Letter Re: Bug Out Vehicle Advice

Mr. Rawles,
I have a question that I’m hoping you could provide some insight on.  I’m looking for a Bug Out Vehicle (BOV), but can’t figure out what might be best.  My options are truck, SUV, or van.  I can think of pro’s and con’s for each myself but I can imagine that there are things that I’m not taking into consideration as well that could sway my decision.  The biggest thing is being able to use the vehicle for other things rather than it just sitting around waiting for the Schumer to Hit The Fan.  With that being said a truck or van would be most useful in a work capacity.  I like the idea of 4 wheel drive so that might limit a van since I hardly ever find too many of them with that option.  The van could be used for more work opportunities in my opinion but a four wheel drive truck would definitely come in handy in a bad situation.  By the way, I’m looking to keep the cost down as well. 

I’m hoping that you’ve might have encountered the question before and provided some excellent insight to someone like myself.  Any insight would be most appreciative.  Thank you!!

– Brian T.

JWR Replies: Yes, these issues have been discussed at length several times in the past seven years on SurvivalBlog. But, to summarize: A four wheel drive pickup is generally the most flexible, especially if you get a lightweight camper shell. (For more details use de a phrase like: “BOV and 4WD and capacity” with the blog’s Search box.

But I must add a caveat for this Early 21st Century era of gas prices that start with a “3”: If your BOV will be a “daily driver” then get a Toyota pickup, for better fuel economy.