http://www.saratogatradingcompany.com/

 

I don't even bother about this stuff. If it happens, I know I'll be far away from anything like that. Why would anyone want to bomb Canada?

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10663276/

 

Everyone has their own pet rock. As with most anything else, I'd rather have something and not need it than need it and not have it. If you think we're 'intense' you ought to check out some of the dedicated boards out there.


I've had this guy as a board sponsor before, http://www.green-mountain-gear.com/ I've dealt with him on several pieces of gear/equipment and the like and have always been satisfied FWIW.

 

Ahhhhh . . . fear of the apocolypse.

A return to the good old days when the Soviets were our enemies. Where, on the last Friday of every month, the air-raid sirens would go off and we would duck and cover under our desks becasue we were stupid enough to beleive that it would somehow make a difference.

Even into the 70's we all still lived in fear, figuring the Reds would send an H-Bomb our way. My best friend lived in Manhattan and we used to wonder what we would do when they dropped the bomb. We all decided that once the CD sirens went off we'd all run up to the roof of the building with beach chairs, start a BBQ, and have bottles of wine to toast the event. We figured it was best to be right at ground zero and be vaporized rether than live in a post nuke war world.

I'm still feeling the same way. If it's gonna happen, I don't want to be around afterward.

However, if 50 kabillion megatons comes your way, and you really care to be around afterward, I guess what vehicle you've got would be important.

Have fun.

 

You guys can have you're MRE's, I'll just go down to the hilton

 

 

SHTF is most likely to be a natural disaster with displacement of large portions of the populations. 75% of the people in the world live in littoral areas, to include myself. If it's time to go it's time to go (as in get out of here) because much of Norfolk would or will be under water in a Cat III huricane.

Now, if some ROPer decided to touch off a dirty bomb in downtown PDville I'd like to be able to GTF out of the immediate area without resorting to walking. If a nuke war happens I'm just going to say my prayers and get to my family before the light show if possible.

On yet another note, EMP does not have to come from a nuke...

 

So,

I guess this is my intro post.

I was actually searching for what model F-150 would make a good B.O.V. when I came across this thread. I'm somewhat new to offroading and trucks, having focused on modifying cars (domestics and tuners) for speed up until recently.

I'm actually currently looking for a good F-150 in the Houston area (I drive a Nissan Sentra, currently. Yes, I know. Don't say anything...).

My thoughts on a good F-150 setup (base loadout, not counting survival gear or weapons), feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken or off-base on anything:

Ford F-150 ecoboost for added gas mileage (easier to tune the ECU for offroad/highway fuel maps) OR coyote engine for extra torque/HP... Tough call.

4x4 with OEM parts (Not a Raptor unless you've got deep pockets). If modifying for additional towing capacity/offroad capability, use OEM F-250 leaf springs and axles to keep price down and parts readily available.

Nerf bars and skid plates an absolute must.

Snorkel intake system. I live in Houston. Katrina and Allison weigh heavily on my mind.

Extra gas tank installed towards the rear for added weight on rear tires for traction (and extra gas, obviously).

Camper-shell, To keep people honest and keeping your **** dry, as an added bonus. Preferably one with a low-profile metal grating of some kind backing the windows, if it isn't too "Mad-Max"-ish.

Extra tire mounted on the rear, jeep-style. In addition to the 5-th wheel.

Toolbox that won't interfere with camper shell, loaded with tools and replacement parts to allow one to limp home in the event of some offroading idiocy. (I keep something similar in my sentra's trunk. Hosing, tape, water, fluids, jb weld, flares, basic toolkit, first aid, etc...)

Low profile Roof-rack. Not one of those painter-bar style monsters, but just a way to add stability to the shell and stow some extra stuff.

Optionally, to outfit for a long term survival situation, or for greater utility, power inverters installed under the rear seats (seen some utility trucks set up as such) and a solar cell mounted on the roof (cab or shell). Hobart makes a 3000 series MIG welder that runs off onboard batteries that might be nice to have on hand for post-apocalyptic forays into the unknown.

Two extra fuel cans (jerry can type) treated with PRI-G fuel preservative.

Grill guard and front and rear tow-hitch mounts.

Tow-winch set up to mount to tow-hitch mounts, quick disconnect type.

All terrain tires (preferably run-flats). Your choice.

Ideally, paint the whole thing with Rhino-line or similar spray-on liner as base layer, with a couple coats of your choice (Forest green for me) to smooth out and not completely ruin the aerodynamic profile.


This assumes a non-emp scenario and the vehicle would need to be modern with consideration to fuel efficiency due to use as a daily driver. Also, frankly, I already have a gas generator and my wife refuses to get a diesel, so, for me, diesel is currently impractical, though I agree it is the better choice overall. Especially given current fuel prices (which aren't going to go down).


Anyway. Just my contribution to the thread. Thanks for your input.

 

Some of the civil defense movies of the day showed children on the street covering themselves with newspapers when they saw the flash. AM car radios of the early sixties had the CONELRAD, an acronym for Control of Electomagnetic Radiotion, stations marked on the dial by CD triangles. I think all of the CONELRAD stations where also "clear channel" stations which did not share a frequency with any other AM station in the country. 50,000 watt KAAY from Little Rock AR was the closest clear channel station to us.


A Civil Defense Duck and Cover film from 1951.

 

An EMP will overload any circuitry you have in your vehicle even if it is not on, so no bug out vehicles with those. Also newer vehicles have the emergency shut of switch in case you get into a wreck it shuts of fuel to the engine. That will either have to be disabled, removed, or get a vehicle that doesn't have one. I expect to have to ram through some things and having to get out and push a button in an emergency is not my idea of a good time.

Personally I like the old Bronco II's or Broncos. They last forever. You have plenty of room inside and easy access to anything you might need while you are running away. My plan is to go to a sparsely populated area and find a place in the woods to hole up for several months. I don't see a full on nuclear explosion as the primary threat and seriously doubt if I want to be around after that happens, so I plan more for civil war caused by government policies. I expect the government to do one of two things either continue down the rabbit hole it is currently on until finally most conservatives start pushing back or reverse course and allow the free markets to work. Either way this will lead to reductions in entitlements and clashes in the streets between the producers and the takers. The difference between the two options is who the aggressor is. In the former it will be the conservatives. In the latter it will be the liberals. I think we have hit a point in society where to cut entitlements will result in an uprising. I also see that those on the right are getting very tired of paying for those on the left. I do not think it is going to be very long before we start to see minor skirmishes start to happen. What I find most concerning is the fact that there are many in political office who can not see that many of the problems we face as a country are a result of poor policy. If they get rid of the bad policy they get rid of the problems. A natural disaster will result in me and mine bunkering in place and defending our house.