If you find yourself faced with a bug out scenario, possibly facing uncertain conditions along the way, a reliable vehicle that can hold everything and everyone going with your will be an excellent source of protection and peace of mind.
In these particular situations, a standard four-door sedan probably won’t do the trick. To help you figure out what type of vehicle will best fit your potential needs, we’ve compiled a list of criteria you might want to consider.
1. Cost
Just as with any other vehicle purchase, price and cost of maintenance should be a deciding factor.
Fortunately, some options can be utilized as day-to-day vehicles too, cutting down on expenses and parking.
2. Stability and Ruggedness
You ultimately have no idea what you may or may not have to deal with during an actual bug out. Wall to wall traffic, off-road routes to safety, downed trees or power lines. Anything goes in an emergency.
You may also want to consider a vehicle that can take some bumps from other vehicles and keep on trucking as well!
3. Occupancy
Calculate who is going to be joining you on your “road trip.” Family, close friends, don’t forget your 4-legged furry friends, you’ll want everyone to have breathing room and not be packed in like sardines.
4. Interior Storage Room
There isn’t much point of having space for all your family if you don’t have space for much-needed supplies for everyone. Gear and food can be packed to conserve space, but you also don’t want anyone perched dangerously on top of a stack of storage boxes in the back either.
5. Fuel Efficiency
Even if only a temporary issue, fuel shortages are common in emergency evac scenarios. Planning ahead and choosing a relatively fuel-efficient vehicle will help relieve a good portion of stress on that front and have you sailing past the gas guzzlers on the road.
6. Terrain Flexibility
Depending on your final destination, terrain flexibility may not be a critical issue. That being said, you never know what you will be meeting up with along the way.
7. Invincibility
If you end up facing a worst-case scenario, your family’s protection needs to be paramount.
Being sturdy enough to withstand traffic collisions or looters looking for any supplies they can get their hands on will be a great source of peace of mind to you and anyone with you.
8. Sleeping Capacity
Will your trip to your final location take multiple days, or more importantly, nights?
Unless you have enough drivers available to do shifts through a 24 hour period of time, you may find yourself stopping by the side of the road or pulling off to a protected area for a break.
Regular size vans can be a terrific bug out vehicle, especially when they have four-wheel drive.
Growing up, we had a classic used Ford Econoline van we took all of our vacations in. Dad built a platform bed in the back cargo area with a huge storage area underneath, a full sized mattress on top and a car-top carrier for the items we didn’t need during driving.
Between the platform and the two bench seats, there was lots of room to fit all of us, spread out and sleep comfortably at night, all within the safety of the vans structure surrounding us.
Take it For a Test Run
Once you’ve made your decision and purchased your perfect bug out vehicle, it’s a good idea to have a plan in place that you can practice. Doing a trial run will help you fine-tune your plan and iron out any “bugs” before a real scenario comes along.
Now that you have your vehicle chosen, what about essential supplies? Every bug out vehicle needs a bug out bag filled with essential survival gear. Check out the one I have in all my vehicles below:
<<<Emergency Get Home Bag>>>
