BOV: SHTF Bug Out Vehicles

The entire idea of a bug out is to be alert and plan ahead of such things as the traffic jams. There is no way you are totally going to defeat that mess like you posted but with being alert to what is coming right down the road (right now) at us all... you can devise planning an escape route for you and your family...

You can do it very easy by looking at road maps, plotting alternate routes (I recommend 3 alternates) , studying the traffic patterns and moving forwards with that plan... develop it and practice it...
 
toyota hilux's and toyota dacoma's are 2 different trucks. different engines, different engine fuel source, different frame systems.

for now, either of these 2 will do for me on spur of the moment:
1987 jeep cherokee, 2.5l 4 inline looks like this but in red. gets about 15 mpg unloaded
JECH8496.jpg


2004 sv650s, .65l v twin, gets about 40mpg with make-shift loaded gear
DSC00792.jpg


its not an all terrain dirt bike or a ducati multistrada, but it has ok clearance, and i've been able to traverse dirt and grass here and there.

could probably sling a backpack and a rifle over my back, keep a pistol/extra ammo/mags in the trunk, keep one pistol on my hip, and still grab some saddle bags and load more gear if need be.
 
Last edited:
I would most certainly use diesel, and I plan to have all future vehicles be diesel. You can run them on a lot of things people consider to be useless waste, such as used motor oil, used vegetable oil, I think I remember a video somewhere of one running on transmission fluid even. Gasoline people recognize as being fuel, it is harder to make therefore rarer, so getting a hold of it will be hard and holding onto it will be dangerous.
 
6a00e0099229e88833012876d49fb3970c-500wi


powered by wood gas
question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh?

and then how far will X amount of wood get you?

also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?
 
question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh?

and then how far will X amount of wood get you?

also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?

Good questions.
Balance that with,
How easy is it to find wood when all gas stations are closed? ;)
 
Good questions.
Balance that with,
How easy is it to find wood when all gas stations are closed? ;)
yeah, i was thinking, if i were on desert plains or in a city metrapolis, it might be a little hard to come by wood.

wood gas is a good idea for someone who lives in a community of property owners with abundant wood supply, but its not going to be ideal for everyone.
 
The entire idea of a bug out is to be alert and plan ahead of such things as the traffic jams. There is no way you are totally going to defeat that mess like you posted but with being alert to what is coming right down the road (right now) at us all... you can devise planning an escape route for you and your family...

You can do it very easy by looking at road maps, plotting alternate routes (I recommend 3 alternates) , studying the traffic patterns and moving forwards with that plan... develop it and practice it...


Thanks for the reply. The power goes out. No TV. Nothing on the radio stations. The only clear station on SW is "Radio Free Cuba". Do you bug out or bug in?

I guess my concern here is if all communications are down, how to make the decision to bug out in the BOV? I think it is important to follow the steps you've outlined once someone has made the decision.
 
question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh?

and then how far will X amount of wood get you?

also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?

How much does it weigh: A good question. It's been a few years since I looked into this. I bought a set of plans for building one at an alternative technology fair many years ago. The generator itself, loaded with chips would probably weiigh around 200 lbs and you could easily double that with chip storage.

How far will it get you: This depends on the size of the combustion chamber. One the size of the unit pictured would have a range a few hundred miles at freeway speeds. Its not a matter of miles, its a time function. Most wood gas generator designs utilize valves that permit operation on gasoline until wood gas is available. Its really not for quick trips to the store. Think of it like a steam engine.

Effect on engine maintenance: Since wood gas isn't a solvent, it actually is better for an engine than gasoline as it doesn't remove oil from the cylinders.
 
Thanks for the reply. The power goes out. No TV. Nothing on the radio stations. The only clear station on SW is "Radio Free Cuba". Do you bug out or bug in?

I guess my concern here is if all communications are down, how to make the decision to bug out in the BOV? I think it is important to follow the steps you've outlined once someone has made the decision.


For us... when SHTF...we are good as gone...we spent a long time building a large underground shelter and that is where we are going along with a specific number of people ... when we see that certain things are happening all over the place...and the things I see as warnings might be very different than what you or some one else might consider to be the pivot of it all...

What we have done in our group is that we all have short wave and back up systems to monitor... the power might go out but it will not fully be out for a few weeks... lots of fuel to keep all that running for awhile.
There are going to be a lot of problems that go along with a BO and in a vehicle you are going to want to get away from the city proper as fast as possible... to put it bluntly there are going to be things going on that you nor I really want to consider as being "for real".... crime out of control, and well to put is nicely...any woman or child is going to be a target for the reeps that are going to be running amok...I see anarchy in the worst possible way...and there is no one in this government that is going to be able to slow it down... let alone curtail it.

The military and LE people are going to be looking after their own families, so there is going to be little hope there... or help..Basically i am saying that people are pretty much going to be on their own...I understand that this is not a good nor pretty picture, but it is based upon reality and past situations in other nations when the government and society collapsed.... so why should or would the US be any different...

That is why i say to plan out the routes way before hand and time your evacs and the times from point A to point B... and do it at all different hours... the rush hour is going to be the worst times...and that is understandable... so this is why the alterante routes are so important...

The other thing that i stress here is that once it all falls (and it could) you need to understand that the most most dangerous creature out there is the... human .

Therefore it is not a pleasant thing to say when I say it , but you are the target that that criminal element "human" is going to be going after.... the reasons will vary, but you will have food, and other items...and if you have women with you... well nuff said there.

There is also the ugly reality that you are or may be required to shoot first and ask questions later... sadly they will be doing the very same thing towards you... so the folks in your group had better be resolved that they will have to shoot if needed...

In my group (and we are a large armed group).. every single person has that mentality that it is either them or us... therefore the american way of life and the constitution must survive if any of us are to survive. We (all of us) have no qualms about shooting someone or anyone that is intent upon harming any member in our group... Our shelter is manned 24/7 all year long, so there is always a force there.

BO is highly important... and a person cannot have enough spare parts around in one place and some fuel stored away in case of the possibility you have to move out.

If you have additional questions i can attempt to answer them, to the best of my ability...
 
It is my intention to acquire a base 4x4 truck in the next few months and record a video journal of converting it into an ultimate BO/SHTF vehicle. When I do, I will post it in Freedom Living beside the PAW thread :D
 
Toyota makes the best cars on the road,

They have my customer loyalty,

It's amazing how long a car can last when they aren't engineered to fall apart after 5 years so you can sell more new cars after the loan is paid off,

well....about that....
 
I have 758,000 miles on my Peterbilt (w/cat C-15). And still get 6+ mpg weighing 80,000 lbs.!

They can make a truck last if they want to.

Back on topic ---- Here is my dream BOV, with an RV bolted on back of course.

963KW.jpg


I hauled one of these from the plant in Washington down to Houston (I think it was under 11 feet wide??). It drives real nice.;)

TMike
 
I have 758,000 miles on my Peterbilt (w/cat C-15). And still get 6+ mpg weighing 80,000 lbs.!

They can make a truck last if they want to.

Back on topic ---- Here is my dream BOV, with an RV bolted on back of course.

963KW.jpg


I hauled one of these from the plant in Washington down to Houston (I think it was under 11 feet wide??). It drives real nice.;)

TMike

I had no idea Kenworth made trucks. I had a DVD drive made by them.
 
Back
Top