Anything that is self-sufficient, robust, well maintained and has very minimal electronics. Computers and other Integrated Circuits would be fried in the case of an EMP event so computer controlled vehicles would be dead.
I love my 62, and with the proper "fixes" (diesel, etc) I'd be fine with it.
My preference though, might well be an older Suburban, mid-late 80's, straight axle, power it with a mech. diesel, standard trans (again, no electronics), and I'd be good to go.
As others have mentioned, you're probably not going to go all that far, and I can pack a lot of crap in/on a Suburban and still get my wife, both kids, the grand baby and the cat (back up rations
The cat ought to start getting concerned about a month out
)
Besides an EMP taking everything electronic out.
A diesel that can run on veg. oil and such would be the ideal motor.
You can scavange fuel pretty much anywhere in a time of major crisis
That's what I like about a mech. diesel.
Working on mine...
Bug out or otherwise, that's a nice rig!
i have been running a 6.2l diesel on old motor oil and trans fluid for a while now. wvo is to hard to get in my neck of the woods. if things went really bad to many folks know about wvo for it to be a viable fuel source for long. but there will be a lot of abandon cars with a lot of atf, ps fluid, engine oil etc. just filter and heat.
Good point.
As someone else mentioned, the scrap yards usually drain their vehicles, but there will probably be enough abandoned vehicles sitting around to fuel the need (no pun intended) for a while.
All the more reason (that and fire) that I would rather have a diesel.
What's the matter with you, running around spouting good sense and logic.
When it comes to SHTF (whatever that really is. No one's been able to tell me) I think people watch too many movies.
You got that right!
For the record I do believe you'd be better to sit tight for most situations, but ready to move and move quick if necessary.
Absolutely!
I don't believe in the SHTF scenario as most people apparently think of it, which seems to be of the end of times apocalyptic variety, and if I did I certainly wouldn't be planning for grand cross country expeditions and epic battles.
I'm not an end of the world type, but I don't fool myself into believing that we're immune to a dirty bomb or other bio/chem attack either.
A bigger problem for us here, is hurricanes. We're entering "the season" again, and there's always the threat of another Andrew or similar storm.
If we have to leave, I want to be able to take everyone with me that needs to go in one vehicle.
Frankly, if you stay and it's that bad, it's likely your truck won't do you that much good when it's over anyway.
Where are you driving to? If you can get their by vehicle so can someone else, and odds are wherever your secret vehicle accessible hidey spot is, somebody else knows it's there as well. Who are you going to fight with all those weapons? Foreign invaders? Terrorists (really?)? ZOMBIES?
Personally, it's not a matter of having a "secret place" as it is a matter of convenience.
You can get out of the damage area or impact area (hurricanes) much quicker, and pack more out, by vehicle than you can on foot, horseback or bike, but only if you've planned your route in advance and taken into consideration all possible obstacles.
Don't forget about human obstacles....police and military roadblocks and such when making your plans.
Cops like orderly evacuations. Order usually amounts to SLOW, so plan ahead.
Besides, if necessary, we could live in/out of the Suburban if we needed to.
What are your wife and kids doing while you're playing Rambo? What are they going to do when you inevitably go down?
My kids are older and my son would be right there beside me!
My daughter and wife I would hope, would be covering themselves and the baby and getting ready to dede the hell out of there!
My wife is a 30 year nurse and a pretty damned good shot, so that helps.
I'd run. As far as I could get on a tank and maybe some cans, and then it would be back country on foot with what could be carried on our backs with only a handful of useful weapons spread across the group. That's the short version, but as I said, I don't really believe in that scenario.
I pretty much agree.
A post apocalyptic society as most people envision, is going to be a real PITA for quite a while. I have no doubt that it would boil down to the strong and the prepared that survive.
And you'll need a very different mentality to survive. Right and wrong would be blurred by the need for shelter, safety and survival and our value system will take a back seat for a while.
As for weapons, get them, you may need them.
Know how to function them in the dark, repair them as necessary and become very proficient.
I'd keep on board what I could carry safely and comfortably on foot and as much ammo as I felt useful. Wouldn't want to leave things laying around that could later be used against me, and the money saved in preparation could be better spent.
I'm not going to start a freaking war, nor do I necessarily want to engage anyone with the family in the truck! It's very bad MOJO when that happens.
Personal/family protection, varmits and food. That's all I need them for.
As you mentioned, if you're out numbered and/or out gunned, it's probably time to leave
In any case it should be evade as much as possible and fight as last resort.
A perfect summation IMHO
...You stay at home with your preps, Heck my survival preps came in handy when I lost my job 3 years ago. It took a month for unemployment to kick in. During that month, we lived off our pantry and kept cash that would normally have been used for groceries. And having a Costco membership over the years did help cuzz we did not even have to worry about tooth paste, soap or anything really. So it was more like a vacation and we enjoyed all of the free time we now had. We still grilled outside (couple of propane tanks are part of our preps) as if nothing had happened. Our diets did not change cuzz our preps consisted of pasta, beans, rice, canned tomato sauces (El Salvadorian cuisine is heavy on the tomato side) And since we keep a stocked freezer, minimal protein was bought towards the end. We don't bother with MRE's or the like (anyone remember c-rations? Yuk) becuase then it would have just been miserable.
Depending on the scenario, that's probably a great solution.
Think about it. Regardless of where you live, you probably know your "hood" better than any place else
Points of ingress/egress, water sources, food supplies, shelter, travel routes, etc.
Even with total devastation, you can probably find a landmark or 2 for reference.
I recall going to S. Fla after Andrew blew through
Even though I'd putz'd around down there off and on for years, I was totally lost due to the devastation. Not a good position to be in.
...and if the world ends (not to worried about terrorists) I grab my guns, my survival gear, jump in my truck and drive as far into the hills as I can get. Build a shelter and start hunting.
I'm headed for the beach
Ok, maybe not, but hey, waterfront property should be relatively cheap, as in free about then
Let me see....a waterfront (Gulf side of course) condo, penthouse suite of course
Up high, good view of the surrounding area from the crows nest
(set a watch schedule), high ground, much easier to defend, difficult access from below, and really only 3 sides to worry about unless the vikings attack from the sea again
Unlikely I would have to do that though because Jackson Hole is a tight knit community. I believe people here would band together and survive. Plenty of cows and elk and moose to eat for years!
That's the beauty of a tight knit, solid community. Not so much "I" thinking and more "We." And there is still power in numbers, right?
As far as food is concerned one could survive solely off beans and rice (or pretty much any combination of legume and grain) to give you all 9 of your essential amino acids, along with a multi vitamin that contains minerals. It wouldn't exactly be tasty or healthy in the long term (lack of many micronutrients) but you could survive off that as long as you had enough water. Another benefit of them is that in their dry state they take up relatively little room and store well if you rotate them semi frequently.
Peanut butter works too.
Good source of protein, fat/carbs (which you'll burn off running, digging, etc.
), long lasting and easy to pack. Either way, you'll need water.
More than likely though when the world ends it will be Yellowstone blowing up and then I will be ash in a matter of seconds so none of it matters anyways!
I know what you mean.
I'm 30 minutes North of MacDill AFB, home of SOCOM, etc., 20 north of downtown (a great target) and 15 north of the Tampa Airport.
If the proverbial man made SHTF, I wouldn't even see the mushroom cloud
Hopefully though, I'll have just enough time for this:
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