Bugout vehicle and trailer

[Camp'n Outdoors]

What are y'all doing for bugout vehicle and shelter?

Heres mine

Building a 1 ton suburban

Dana 44 front 4:56 gears Detroit Locker
14 bolt FF rear Lockrite Locker
SM465, 205
36" Buckshot mudders
TBI350.....not a ton of power, but dependable


Cargo trailer Conversion

 

[Schattentarn]

It seems to me there is a division among preppers. City-type preppers talk about bug out vehicles. Rural types do not. I always wonder if the guys who spend so much time and effort into a bug out vehicle actually have a place to bug up to? Isn't that the most important thing?

 

[lonewolf]

if someone does not have anywhere to bug out to, and I mean somewhere they own not some camp site or other public space, then they are no more than REFUGEES .

 

[GaRp58]

I am prepped to bug-in. The wife can't cope with leaving all this here to be looted or burned. I am also prepped to bug-out to many of the wilderness mountain and forested areas within 50 miles within a few hours. My 4X4 with 150 HP, the 22 ft camper trailer and needed food/supplies can be loaded within an hour. All filters, solar, generators, clothing, medicines and winter stuff fit into the car. The food, water, gas, laterns, tools, hunting/fishing and general "survival needs" all go into the trailer with enough camo paint
(black,brown and green) to make the trailer disappear into the woods. Water is over abundant and lots of animals too. How long we can make it? Who knows. Live, survive and come back to re-build? Hopefully. GP

 

[MOS0231]

I think those with the know how, capacity to make or modify existing vehicles have at least thought it out.

The question of "where to?" remains.

And of course, the question of fuel too.

If he has a pre-determined place that he owns or distant family and can get there, not a bad plan.
Of course, even the best made plans are only good till first contact.

I like the truck.

 

[Oddcaliber]

I do keep "camping gear " in the back of my truck as well.

 

[lonewolf]

I prefer survival gear to camping gear

 

[Oddcaliber]

OPSEC and urban camouflage Paul.

 

[lonewolf]

OPSEC and RURAL camo where I live!!

 

[Camp'n Outdoors]

Why not be prepared to both bug in and bug out? I fully intend to stay bugged in however if a dangerous situation were to arise I will take my leave! The only thing of value in my home is me and my family members and our lives. In my little town we get snow storms of as much as three feet in one night and I need a bugout vehicle that will carry a lot of food and water plus make it thru whatever I need to should the situation arise! Will this situation arise? Probably not but hey, why chance being caught with my pants down when I don't have to.

Something to think about.......

Civil unrest, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, rolling blackouts, tsunamis and other hazards happen all the time! If you are NOT set up to remove yourself from the impending danger with something that carries food, water, camping supplies, etc than your stuck moteling it and eating out if your not smack in the middle of a pandemic in which case you may have turned your options into government assistance to hopefully survive your ordeal! No Thank You!

Personally I have my own home as a bug in location, my brothers place that borders wilderness area as a bugout location for me, not him, further bugout locations if I walk into the wilderness, and am prepared to bug out on public lands around the country in the event of natural disasters that may effect my area! One of our biggest concerns in our area is forest fires that create smoke on a dangerous level. Another concern is the volcano that lies under yellow stone park deciding to wake up some day! Should that ever happen I would happily bug out. Civil unrest although I live in a rural area of low population is also a possibility and I plan to bug my family put to areas of the country that are calm depending on how intense the unrest may or may not become.

I fully intend to be prepared to bug in, and to bug out! Situational awareness and options

 

[Acdoctor]

Bug in as long as possible and I will only be bugging out if needed, you can only take a limited supply of food ,water, meds and survival gear for that given season. If I have to bug out i have thought about some of the vast state game lands, in shtf I dont think the government will be worried about patrolling deep in the Forrest. That being said things would have to get bad , fast for that to happen.

 

[Schattentarn]

Obviously we are talking about different types of problems. We need to prep for a passing event such as an electrical outage. This could be a longer term event in the case of a EMP event. A temporary disruption of food or water or civil unrest might fall into this category. This is where I am right now.

But for a total collapse of society, camping is not going to do the trick. You are going to need food, clothing, shelter, energy, weapons, communications on a level you have them now. This is going to take a homestead where you can grow at least part of your food and in a place you can defend from the mobs of "campers" who will pour into the countryside with no other planning than to have you support them.

 

[GaRp58]

Like I said, ready for both decisions

 

[Acdoctor]

My family as well, I was only talking hypothetically in shtf worst case about bugging out to the woods, I’m not talking about to the local park . I’m talking about 10 to 12 miles of very ruff terrain to get back in the Jocassee gorge where the average city slicker won’t go on a good day, must less spend nights with the bears, coyotes in total darkness. plenty of fresh water in those woods , fish and plenty of game.

 

[Brent S]

The world would have to be in really bad shape for me to consider bugging out into the woods. The homestead here has most of the resources needed for survival and I would be hard pressed to abandon them. Very few situations would be bad enough for me to run. Likely a nuke plant melting down would be one of the few things to motivate me.

 

[Schattentarn]

Weather mostly moves west to east in the Northern Hemisphere so unless there are nuclear power plants west of you or there is a military target or other strategic target west of you, there is probably nothing to worry about.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Actually i don't have an nice tacticool 4x4 offroad vehicle for bugout. First i try to stay with an bug in as long as possible. if i need really to escape i'll using my lil station wagon - enough space, prepared as i could, invisible because it's very decent. It should be good for the first miles, got an range of 600km with one gas filling. But it works only if the strees are free. And in my area (with an lot of mountains) you can use the streets - or the hiking trails, maybe the farm trails. For those ways i use my little motorbicycle with an "trailer":

It was an common vehicle here by local farmers. Engine is an "optimized" 2 stroke, 2-speed, strong enough to pull me and an trailer with 50kg load to the mountains top. Small enough to find an place to hide everywhere and using paths where no cars can drive. Fast enough to reach 50km/h speed.

Of course an Chevy Suburban or similar or an Land Rover would be nice to have. But it won't bring you far away in my area. To leave the valley i'm living we got 2 streets / higways, waterway or a few hiking paths. This increases the chance such an vehicle would become an new owner (even you disagree) before you can bug out...

An bug out vehicle always should compare with the ways you can use.

 

[lonewolf]

bugging out in the UK just isnt possible, first ALL land is owned by someone so a confrontation would be inevitable.
secondly sure any fool can survive in the woods in the warm summer months but once the winter comes they will be dropping like flies, no plants growing and all the animals have hibernated or gone south and people will be permanently cold and soaking wet, and I cant see many modern women putting up with those conditions for long.
and lastly the British do not have a history of evacuating, even in war.

 

[Dave2001]

Why not be prepared to both bug in and bug out? I fully intend to stay bugged in however if a dangerous situation were to arise I will take my leave! The only thing of value in my home is me and my family members and our lives. In my little town we get snow storms of as much as three feet in one night and I need a bugout vehicle that will carry a lot of food and water plus make it thru whatever I need to should the situation arise! Will this situation arise? Probably not but hey, why chance being caught with my pants down when I don't have to.

Something to think about.......

Civil unrest, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, rolling blackouts, tsunamis and other hazards happen all the time! If you are NOT set up to remove yourself from the impending danger with something that carries food, water, camping supplies, etc than your stuck moteling it and eating out if your not smack in the middle of a pandemic in which case you may have turned your options into government assistance to hopefully survive your ordeal! No Thank You!

Personally I have my own home as a bug in location, my brothers place that borders wilderness area as a bugout location for me, not him, further bugout locations if I walk into the wilderness, and am prepared to bug out on public lands around the country in the event of natural disasters that may effect my area! One of our biggest concerns in our area is forest fires that create smoke on a dangerous level. Another concern is the volcano that lies under yellow stone park deciding to wake up some day! Should that ever happen I would happily bug out. Civil unrest although I live in a rural area of low population is also a possibility and I plan to bug my family put to areas of the country that are calm depending on how intense the unrest may or may not become.

I fully intend to be prepared to bug in, and to bug out! Situational awareness and options

I like your idea of bug in, we have taken steps here that go a lil further, we have set up plans to protect our community, we have reg meetings to adjust our plan due to situations, we are a rural community and always take care of ourselves!!

 

[GaRp58]

Don't forget to bug-out at the right time folks...the main Highways will be closed to all traffic TFexcept the Military...the major roads will be jammed with the idiots trying to get away like every hurricane in Florida...the side roads will be jammed with the dummies who are trying to miss the traffic jams everywhere else...if you do NOT get out in time...YOU WILL BE BUGGING IN...
off road vehicles and 4x4 will be able get around certain jams in certain areas but not everywhere tho. If it even smells like S before it HTF, you better be already on the road and gone. Live free, Gary

 

[MOS0231]

Don't forget to bug-out at the right time folks...the main Highways will be closed to all traffic TFexcept the Military...the major roads will be jammed with the idiots trying to get away like every hurricane in Florida...the side roads will be jammed with the dummies who are trying to miss the traffic jams everywhere else...if you do NOT get out in time...YOU WILL BE BUGGING IN...
off road vehicles and 4x4 will be able get around certain jams in certain areas but not everywhere tho. If it even smells like S before it HTF, you better be already on the road and gone. Live free, Gary

Well said.

But how does one recognize when to bug out?
In 2016 how many anticipated that Trump would win, and stock up extra supplies, pulled their monies out of the stock market from the surprise (Note: I did both, bought the dip, did pretty dang good that year) or bug out in anticipation of a Dem meltdown/riot?
COVID19?
2020 election?
Is anyone bugging out now in anticipation of a inflation/hyperinflation situation and socio-economic collapse? Might not happen for a few months from now, but historically speaking, that is a very short fuse.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Oh... the right time for an bug out? I have discuss this so often as it looks like the chicken - egg - question.... The holy grale for preppers?
In my opinion there's not possible to find an general answer for the right time to "move out". Guess you always need to analyse the situation in your own area in an crisis or worse constantly. And of course employed are in an bigger trouble than self-employed. If self-employed bug out to early they still can come back after one or two weeks and tell you we're for an camping trip or an hike.
I think it's always important you check the ways you'll use by an bug out from time to time anyway.

 

[Illini Warrior]

if anyone thinks a drivable location will be "private" and "secure" - think again - there's going to be people freeking everywhere >>> plenty heading out initially to their regular lake campsite or that "cute little cabin they rented a few years ago" ....

wouldn't plan on any public state/FED land that's an established camping ground - the private ones will turn to chaos eventually >>> even the regular community/school/church play & park areas will become shantytown camps ....

plenty of prepper ideas out there about having a rolling BOL using a RV of sorts - good luck - give it a few days and there won't be a road that isn't blockaded for one reason or another ....

 

[MOS0231]

if anyone thinks a drivable location will be "private" and "secure" - think again - there's going to be people freeking everywhere >>> plenty heading out initially to their regular lake campsite or that "cute little cabin they rented a few years ago" ....

wouldn't plan on any public state/FED land that's an established camping ground - the private ones will turn to chaos eventually >>> even the regular community/school/church play & park areas will become shantytown camps ....

plenty of prepper ideas out there about having a rolling BOL using a RV of sorts - good luck - give it a few days and there won't be a road that isn't blockaded for one reason or another ....

I know of one guy who thinks hordes of hardened survivors, packed in RVs, will come out of the cities, spread like locusts across the country side and take all those rural preppers things.

When I asked him if there was a "Hardened Survivor" only turnpike, fully manned gas stations, still taking CC/debit cards, service stations, and those fast food restaurants to get him and his hardened survivors out of the cities and to the rural areas, hundred or even a thousand miles away, his response was,
"They are already there!"

 

[lonewolf]

I know of one guy who thinks hordes of hardened survivors, packed in RVs, will come out of the cities, spread like locusts across the country side and take all those rural preppers things.

When I asked him if there was a "Hardened Survivor" only turnpike, fully manned gas stations, still taking CC/debit cards, service stations, and those fast food restaurants to get him and his hardened survivors out of the cities and to the rural areas, hundred or even a thousand miles away, his response was,
"They are already there!"

fantasy land, they wont get very far before they break down/ run out of fuel, I was always told you need about 4 times the amount of fuel you think you need because of slow moving traffic, blocked roads, detours and the rest.
most RV's are standing all year and only used a couple of weeks a year, unless regularly maintained, new tyres, new brakes, servicing etc, when they panic and go to use them they will be unfit for travel.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

most RV's are standing all year and only used a couple of weeks a year, unless regularly maintained, new tyres, new brakes, servicing etc, when they panic and go to use them they will be unfit for travel.

guess this makes (or shall be) the difference between preppers and sheeps....

 

[Humbucker]

In the event of a mass evacuation, I'll be damned if I will join the gridlock and sit there like an ***** in a traffic jam. I would only join that fiasco and bug out if death by immobility is at hand. I guess I have that bunker mentality at my ripe old age - I will go down with the ranch. If it is a civil unrest situation I am more than prepared to defend the homestead. I am in a neighborhood where several of us are preppers with our own Neighborhood Watch group. If evacuation is imminent, we have a place to go in Wyoming, but that would be a helluva ordeal to travel from Ohio to Wyoming with whatever you can pack for the trip. If no gas stations open, what then? I'll take my chances at home rather than risk being caught up in in a clusterf*ck out on the open road.

 

[GaRp58]

As the hell breaks loose in the metro-city areas and the folks are looting because no CC/debit works any more, when the gas stations show signs of
"no fuel" or no fuel soon...each of us has to decide what time it is.
How near are you to the city limits?
How long can you go without getting gas/diesel?
How many vehicles and persons are going with you?
Weapons/protection?
How far is the BOL?
Can you use alternative routes and back roads? (4X4)?
Lots of questions which need to be answered NOW and not post-SHTF!!
I am at my BOL and will still bugout if needed. Short term, spontaneous decision will be the answer for me, and you all??
A main road runs through our town, we are in a farming area which the locusts and grasshoppers will come to beg, borrow, buy or STEAL what they cannot get in the city any more...I have a garden and am directly a target for thieves at night even if the food is not ready to harvest. Would not be easy to protect all our resources against a horde of hungry half human zombies looking for easy pickings.

Start thinking and planning into your already present preps and do like a few of my former contacts in Switzerland; they practice for 2-3 weeks a year_---go into the cellar, live on the older foodstocks, drink the canned water, cook on alcohol stoves, wear the same clothes for days, brush your teeth without toothpaste and swallow what was already in your mouth anyway!!just to save water....just use the emergency toilet and see how you get along with your family in a self-imposed quarantine in the closest quarters....live free, Gary

 

[lonewolf]

we have been in lock down in the UK for over a year albeit a few months reprieve summer 2020 before the infections got worse again.
that should have shown any prepper where their supplies are lacking
I live in a very rural area, several hundreds of miles from any sizeable city, I bugged out from a city 22 years ago and this is as far as I go.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We bugged out 6 years ago. We're not going anywhere.