SHTF Vehicle?

[jontheturboguy]

Was thinking about this the other day...
Who has a spare SHTF vehicle. Old truck, old 4 runner or jeep.
Loaded with tools, blankets, hatchets, drinking water, spare fuel etc.
Any body have one?
If so, what is it?
What have you stocked it with for emergencies?

 

[shark29er]

excellent question...

I was just kinda thinking about this the other day. I have an old LandCruiser, which is bullet proof (mechanically/rhetorically speaking), can go anywhere, and would have room for anything we would need. So as I casually go through things thinking about, and planning for, bug out gear I could really go with not a lot of stuff.

But my wife's car can go twice as far with half the gas (or maybe more-Prius) I think I could easily get most of our emergency stuff and gas for nearly 1000 miles in her car...but of course it is for on road use only.

I suppose it just depends on where we need to go, hunker down in the woods somewhere or get far far away or get to DC for the coup!

 

[9rows]

since i am probably not going to get one of these:

this will have to do:

seriously though....

i anticipate that just about any roadworthy vehicle will suit our bug out needs and have planned accordingly. if not, we will bug in. i can have my van loaded with 60 days worth of gear/food/supplies in about 5 minutes.

if we go on foot and travel light (72 hours type of deal), that will take about 5 seconds.

i used to keep an old jeep on hand at all times (both for pleasure and potential shtf) but i thought that was too paranoid and a waste of resources in my particular situation. so now we have two cars, either of which will suit us fine as long as the roads are open.

if not, horseback is always an option for us as well. my in-laws keep horses.

 

[melensdad]

Where will you bug out to?

I have no plans of leaving my property unless my house is destroyed by fire, tornado, etc. While I live several miles outside of any city's boundaries, I think that most suburban dwellers would probably be best off staying home too unless they own a cabin on some land or some other place to bug out too.

Having a dedicated BOV implies that there is somewhere to go.

If even 10% of the city and suburban dwellers hit the highways and biways of this nation trying to bug out, and if MOST don't have any place to bug out too, then all will be competing for some very limited space across our rural landscape.

 

[dburkhead]

Some forms of SHTF may involve things like strong EMP. So here's a question. An EMP would almost certainly fry an automobile electronic ignition system and electronic fuel injection (let alone the more "sophisticated" computers of late-model cars) but what about an older points ignition and carbureted cars? As I understand it, EMP fries electronics by inducing locally high voltages which shorts through things which are supposed to insulate, thus ruining the components (much like ESD only more so). However it takes a lot less to do that to an integrated circuit or transistor than to burn through the insulation around the wires in a car ignition system. The two vulnerable spots I could see are the coil (thinner insulation to pack more coils into a given space) or the condenser).

Thoughts?

 

[dburkhead]

Having a dedicated BOV implies that there is somewhere to go.

Or that where you are is untenable for various reasons. You should have a place to go planned in advance, but if you don't there could still be reasons why "away from here" is better than "hold in place."

 

[tyler34]

I will get an mrap if I need a bov

 

[csaws]

I concur sometimes getting the hell outta dodge is better than staying, there are plenty of large bodies of land in this state to use as a bug out spot. We have numerous abandoned mines and numerous state parks that are plenty big enough to not have any problems on.

 

[9rows]

Some forms of SHTF may involve things like strong EMP. ~snip~

Thoughts?

horses

 

[9rows]

Where will you bug out to?

depends on what is going on and where it is happening

staying put is my preferred option as well

if that option is not there for us ... i have several other options:

2nd home in my general locale
rural land close to my homestead
several familial homes in northern indiana
rural land in northern indiana
familial home in another state
etc.
​

none of these options are as well equipped as my homestead, but we could make due

 

[melensdad]

I concur sometimes getting the hell outta dodge is better than staying, there are plenty of large bodies of land in this state to use as a bug out spot. We have numerous abandoned mines and numerous state parks that are plenty big enough to not have any problems on.

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment.

Let's presume that a city with 25,000 residents is over-run by the zombie hoard, or some other city-wide calamity hits that city (nuclear, whatever you can think of, makes no real difference what it is) and those 25,000 flee. Most of them will flee with very little pre-planning. Some of them will be very bad people. Some will be nut jobs. Others will be clueless. A few will plan ahead. Presume that you planned ahead to go to campground X at state park Y. What happens if 500 others descend on that same spot? That is somewhat likely.

If you don't have a specific place to bug out too then where, realistically can you go where you can take care of yourself & family without having to constantly fight off the hoards who will try to take your stuff? I doubt it will be a state park.

Now presume you intend to go to some rural land that you know of but is not owned by you. Won't the owner object? And won't others be of similar mind and also know of that same spot? And once you are their, assuming it is with permission and secure, how will you survive? Will you have to grow food? If you job was not affected by the same zombie hoard, can you still maintain your income in any way?

Just asking, not arguing.

 

[cce1302]

Honestly if it were really that bad that I absolutely had to go, I'd steal a 7-ton or an up-armored HMMWV. Otherwise, my Tahoe will do.

 

[SavageEagle]

Honestly, I'm not sure if I would leave. If I did leave because i was forced to, I sure as hell wouldn't be taking the hiways! All you need is a sense of direction and some backroads. Knowledge of how to drive on gravel is a plus too.

 

[baldmax]

I plan on staying here. I am far enough from the major area to avoid detection. My one plan does involve a NBC strike on Chicago. We are kind of down wind. We will head to a friends in SC.

 

[kong1911]

Well, if I have to leave the house, and I hope I don't, I guess we will try this on my folks place in Ohio in a hiding place I have in their woods. Already stocked with water and lots of canned foods and can run diesel genset off the 34 gallon tank in the truck....won't last forever but will give me something for now.....Kong

 

[Dr Falken]

I think that having to Bug out it would be best to have had a prepared plan with others or a retreat. People that live in cities should either figure out how to supply themselves off grid, or else have a place to go. It would be better to leave because of population pressures, but your timing and route planing are critical. Your only going to be able to bring so much and go so far...and it becomes more complicated the more others figure out they need to leave a particular area. I think that a lot depends on what flavor SHTF.

That being said I have a Jeep Cherokee, that I'm trying to set up for getting and going places. They are fairly reliable, domestic, lots of parts around, aftermarket and DIY upgrades and a community that supports them. An EMP could affect it I suppose, if that happens I guess I have bicycles, oh and my '89 Ford Festiva with a carb. Walking is always an option, but any traveling always opens a risk...guess that's where your skill set kicks in. Just my two cents.

 

[KDUBCR250]

<--------------- Heres mine! Roads who needs roads

 

[dburkhead]

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment.

Let's presume that a city with 25,000 residents is over-run by the zombie hoard, or some other city-wide calamity hits that city (nuclear, whatever you can think of, makes no real difference what it is) and those 25,000 flee. Most of them will flee with very little pre-planning. Some of them will be very bad people. Some will be nut jobs. Others will be clueless. A few will plan ahead. Presume that you planned ahead to go to campground X at state park Y. What happens if 500 others descend on that same spot? That is somewhat likely.

If you don't have a specific place to bug out too then where, realistically can you go where you can take care of yourself & family without having to constantly fight off the hoards who will try to take your stuff? I doubt it will be a state park.

Now presume you intend to go to some rural land that you know of but is not owned by you. Won't the owner object? And won't others be of similar mind and also know of that same spot? And once you are their, assuming it is with permission and secure, how will you survive? Will you have to grow food? If you job was not affected by the same zombie hoard, can you still maintain your income in any way?

Just asking, not arguing.

The State of Indiana has a population of about 6.3 million. It has a land area of about 38,400 square miles. If every city were hit by whatever SHTF and everyone bugged out (with no losses before the bugging out), and none of them left the state, there would be about one person on each 4 acres of land--on average.

The blunt fact, however, is that most of the people would stay right where they are or rely on the gubmint to "evacuate" them to "shelters."

My two possible "Bug out vehicles" are my wife's Outback and my Explorer. Either is good for about 400 miles (and the way it works out, we could generally siphon from one car to the other--with the Miata which is not a good BOV in the mix--and get a full tank in either of them at any given time) even if we can't get any other gas. That covers an awful lot of territory that's reachable in a situation where stay=die.

As for where to go, land owners--particularly in rural areas--can be one of your best assets. If you have tradeable skills, you stand a good chance of being able to trade labor for food and shelter. And if that doesn't work, well, I've got maps of most of the public land in Indiana and am working on the neighboring States (that 400 mile range again).

You can make plans, but, as the saying goes "no battle plan survives contact with the enemy." That applies to SHTF too. In any plan, you'll be extraordinarily lucky if about half of what you manage goes recognizeably close to plan. That's just the way crises are.

 

[csaws]

I personally wouldn't go to a state park unless it was a last resort. I have too many friends and family with lots o land and a welcome mat to go as a first choice.

 

[melensdad]

The State of Indiana has a population of about 6.3 million. It has a land area of about 38,400 square miles. If every city were hit by whatever SHTF and everyone bugged out (with no losses before the bugging out), and none of them left the state, there would be about one person on each 4 acres of land--on average.

If you want to hide from the zombie hoard and live with your family in reasonable peace, 4 acres is not enough. 40 is probably not enough surrounding you. More likely in a park there will be hoards trying to figure out who has the most and making some peace treaty with the one who is best prepared in exchange for some protection. A sort of ad hoc feudal system may appear in those areas.

Further your calculations presume that those of us who already live out here in rural areas who have land will share it with others. I think it is more likely that we will form small bands with our known neighbors and have mutual support groups out here that will keep city folk off our land, perhaps by closing down or limiting access to some roads. Setting up perimeters for protection, and other such things, especially for folks who already live on dead end roads, rural lanes that lead to nowhere, etc.

So 1 person for 4 acres is wildly optimistic and unreasonable.

I know of a couple hundred acres that only has 1 access road in/out. Heck I live there. I know that road would be sealed off. It has already been discussed with the neighbors up the road for mutual protection. I'm sure its not all that unusual.

Again, not trying to argue, but just posing some alternate views along the devil's advocate train of thought.