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Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
22 June 2013, 23:09,
#1
Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
I have considered the prepper vehicle thing a bit over the years and while I like the idea of owning a suitable vehicle and fairly low tech to boot, I have also considered that they may be an alternative ethos on this prepper vehicle lark.. What I am about to propose does not apply to isolated preppers of who there may be quite a few, but is definitely relevant for many other preppers...

I have been considering that putting too much store in ones own prep vehicle may be a bit of a white elephant. I will explain ---> While having access to a suitable vehicle when it is needed is without question a wise prep and so having said vehicle available goes hand in hand with this - it is not the whole picture for a SHTF or a PSHTF event.

**Investing a lot of time and money into a prep vehicle, rather than other more life sustaining preps may not actually be the best course of action.**

For a start, the roads may be blocked for a whole host of different possible reasons. Maybe where you start off from is not blocked, but 20 miles up the road it is and now you are stuck. Not every natural event gives ample warning for bug out plans to be effected! This blocked road scenario is pretty standard and not the main thrust of my post.

The real quandary I have is that for many preppers who live near other people, then PSHTF the availability of vehicles may be good. If the roads are usable and you wish to openly travel on them, then it might not be a problem sourcing a suitable vehicle. Obviously all this depends on the scenario, but in some scenarios, there may be plenty of vehicles parked up unused. Some of these may be far better than a prepper of modest means can even afford to buy before any event takes place. So if you are tight on money, is it actually the wisest choice to spend a fair chunk of it on a vehicle you may not need or use if you can aquire good ones from your local environment?.

If it is that most of the vehicles around are unusable or the roads out, then your own prep vehicle may be deemed useless as well. If you are bugging in rather than out, then is investing in and owning your own prep suitable vehicle a serious requirement and possibly to the detriment of other possible preparation.?

For people bugging out at signs of trouble before a major calamity takes hold, then yes a pre prepared vehicle is a must, but for many other preppers, then I sometimes feel that too much emphasis is put on having a bug out vehicle, when in reality this may be lower down the priority list and a diversion of effort & resources best put elsewhere in the order of priority. For some, maybe also those without much cash at all, then looking to the local environment as a resource for transport as well as other items may be the best prep for them.
"How far back in time do you think our future will be?"
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23 June 2013, 01:56, (This post was last modified: 23 June 2013, 01:56 by Grumpy Grandpa.)
#2
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
Thanks TL, there's a lot of sense there - certainly worth consideration. Personally, I'm a bugger-inner (that don't sound right - at all!!), so an academic one, however...

Big GrinBig GrinBig GrinBig Grin



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23 June 2013, 09:37,
#3
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
Brilliant post TL, your advice is ound advice, My take on this option oddly enough has been to get the family to learn how to ride horses and ponies and how to ride bicycles on unmetalled roads, and to learn how to paddle a canoe. Equally like so many others our plans now revolve around BUGGING IN rather than OUT. We are considering moving home again in two years to something slightly more rural and self sufficient.

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23 June 2013, 10:31,
#4
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
the trouble is if we(preppers that is) don't bug out fairly quickly then the roads are going to be blocked with abandoned and broken down vehicles very quickly, certainly that will apply to all A roads and motorways, those of us who can use back roads may fare better initially but even those may block up eventually, going on foot, or bicycle, horse, pony, donkey may be the only option for some.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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23 June 2013, 10:45,
#5
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
I remember when I first started this forum, I planned on building and modifying a vehicle to make it a perfect BOV. Then I figured, screw that, I'll just learn to ride a motorbike (still need to do this) and that'll be more manoeuvrable and versatile for bugging out.
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
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23 June 2013, 10:49,
#6
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
(23 June 2013, 10:45)Scythe13 Wrote: I remember when I first started this forum, I planned on building and modifying a vehicle to make it a perfect BOV. Then I figured, screw that, I'll just learn to ride a motorbike (still need to do this) and that'll be more manoeuvrable and versatile for bugging out.

fine if your off road and away from people but its easy to knock someone off a motorbike, all you need is a long stick or tree branch or a thin wire strung neck height between 2 trees or street lights.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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23 June 2013, 19:56,
#7
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
It might be that the most reliable, safest way to travel around PSHTF would be on foot, very quietly and alert. Vehicles would be useful to some in the initial stages, but it is good to remember that you are very vulnerable in/on any vehicle. For PSHTF and then some, once you have judged your area "clear" of any risks and probably also if you have a number of personnel for security, then vehicles could be good for fast mobility for security ops - ** that is taking into account their weaknesses as well. ** Indiginous tribesmen, fighting off Oil company hired mercenaries on some tropical island somewhere in the late 90's, had considerable success using old diesel pick ups for mobility around their island in response to the mercenaries movements. The transport mechanisation gave them a bonus that enabled them to isolate & pin down the mercenary forces. The diesel trucks were run on pressed banana skin juice as there was no other oil type fuel available due to the Oil companies naval blockade. (Shame on Shell for this!!)
This tactic is worth being aware of even though it may not apply to everyone and not on your list of possibilities. Still, you never know what situation you could eventually find yourself in.
Motor bikes may be useful but are usually noisy. I would make up now or expediently PSHTF a seriously muffling exhaust. It might drop the performance a bit & top end speed, but that is likely not to be a consideration taking into account the mission types at short to slightly less short range. Having an additional silencer/muffler that can be slotted onto the end of any vehicles exhaust could be a useful item and easy to source too. (Using a design feature from the golden age of classic motorbike racing, if you fit or modify the exhaust end into a vertical slot/fan shape, then the sound waves do not fan out to the side to anywhere near the same degree and most of the sound exits directly rearwards in a vertical arc. useful & simple knowledge!)

I have been thinking that without an early bug out action, then a four wheeled vehicle would probably not be much use until well after an event, when things have gone a bit quieter. Even then , I feel the threat risk would be "high" & just how far PSHTF would you need to travel that would warrant a vehicle. - or even to warrant investing a large percentage of valuable time & resources in your own now Pre any event? If you are in an isolated area and can use a vehicle for manual tasks, then that would be useful, but it might also attract unwanted attention.

If bugging in, I would stay well clear of using any vehicle until local security is confirmed. The good reason to have one would be if needing to "Get Out of Dodge Quick!!, but again we are back to the travel issues listed earlier with this possibility.

I know everyone is different and some live in rural areas and some not, but I think that this idea of having to have a prep vehicle as part of the prep check list and the actual reality of it to any preppers own situation needs to be given some more in depth appraisel than it often receives. For the UK this is more relevant due to the spread of population density but it also may be useful to our American cousins too to look deeper into the whys and wherefors... Smile Safe travels, TL.
"How far back in time do you think our future will be?"
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23 June 2013, 20:16,
#8
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
(23 June 2013, 10:31)bigpaul Wrote: the trouble is if we(preppers that is) don't bug out fairly quickly then the roads are going to be blocked with abandoned and broken down vehicles very quickly, certainly that will apply to all A roads and motorways, those of us who can use back roads may fare better initially but even those may block up eventually, going on foot, or bicycle, horse, pony, donkey may be the only option for some.

Unless, of course, you've got one of these..
[Image: 2mrs4gh.jpg]

Cool
Find a resilient place and way to live, then sit back and watch a momentous period in history unfold.
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23 June 2013, 20:53,
#9
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
A very well thought out post TL , I have a BOV 4x4 bitchy 2.8 .......because I thought that was what I needed .. and always loaded ready to rock......and even more than that I THINK I will know the RIGHT time to BO because I will KNOW more than most ( I know better than anyone attitude ) .....of course I do NOT all this is IS trying to cover all the bases and ticking off the boxes in short becoming complacent insofar as " I have it covered " so that just because you think you are safer and better prepared gives you some sort of automatic failsafe to tshtf in short you can quite easy kid yourself into thinking YOU are ready for what ever comes , in fact you could say this on all areas of your preps, BUT I am glad you posted this thread its got to be a good thing to keep reappraising what we all do on here ...if it changes the way anyone preps or forces a rethink this is no waste of time ....this is helpful to all , it means we are thinking things through and adjustments can be made and a better more informed preparation will be a positive result ....we don't have to be set in stone and ALL can enjoy the result
of good debate , great post
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23 June 2013, 21:01,
#10
RE: Emphasis & Priority of Own Prep vehicle
I may not be up to 100% ready on anything skill wise or kit, but I still can walk like a rifleman on a recce, and that is probably going to be my primary method of perambulation after TSHTF. Y'see the thing is that after TSHTf and as we discussed in another thread its going to be a lot quieter out there and sound is going to travel further. Well if its like that whilst people with hostile intentions are about I would probably deliberately not use motorised transport and would choose to hoof it, cycle or ride a gee gee. But being a confirmed coward I would choose to walk from shadow to shadow, hedgerow to hedgerow, treeline to treeline as I did as a soldier. Because if I am quiet and unseen I'm less likely to get attacked. I would rather take half a day to get to a trading post on foot knowing at least I will get there, that risk ambush or robbery by driving a vehicle. But of course in time hopefully things will normalise enough for motorised traffic to start getting used again.

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