Author Topic: The Bug Out Vehicle  (Read 4460 times)

Mrs. Fire Lane

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 51
The Bug Out Vehicle
« on: March 20, 2018, 08:21:27 AM »
Prepping and Mustaschianism probably have a large overlap. My husband and I have engaged in this to a very small degree - we reviewed the CDC preparedness guidelines and have all of our important documents in order in case we need to evacuate. We also have a few gallons of water, a first aid kit, and other supplies in case of an emergency. But living in a small apartment in a residential neighborhood of NYC, there's not much else we can do.

Today I learned about the Bug Out Vehicle. It's a car or truck purchased for the purpose of escaping one's surroundings during a disaster. It's a bit much, don't you think? ;)

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6721
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2018, 09:01:18 AM »
Ask yourself whether you think that traffic will gridlock where you live in an emergency.

I've thought that the better last moment escape vehicle might be a dual sport motorcycle - one for me, one for DW, kids can ride on back. Carry backpacking gear in panniers. Extra gasoline.

Given a little warning (couple days headstart on complacent neighbors) I would strike out in a van camper or fuel efficient SUV. Again - backpacking gear for compact size, you can walk with that gear if you need to abandon the vehicle, lots of extra fuel so you have 1000+ miles of range.

Maybe even tow a small enclosed trailer with even more fuel. Abandon it when the fuel carried within was exhausted. Could be enough to get all the way across the country or go 250 miles to safety and still have fuel for weeks/months depending on how long you stretch it out.

Don't forget the lowly bicycle. You can still cover alot of miles every day. Just not as fast but unlimited range. Multiple tube patch kits is a must.

I hope nothing like that ever happens to any of us.

Mrs. Fire Lane

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 51
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2018, 09:08:06 AM »
Quote
lots of extra fuel so you have 1000+ miles of range.

We have a hybrid sedan. It gets 500+ miles to the tank in the winter (the defroster eats fuel) and 600+ the rest of the year. Can't pack as much stuff obviously but it will get us far away.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2018, 09:11:05 AM »
Don't forget the lowly bicycle. You can still cover alot of miles every day. Just not as fast but unlimited range. Multiple tube patch kits is a must.

Yep.  The greatest bug out vehicle of all time is the bicycle.  It won't run out of gas when all the stations close in the emergency.  It can traverse forests, grassy hills, and paved highways.  If there's a large roadblock you can lift the bike over easily.  It's dead silent if you need to sneak around.
 It's not hard for an average person to cover 100 km a day.  I'm always laughing at how every zombie movie ever seems to completely ignore the best possible vehicle to use after the zombie apocalypse.

PoutineLover

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1570
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2018, 09:24:25 AM »
Yeah my bike is my bug out vehicle. Living on an island, I would expect all of the bridges to be blocked by traffic and there's no way I'm going into a tunnel if there are zombies. No fuel needed, quiet, and I can cover long distances. I'm bringing my tent and sleeping bag, repair kit and pump, and as much food and water as I can carry and getting the hell outta civilization.

FINate

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3114
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 10:06:49 AM »
Prepping and Mustaschianism probably have a large overlap. My husband and I have engaged in this to a very small degree - we reviewed the CDC preparedness guidelines and have all of our important documents in order in case we need to evacuate. We also have a few gallons of water, a first aid kit, and other supplies in case of an emergency. But living in a small apartment in a residential neighborhood of NYC, there's not much else we can do.

Today I learned about the Bug Out Vehicle. It's a car or truck purchased for the purpose of escaping one's surroundings during a disaster. It's a bit much, don't you think? ;)

There's really not much else you can do. It's wise to have supplies and a plan for a short-term emergency, up to a week. Say a hurricane (or earthquake) knocks out transportation, power, etc and you have to wait out rescue for a few days. This is the most likely scenario, not unheard of in modern times, yet still rare. And it's relatively cheap and efficient to plan for. We are in earthquake country so we keep some emergency supplies on hand: water, first aid, food. It helps that I do a lot of backpacking/camping, so some of this stuff overlaps, also means we have gear for treating water and portable stoves and shelters.

IMO the entire premise of prepping is flawed, mostly based on urbanite wilderness survival fantasies. Assuming you could even escape the city you're not going to live long-term in the wilderness with a gun, knife, and a few other supplies. When I'm out backpacking and/or hunting I'm always struck by how lean it is. Even in the best of times, the height of the summer growing season, food is relatively scarce and difficult to find and even harder to get. And this is with hunting and fishing being highly regulated. In a prepper scenario social order would totally break down. Wildlife would quickly be decimated, maybe not to the point of extinction, but certainly to the point that it's no longer a viable food source.  If you have a huge stash of food/supplies somewhere, what's to keep someone from taking it by force? In a state of complete anarchy strongmen/gangs would quickly take over, only the most violent, powerful, and organized would survive. Your shit will be stolen, you will become a slave to the most violent gangs (labor and/or sex). This is not novel, we see this in every area of the world where social order breaks down.

TL;DR - For prepping to work you have to go all in now and orient your entire life around being ready to take power if the need arises. But doing so means you have to live a pretty miserable life in anticipation of an extremely unlikely future event. Even if you do everything right you're not likely to survive, and even if you survive it will only be because you were willing to be more violent and aggressive than those around you. Meh, I'd rather just be done with life at that point.

markbike528CBX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1899
  • Location: the Everbrown part of the Evergreen State (WA)
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2018, 10:22:49 AM »
In case of the next Lake Missoula (Bretz) Flood  https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/channeled-scablands/

we have a plan, and a bugout vehicle.

Vehicle:  inflatable 2 man raft.
Plan: inflate, get 6 pack, get in, drift down to the sea.

We are such good preppers :-)

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2018, 10:32:54 AM »
my ex was working on a personal comic project. It was usual post apocalyptic situation, and people got around on bicycles. I argued the roads wouldn't be in good shape after the apocalypse, and he pointed out there are off-road bicycles, they need no fuel and can be transported/picked up/secured better than cars can. 

Aegishjalmur

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 293
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2018, 11:11:04 AM »
In a true apocalyptic scenario, I think a steel framed mountain bike with panniers and maybe a tow behind trailer would have to be it as fuel would quickly become a scarce resource. I mean, think about how much is involved pumping  gas and oil from the ground, loading into pipes or vehicles to move to a processing plant, getting it processed(and this doesn't account for the electricity to power the plant), then moved to where it's needed.

I say steel framed because well heavier than carbon fiber or aluminum, it's sturdier and can be welded to fix it if needed whereas w/ carbon, it cracks on you and it is all over but the crying.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 11:18:14 AM by Aegishjalmur »

sol

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8433
  • Age: 47
  • Location: Pacific Northwest
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2018, 11:24:09 AM »
Where are you trying to bug out to?

In a disaster scenario, I want to be right where I am.  I have food and shelter and fertile soil and solar panels and abundant natural rainfall and temperate weather and I can walk to the beach to fish.  Even more importantly, I have neighbors.

I've lived through major CA earthquakes.  Traffic is stopped.  Power is out, gas is off, things are burning, people are terrified, and all of your neighbors come outside to check on each other and make sure everyone is okay.  The community pulls together in mutual support, like humanity has always done in times of crisis.  Your local ham operator relays news.  People from damaged buildings move into other people's homes temporarily.

The zombie genre plays to our fear of worst case scenarios, but in reality a post-apocalyptic society seems unlikely to be dominated by looting and violence.  We have always survived disasters by working cooperatively, not hiding in bunkers or moving into the wilderness to become self sufficient mountain men.  We need each other.

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22319
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2018, 11:26:45 AM »
Our not excessive survival stuff is in the garage. I'm sure if the shit hits the fan, the garage and supplies will be inaccessible. Therefore, I am taking the Alfred E.Newman approach.

runbikerun

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 539
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2018, 11:34:03 AM »
I live in Ireland. We have no venomous wildlife, no earthquakes, no volcanoes, and no land connection to anywhere except Northern Ireland. My zombie apocalypse plan is to continue to live my life except with a much duller diet.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2018, 11:38:04 AM »
The zombie genre plays to our fear of worst case scenarios, but in reality a post-apocalyptic society seems unlikely to be dominated by looting and violence.  We have always survived disasters by working cooperatively, not hiding in bunkers or moving into the wilderness to become self sufficient mountain men.  We need each other.

 . . . but I spent all this money on guns, canned food, and a hardened bunker . . .

:P

markbike528CBX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1899
  • Location: the Everbrown part of the Evergreen State (WA)
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2018, 11:45:59 AM »
I live in Ireland. We have no venomous wildlife, no earthquakes, no volcanoes, and no land connection to anywhere except Northern Ireland. My zombie apocalypse plan is to continue to live my life except with a much duller diet.

[playfull scarcasm] but...but.. but..  Only 200million years ago, Ireland had lots of volcanos. https://www.irishcentral.com/travel/the-volcanic-island-of-ireland-the-emerald-isles-harmless-craters-125780058-237763971
How can't you be worried about the possible impact? [/playfull scarcasm]

The last flood basalt (similar rock to Devils Causeway) here was only 5 million years ago.
The water floods I mentioned above only 12-15 thousand years ago.

Prep up people!!  The end is near and the top is in.

trollwithamustache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1146
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2018, 12:03:36 PM »
well, before you get a bug out vehicle, I believe you need the bug out property, ie rural farm that you will then go live on.

It was so much simpler for our parents, they just fled to Canada.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #15 on: March 20, 2018, 12:08:34 PM »
well, before you get a bug out vehicle, I believe you need the bug out property, ie rural farm that you will then go live on.

It was so much simpler for our parents, they just fled to Canada.

You don't need to own bug out property, just be aware of where it is and have an assault plan.

Mrs. Fire Lane

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 51
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #16 on: March 20, 2018, 12:48:35 PM »
Wildlife would quickly be decimated, maybe not to the point of extinction, but certainly to the point that it's no longer a viable food source.

You are probably right. But every once in a while I look at all the Canada Geese in my neighborhood and think "After the Apocalypse these will be dinner. And they will taste gross because their diet consists of cigarettes and garbage." I wonder how long they'd really last. 

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #17 on: March 20, 2018, 01:04:14 PM »
Wildlife would quickly be decimated, maybe not to the point of extinction, but certainly to the point that it's no longer a viable food source.

You are probably right. But every once in a while I look at all the Canada Geese in my neighborhood and think "After the Apocalypse these will be dinner. And they will taste gross because their diet consists of cigarettes and garbage." I wonder how long they'd really last.

Most of the geese around here will let you get surprisingly close to them.  Either this behaviour would need to change, or they would be decimated in short order.

FINate

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3114
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #18 on: March 20, 2018, 01:46:46 PM »
The zombie genre plays to our fear of worst case scenarios, but in reality a post-apocalyptic society seems unlikely to be dominated by looting and violence.  We have always survived disasters by working cooperatively, not hiding in bunkers or moving into the wilderness to become self sufficient mountain men.  We need each other.

During/after last year's wildfires we had issues with looters. And I lived through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake as well, which also had looting. The difference is that government did not fail and law enforcement was able to restore order relatively quickly. Yes, neighbors looked out for each other, and we've likely evolved a social-cooperative component to survival. But cooperation takes a back seat to self preservation, and whatever social-cooperative tendencies we've evolved are limited to a relatively small circle of people (family/tribe). In a prolonged crisis where people lose hope they despair, and desperate people do desperate things. History is dominated by stronger humans exploiting the weak, committing terrible atrocities in the process. As refined and civil as we'd like to believe we are, I don't for a minute believe that we've somehow left our innately selfish and self-seeking nature in the past.

Not saying we should go build bunkers in the mountains. Quite the opposite. The best "prepper" effort is to ensure government is as competent and functional as possible. Because if the shit really hits the fan, no matter how prepared you think you are, the odds are very good that you're not going to make it. If you manage to survive well, the living will envy the dead.

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6721
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #19 on: March 20, 2018, 01:50:43 PM »
Prepping and Mustaschianism probably have a large overlap. My husband and I have engaged in this to a very small degree - we reviewed the CDC preparedness guidelines and have all of our important documents in order in case we need to evacuate. We also have a few gallons of water, a first aid kit, and other supplies in case of an emergency. But living in a small apartment in a residential neighborhood of NYC, there's not much else we can do.

Today I learned about the Bug Out Vehicle. It's a car or truck purchased for the purpose of escaping one's surroundings during a disaster. It's a bit much, don't you think? ;)

There's really not much else you can do. It's wise to have supplies and a plan for a short-term emergency, up to a week. Say a hurricane (or earthquake) knocks out transportation, power, etc and you have to wait out rescue for a few days. This is the most likely scenario, not unheard of in modern times, yet still rare. And it's relatively cheap and efficient to plan for. We are in earthquake country so we keep some emergency supplies on hand: water, first aid, food. It helps that I do a lot of backpacking/camping, so some of this stuff overlaps, also means we have gear for treating water and portable stoves and shelters.

IMO the entire premise of prepping is flawed, mostly based on urbanite wilderness survival fantasies. Assuming you could even escape the city you're not going to live long-term in the wilderness with a gun, knife, and a few other supplies. When I'm out backpacking and/or hunting I'm always struck by how lean it is. Even in the best of times, the height of the summer growing season, food is relatively scarce and difficult to find and even harder to get. And this is with hunting and fishing being highly regulated. In a prepper scenario social order would totally break down. Wildlife would quickly be decimated, maybe not to the point of extinction, but certainly to the point that it's no longer a viable food source.  If you have a huge stash of food/supplies somewhere, what's to keep someone from taking it by force? In a state of complete anarchy strongmen/gangs would quickly take over, only the most violent, powerful, and organized would survive. Your shit will be stolen, you will become a slave to the most violent gangs (labor and/or sex). This is not novel, we see this in every area of the world where social order breaks down.

TL;DR - For prepping to work you have to go all in now and orient your entire life around being ready to take power if the need arises. But doing so means you have to live a pretty miserable life in anticipation of an extremely unlikely future event. Even if you do everything right you're not likely to survive, and even if you survive it will only be because you were willing to be more violent and aggressive than those around you. Meh, I'd rather just be done with life at that point.

The folks in Peuto Rico are going on 6 months+ with power delivery problems. Houston/Puerto Rico/New Orleans. Plan for those episodes. 

Good entertainment IMHO: World Made by Hand, by James Howard Kunstler

I figure my family would be as good where we are as any (edge of smallish town). At least everything is within bicycle distances. If I was in a dense city I'd be looking to get out ASAP - at least until whatever violence and looting went on was over. I think we've seen what ugly domestic behavior CAN happen in the modern news cycle. Where I live people would have to go miles to my family's little patch of ground. I doubt the lazy would do it.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 02:01:37 PM by Just Joe »

gooki

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2917
  • Location: NZ
    • My FIRE journal
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #20 on: March 21, 2018, 01:41:28 AM »
Don't forget the lowly bicycle. You can still cover alot of miles every day. Just not as fast but unlimited range. Multiple tube patch kits is a must.

Yep.  The greatest bug out vehicle of all time is the bicycle.  It won't run out of gas when all the stations close in the emergency.  It can traverse forests, grassy hills, and paved highways.  If there's a large roadblock you can lift the bike over easily.

I can attest to that. When our city got hit by an earthquake in the middle of the day, I got home on my trusty bicycle in 20 minutes. My neighbor took 4 hours to travel the same distance.

partgypsy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5207
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #21 on: March 21, 2018, 06:49:59 AM »
Wildlife would quickly be decimated, maybe not to the point of extinction, but certainly to the point that it's no longer a viable food source.

You are probably right. But every once in a while I look at all the Canada Geese in my neighborhood and think "After the Apocalypse these will be dinner. And they will taste gross because their diet consists of cigarettes and garbage." I wonder how long they'd really last.


Most of the geese around here will let you get surprisingly close to them.  Either this behaviour would need to change, or they would be decimated in short order.
In some California towns, there was an issue where the local, almost tame, ducks were disappearing from the ponds. They found out it was the local Vietnamese and Asian population catching them for dinner, and told them to stop. The Vietnamese otoh were probably wondering why more people weren't taking advantage of FREE FOOD. 

Morning Glory

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4866
  • Location: The Garden Path
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #22 on: March 21, 2018, 06:50:21 AM »
I read a sad article about people who were trapped by the fire in California. They had received adequate warning to evacuate but took their time to load two vehicles with all of their belongings, as did all of their neighbors. When the fire got close and they tried to leave, the road was completely gridlocked. They survived by hiding in a swimming pool but lost everything. I guess it is human nature to try to save possessions, but these people were just idiots.

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6721
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: The Bug Out Vehicle
« Reply #23 on: March 21, 2018, 10:44:04 AM »
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gatlinburg+fire+drive+out

Saw this on the news back when it happened. Some left home to investigate only to find they could not get back to their homes to save their loved ones.