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Friday, August 31, 2012

Your bug out vehicle and Mr Murphy



This past summer a buddy of mine tried to leave his home on Kentucky to go on a much needed vacation. The tow vehicle for his camper had last minute problems. They left a day late but didn’t get very far before more car problems forced them to limp back home.

Undaunted, they threw a tent and some camping gear into the wife’s car. That didn’t get very far before mechanical problems surfaced. In the end, the trip was canceled.

These vehicles are not old beaters but newer well maintained cars. Sometimes the roll of the dice come up against you. It happens more often than we’d hope.

Now imagine if they weren’t going on a vacation but were bugging out to avoid a disaster, like a hurricane.

If something happened right now, how well do you think your current escape vehicle would do? Be honest. Has it ever broken down without warning? Ever have to call road side assistance? Do you have a backup plan if that vehicle fails? What if your backup fails?

What would my friend have done? My guess is that he’d fire up his old Korean War era Jeep and bug out with that. His wife has always hated it, but the thing just runs and runs -not fast, and not comfortably, but it keeps on moving. I bet he knows every back road and dirt trail out of his area.

What would I do with failure of all vehicles? That depends on the season and where I’m heading. I could be reduced to heading out on snowshoes pulling a toboggan in the winter. During the warm weather, my exit could be by canoe or even bicycle.

I remember TV footage of the evacuation of Galveston Texas before a hurricane struck. Traffic was bumper to bumper and barely moving. A guy on a bicycle pedaled past all the stopped cars. He figured to be over 100 miles away by time the storm hit.

Whatever your plans are, don’t wait until the last minute. Bugging out early gives you time to deal with whatever Mr. Murphy throws your way.

-Sixbears

11 comments:

  1. I have to say I have had my share of last second issues with my 1985 Ford Tioga motor home bug out vehicle. It was great for bugging out but it ALWAYS had mechanical issues when used. Some showed up immediately and others 300 miles later. I have since sold it just because it simply wasn't dependable when I needed it.
    My thoughts now are if you have a bug out vehicle like for towing a trailer, it should be one you drive everyday because this way you can tell what may be a potential problem in advance and keep it in dependable running condition.

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    1. Good idea, that should reduce the chance of problems, but didn't help my friend.

      You recognized that the Tioga wasn't reliable enough to depend on in an emergency.

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  2. My truck doesn't exactly have my vote of confidence at the moment... We bugged out for Hurricane Rita (or was it Ike? Either way...)to a hill country camp ground. Some folks pulled in next to us late that night. It had taken them 16 hours from Galveston on what should have been a 4 or 5 hour trip!

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    1. Hope you have a backup plan for the truck.

      During Rita, my sister-in-law and her family left Channel View TX way too late and spent a day stuck in traffic. Good thing a church took them in.

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  3. I will never wait until the last minute to leave. Did that once and learned my lesson but was smart enough to stay off the interstate highway. They become parking lots real soon. The back roads don't.

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    1. It pays to leave early and to know the back roads.

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  4. Lots of things can and will go wrong at the wrong time! That's just Murphy's Law in action!

    So important to have a reliable back-up plan!

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  5. I lean towards toyota trucks .Im fond of saying : In the worst parts of the world you see a plethera of land rovers , and toyotas . There are ossasional dodges , fords and chevys, However they are referred to as landmarks. I have a 94 fj 80 landcruiser , this is the last model with a inline 6. Also straight front axle ,and factory locking front and rear differential.Ive put a safari type rack on it so I can load it down. I can cary my family (2 kids , wife and 2 dogs) and a crap load of camping/bugout gear. Interstingly enough an old time toyota mechanic told me alot of the toys from 55 to the last fj 80 series were based on the korean war design us trucks. As they were made in japan for short shipping . Thanks for the read,high desert livin out.

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    1. You are welcome, High Desert. I wish we could get the nice little diesel Toyotas that the rest of the world drives.

      Your Landcruiser is a fine machine.

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  6. I have a 66 chevy 3/4 ton sitting in the driveway. That's our bugout vehicle. Immune to EMP's, but not immune to 10% ethanol blend gas. Until recently that is. Three weeks ago I backed into the driveway and shut her off. She backfired as she shut down and wouldn't restart in the morning. Spent a week chasing down timing gears and completely rebuilding the ignition system. All for naught, the issue was the carburator not liking the gas that was in it. Since then I've rebuilt two carbs one has been rejetted for alky fuel blends and she's quite happy. The point in all this. Half a dozen wrenches and two screwdrivers keep this vehicle running. Parts are cheap, I just found a running engine and a spare tranny for $50 each. I guess you would say I'm in the same school as your friend with the Jeep. Simple, rugged and easy to fix come first

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