Bug Out Vehicle

[Ridge Runner]

First of all, I agree with HillbillyfromAL that a horse would be the best BOV, except for leaving you more exposed.

If I'm bugging out, I want something nondescript and reliable. People are going to see a crew cab, full size 4x4 and say, "Ooh, shiny!" I'm not a big fan of Subarus, but in this case, I'd probably go with an Outback if ground clearance wasn't a big issue. Jeep Cherokee if it is. Of course, this is all in fun and I'm not going to go out and buy either of these just in case. Our '09 Tacoma will do just fine, and if the roads are good my Matrix can haul a lot PDQ.

A house is good to stay in as long as 1) it's safe enough not to leave and 2) people don't know you're there or come scavenging. Some people here will probably disagree with me, but even if you did heavily fortify your house and yard, there are too many possibilities of attack to plan to successfully defend against all of them. If I really want somebody's supplies, I'm not going to risk injury on a direct assault. I'll use smoke/gas, fire, earth moving equipment, etc. to gain entry. My advice would be to stay at home and out of the way if possible, but view it as expendable and be ready to leave at any time.

[Craigwhitton]

I have some thoughts on this as I'm a big fan of the genre. I also enjoy camping, being self-sustainable, and a lot of friends joke that I'm their go-to guy since I've got all this gear in the event of the world ending. It is fascinating to speculate what will happen to society if things go south on us. In fact, a lot of folks will fantasize about what they'd do when the Chinese/Zombies/End of the World comes. Thing is, not ONE of those fantasies, I'd bet -- including mine --, ever ends in "Oh I'd be caught up in a riot and killed for my camera" or "I'd fall down a slope and break my leg and then die of exposure". In all of them, the fantasizer is the love child of Chuck Norris and T-1000, who's uncle was Survivorman. Mine, too -- because it's a fun thought experiment.

In reality, the odds are that anything you REALLY need to worry about and prepare for is not going to be that dire. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have SOME preparations. Case in point -- what if you lived in London?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_England_riots

Or Greece?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2...Greek_protests

Or, yes, Vancouver?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Va...anley_Cup_riot


Civil Disobedience is usually quite peaceful. Sometimes its not. It's caused by all kinds of things that can either really compound the violence/risk or diminish it (a sports game is FAR safer of a riot then, say, a disease or a famine). There are a lot of causes of civil disobedience, and other reasons to be prepared -- I could also cite the likelihood of epidemics (1918 Spanish Flu, for instance) that could potentially cause things to go a bit south on you. New Orleans after Katrina is a good example of natural disaster making things we take for granted--clean water, easy access to food, personal safety-- impossible. On the other hand, the Eastern Seaboard Power Outage of 2003? 2004? is a perfect example that NOT everyone goes absolutely nuts when things go bad.


First thing I think to get through to yourself if you are genuinely trying to prepare for unfortunate circumstances is this: You are average. I am average, WE are average. There is no reason to think we'd have some sort of clarvoyant ability to spot trouble before the ignorant masses -- we ARE the ignorant masses and, unless you have a job that makes you privvy to special information, you get your news at the same time as your neighbour from basically the same sources. You will for sure be smarter/better able to respond then some people -- but there will be a lot of people smarter then you, too, who are MORE prepared and MORE able to respond.

Basic skills are far more important in a bad situation then lockers, roof racks, or BOVs. For instance:

- Do you know all the fresh water sources in your house?
- Do you have food for a few days stockpiled? (The Canadian Government advises that everyone be prepared for at LEAST 72 hours in the event of an emergency. That is official policy, not paranoia -- http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx).
- Are you are a desk jockey like me with minimal athletic activity? Can you pull your own body weight up a ledge? Do you have any chronic injuries that would result in diminished capacity if you are roughing it? If you are 350 pounds of sedentary weight and have 100 pounds of bug out gear, I've got bad news for your planned hike to the mountains after the roads are blocked. And I'm not making fun -- if things went south for me and my family, I am WAY to unfit to do anything about it. In fact my fitness level makes me nervous for moderate off roading (but fitness CAN be improved....just gotta find the motivation )


All that being said, one of the most plentiful, reliable, and simple methods of getting around when things aren't going so well as a society is this:

jamis_dakota_dxc_team_2011.jpg

Easy to fix. Quiet. Quick, for the number of calories expended (relative to running -- question 3 above still obviously applies). You can get through tight spaces, on and off road. Get off and walk if you need to. Carry it over obstacles. Ditch it and run for shelter at a moments notice if need be, or its even light enough to bring with you. You don't have to worry about a broken leg or making sure there is feed for it. And if someone sticks you up for your bike, you can grab another one in basically every population centre, no matter how small. Same goes if it breaks. And no gas!

I gotta say though -- if things go poorly, the best bet is in most cases (save for things like the earlier poster mentioned about living downwind from a Nuke Plant) is to stay put, take care of your family, and make sure you have clean water and safety. Strength in numbers -- if you think about it every apocalyptical event our society has faced in the past has been over in a few days, and things back to normal not long after that. How can you tell? Well, we're still here!

Oh, and the most important survival tip of all: always double tap the head if it's Z's

Cheers
Craig

[FellowTraveler]

CRAIGWHITTON, good read and assuming government will still be there during and after event, however, IMHO the most probable situation will arise from government collapse as individuals tire of funding their own enslavement and bailouts.

[Containerized]

Interesting reading people in the U.S. generating ideas on this thread. When I lived in the States, I wouldn't have done a very good job planning. Now that I've lived in post-conflict and conflict zones for a few years, I have a different perspective. I'd say the best preparation is having lived in a hot zone or an area that is immediately post-conflict. Even a month spent somewhere without running water, where the grid is only up 12-18 hours a week, etc. will train you better than any hypothetical situation you can dream up. Living without electricity (and hence without refrigeration) is the key challenge here. As people mention, making water potable is not difficult. But the changes you'll need to make to live in an area like this (I live on the Uganda - South Sudan border) are not radical, they're subtle.

Don't kill a chicken until you're going to eat it. Build a schedule that your friends and allies can depend upon, but not one obvious to those watching. Figure out what knowledge you can trust, verify what you can. Standardize with your friends: everything 12v DC, everything .45ACP or 7.62NATO, everything valuable moved by daylight, etc.

Build rules and live by them. It matters less what the rules are and more that everyone involved understands them.

I was in la Côte d’Ivoire when things were bad, was in Lebanon during the bad days, etc. Where I live now is post-conflict, but being aware of your surroudings is key. There is a UNHCR/IDP camp (internally displaced people camp, basically a refugee camp) of over 20,000 people walking distance from where I live. You aren't going to have enough ammunition if things go wrong, but you can cover enough ground to get away if you know what's up in time.

Know your surroundings, know who your friends are, know the language, know the frequencies, know how to use your tools (offensive and defensive). Never go to bed without your gear in order, never wake up without knowing where you are.

That's all I've learned in this long process. I've made a lot of mistakes and been lucky none of them has killed me.

Just keep learning.

[Craigwhitton]

CRAIGWHITTON, good read and assuming government will still be there during and after event, however, IMHO the most probable situation will arise from government collapse as individuals tire of funding their own enslavement and bailouts.

Entirely possible though I hope for both of us you are wrong! The crux of that post is based on the amount most people prepare for. I have more then 72 hours worth of stuff, but most people (as is seen in virtually EVERY natural disaster out there) don't even have that much. Folks are very quick to dismiss prepping -- and I mean the level like Containerized's post talks about -- as the activity of the lunatic fringe. We have had a pretty cushy existence in North America for the most part -- our disasters have been isolated and happened to other people. I find that citing things like riots and those types of common issues, that everyone is exposed to in the news, is a good intro to prepping.

To me, it's better that a family on my street has some very basic kit -- food and water for 3 days -- then nothing at all -- it's one less group to have to bring up to speed if things go south.

[FellowTraveler]

Interesting reading people in the U.S. generating ideas on this thread. When I lived in the States, I wouldn't have done a very good job planning. Now that I've lived in post-conflict and conflict zones for a few years, I have a different perspective. I'd say the best preparation is having lived in a hot zone or an area that is immediately post-conflict. Even a month spent somewhere without running water, where the grid is only up 12-18 hours a week, etc. will train you better than any hypothetical situation you can dream up. Living without electricity (and hence without refrigeration) is the key challenge here. As people mention, making water potable is not difficult. But the changes you'll need to make to live in an area like this (I live on the Uganda - South Sudan border) are not radical, they're subtle.

Don't kill a chicken until you're going to eat it. Build a schedule that your friends and allies can depend upon, but not one obvious to those watching. Figure out what knowledge you can trust, verify what you can. Standardize with your friends: everything 12v DC, everything .45ACP or 7.62NATO, everything valuable moved by daylight, etc.

Build rules and live by them. It matters less what the rules are and more that everyone involved understands them.

I was in la Côte d’Ivoire when things were bad, was in Lebanon during the bad days, etc. Where I live now is post-conflict, but being aware of your surroudings is key. There is a UNHCR/IDP camp (internally displaced people camp, basically a refugee camp) of over 20,000 people walking distance from where I live. You aren't going to have enough ammunition if things go wrong, but you can cover enough ground to get away if you know what's up in time.

Know your surroundings, know who your friends are, know the language, know the frequencies, know how to use your tools (offensive and defensive). Never go to bed without your gear in order, never wake up without knowing where you are.

That's all I've learned in this long process. I've made a lot of mistakes and been lucky none of them has killed me.

Just keep learning.

Excellent, I suspect you are a fellow practitioner great input.

[FellowTraveler]

Entirely possible though I hope for both of us you are wrong! The crux of that post is based on the amount most people prepare for. I have more then 72 hours worth of stuff, but most people (as is seen in virtually EVERY natural disaster out there) don't even have that much. Folks are very quick to dismiss prepping -- and I mean the level like Containerized's post talks about -- as the activity of the lunatic fringe. We have had a pretty cushy existence in North America for the most part -- our disasters have been isolated and happened to other people. I find that citing things like riots and those types of common issues, that everyone is exposed to in the news, is a good intro to prepping.

To me, it's better that a family on my street has some very basic kit -- food and water for 3 days -- then nothing at all -- it's one less group to have to bring up to speed if things go south.

Yes, hopefully wrong but the chatter can't be ignored!

[NetDep]

Don't kill a chicken until you're going to eat it. Build a schedule that your friends and allies can depend upon, but not one obvious to those watching. Figure out what knowledge you can trust, verify what you can. Standardize with your friends: everything 12v DC, everything .45ACP or 7.62NATO, everything valuable moved by daylight, etc.

Build rules and live by them. It matters less what the rules are and more that everyone involved understands them.

I was in la Côte d’Ivoire when things were bad, was in Lebanon during the bad days, etc. Where I live now is post-conflict, but being aware of your surroudings is key. There is a UNHCR/IDP camp (internally displaced people camp, basically a refugee camp) of over 20,000 people walking distance from where I live. You aren't going to have enough ammunition if things go wrong, but you can cover enough ground to get away if you know what's up in time.

Know your surroundings, know who your friends are, know the language, know the frequencies, know how to use your tools (offensive and defensive). Never go to bed without your gear in order, never wake up without knowing where you are.

That's all I've learned in this long process. I've made a lot of mistakes and been lucky none of them has killed me.

Just keep learning.

Thanks for that amazing, and timely, post!! Real world advice, and experience, is worth so much!! I have read - and re-read - your post and it will take a place in a place where I keep inspirational and practical advice I run across on the web.

Stay safe & thanks!!

[LaOutbackTrail]

Craig and Containerized, you guys most eloquently stated what I've been wanting to say since the inception of this thread. Thanks for the comments and logical ideas.

[Rattlesnake Joe]

Guys, name some scenarios where evacuating your city would be ideal versus staying put. And then, please, explain why it would be necessary to 'head for the hills'?

Flooding and Tidal Waves, get up high to Survive.