Many moons ago, as a semi-broke college student, I purchased a used 1995 Ford F-150 for my first all-weather, practical vehicle. Being a young man, this selection was driven completely by brand loyalty and cosmetic appeal rather than any careful consideration of vehicle capabilities. By the grace of God, my selection would prove to be an excellent base from which to build my first Bug Out Truck (BOT) after I entered the prepping world.
The truck in stock form delivered reliable service for many years with the original manual transmission and 5.0L gas engine. While dependable, there were several outstanding qualities and several shortcomings that become glaringly obvious very quickly.
- As a full-size single cab, it provided plenty of room for my brother and myself on the four-hour trips from home to college. However, I had not put any thought into how a third passenger would affect everyone’s comfort. This was especially true for the person riding in the middle seat, as the gear shift sat between his/her knees. Having a manual transfer case, the four-wheel drive lever was under that person’s left foot. I had also not considered how to transport luggage in bad weather. A used, across-the-bed style toolbox was quickly found and Glad trash bags become a major part of the truck’s emergency kit.
- While being a full-size vehicle, the short-bed wheelbase made the truck very maneuverable, quick to steer, and tight turning. This allowed me to easily navigate the parking lots, garages, and street stalls of an over-crowded college town.
- A college student with a truck is always the most popular and in-demand person around, even to complete strangers. I later learned this applies equally well in the recently-married stage of life as friends and family bought new furniture and/or embarked on their first Do-It-Yourself home improvement projects.
- The 5.0L V8 gas engine was a terrible choice. As a young man, I was instantly sold on the idea of a V8 engine and thought the truck would have plenty of power. Instead, I found it to be grossly underpowered and required high RPMs to deliver adequate performance when merging with interstate traffic or passing on two-lane roads. Fuel mileage was also dismal, typically averaging 13-14 MPG. Combined with the 18-gallon gas tank, I passed up very few gas stations.
- Bad weather performance was much poorer than I thought it would be. I mistakenly thought that having four-wheel drive would allow the truck to go anywhere I wanted no matter what the weather conditions were.
- You can and will quickly exceed the comfortable weight carrying capacity of a truck. I learned this very early on when I started making Lowe’s and Home Depot trips for friends and family. Just because you can fit a pallet of bagged concrete in the bed does not mean you should.
A few years after college, several life events occurred over several years that would change how I looked at life and especially how I considered vehicles.
First, I purchased One Second After by William R. Forstchen and immediately proceeded to read it three times in a week. This opened my eyes and plunged me headfirst into the world of prepping.Continue reading“Lessons Learned from My First Bug Out Truck – Part 1, by H.J.”
