervious to a emp ..also carries a lot of cargo and 5 people can ride .and I’m currently working on hidden rifle storage compartments for a few of the firearms I want to bring with me ..I do understand people have different preferences. But I’m trying to look at all aspects of a bug out ..and if nothing ever happens then I still have a cool 4×4 camping/hunting rig ..
Thermonuclear or Coronal Mass Ejection (Solar flare) EMP a distinct possibility.
Main article hasn’t considered realistic scenarios. Folk need to read books written by those who survived real disasters and conflicts, such as what happened during Indian Ocean tsunami and in Balkans during 1990s.
True that and it never hurts to be prepared if nothing ever happens in you life time, it is good for teaching people how to think and act is the real worl with out there being an nut in a mil type vehicle, but as I want one just to use as a work truck hauling wood and working on the Far and a few mods will make it a decent BOV vehicle if needed, then what does it hurt, besides being ex military my self I have always felt that they vehicles were very useful even though they look like they belong in the last century. In nay case every one knows what they like and think is best for themselves and we should make suggestions that we might think are better but in no way try to force our opinions upon others, unless of course they are breaking the law then we need to refer them to the authorities if we think it is needed and thatagain would be for the person themselves to decide
20th Century diesel military vehicles (chiefly smaller trucks) will prove most practical. Saw some German ones in rural Missouri (they’re narrower and smaller than American ones). Don’t know how they got imported; probably some veteran who had spent some years In Eastern Europe.
Doubt if a truck can be used to also plow bottom land. Tractors are designed as they are for reasons.
A problem with BOVs is concealability once you get to your BOS. A clear set of tire tracks leading there not so good.
Unimogs can be outfitted to do just about any job there is. If you can get your hands on one,get one. Some are multi-fuel. They are extremely capable off road, and can tow quite a bit of gear. Germany’s military has used these trucks since the 1960s.
Endorse.
Issue is parts. Unlikely found in North American junk yards.
scouts rock! my 72 scout is awesome and I really enjoy my full length removable hardtop this rig is awesome for getting to the many old abandoned goldmines that are scattered throughout my area not to forget the fact that I have explored a handfull of shallow ones that my scout will fit inside. It can be a hidden blessing to be able to live lika a gopher lol.
Parts??? I thought about one of those as well. Buddy had one back in the 80s and that bugger climbed anything and everything. Granted top speed was about 50mph but it wasn’t made to race just climb. The issue is where do you get parts? Carry them with you? Get a late 60s or 70s model 4×4 chevy or ford 3/4 ton,….
Purchase or “borrow” a tow truck. It’s practically a license to take whatever you need and uniforms will not question your motives.
Brilliant. ..And, use it to ‘Tow Your BOV’ (which is loaded with your BOstuff.. Not likely to ‘get inspected’..) Get a ‘Tow Co’ uniform together, some ‘fakeperwork’ / alum. clipboard, wipe some grease on yer cheeks (..and yer ballcap 😉 and hands, and an obnoxious amount of bubble / chewing gum… Should get ‘waved right thru’ the (invariable) Checkpoints.. ‘Never underestimate the Power of Subterfuge’ 🙂
None of you have even talked about one of the best ways to bug out? It wouldn’t be easy for City People almost impossible. Unless you ever lived in the Country. I’m a Country Girl. Used to using Horses for many things. But along with this you’d need some Pack Mules. To Travel with your foods & other supplies you’d be needing. But again this has to be well planed out. If you don’t already have the Horses & Pack Mules, That is another cost in it’s self. You also need a good hide out easy to get to from where you live. If your in a small Country Town, OR a little bigger Town. This is a easy do. find a Cabin to buy OR build one. Start now don’t wait. You will need a wood stove, stock it with plenty of fire wood & access to water. You will still need the Horses & Mules to get out carrying the extra things you will need. Don’t tell what you have keep it to your self. Make it out of the way out of sight out of mind. You may already have that Cabin all the good. Get it stocked & ready for the long run.
Always wanted to ride,but do not know if my back would take it now, the thing with livestock( horses and mules is they not only are costly to buy, but they eat, no a vehicle can sit with little maintenance and up keep for a long time. however if the situation were bad enough that there could be no fuel found, then the horse, and other riding animals would be a real good idea, whee I live I could own a horse but it would take days to get any where , that I would feel safe to set up any hide out because there are just to many people. I also agree with the idea of moving out now, lacking funds as I am disabled precludes having to support horses and as I have said i do not know if it would even be a good idea to consider because of medical problems..I mean if it were a matter of ride or die I would of course ride, but after I got off the animal, i would not be much good for much else for a few days. So may be the whole question is a mute point. But one never knows till he or she has to get right down to the nitty gritty and do it
. . . . then you’d need another couple of pack mules to carry food for the first two pack mules. Now that I think of it, you’d need two more to carry food for the two that are carrying food for the first two. And then more . . . : /
Pretty soon it will look like a wagon train and you need a Rowdy Yates, Gil Favor, and don’t forget Wishbone to do the cooking for the whole crowd.
All of a sudden, you need a much bigger ‘hide out’. . . . .
Forget it. I’ll just stay and fight. Ya’ll can bug out and I’ll cover for you. : )
If wishes were horses, everyone would be paying veterinarian bills or eating much more horse meat.
That said, pack mules and horses are better, since a set of wheel tracks of a laden vehicle are easier to follow. Up to a point, such animals may forage for themselves in during growing and fruiting seasons. But they’ll need to be defended against predators other than humans.
So, a defensible cove or structure, and some oats and/or dried fruit to bait pack / riding critters back to shelter likely needed. Large animal management is a skill all its own, and aforetime ostlers and like folk were specialty careers requiring specialty tools.
Whatever else you do, move away NOW from urban / suburban areas, and establish a rural or even-more remote Bug In/Out Site. A large property which has / allows an abode near a road (to live in during ‘normal’ times) and allows a concealed haven with artesian / well water back in hill country would be very close to ideal.
A foreseeable man-made crisis is unnecessary to cause havoc. A CME could easily end the world as humans now know it. See this page: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110302-solar-flares-sun-storms-earth-danger-carrington-event-science/
For anything long-term, it has to be diesel! Petrol, (gas), goes “off” after a few months. Also, there are far fewer potential electrical problems with a Diesel engine.
Since I already live in the mountains , up in the rockies , I’m not as concerned about bugging out as most people are but IF I ever have to I have a good 4X4 truck with an extra gas tank and a 24 foot travel trailer and a great hidden location that I could reach on mountain back roads within 25 miles or so of where I live and I could easily hide my rig at my BOL with large camo nets that I keep in my trailer .
Wow, Finally a really good idea! You said: “I could easily hide my rig at my BOL with large camo nets that I keep in my trailer .” Thanks, that is one I have not heard before. Its sometimes the most obvious thing we miss.
best,
Pete
Except for the fact that you could be seen by FLIR, camo nets are essential, now if you combine those with mylar sheeting, (space blankets) you would be completely invisible to anyone flying over or looking around with forward looking infra red technology(night vision). Having a trailer’s interior walls lined with this stuff also insulates you from rf, and the cold/heat.
Problem with easy and portable camouflage itself is that image processing can ‘see’ through it. As can persons with particular kinds of color-blindness.
(I personally can see through WW2/Korean War era camouflage, and through certain fabrics. Latter situation once entertaining on beaches, but nowadays at times disgusting. Despise garish tattoos and body piercings…)
Artificial heat-reflective sheets unlikely to work for very hot items, such as just-used engines and exhausts. (Heat blankets and camouflage likely work for concealing well-wrapped persons.) Effective heat-concealment techniques are diversionary cooling and dispersion.
Advocate instead for garaging vehicles in caves, under rock/concrete overhangs, and underground. Radiated heat may yet escape or heat surrounding material but if dispersed sufficiently may appear as a natural solar or warm-spring manifestation. Problem there is heavier vehicles leave tracks, particularly in certain environments. Go see those Oregon Trail remains – deep ruts from the 1800s.
As for abodes and shelters such as mobile homes, simple and relatively-cheap concealments and insulation is better achieved by building some sort of ‘shell’ which can be made to appear natural. Very thick plastered or Gunite-covered straw-bale, soil-cement, or local stone outer walls may be covered with planted and growing local vegetation. Sadly, unless light-pipe tech is accessible, results in very dark interiors. Yet survivalists and preppers likely spending most waking hours outdoors anyway.
Best to observe near-finishing concealment from aerial vantages – too-thorough work itself may be obvious. The natural order is untidy, and straight lines and regular curves are rare.
A failure to plan in view of objective facts and congruent truth is planing for catastrophic failure. As is evident from the idiots who rebuild and rebuild in much the same way on the same sites after recurring disasters.
Bottom line: it’s looking like bugging in with your guns and food stores is looking pretty good ?
I wonder what happened to good old fashioned walking? Vehicles are loud, expensive and require spare parts, oil and fuel to run. If you are trying to be undetected, walking is your best bet.
Walking with a small side arm, a few days food and a few other times is a losing plan. Stay home with all your stuff already there.
Circumstances matter. Persons in your survival group may be assets but none too mobile. Applies to minors too.
Best to pay attention to actual current events (not wrangling Tweets), anticipate any real crisis, and preemptively use a vehicle to get vulnerable members to/near a sustainable hide you’ve already established. But thereafter exposing any vehicle is counter-survival. Not least, heavy wheeled vehicles leave trails.
Lugging things around afoot usually onerous; water weighs heavy; so do canned goods and freshly-hunted meat. Depending on the climate and zone, some folk may look into acquiring and maintaining pack animals, yet such must be defended at minimum from predators.
Best pack animals are donkeys, mules, and lamas. Lamas are actually the very best (reproduce, provide hair, and can be eaten), but can be mean and difficult to deal with. Camels are good in arid places, but are noisy.
I think everyone should be thinking about electronic ign.
Vintage vehicles (pre-1990s) built / restored to only use simple electrical devices are best in a crisis. But they will most usually use also more fuel.
I think that the gear you choose to bring along with you might be just as important as the vehicle. Things like extra water, gasoline, vehicle repair and maintenance items would be important no matter what you are driving!
Stay where you are unless you have a cabin and then be prepared to fight your way into your own cabin as squatters may have already found it…. but it’s hard to beat staying at home where one may have several guns, thousands of rounds of ammo and food.
Vehicle should be considered a mechanical mule. So, 4×4 (switchable to 2x) drive, heavily muffled, and unobtrusive. Even camo for local situation. Not a bad idea to have air-intake and exhaust reaching above cab top. And vehicle must be capable of carrying just about anything.
An Isuzu diesel or multifuel UV best. Recall seeing some boys crossing outback Australia using one of the latter, and they did OK. But all vehicles require something resembling roads, and if you’ve a hideout, you don’t want any metaled road going nearby.
Consider the M1008 or M1009 CUCV, a 4 wheel drive 5/4 ton Vehicle, basically A diesel pick up for 3000 to 6 000 a\or a Military blazer as they phase these out of service they can be picked up with guaranteed turnkey driving a quite a few places, but hey whatever floats your boat>if you are eally into BOV thens try a 2 1/2 of 5 tom from 6 tp 11000 dolares
Reply to has to be diesel, think rather multi fuel again thanks t the Military, deuces , five tons and the like one of them you can run gasoline, best to add used motor oil though to keep the fuel pump oiled up as the gasoline does not have enough lube in it to keep it lubed think about it any think from heating oil used oils including transmission oil, used or fresh, of course it is best to filter all used oils and mix them with some diesel or lighter oil to help again the fuel pumps
We all may be logging in or out sooner than we thought. Isn’t there an intelligent, logical, and calm person who can accompany Trump to North Korea? I don’t quite have my Faraday Cage complete, and I still have to transport a lot of supplies to my bunker. I’m a 65-year-old widow but I believe we all need to keep her eyes open and our heads up. Love all of your comments.
Really should discount-disbelieve Communist Narrative Network etc. propaganda. Nobody gets to be -and remain- a billionaire if they’re stupid.
NYC, and world financial milieux, are staffed by creeps who never actually build or create anything, but by those who only con and cheat their ways, usually to piddly fortunes and positions. If Trump were as the socialist media depict, he’d long ago have wound up in a Williamsburg (Brooklyn) walk-up wondering – What Happened.
Lady Black once describes the USA as the Excited States, and she wasn’t-isn’t wrong when it comes to all those Media outlets.
Koreans have no delivery vehicles capable of reliably reaching us yet…,,,and if they did launch one Trump would obliterate them in 10 minutes…..
Think instead Iranians launching an EMP from a barge or tanker 200 miles off our coast….
RMLane, how do you like the selected, not elected, “Pretender in Chief” we have now?
Lots of good ideas in the article and by those who commented. Here again, costs play a major role in what one has or can have to drive. Personally, while having a this or that is ideal, I would like to see more emphasis on utilizing and even modifying or outfitting the cars that people own. And more people own cars than trucks, but all the videos and articles seem to focus on purpose built bug out trucks. Another point is that we don’t all need high ground clearance, 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicles. Sometimes the right tire choice or a little driving skill can do wonders. And whatever it is you plan to evacuate in, traffic can stop you and desperate people will always be a potential problem. As long as you’re going somewhere and alive and breathing, people will try to see if you have anything and try to get what you have. I don’t think one can play the “grey man” once panic begins.
You hit some very good points and I agree with you 100%. In the 21 years I spent in the Army I never once had a HUMVEE in 4wd because it’s not where and what you drive it’s HOW you drive that most important. I would also like to see some cars utilied
I don’t believe there is 1 or 5 answers here. Personally I live less than 20 minutes from my bug-out location. and will have very little traffic even under the worst of circumstances, also being so close I can take supplies as I get them and won’t require much in a bug out vehicle. My suggestion is either “bug in” or make your BOL as close as possible to where you live. When SHTF Sh!t WILL hit the fan and that nice mountain retreat that you have you will probally not get to 99.9999999999999% of the time even if you have a fully loaded Abrams, the key to survival isn’t just preparedness, it’s more importantly quickness to get out of the mess and away from humanity and whatever cause the Sh!t to hit the fan.
There are basically two successful survival strategies for crises: Being a prepared first-mover, or, a well-prepared pre-mover. But in the process, never being a showy mover.
An Art of War counsel is that deception often leads to winning. Whatever ‘winning’ really means…
I’ll take my 4 wheel drive Jeep 6
And a “chicken coop” has exactly ‘what’ to do with the best “bug out vehicles”?
I vote for the RV. Almost 100% of RV’s that people own do not require a CDL and, if/when SHTF does happen, license requirements are out the window as are licenses needed to operate UHF/VHF radios. When SHTF most rules go out the window. Also, a large RV does give you excellent shelter and while fuel economy is bad, a full tank in a 27 ft class A RV takes you about 600 miles and you have storage room for gas cans that can give you another 600 miles range. And the biggest plus is it has a toilet………..
I advocate being a pre-mover. Get away from urban-suburban locales ASAP. Start now. Much of rural North America nearly empty away from coasts and particular old cities.
If you and yours can hunker down in a rural place, one far from paved roads and obvious tracks, for circa 40 days in relative comfort and safety, then during any real crisis many suburban zones become effectively empty.
There will be bodies / skeletons everywhere; remember the Rule of 3. Humans die after 3 minutes without air, they die after 3 days without potable water (bad water hastens that dying), and they die after 30 days without proper food.
After 60 days or so, safer to gather, clean, and ‘repurpose’ items whose owners died. Yet frankly, aside from hand tools, and solar and wind generators, most of the detritus of ‘civilization’ could be things to avoid.
what do you thing of france for a shtf, what wood it look like, it’s note realy on topic, but there was a french person in the coments
Have you fellas ever heard of EMP shield? Its a company that sells Anti-EMP devices that shield your entire car/truck from electronic malfunctions as when EMPS hit your ride will start and go!
Just thought you should know!!!!
I’ll take a military surplus 2 1/2 or 5 ton.
A lot of good all these vehicle ‘ideas’ will do you if you can’t find gasoline to fill them. The Democrats are trying to once again divide the nation. Ultimately there will be those who have electric vehicles and there will be those who walk or ride a bicycle. Like it or not, that’s where we’re heading. And a lot quicker than most know.
Prelusive, where do you get your propaganda, from MSNBC? Do you have any clue what it takes to produce electric vehicles, including the pollution and toxins generated from production and disposal? And then how do you propose to generate enough electric power to charge millions of electric vehicles? It takes fossil fuels and even then there won’t be enough electricity generated to power them, unless of course nuclear fusion reactors are brought online very fast. I also like the idea of hydrogen fuel cells, but those have not been refined enough to produce and sell them economically and safely – they cost too much to produce and tend to explode.
I purchased a Phatmoto Gas powered pedal Bike with a side car and a pull along trailer. I also purchased a wheel hub motor for the front wheel replacement. Why? Because it is a Hybrid approach to ensuring a means of travel. When you get tired of pedaling, switch to electric or gas. It can travel on gasoline (4 cycle) up to 100 miles on less than a gallon of gas.
I also purchased (and tested) Cot Tents and include them with my to-go gear. I have everything in the miniature to have all the conveniences of modern society (Tablets both Windows 10 and Apple iOS, complete kitchen with methods to cook in 12v & AC as well as gas and wood. 12v refrigerator), Collapsible sinks cups, bowls, even Toilet/Shower. I set the 2 Cot Beds10 ft. apart to have a great room and cover it with a tarp. As you can imagine, I carry my home with me.
How fast will the Phatmoto go with the gas powered engine? 25/32/39 mph. Depends on the sprocket teeth. I bought 3 separate sockets