By Creek Stewart
The term “Bugging Out” refers to the decision to abandon your home due to an unexpected emergency situation, whether a natural disaster or one caused by man. The thought of having to evacuate your home due to a sudden and imminent threat is not at all unrealistic. The reality is that sudden and uncontrollable events of nature and man do happen.
Whether you live in a high-rise loft in New York City or in the cornfields of Indiana, there is undisputable evidence that a disaster may one day force you to evacuate your home. As I always say, “It’s not IF but WHEN.” It happens to tens of thousands of people every year all over the world. Many do not make it out of the disaster zone in time and suffer incredible loss, including death. “Not making it” is due to either bad planning or bad luck and you can’t control luck. Although, I argue that the study of survival skills helps to “make your own luck.” The what ifs in life are someone else’s reality and your turn could be next. Just having a Bug-Out Bag is not sufficient. All of the guns, bullets, food storage, survival skills, and seeds in the world will be of no use if you can’t escape the disaster to begin with. If your Bug Out Plan does not include a Bug Out Vehicle of some kind, then it is incomplete and, quite frankly, reckless.
Arguably, the most important aspect of surviving a sudden large-scale disaster is the ability to quickly, effectively, and safely get away from it. Only in the movies do people outrun a disaster on foot. In the real world, your best option is to “out-wit” and “out-smart” a disaster by using every tool at your disposal, which includes a Bug-Out Vehicle (BOV), a vehicle equipped to quickly transport you to safety.
A BOV’s primary function is to get you, your loved ones, and your supplies from ground zero to your Bug-Out Location (BOL). It is a means to an end, not the end itself. I don’t view a BOV as a long-term survival location. It is not a BOL. Some people view a BOV as the means of escape and also the final destination—a mobile BOL if you will. Are they right? Yes. Am I right? Yes. How? It’s okay to have different opinions about a BOV. This article is my opinion. We can all learn from each other. My BOV’s single purpose is to get me and my stuff from point A to point B.
Choosing a BOV is not an easy decision and should not be taken lightly. It is one of your most important survival tools. Any survival tool that your life depends on should be given thoughtful consideration. At the end of the day, BOV selection is driven by lifestyle.
Choosing the perfect BOV for your lifestyle involves many different factors including some that aren’t so exciting. Just as you would never choose a spouse based on looks alone, don’t fall in love with a BOV’s appearance. Oftentimes, “cool” isn’t practical. Is it possible? Absolutely. But it’s certainly not guaranteed and is actually so unimportant that it doesn’t even make my list of deciding factors. When it comes to a BOV, function always trumps the cool factor.
As a guy, I certainly struggle with this. I want a cool-looking BOV just as much as the next guy but I’m smart enough to understand that “cool” means zilch when it comes to life-saving benefits. After you get past the initial disappointment that you can’t make a BOV decision based on looks alone, what follows are your core deciding factors.
If you can afford only one vehicle, I believe that using it as a BOV should be a major consideration when making that purchase. In a moment of crisis, no other purchasing criteria will matter.
Yes, this first section is all about the Benjamins. A handful of companies design and manufacture vehicles I consider to be “dream” BOVs. Some of these are tailored specifically to the military and security industries. Others are targeted to outdoor adventure and off-road enthusiasts. All of them are expensive. Because of the price tag, high-end BOVs have an exclusive clientele. Take the UNICAT for example. At over half a million dollars, it is one of the most expensive and feature-rich BOVs on the planet. Its list of capabilities is staggering. Would I like to have it? Heck yeah. Can I afford it? Heck no.
The reality is that for most of us, budget is the number one deciding factor that affects our BOVs. It will control much of the decision-making process as you work within the confines of what you can afford. However, a little creativity can make a small budget go a long way. In my book, Build the Perfect Bug Out Vehicle, I discuss several ways to add great features on a tight budget.
The good news is that if you can afford just one mode of transportation then you can afford a BOV. You don’t necessarily need to purchase a separate vehicle that is solely dedicated to Bugging Out. The term Everyday Driver refers to a vehicle that you drive every day. Yes, your everyday driver can also be your BOV.
Having a BOV that is also your Everyday Driver does have certain advantages. First, if you drive it every day then you know that vehicle more intimately than you know a vehicle you drive only on occasion. This means you already know how it handles in rain, snow, mud, ice and other conditions that you experience on a regular basis. You’ve used the drive-thru at the bank enough times to know what kind of clearances you need without having to get out and check. You are familiar with the vehicle’s sounds and know its quirks and limitations. You have a working relationship with your Everyday Driver that will always be more intimate than with a vehicle you use much less frequently. You also know the vehicle is in good working order.
For a long time, I had a 1972 Ford Bronco dedicated as my BOV. I rarely drove it and I can’t tell you how many times the battery was dead when I tried to start it. This is a classic example of how an awesome dedicated BOV can end up being worthless in a time of immediate need. Dedicated BOVs absolutely require routine attention and maintenance.
Where you live weighs in heavily on your BOV decision. It’s not practical for someone in Manhattan who has limited space and no parking to buy a large SUV. If a large-scale disaster strikes Manhattan, do you really think everyone is going to be able to drive out anyway? They’d have better luck catching a seat on a flying pig. This is true for all large cities. An urbanite’s best BOV option may be a pedal-powered cargo bike. It can fit in an apartment, can carry a Bug-Out Bag and a few other necessities (like Fido) and can weave in and out of jam-packed traffic lines that plug limited exit routes. On the other hand, someone living in a more rural area doesn’t have the same set of limitations and would definitely be better served with a four-wheel drive vehicle of his or her choice.
Similarly, weather in northern Minnesota poses an entirely different set of concerns than the weather in south Florida. This may seem like common sense, but one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made was when I bought a two-wheel drive truck in Indiana. That thing would get stuck on wet pavement. A new two-wheel drive was the same price as a used four-wheel drive, and I let form trump function. Rookie mistake.
Who you live with affects your BOV options. Not only must your BOV safely fit the people and animals you intend to save, but it must also accommodate their Bug-Out Bags and any additional supplies you intend to pack, such as strollers, wagons, fuel, water, wheelchair(s), etc. Yes, a large SUV will fit six people. But will it fit six people, a child seat, a golden retriever, five Bug Out Bags, a stroller, and a cooler of food? I don’t know. Even if the answer is no, the vehicle might still work. Additional exterior storage might be necessary. Sometimes it’s the simple oversights that have the worst consequences. Preplanning is critical.
I believe that no Bug-Out Plan is complete without a predetermined survival destination—your Bug-Out Location (BOL). The details of this location may affect the type of BOV you should choose. I know a guy whose Bug-Out Location is on an island in the ocean. He actually has two BOVs. One is a truck to get him to the dock. The other is a sailboat to get him to the island. Obviously, his BOL dictates his BOV. I also have a friend whose BOL is at the end of a fourteen mile road (road in an exaggeration) near the top of a mountain that is only passable with a four-wheel drive vehicle. His vehicle must have four-wheel drive. A BOL that’s one thousand miles away (not recommended) may require a more fuel-efficient vehicle than one that is two hundred miles away. Does your BOL limit the kind of BOV you can choose?
Before you consider a variety of products, tools, and supplies to include in your BOV, you need to start defining what kind of BOV packer you are. There are three strategies to consider and none of them are wrong. It will help if you decide early on in the process which one you are most comfortable with.
Too much gear for this BOV
This category is for those of you who feel you have pretty much everything you need for a 72-hour Bug Out packed in your Bug-Out Bag. You do not see a need to pack more survival tools, food, water or supplies in your Bug-Out Vehicle. After all, that’s what a Bug-Out Bag is for, right? A BOV is simply a mode of transportation from Point A to Point B, nothing more and nothing less.
This category is for those of you who see a Bug-Out Vehicle as another LAYER of security and choose to pack redundant survival tools, food, water and supplies inside even though you already have those items packed into your Bug-Out Bag. You have decided to reserve your Bug-Out Bag as a last ditch effort and don’t want to break into it until you are officially on foot. In essence, you look at your BOV as another really big Bug-Out Bag. You plan on using the resources in your BOV first – before you open your BOB. Note: This is the category that I fall into.
Most people will find themselves most comfortable with this strategy. For some reason or other (maybe time or budget) you don’t want to pack a bunch of redundant items in your BOV that you already have in your BOB. You may decide to pack some redundant items but certainly not everything. Your BOV isn’t an entirely independent second layer, but rather a great spot to pack EXTRA stuff that you couldn’t fit into your BOB; like more water, a bigger shelter and some extra clothes. You have no problem with using items out of your Bug-Out Bag while traveling in your Bug-Out Vehicle.
Your lifestyle will help you choose a general type of vehicle to use for bugging out. You need a vehicle you can afford, works with your environment, accommodates your full load (of people and supplies), and gets you where you need to go.
But lifestyle details aren’t the only factors to consider when choosing a BOV. The attributes of the BOV itself are equally important. Two people can choose the same type of BOV, but outfit them to perform very differently. The devil is in the details.
Find detailed Bug-Out Vehicle outfitting and packing instructions in Build the Perfect Bug Out Vehicle by Creek Stewart, available at store.livingreadyonline.com.