Category: Vehicles

Two Letters Re: Motorcycles and Motorcycling Skills

Jim, If anyone wants to learn the right way to ride a motorcycle, the best way, in my opinion, is to refer to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I know in my state, if you get your learners permit, take the course and complete it successfully, you get a waiver and do not have to take the state road test to receive your motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license. Also, depending on your insurance company, you get up to 10% off your insurance premiums. – Sid, Near Niagara Falls Hi Jim, When it comes to Survivalists writing about motorcycles, either online …


Letter Re: Motorcycles and Motorcycling Skills

Dear Jim, The roads are getting worse, gas prices are high, and the taxes keep going up. Something has to give. So far road maintenance seems to be one of the breaking points. I have witnessed roads evaporate. I have witnessed them get consumed in vegetation. I have traveled in the Sierras in places where the 4WD was getting stuck and knew an off road or dual sport motorcycle would cross these places easily. I can’t help but think while I’ve learned to shoot rifles and purify water and stitch wounds, shouldn’t I put at least as much effort into …


Letter Re: Bug Out Bags for the Elderly and Those with Bad Backs

Hello Mr. Rawles, I noticed that another bug out bag article was posted to SurvivalBlog. The love affair with the bug out bag is for the physically able. For those of us who cannot shoulder a 50 to 70 pound pack, there ought to be an alternative. My wife and I are both 69 years old and in relative good health. Neither of us could shoulder a 40+ pound bag and go any significant distance. The answer to this is mechanical leverage. We bought two yard carts like those used to move plants around at commercial plan nurseries and greenhouses. …


How to Get to Your Retreat, by Tony Y.

You have spent large amounts of time and money getting prepared for the day that we all hoped would never come.  You have found a retreat, kept it stocked and have been prepared to leave when TEOTWAWKI strikes.  It’s now here, but have you prepared how to get to your retreat? One of the most critical tasks for survival in TEOTWAWKI is getting to your retreat in a safe and efficient manner.  I was a US Army soldier who completed two year- long tours in Iraq working convoys.  I have written the following for civilians with no military or tactical …


I Thought that I Had a Clue, by K. in Florida

So since the balance of power change in the Federal Government I thought I was sitting pretty good for my ability to survive a possible TEOTWAWKI . Man was I so wrong. I have learned in the past three months that I am so far behind that if The Collapse happens in 20 years I will still not be as prepared as I thought I was. Yes I have some basics and am a bit off of the beaten path, but there is still so much more that I am not ready for. Let me explain. I have lived in …


Motorized Survival Bikes, by JIR

When you mention bicycles in the context of survival preparation, most people roll their eyes. I used to feel the same way. The image of pedaling through the apocalypse with mushroom clouds in the background is almost comical. But, after buying a motor kit as a toy and trying it out for a while, I have completely changed my opinion. These are serious machines that may fit a niche in your survival plans. They fit my plans perfectly. We are much more likely to experience a severe economic decline rather than a collapse. In fact, a lot of people would …


Saving in the Hard Times, for the Harder Times, by Mrs. C.J. in San Diego

I am by no means a financial expert and have lived most of my life from paycheck to paycheck, so the first thing I thought of when I read “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”was “Wow, those guys must have been rich to buy all that stuff!” I was very overwhelmed and felt somewhat hopeless that I could ever have enough money to buy the things we needed to make it through TEOTWAWKI, especially now that the economy is worsening, and people have less and less money. So I set out to figure out what I would …


Letter Re: The S-250 Vehicle Shelter

James Wesley: Just a short note on the S-250 information. The original writer made an error in assuming all of these are shielded. There are several manufacturers of the S-250 and models differ in not just shielded or non-shielded, but also the level of shielding. NSA shelters (not generally available) have the highest level. Here is a link to one of the manufacturers. My point is that a buyer should investigate the National Stock Number (NSN) of the unit they are interested in and contact the manufacturer to confirm that a specific level of EMP/EMI shielding is installed, if any. …


Letter Re: The S-250 Vehicle Shelter

Letter Re: The S-250 Vehicle Shelter Dear Editor: Now available from your local Federal Government through GovLiquidation.com is what is commonly known as the S-250 shelter. In essence, this is a highly sought after, well constructed, insulated truck shelter used by the military as a radio shack or electronics shelter.  [They were designed to be mounted in pickup beds, but more recently have been mounted on Humvees.] When looking online you’ll find most of those seeking these shelters at auction are either military vehicle collectors or those seeking a super heavy duty slide in truck camper.  Thirdly you’ll find some …


Two Letters Re: G.O.O.D. Vehicle Preparation and Maintenance–Is Your Vehicle Up to the Task?

Sir, I am replying to the recent post on G.O.O.D. Vehicle Preparation and Maintenance. It had almost all excellent information, except the part about coolant, the “reddish eco-friendly” is the only long life coolant that causes problems, it is either DEX-COOL, or a licensed replacement that would be the same color. GM has been having legal problems with it for over a decade. As a former dealer tech I saw the damage it caused, and would also never use it in a car. The long life coolants, as well as the universal type with long life attributes are fine to …


Letter Re: G.O.O.D. Vehicle Preparation and Maintenance–Is Your Vehicle Up to the Task?, by Barry B.

In a “Schumer hits the fan” (SHTF) scenario where you need to get out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.), will your vehicle be up to the task? Is your cooling system robust enough to handle unusual demands? Are your fancy new wheels hurky enough to withstand off-road conditions? Is your vehicle ready to tow a trailer over rough terrain and for long distances? Is the trailer ready? We don’t get to pick when the SHTF, so keep your vehicle ready! Here are some of my suggestions based on over twenty-five years in the automotive maintenance and repair business. Catastrophic failures often begin …


Letter Re: Understanding Hydrocarbon-Based Fuel

Mr. Editor: I wanted to comment on the article “Understanding Hydrocarbon-Based Fuel”: There is good info in this article but it really sells ethanol short. I think it will give preppers the misconception to stay away of ethanol. I’ve been studying ethanol for a couple years. I run an oil burner I’ve converted, and intend to build a large still. My 2000 Ford F-150 will run 50% ethanol without issues. It will run 100% E-85 fine but the check engine light will come on because the oxygen sensor sees too clean of exhaust. There are lots of false and manipulated …


A Personal Journey in Preparedness, by Mountain Man

I’m fairly new to SurvivalBlog but now it’s an every day read. I wanted to write and share my own journey of preparedness with you and your readers. After living with three and a half million people for about 22 years, a move to the country was long over due. I made the decision to get out of the city back in 1999, when I starting to take things a bit more seriously with all of the talk about Y2K. I was really hoping that something would have happened back then so I could test my skills at being prepared …


Building Your Kits for Survival, by Jeff M.

There are many different ways to go about preparing for tomorrow. One method that has really worked out well for me so far is kit building. Kits focus your attention on one specific area at a time, and bring into focus the strengths and weaknesses in your planning. There is something of a natural progression to it; you can start small and work up to bigger and better as you develop the means and know how. This is intended as an overview of the concept; details for specific kit building can be found all all over the web. EDC (Every …


Letter Re: Vehicle Shutdown Via Remote Control–No Longer Just a Remote Possibility

Dear JWR: I hope that you are well. I thought that the following news report may be of interest to your blog. Not to get too “tinfoil-hat” here, but many of your readers may not appreciate the vulnerabilities their vehicles’ computers expose them to. See: Hacker Disables More Than 100 Cars Remotely. The article begins: “More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars disabled or the horns honking out of control, after an intruder ran amok in a web-based vehicle-immobilization system normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments.” In this case the …