Thinking about the ultimate bug out vehicle...

[no guns here]

Okay... So I'm in one of my wierd moods and my mind is wandering.  Personally I plan to bug-in if I can get set up in the next year or so.  But, my mind took me to "bug-out vehicles".  I made a mental list of:
 
Long-Range
Large-Payload
Able to defeat zombie road blocks
Bullet proof (at least sort of)
 
I came up with DUMP TRUCK.
 
A tandem axle dump truck.  You get a large payload.  The bed is the closet thing to armor you can get in civilian world.  Weld a couple pieces across the bed and put in about 24 inches of sand and you have about 180 degrees of bullet proof.  Fill the rest of the bed with your supplies.  Fill the tanks with diesel.  Maybe put another 200 gallons in a transfer tank in the back.  You're up high, semi-armored, full highway speeds, large payload.  Did I miss anything?
 
Or am I just crazy today?
 
NGH

[chefjeff]

Yeah. The double locking trap door from the cab to the bed, and closeted dirt bike.

[kevinsmith5]

A mortar in the back and gunslits in the sides. Plus armored plates over the windows...didn't the Germans have an armored car like that?

[Dixie Dude]

The other is a bug out bicycle with air free tires, racks and packs all over, maybe even a pull trailer for additional supplies.  It is more stealthy, and can go off road on trails.  The North Vietnamese moved tons of supplies with bicycles on the Ho Chi Min trail.  Each with about 200 lbs of ammo and supplies.  They pushed them south when it was too hard to ride, rode them back north to get more.  If you don't use a trailer with one, you can move faster than walking. 
 
Another option is use a modified pull deer cart.  Attach a 30 gallon plastic barrel, and put whatever in it.  It can be placed to balance where the handles are waist high to attach to your belt or backpack, pull it along.  Large wheels to get over logs and such.   

[Lost Farmboy]

  A good heavy V plow in front. To protect the engine from bullets and push though road blocks.

[tacklebury]

I really wanted to pick up a Deuce -n-a- Half like we used in the army.  I've seen a few people with them here, but most I have had a chance at were pretty rough.  6x6 and carries a big payload.  Not great mileage, but that's been my hopes to find.  For now it's my Jeep converting to Alcohol and trailer system.

[Victor3]

Naw... Go with a converted 4x4 trash truck. Ford F-550.
 

[jlwilliams]

  Don't forget to put a platform up top for the gyrocoptor  .

[Empty Quiver]

1976 KZ 1000 Mad Max tested and approved. 


Fuel consumption, noisy and a pretty high profile target. Think about the B-17 had it all, except not enough. In a situation where attack is unlikely I think you would be in good shape. I honestly think leaving "stuff" is the key. Skills are more important than equipment over time.


Alone, I would go light and have something along the lines of an air cooled big bore single motorcycle. An older Honda thumper comes to mind. Honestly a water cooled model would be fine too, just that EMP thing to worry about.

[don heath]

If you are worried about EMP Just buy an old 10 or 20' container and earth it properly...will resist all emp problems, and it is a great and safe place to store stuff.
 
Why armour the back? It is the cab that needs to be protected. The Rhodesians did very well bolting plate armour onto land rovers- done right it made them land mine proof as well.
 
The bigger the vehicle the more it will be targeted and the more fuel you need. A trailer behind a regular truck makes more sense and can be ditched if necessary. My hunting trailer has a 110gal diesel tank and 30 gal water tank built in and the landrover feeds first from the trailer ratherr than the two internal tanks (45 gal). Landrover gives me 28 miles to the proper gal on the road, loaded and with bulky roof rack pulling trailer. (I sleep on the roof rack often). In heavy sand I get about 20 miles to the uk gal. Truck is perminant 4x4 with centre dif lock. Goes most places you cannot get a H1   as it is shorter with better approach and departure angles. Rated for 2200lb load and 4000lb trailer - just got to carry spare shakel bushes (eats the darn things every 3000 miles on dirt) 

[no guns here]

Ahhhh heck... I don't know it was just a crazy thought.  I guess it'd be easy enough to Mad Max it and put a steel v-plow on the front and then weld on some more steel over the doors and windows.  Ain't say'n my idea is perfect but it sounded fine for a friday afternoon when I was tired and gettin' off work soon.
 
 
NGH

[kevinsmith5]

The ultimate bug out vehicle is a mule....or two.

[don heath]

It also depends if you have a desitination....
 
If I have to get off the farm becasue of the malitia then I want to run to the flat in town and if we have civil unrest in the city I want to get to the farm....either way, I have a desination, I have lots of equipment at both ends and all I need to do is move the family 60 miles.
 
As I have said before, the real art to bugging out is to leave before you have to- then I can take the land rover. If you leave things too late and the malitia are howling at the front gate and lobbing petrol bombs, then it is definately dirt bike time...(why not open fire on the malitia...because the army is behind them with a T55 tank  hoping you do and then they can join in).
 
I was away from home when the malitia arrived and burnt down the house etc...I had been warned and had moved my books and my guns and family memrobilia out. The flat in town is VERY secure. 1/14in deformed bars on all windows. Opening windows also have ½" bars. Door is steeel, walls 9" brick and covered with mesh re-enforced concreate and roof is 12" reinforced concreate. Ie a typical flat in a city with a very high burglary rate! I converted the one small bedroom ino a store room by bricking in the window and increasing the re-inforcing on the outer walls and roof and putting a second steel door on the room. I can leave stuff in there for months on end without worrying about it- Typically I am only there a few weeks a year) 

[reliquary]

Had a strange dream after reading all your posts:
 
Driving down the road between here and the farm, F-150 loaded to the max, mama in the back in a rocking chair (Grannie Clampett style), mini-14 on her lap.
 
Next scene, driving down the road on my riding mower, mama in the lawn cart in her wheel chair, mini-14 on her lap.
 
Good thing it's only about 30 miles.      

[blind ear]

Had a strange dream after reading all your posts:
 
Driving down the road between here and the farm, F-150 loaded to the max, mama in the back in a rocking chair (Grannie Clampett style), mini-14 on her lap.
 
Next scene, driving down the road on my riding mower, mama in the lawn cart in her wheel chair, mini-14 on her lap.
 
Good thing it's only about 30 miles.   

Is mama always in a wheelchair or have you just grown older to that point. Either way, I hope you and mama get "older" to that point together. ear

[Gaz-52]

The ultimate bug out vehicle is a mule....or two.

I am with you Kevin. Just one question though, how do you train a mule to operate in "stealth"mode?

[reliquary]

 
She is in one intermittently, can walk and stand for short periods...periods seem to get longer when shopping is involved, for some reason I can't fathom... ...
 
We have a me-push-it for when it's needed (only time I get to push her around) and I've scavenged a Hoveround to get a jump on "the system" when that time comes.
 
Neither of has really planned on a bugout.  Most of our descendants think of our place as their bugout location.  But there is another last-resort place for all the family who can get there.