Category: Vehicles

Letter Re: The Importance of Spare Parts and Maintenance for Preparedness

James Wesley: One subject that I think is under rated in preparedness discussions is spare parts. We all are focused on our armaments and basic survival materials to the detriment of being able to continue to use our tools and equipment when they inevitably break. Even in the best-case scenario of a sever depression spare parts will be often unavailable through normal channels. A good example of this is to be found in cars. When I was young in the ‘50s and early ‘60s there was an abundance of cars made in the late ‘20s and ‘30s in remarkably good …


From The Werewolf: New Flex Fuel Ethanol Motorcycle Now Available in Brazil

Jim, I´m very proud of the new Honda´s motorcycle in the Brazilian market:he first full “flex fuel” bike in the world! You can use gas and alcohol, in almost any ratio. (Well, on cold days, you´ll need 20% gasoline minimum to start the engine…). It´s the ultimate survival bike! I know you don´t read Portuguese, but here is the link. And here is an article about it in English: Honda CG150 TITAN MIX: world’s first flex-fuel motorcycle. Best Regards, – The Werewolf in Brazil


Letter Re: Viability of Central America Retreat Locales?

Hi Mr. Rawles, I thank you sincerely for all of the great information that you have made available to us all, for all your years of experience and knowledge. I have what I hope will be an interesting question for you. I am young, 25, and currently work for an NGO in Nicaragua and previously did the Peace Corps work here as well. I have been pondering over how reasonable Nicaragua would/could be as a retreat location, for numerous reasons, such as, in any given area: Rich topsoil and annual rains Extremely low population density (lowest in Central America) Low …


Two Letters Re: Bug Out Vehicle Cooling Systems for Extreme Emergencies

Jim, In his recent contribution, “The Oddshot” stated that leaving a thermostat out of an engine is an unacceptable option: “So why not just leave the thermostat and blanking sleeve out entirely? Because the water will flow, unrestricted, and very fast through the engine and radiator. Too fast to pick up the heat from inside the engine, too fast to get cooled off in the radiator.” I mean no offense to him, but this is an incorrect assertion. A coolant can never flow “too fast to pick up heat” or “too fast to get cooled off”. It is true that …


Bug Out Vehicle Cooling Systems for Extreme Emergencies, by The Oddshot

Vehicles break down. It’s a fact of life. Most breakdowns can be avoided by following a good schedule of preventative maintenance or with a couple of well thought out modifications. But, try as you might, failures can and will occur, even to the best of us. Anything can put you on the side of the road. Ever run out of gas? Have a flat tire? Bad universal joint on a drive shaft? Charging system go bad? This one happened to me just a few weeks ago. To get an idea of what can go wrong, just drive to work. Look …


Letter Re: Barnyard Junk: The Things that You Do and Don’t Need for TEOTWAWKI

Jim Much has been written in all the various books, discussion groups and forums about acquiring the best G.O.O.D. bag, BOVs and medical kits. Much has been said about what garden seeds to get and the best lead delivery systems to have. There’s been endless discussions about setting up the most survivable retreat and packing the maps to help get you there. …But I recall very little talk about what you don’t need. I’ve lived on the family farm all my life. I’ve also spent a great deal of time delivering survival supplies to Indian Reservation all over the US. …


Letter Re: Our Hurricane Rita Evac Proved a Point–Timing is Everything!

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was in Kingwood Texas, a suburb of Houston, and as keeping an eye on the Hurricane Rita projected tracks. When the “yellow cone of death” was centered squarely on Houston, I started to seriously access my situation. That Tuesday evening, everything still seemed sort of normal. The wife came home from work about 5 p.m. and we took the dog for a walk around 6 p.m. When we passed the local gas station that normally has 0-1 cars in it and there was a line 10 cars deep, I knew it was “time.” I told the …


Letter Re: A Test Load-Up Shows a G.O.O.D. Inadequacy

Hello Mr. Rawles; First and foremost, thanks for the site, the info is invaluable and a must read every morning I am writing to add a few simple thoughts (perhaps state the obvious) on the subject of survival vehicle – really just some comments on G.O.O.D. I recently sold my house and am in the process of trying to get into a better situation, and during the move decided to attempt a “live” exercise. I took the opportunity to see how quickly I could load up my truck and bug out. I wanted to time the load of my truck …


Three Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle

Mr. JWR, I’m surprised this hasn’t been addressed more thoroughly, but the first point of consideration should be whether the vehicle will be diesel or gasoline (since most vehicle models don’t have a diesel equivalent). I know this topic has been done before here, and even led me to investing in a diesel, but apparently it’s worth rehashing. The disadvantages of gasoline are substantial. Gasoline is difficult to store safely (as it is so combustible). Its useful life generally expires in about 12 months (so should you not have access to your stabilized cache, you can expect your vehicle to …


My Tale of the Hurricane Rita Evacuation. August, 2005, by Dan G.

I was working in a pawnshop in Aransass Pass Texas, about 20 miles North of Corpus Christi, Texas. Two days earlier my wife and I watched the destruction of New Orleans on National Television, the news coverage was continuing around the clock as the drama unfolded. Gasoline had shot up from $1.56 to $2.99 a gallon overnight and of course I had to fill up that morning to get to my menial low paying job. Late that afternoon a rich looking couple driving a huge brand new pickup truck, came into the pawnshop. They spoke very loudly about how their …


Two Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle

Hi James, Regarding the article “Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle” – I couldn’t agree more with the choice of an older Ford truck. I love mine. The only part I take exception to is converting permanently from electronic ignition to a mechanical point type distributor. I understand the EMP and other concerns, but there is a caveat readers need to be informed of. Some/most Fords with 302 or 5.0 liter engines in the mid- to late-1980s and on were equipped from the factory with a hydraulic roller lifter camshaft. The roller cams are made of very hard steel, harder …


Six Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle

Jim – Read the article [by OddShot] about the BOV and wanted to add a ranching note. Some of us ranchers have pickups with a trailer hitch mounted in the front as well as the back. This makes pulling trailers out of awkward situations easier without having to turn the truck around. Added to a substantial front bumper, it makes front ramming an interesting proposition, as that hitch – with a draw-bar but no ball – would do some serious damage. Kind of like the bronze prow on a Greek warship. Just an idea. – Geoff in ND JWR Replies: …


Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle, by OddShot

I recently had the opportunity to read JWR’s novel “Patriots” . As a former professional automobile mechanic with 25+ years of experience and having a similar history building, restoring and racing British sports cars (MGBs), I became intrigued with a certain aspect of his book: the preparation of a “survival vehicle.” This is intended to be a vehicle rugged enough, durable enough, and simple enough to be an important part of anyone’s survival program. My first consideration was to define this vehicle. Next, I set out to list a number of modifications to this vehicle that would increase it’s simplicity, …


Aids to Mapping Your G.O.O.D. Routes

Mr. Rawles, I appreciate everything you do to keep everyone working toward preparing. To that end I would like to supplement your notes with a product I have been using for a few weeks now that have greatly improved my Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) plans. Along with US Geological maps I have used the excellent Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer to plan my back road escape routes. Recently I found that they now offer ($29.95 plus the cost of the software) an “all you can use” annual subscription to their entire map collection in digital format. Unfortunately you do need …


Depression Proof Jobs for a 20 Year Depression – Part 2: Developing a Home-Based Business

Yesterday, in Part1, I discussed the “safe” and counter-cyclical occupations for the unfolding economic depression. Today, I’d like to talk about one specific approach: self-employment with a home-based business. I posted most the following back in late 2005, but there are some important points that are worth repeating: The majority of SurvivalBlog readers that I talk with tell me that they live in cities or suburbs, but they would like to live full time at a retreat in a rural area. Their complaint is almost always the same: “…but I’m not self-employed. I can’t afford to live in the country …