Once you have a bug-out location set up and are stocked with the supplies you need to endure the hardships of the coming disasters or emergencies, you need a reliable way to get there.
When it comes to getting from your family home to the bug-out location, a vehicle will always be the fastest mode of travel.
Turning the average car or truck into the ultimate bug-out vehicle will depend greatly on the type of vehicle and the amount of money you must spend on the project. Regardless, there are some key components that you should be considering.
Vehicle Choice
The best option for a good bug-out vehicle is an SUV or a pickup truck. You’ll want a four-wheel drive and a decently high ground clearance. Choose a make and model that is most reliable and free from chronic issues. The last thing that you want is a breakdown during the apocalypse.
Purchasing a dedicated bug-out vehicle is not possible for many people. In this case, you’ll have to modify whichever car or truck you own. You’ll also have to consider your vehicle’s limitations as you plan your routes and during a bug-out.
Related: 5 Vehicles That Can Handle an EMP Attack
Keep in mind the maximum load that your car or truck can carry, the ground clearance, and the number of passengers it holds when planning and preparing the vehicle.
Navigation
Onboard GPS is great, but you need to have paper maps of the entire route to your bug-out location. Navigating on the fly is critical for reaching your destination, especially when you find closed routes.
You’ll want topographical maps, road maps, a compass, a protractor, and a handheld GPS ready and available to the person in the passenger seat who will be your primary navigator.
Communication
A VHF/UHF amateur radio is essential for any bug-out vehicle. All local repeaters, emergency frequencies, FRS, GRMS, MURS, SAR channels, trucker/highways channels, and relevant simplex frequencies must be programmed into the radio.
I recommend installing a radio with dual receive capability to monitor two channels simultaneously. The reason for this is so you can have one frequency set for talking and coordination between people you may be bugging out with, but you still can monitor another frequency or scan a bank of frequencies.
Learn here how to legally turn your CB car radio into a powerful transmitter capable of emitting and receiving communications from hundreds of miles away. After an EMP, this will be one of the only sources of communication left, giving you an important tactical advantage and access to vital information.
Every person in the vehicle must also have a handheld radio in case there is a need to bail out of the car in transit.
Since the passengers will be split up as they bail out on either side of the vehicle, some coordination will be required to reunite. Handheld radios are the best way to do this.
Storage
A roof rack is a valuable addition to your bug-out vehicle. This will significantly increase your vehicle’s cargo-carrying capacity, allowing you to transport more food, water, fuel, and gear to your bug-out location.
Trailer hitch mount storage racks are also an excellent addition to the storage system of your bug-out vehicle.
The inside of the vehicle needs to have storage considerations made as well. It is not enough to pile gear into the back; you need to organize everything to easily access the gear you need.
Internal racks, drawers, and shelving are good ways to keep your essential gear organized and available when needed. MOLLE panels are great because you can easily attach bags and pouches for quick access. These panels can be attached to the backs of seats, which is great for keeping essential gear handy for passengers in the back seats.
Fuel
You must carry extra fuel regardless of the distance between your home and the bug-out location.
Store your fuel in jerry cans, which you will have on the roof or trailer hitch rack. The fuel must be rotated regularly, and a stabilizer must be added.
Related: Cheap Methods to Store Fuels
You must know how much fuel will be required to take the longest route to the bug-out location. Ideally, you will want a bug-out location close enough to not need extra fuel. Even so, if it drops to half full, you must carry enough extra to refill the gas tank.
You should also consider strategically placing fuel, water, food, and gear caches along your routes.
Vehicle Kit
The ultimate bug-out vehicle needs to have the gear it needs to handle roadside issues. Carrying a toolbox is a good start, but several items need to be included in your vehicle kit.
- Tire puncture kits
- Oil filter
- Air filter
- Bailing wire
- Zap straps
- Oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, washer fluid, etc
- Portable jump starter
- Duct tape
- Portable air compressor
- Flares
- Fire extinguishers
- JB weld
- Axes or chainsaw
- Folding shovel
- Folding snow shovel
- Tire traction pads
- Tow straps
- Winch
These items need to always be in the vehicle and checked and rotated regularly,
Bail Out Bags
When loading your bug-out bags, they will likely be in the back or attached to a storage rack.
If you need to abandon your vehicle quickly, you’ll not want to do so empty-handed. This is where a ‘bail-out’ bag comes into play. Bail-out bags are basically mini bug-out bags with the bare essentials of survival.
They are small enough that every person in the vehicle can have one on their body while comfortably seated.
What you place in the bail-out bag will depend on the size of the bag, but it should include the following components:
- Shelter
- Fire
- Water
- Navigation
- Food
- Protection
- Medicine
These kits are not designed for long-term survival but to allow someone to bail out of a vehicle and get to the bug-out location.
If you have a bug-out location, you must also have a good bug-out vehicle. While many of us can only modify the family vehicle to be better suited for a bug-out, if you can afford it, creating the ultimate bug-out vehicle will always be the preferred option.
Having a bug-out vehicle equipped with all the right gear is essential, but all these tools and supplies are useless unless you have the survival skills to use them effectively. The Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide provides those skills, teaching you everything from navigation and shelter-building to sourcing food and water in the wild.
While bugging out is not the ideal solution and staying put is often safer, there are situations where leaving is the only option. This guide will equip you with the knowledge to survive in the wilderness, ensuring that when the time comes, you and your loved ones can make it safely through the wild, even if you don’t have a designated bug-out location.
You may also like:
These Are the Best Chicken Breeds for Preppers
The Guaranteed Escape Route Strategy Every Prepper Needs to Know (Video)
24 Prepping Items I Don’t Spend Money On
What Really Happens When You Only Eat Walmart Cans For 30 Days?
It won’t matter where we go for a safe location, the illegals and terrorist have already settled in our bugout locations courtesy of Biden administration.
If your bugging in an EV it will be a one-way trip, LOL!
A gas powered vehicle has a better chance to make and a diesel vehicle is a better chance for a two way trip.
It is time to rethink bugging out theory and stand to fight for our country. We got illegals taking over bugout locations, Chinese nationals going to farm locations next to our military bases. MS13 and Mexican drug cartels operating in our major cities and controlling our southern border.
We got more to worry about then bugging out.
Agree the bug in and out theory is a modern prepper term. Back in the survivalist day it was more of a fantasy that we thought of. We had the same economic type issues going on with president Carter. Nixon and other politicians took America off the gold standard. Now we have Bidenomics the probably final nail in America’s coffin of the petro dollar as Saudi Arabia is looking at other currency replacement. New information Saudi Arabia had a part in the 911 disaster of many outside foreign activist backing the saboteurs mission.
We now have potential 911 terrorist spread all over America, not only residing in major cities, thank you Let’s Go Brandon!, for nothing.
What happens in this November election will determine where America goes.
The simplest things in life get over looked instead of bugging out. Let’s close the open southern border that deep state Biden created. Let’s build our civilian supported border wall with or without Biden’s blessing.
Start up the oil drilling, Biden is a dictator propped up by his wife Jill and Obama running the country through China Joe.It is that simple, the government works for the taxpayers not the other way around as we seem to have.
Who are these extremist making decisions that dementia Joe rubber stamps into law and against our Constitution these days?
Don’t forget, facts are better than blather, we’re producing oil and gas at record levels now and throughout FrankenBiden’s tenure.
What is funny a lot of these articles are seeded with purchasing a book or a product. Why not give us the skinny then dancing around on having us buy another book of preparation on what is said in the article posted.
I am on a fixed income living in a blue state trying to afford to move but getting too expensive in other states as people are moving out too.
What about standing our ground, vote these loser politicians out. Sue the unelected bureaucrats out of their taxpayer supported jobs. Get rid of the G Soros do nothing DA that give criminals a free get out of jail, no bail free ride.
We citizens are sent to jail for defending our property and families from these rotten criminals with long rap sheets of at least third time offenses.
“What about standing our ground, vote these loser politicians out. Sue the unelected bureaucrats out of their taxpayer supported jobs.”
Voting the “loser politicians” out means winning elections. To do so, we need more votes than the opposition. And believe me, there is always opposition. I was amazed to read on a question-and-answer website how many people are salivating at the thought of Biden wiping the floor with President Trump in the upcoming debate. The ignorance and hatred they display is appalling. Moreover, are they blind to what these politicians have done to the US in the past three years?
This is a huge problem. You can’t reason with the Left. And if you bug-out, where do you go? I don’t want civil war. Maybe I am naive, but I think that we need to draw up a plan to show how a conservative approach to self-government is the best government. Then, work on one point at a time. This is probably what legislators should be doing. If they are, I don’t see it.
I’ve been writing up articles, and starting to publish them online, on my website, “MakeCAgoldenagain.org.” It is a blog where others are encouraged to comment. I let it go idle for several years; now I am resurrecting it I think, and hope, that what I write will make the so-called “progressives” stop and think, and maybe realize that their way needs revision. Here is a sample. It is titled “Tha Dance of the Seven Veils.”
The generally well-respected Dennis Prager questioned Leftism, how it originated and where it leads. It is no mystery. It can be clarified: Leftism is but one layer in the “Dance of the Seven Veils.”
First is the veil of Liberalism. It appears chaste, friendly and pure, obscuring that which lies beneath. It bespeaks innocence and is charming in its naivety. The dancer sways and gestures gently, hypnotic in her grace. We are beguiled.
Then comes Leftism. It appears when the veil of Liberalism is plucked away. Leftism is the veil of cause. Its adherents focus upon specific threads, picking and pulling at them, emphasizing them even as the veil fabric is shredded. The dancer’s movements increase in tempo. We must react in beat with her rhythm.
The next veil is Socialism. It actually contains the remnants of the second veil, woven together and crudely mended with coarse threads of discontent, distractedness and jealousy. This veil is ragged with holes in its fabric. As the dancer whirls and gyrates, her observers occasionally glimpse what lies beneath. They grow flushed and salivate with eager anticipation of a more salacious view.
Soon both dancer and on-lookers are ensnared in the frenzy of the moment. When the dancer has flung off the most recent, provocative garment, she exposes the fiery veil of Marxism. It has no pretense of innocence. It is not chaste nor coy. The dancer, breathless and seductive, beckons willing observers and shames the unwilling.
But there is more. Anarchy, the next veil, is exposed in its boldness. The air is a-flame and one is feverishly impelled to join the dance or perish. The very floor upon which all now stomp and trample in their frenzy collapses to rubble. Those still nimble may yet escape, but most are bloodied, trapped and ground into dust.
Some snatch at the dancer, raising her aloft so that all may see; her veil wrapped about her as a flag, fluttering in the winds of change. Those few who claim that this garment is but the thin gauze of Dictatorship are hooted into silent obscurity. All others blindly believe this veil to be transitory; that the dancer will shortly peel it away voluntarily so that they may vulgarly ogle her bosom. They have been promised that when the dancer has undone that final veil, her virginal beauty will satisfy their yearning for unbridled expression and equity, if not freedom and equality!
Alas, ’tis only the promises that be transitory! They vanish as does the morning dew in the unrelenting heat of day! The undergarment revealed is not a veil, but rather the stark, filthy cloak of Slavery. And it is not worn by the dancer, but by the people. It chafes and fits poorly. It is the robe of the chattel. There is no escape.
The “Dance of the Seven Veils” ends. The dancer is indeed naked, but the view is not pleasing. Those who were previously blind to her regain their sight, but it returns too late. They are aghast. The dance has been a masquerade from the start. No beauty is the dancer. Rather, she is exposed as the hideous, snarling, foul, and all-consuming beast of Communism. What that beast hath ruined cannot be rebuilt.
Excellent JAY; Obama once said in an old news interview a wish to pull the strings behind the scenes to have another go of the presidency. It came to fruition by using Biden, propped up by Dr Jill, who wants to elder abuse a dementia patient for her own power.
Clean house in November 2024!
We must clean out the reminiscent of the still active Clinton drones, the Obama operatives in bureaucratic positions along with the Biden operatives. The DC Swamp really stinks this final year of corruption.
The illegals being activated in blue states for this presidential election may throw the election once again along with mail in ballots. cheats never prosper. Dishonest efforts will not bring real success. That is how we got the Clinton’s, Obama’s and the Biden’s in power.
Can you imagine Hillary taking over for uncle Joe in the second term?
Scary!
Looking at the recommendations regarding a vehicle kit, and bag out … Living in the SW part of The US … (Arizona) I carry most of that in my all wheel drive SUV all the time, before concerns of bug out existed. And used to carry most of it in the trunk of my car, prior to owning the SUV. Maps, fire extinguisher, water, medical, portable compressor, shovel, axe, blanket, sleeping bag, etc … as well as some rotated canned and packaged food. The desert is some pretty harsh environment, and getting stranded (which can happen at any time) requires you to always be prepared. Then again, I was a boy scout (when that meant something). Frankly in my opinion, the biggest obstacle for everyone stranded or bugging out … will be the climate.
People living here in Arizona, in their air conditioned cars, homes, and places of business … if suddenly having to deal with a summer, and no A/C won’t last long. I condition this old 74 year old body, rarely using A/C … often spending time in 105 degree shaded heat … just in case. Stranded away from A/C with water … I can likely survive what ever is thrown at me.
What else can go wrong?
Think of these bugout SHTF stuff and believe a lot of people thing a bugout will happen under comfortable Summer like weather conditions.
It don’t work like that in reality and whatever vehicle we have can get stuck. Be it desert sand the winter storm mud, snow stuck or plain muddy stuck. No AAA to come to the rescue.
There can be illegal ban-dido’s or highway robbers in the mix of things, where we can hijacked loosing all the bug out preps. The vehicle finally conked out halfway to our Utopia location where we have to fight moochers on our bugout location. We leave half our preps behind miles away.
Many things these authors tend to gloss over.
We could use real world articles on how to overcome stuff that goes wrong. It is good to have articles to keep our skills up like starting fire to cook on. We need to upgrade newer skills.
We are getting to the point beyond preps, we need to know things about defending us or our family members from these third world creeps. What to do when engaging with military age male and female got-a ways that are running free in the backwoods.
We need more practical sources needed to defend ourselves in the coming new wild west liberals have created to destroy America.
I’m happily spending my declining years sitting on the back porch out in the country but when I used to travel the back roads I always carried two jacks. The day you need two jacks to get out of trouble you will thank me for the idea.
If we had to bug out, we have an old van that has been decked out to live in!
Always remember the main items
Safety in Numbers , Friends, people you can trust , who think like you
like prey , the illegals look for easy pickens, the lone sheep to take , steal from and conquer for thier own lust
Bugging out seems like a great concept , but many are not suited to due with out the conforts of home and get acustomed to having confort
if bugging out , group up , go with others , never alone , unless your trained in survival and combat tactics , and can live alone
most cannot
most like the concepts but dont really understand the keys to success
you cannot take it all with you . and must leave a lot behind you
when this happens and they are setting up for the End as you know it.
Satan will destroy, Steal , decieve and his minions have no conscience
God it Love , God is Forgiving, God is in Salvation Thru Jesus Christ and offers all who call upon him . a way of escape thru his word , thru his truth , thru obeying the Ten Commandments and Reading the Bible , not the Fake lies in liars religeons that lead to death .
all will face judgement , but Jesus Christ steps in to Give Payment for all who will Trust and believe in the Word , Way of God , And Hope in the Holy Spirit
unless a man or woman is born again they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven
John 14:6 , John 3:16 , John whold chapters 1 peter : all , 1 John all , Hebrews : All
Relationship , Not works of Religeon
Navigation: GPS is not all that great ,Taking to roads and bridges that aren’t there anymore!
I use county road maps which also give you the dirt roads , creeks ,and backwater towns that aren’t on the GPS. I get the maps buy ordering from that state. Not from the county there both different!
Reflecting on the article, if I had to choose a vehicle to leave the city in an EMP or collapse situation, I would choose a horse-drawn wagon as the vehicle. Anyone would assume that I have lost my mind, but let me present my arguments, first I would draw a cross-country route, with natural pastures, you would only have to look for water on the way, something that you should also keep in mind if you had a vehicle. The wheels should be made of solid rubber, which eliminates the problem of punctures, it would not have the inconvenience of a mechanical failure or storing fuel, the possibility of encountering a blockage or hostiles is diminished, the travel time is longer but not I would have to worry about an all-wheel drive system or being stranded in the mud, as an anecdote many years ago a couple was trapped in a field in western Paraguay, due to a flood, the only way to get to a town was using a pulled wagon. for horses, since vehicles with all-wheel drive were left stuck in the mud despite having all-wheel drive, they could travel the route thousands of times and never attract attention.
Yeah horse back might be ideal.
To each his own.
Not for me.