Category: Vehicles

Letter Re: Automotive Preparedness

JWR; After reading the follow up to automotive preparedness, (I am Toyota fan) I figured I would share a few thoughts. Some background , I use to be a tractor mechanic for several years, repairing all kind of engines, transmissions, and other systems. I have also owned four  1980s-era Toyota trucks since I was in high school  (all 4x4s). I  progressed from no power steering or air conditioning as a kid, to wanting all the extras later in life. I also have many friends and family which have Toyotas that I helped work on. I also have a neighbor that …


Letter Re: Automotive Preparedness

The author has laid out many very important ideas regarding keeping one’s vehicle(s) in working order and having the tools and know how to do repairs “on the fly”. I’d like to add one very important consideration – the MANUFACTURER and vintage of your vehicle. It hit me like “a ton of bricks” when the author mentioned his vehicle was a 1995 Chevy 1500.   I had one!  Without a doubt it was the worst vehicle I’ve ever owned. Brakes were worthless off of the showroom floor. By the 62,000 mi mark when I finally traded it the metallic blue paint had peeled …


Automotive Preparedness by P.D. in Northern Missouri

I am a firm believer that a TEOTWAWKI situation will happen, and in my lifetime.  I consider myself a prepper, and am a daily reader of “prepping articles,” and almost always read about “bug out bags,” or “72-hour kits,” call them what you will.  I also read allot of articles devoted to bug out vehicles.  A bug out vehicle is a great concept, but is only as good as the distance it will take you, or for the length of time that it will last.  I do believe that bugging out is a necessity in prepping for a TEOTWAWKI situation, …


Two Letters Re: Survival Bikes

Mr. JWR: A suggestion for the old bike tubes when they need to be replaced; cut out the stem and slit them along the inside of the tube curve, all the way around.  Lay it inside the wheel and nestle the new tube inside it.  You now have an additional rubber layer between the new tube and the puncture threats of the road. – Adventane Dear Mr. Rawles, I have “lurked” for several months on your site and have learned a great deal from it. Regarding Banjo’s article about survival bikes, he did not mention these solid rubber inner tubes, …


Letter Re: Survival Bikes

A few more thoughts on survival bikes, especially two readers’ recommendations to use Presta-valve tubes. Mark L. might be a bit of a bike snob; I understand that, having myself been into high-end bicycles and raced and toured thousands of miles, but his comments on Presta valves and suspension bikes I think are off the mark in a TEOTWAWKI situation. You cannot buy a Presta valve anywhere except a [high end] bike store or online. In my area, in the winter, there are no bike stores open within 150 miles in the best of times. Of course, if you’re thinking …


Three Letters Re: Survival Bikes

Hey James; I just want to comment regarding the article just posted about survival bikes.   It was a generally good article, but I have a few points of disagreement with the author.   The first point where I would disagree is in regard to the type of tubes he recommends.  His recommendation is bikes with Schrader valves as opposed to Presta.  I believe Presta valves to be far superior and more durable than the Schrader valve.  His reason for using the Schrader valve tube is that it is more universal.  While that is true, generally, most bicycle pumps have …


Survival Bikes, by Banjo

Lots of people are getting out of their cars and onto bikes these days, because of the high cost of gasoline , parking hassles, and concerns about staying physically fit. When natural disasters or terrorist acts strike, people repeatedly find that a good bicycle is a fine thing to have. On a “bang for the buck” basis, the bicycle is one of the finest travel machines Mankind has devised. When the motor vehicle was still in its infancy, armies the world over were putting their troops on bicycles. The armies knew they could move a lot of soldiers, with gear, …


In-Extremis Travel; Red Light, Green Light, Yellow Light, by Will Prep

There has been a lot of debate over whether or not to remain in place or to leave your home and retreat to another location within the prepper community. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but that is not the scope of this article. I simply want to address the moment that all of us may come to, both the bug-in crowd, when they realize their initial plan is untenable, or the bug-out crowd, when they have made their decision to move to “higher ground.” We all remember the game “Red Light, Green Light”, we played as kids and tried …


Letter Re: Safe Carry of a Gas Can in a Car Trunk

James, Regarding the ability to store a fuel reserve onboard the vehicle;  Before your readers consider an expensive custom military fuel tank (which may not meet DOT standards), they many want to consider an option that is already approved by the DOT and is very affordable.   As a race car and off-road truck enthusiast I’ve participated in many events where cars/trucks must meet Department of Transportation (DOT) certification before the vehicle can compete.  A majority of the “modified” vehicles run gasoline and use aftermarket fuel tanks of various sizes.  Depending on the style of racing many of the tanks …


Letter Re: Safe Carry of a Gas Can in a Car Trunk

JWR: Can you recommend a way to properly store 1-2 gallons of fuel in a trunk for emergencies? I think something like a Kolpin Fuel Pack with some Sta-Bil in it would last in a confined space for an extended (3-6 months) period of time. All The Best, – Travis R. JWR Replies: For regular carry in a car trunk, there are just a few truly safe containers that will prevent your car from becoming a veritable flaming bomb, in the event of a major rear-end collision. One that I can indeed recommend is the Explosafe can. And FWIW, I …


Letter Re: Preparations for a Long-Distance Commuter

Mr. Rawles, For those considering the purchase of winter tires, a good web site with demonstrations comparing the performance of different vehicle types (including all wheel drive) with and without these tires from the Rubber Association of Canada. Survival experts have also advised against consuming snow as a water source. Les Stroud, a Canadian survival expert, has demonstrated that if engaged in physical activity, such as walking, the consumption of snow when necessary is safe as metabolic heat offsets the cold snow. Some have survived in Arctic conditions doing this. However, it is still not safe when hunkered down. Best …


Preparations for a Long-Distance Commuter, by Darin P. in Michigan

Long-distance Commuters face challenges. I average 20 days at work per month.  During those days, I am away from home for 11.5 hours.   Unless the Crunch starts conveniently on a Saturday morning, before I can survive the end of the world as I know it I have to get home.      My daily commute carries me 35 miles each way.  Sometimes while sitting in traffic I’m reminded of real life – and fictional – disaster situations looking a lot like what I face each day; miles and miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion.  The defining difference is this: My traffic jam eventually …


Letter Re: Can You Take To The Sky?

JWR, I have been reading you blog and the letters other people has written for a few weeks now. A friend of mine turned me on to your site. Thank you and everyone else for all you do. I have learned much over the past few weeks and look forward to learning more as time goes on.   I just read the letter post in September by Greg G., Can You Take to the Sky? Greg makes some very valid and interesting points in his letter. Like Greg, I am a licensed pilot. I studied at a local community college …


Letter Re: DIY Drones on the Homestead

Dear Editor: Although land, sea, and aerial [unmanned vehicles] are available, for the purpose of survival ‘hobbyist’ surveillance from an aerial vehicle is the best option.  A land or sea based homemade ‘drone’ would have to be large to navigate even moderate terrain or choppy water and the larger the vehicle is the more costly, dangerous and obvious it is.  Aerial ‘drones’ on the other hand can be much smaller and unobtrusive.   When we refer to drones, what we are really speaking of just a radio controlled vehicle with perhaps some fancy telemetry.   Aerial drones come in two basic flavors, …


DIY Drones on the Homestead, by P.R.

Why should tyrannical, oppressive governments have all the fun with advanced technology?  How many of you reading this knew that for about $1,000 (about the cost of a good AR-15) that you could buy all the parts you needed to build your own drones?  Did you know that there are cutting edge companies that are even selling “all in one” kits to make your own drones?  Everyone is well-aware that drones have become a force-multiplier on the battle field.  They grant a lone ground force the ability of a degree of air-superiority, even if that superiority is only that of …