Good survivalist / prepper vehicle

[CamoDeafie]

On the other hand; some vehicles really are cheaper than owning a house that's vulnerable to bombs, fire, earthquakes, flooding.... but yeah, it depends on the state of the infrastructure and how likely it is for just about everyone to hit the roads and jam everything. Case in point, a few days ago there was a fatal crash on I-5 northbound just by North Jefferson, with 7 fatalities, and that happened in the early afternoon.. well because of that, traffic got backed up, redirected, and all the back roads got clogged with travel times increasing to hours between Salem and Albany and Corvallis. Edit it was so bad that the roads from Ankeny refuge area to Independence were clogged, as well as the roads from Corvallis to Salem

 

[The Heretic]

Say we have a really big earthquake in the northwest that destroyed the dams and the bridges, you can't travel a road in western Oregon that doesn't have a bridge which mean that's as far as you go in a vehicle.

Some of the bridges are rated/designed for earthquakes - doesn't mean they will still be there if the earthquake is bad enough though. There are at least three between my home and my kids home, and they are all new, and I know one of them is rated as earthquake resistant, the other two are very small and go over creeks instead of rivers (one is a drop in cast concrete affair over a deep culvert that empties into a pond/catchment so I might be able to drive around it by trespassing on farm land, the other is more of a culvert thing).

Some of the road up here on the mountain is not very stable and might landslide one way or the other. TBD.

Having a off-road capable vehicle is a place to start. My X1 is AWD but has low ground clearance. My Toyota 4x4 pickup is the better for traversing off-road as it is the lightest (compared to my Dodge cab chassis which weighs 3X as much) shorter than my truck, and will have the best tires.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Some of the bridges are rated/designed for earthquakes - doesn't mean they will still be there if the earthquake is bad enough though. There are at least three between my home and my kids home, and they are all new, and I know one of them is rated as earthquake resistant, the other two are very small and go over creeks instead of rivers (one is a drop in cast concrete affair over a deep culvert that empties into a pond/catchment so I might be able to drive around it by trespassing on farm land, the other is more of a culvert thing).

Some of the road up here on the mountain is not very stable and might landslide one way or the other. TBD.

Having a off-road capable vehicle is a place to start. My X1 is AWD but has low ground clearance. My Toyota 4x4 pickup is the better for traversing off-road as it is the lightest (compared to my Dodge cab chassis which weighs 3X as much) shorter than my truck, and will have the best tires.

I think the newest damn is Green Peter or Foster, if those don't hold due to an earthquake then the water would finish off any bridges down stream if the earthquake doesn't. I really don't see and earthquake in our future but it's possible.

The war in Ukraine also gives a good look at travel in inclement weather. I worked construction all my life in Oregon and there are place you wont get a vehicle through if it's wet. You can get a 580 backho buried in the mud in Monmouth in a front yard. So much clay even track rigs can't pass.

Point being that if I intend to travel off road then I would need maps that show terrain.

 

[CamoDeafie]

There's an infamous Gambler 500 car that was in Albany but I haven't seen it there for a while... the other Fiero is someone else's.



And then the original AMC Eagles.. got good ground clearance and beefy tires.

 

[The Heretic]

I think the newest damn is Green Peter or Foster, if those don't hold due to an earthquake then the water would finish off any bridges down stream if the earthquake doesn't.

The only dam I live (kind of) downstream from is Hagg Lake - that would cause flooding on the Tualatin, but probably would not wipe out the Scholls Ferry bridge.

I really don't see and earthquake in our future but it's possible.

Oh - there is most certainly a Cascadian earthquake in the future. The only question is when. It could be tomorrow (IIRC, 30%+ chance of near future) or 100 years from now. Something like every 500-1000 years?

The war in Ukraine also gives a good look at travel in inclement weather. I worked construction all my life in Oregon and there are place you wont get a vehicle through if it's wet. You can get a 580 backho buried in the mud in Monmouth in a front yard. So much clay even track rigs can't pass.

Point being that if I intend to travel off road then I would need maps that show terrain.

I got my 4x4 truck stuck in mud 20' off my deck (I wanted to unload firewood onto the deck) and it took months to get it unstuck by itself - I had to wait until the ground dried out. I got a tracked skid steer stuck in mud on my back acreage, and neighbor high centered a dozer on a small stump in my woods.

It isn't hard to get things stuck, and those people who say they have never been stuck haven't tried hard enough - especially those people who say their 2WD vehicle can go anywhere a 4WD can.

 

[Longwalkhome]

On the other hand; some vehicles really are cheaper than owning a house that's vulnerable to bombs, fire, earthquakes, flooding.... but yeah, it depends on the state of the infrastructure and how likely it is for just about everyone to hit the roads and jam everything. Case in point, a few days ago there was a fatal crash on I-5 northbound just by North Jefferson, with 7 fatalities, and that happened in the early afternoon.. well because of that, traffic got backed up, redirected, and all the back roads got clogged with travel times increasing to hours between Salem and Albany and Corvallis. Edit it was so bad that the roads from Ankeny refuge area to Independence were clogged, as well as the roads from Corvallis to Salem

Sad thing 7 people died in one accident in day to day driving. I can imagine what it would be like in a panic run for survival on our roads. In a real panic even the back roads would jam with wrecks and rigs out of fuel. Most people don't have full tanks so they won't get far. I will have a bicycle in my rig just in case, heck the roads are dangerous now so getting in a wreck during a panic is a good possibility.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Sad thing 7 people died in one accident in day to day driving. I can imagine what it would be like in a panic run for survival on our roads. In a real panic even the back roads would jam with wrecks and rigs out of fuel. Most people don't have full tanks so they won't get far. I will have a bicycle in my rig just in case, heck the roads are dangerous now so getting in a wreck during a panic is a good possibility.

Yeah, turns out it was a drunk semi truck driver who hit a van that had 11 people inside, into another semitruck. The driver has been arrested and charged with DUII and manslaughter.

 

[Longwalkhome]

The only damn I live (kind of) downstream from is Hagg Lake - that would cause flooding on the Tualatin, but probably would not wipe out the Scholls Ferry bridge.


Oh - there is most certainly a Cascadian earthquake in the future. The only question is when. It could be tomorrow (IIRC, 30%+ chance of near future) or 100 years from now. Something like every 500-1000 years?


I got my 4x4 truck stuck in mud 20' off my deck (I wanted to unload firewood onto the deck) and it took months to get it unstuck by itself - I had to wait until the ground dried out. I got a tracked skid steer stuck in mud on my back acreage, and neighbor high centered a dozer on a small stump in my woods.

It isn't hard to get things stuck, and those people who say they have never been stuck haven't tried hard enough - especially those people who say their 2WD vehicle can go anywhere a 4WD can.

Used to bear hunt with my brother in the western Oregon coastal range, a winch comes in handy to drag game out of the canyons. Winch can move fallen trees and get you unstuck when the road gives away. A winch and good chainsaw is a must have on oregons logging roads...if you want to move on them.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I've gotten the 2001 Kia Sportage 2WD almost stuck on one of the NF roads out near Cascadia in the past. I've gotten the 98 Suzuki Esteem stuck on a gravel road once in Deschutes National Forest .

Have gotten a Chevy Celebrity into a ditch and got it out, once way out in Pedee/Falls city area... never got the 94 Olds Ciera wagon stuck on a forest road, but have gotten it stuck in snow and ice in parking lots in New York where chains are banned... but that was before I put winter tires on it.

Spun out my parents old Dodge Caravan on 58 near Oakridge on the way to Klamath Falls and totaled it, on black ice.

 

[The Heretic]

Used to bear hunt with my brother in the western Oregon coastal range, a winch comes in handy to drag game out of the canyons. Winch can move fallen trees and get you unstuck when the road gives away. A winch and good chainsaw is a must have on oregons logging roads...if you want to move on them.

At the time I was stuck I didn't have a winch. Now I do, but I have not installed it on anything. It is a hitch carrier 10K# winch, so I need to put a hitch on the front of my trucks and/or buy enough thick battery cable to run to the back of the trucks. My cab chassis truck will need at least 60' of 4/0 welding cable (two 30' cables) to run from the batteries to the back hitch, the pickup about 40', plus the cable for running to the front hitch (probably 30' more). It adds up at $8 per foot, so I have not bought any yet.

A 10K# winch would have helped, but I do need a 20K#+ winch for my truck as it weighs 10K# unloaded and I intend to put some kind of camper on it full loaded. I do have some snatch blocks, but I need to get some other recovery equipment too.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Handy man jack, a winch and a chainsaw gets a rig over most logging roads. An axe and shovel help too. Weather is a big deal, after a big storm there are trees and slides over the roads and many unpassable no matter what.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Being in a very light vehicle probably will help a lot more than having the cargo capacity.. though that's all a matter of ground pressure and dispersal

 

[Longwalkhome]

Being in a very light vehicle probably will help a lot more than having the cargo capacity.. though that's all a matter of ground pressure and dispersal

I don't know, I think it may depend on the obstacles you may encounter. A heavy rig with a chain can drag a fallen tree out of the way, too light of vehicles can't get traction. Yet in Eastern Oregon the back roads are more washed out so a light vehicle is pretty easy to get around in. Hunted Eastern Oregon a great deal and the roads can get washed out ruts 4 foot deep or more. You could drive around the rut on a 4 wheeler while a pickup couldn't.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I don't know, I think it may depend on the obstacles you may encounter. A heavy rig with a chain can drag a fallen tree out of the way, too light of vehicles can't get traction. Yet in Eastern Oregon the back roads are more washed out so a light vehicle is pretty easy to get around in. Hunted Eastern Oregon a great deal and the roads can get washed out ruts 4 foot deep or more. You could drive around the rut on a 4 wheeler while a pickup couldn't.

Yea..snowcats/imps, seem to do fine on snow obviously dune buggies do awesome on sand, but large burly vehicles.can do better in forests.. it does depend on use case and locations.

Edit. There's also the tires/track choices too which is just as important as weight and capacity.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Yea..snowcats/imps, seem to do fine on snow obviously dune buggies do awesome on sand, but large burly vehicles.can do better in forests.. it does depend on use case and locations.

Edit. There's also the tires/track choices too which is just as important as weight and capacity.

I agree so my thinking is choose a route and a vehicle that can make it. Of course Murphy laughs at our choices but it's better to have something organized if the need comes along.

 

[The Heretic]

I don't know, I think it may depend on the obstacles you may encounter. A heavy rig with a chain can drag a fallen tree out of the way, too light of vehicles can't get traction. Yet in Eastern Oregon the back roads are more washed out so a light vehicle is pretty easy to get around in. Hunted Eastern Oregon a great deal and the roads can get washed out ruts 4 foot deep or more. You could drive around the rut on a 4 wheeler while a pickup couldn't.

Both are true - my pickup (3500#) can get around a lot better/easier than my truck, but the tires will just spin when I try to yard a log out of the woods, whereas the truck hardly notices it is back there.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Both are true - my pickup (3500#) can get around a lot better/easier than my truck, but the tires will just spin when I try to yard a log out of the woods, whereas the truck hardly notices it is back there.

Your post kinda make me ponder on how experience like you have will make a real difference in survival. So many things we live through and do in our lifetimes gives us knowledge enough to make a difference. Not blowing smoke but your post make me think you would do well in a world of changes. It's a pleasure to read your thoughts.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Always on the lookout for a vehicle to live in off the grid. Might just be futile but I've always said any attempt at preparation for what is coming is better than none at all.
The seller here put this amazing vehicle on BAT at no-reserve and it sold for $140k. Probably half what it is worth right now, definitely will be worth A LOT more than that two years from now .

So even with the crazy prices out there, some sneak through the cracks.

The clown show paint/letter could be subdued. Damn, must be nice.

1994 Stewart & Stevenson M1079 Camper Conversion

Bid for the chance to own a 1994 Stewart & Stevenson M1079 Camper Conversion at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #107,652.

bringatrailer.com

 

[The Heretic]

Your post kinda make me ponder on how experience like you have will make a real difference in survival. So many things we live through and do in our lifetimes gives us knowledge enough to make a difference. Not blowing smoke but your post make me think you would do well in a world of changes. It's a pleasure to read your thoughts.

I used to mess around off-road a lot, both 4 wheeled vehicles and dirt bikes. I also spent time out in farm fields and the woods operating various machines and observing others operate them (spent some time behind a a skidder setting choker - also with a yarder).

Later, I converted a '72 Datsun PU to 4WD back before that size of a pickup was regularly offered as a 4x4 - about the only choice (IIRC) was either an aftermarket conversion, a Chevy LUV or a Isuzu?

Anyway after breaking axles and diffs and ujoints and having poor brakes/suspension (I ran out of $ being a poor college student), I decided "four wheeling" as a sport was a bit too expensive and time consuming for me, plus the factory rigs were starting to come out and were better/cheaper than what I could build on my budget. I bought a $500 '77 Scout that worked better than what I dumped $5K+ into that Datsun.

Anymore I avoid getting vehicles stuck if at all possible - it is just such a PITA and I am not up to it physically anymore.

Dirt bikes (real ones, not "dual sports") are much more capable of going places than 4x4s - but that requires a person be in good health as the physical effort is much greater (and a lot more fun, but I am now considering selling my bikes and getting an ATV instead as I doubt I am up to riding a dirt bike again).

So yes, experience, either by doing and/or by watching it being done, is helpful.

 

[The Heretic]

Always on the lookout for a vehicle to live in off the grid. Might just be futile but I've always said any attempt at preparation for what is coming is better than none at all.
The seller here put this amazing vehicle on BAT at no-reserve and it sold for $140k. Probably half what it is worth right now, definitely will be worth A LOT more than that two years from now .

So even with the crazy prices out there, some sneak through the cracks.

The clown show paint/letter could be subdued. Damn, must be nice.

1994 Stewart & Stevenson M1079 Camper Conversion

Bid for the chance to own a 1994 Stewart & Stevenson M1079 Camper Conversion at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #107,652.

bringatrailer.com

Yeah - the expedition guys spend $$$$$$ or more on their rigs, travel around for years, then decide to upgrade and/or settle down. Maybe they had kids and decided to moderate their traveling?

I want to have a rig that I can use as a base camp. I am not going to try to do anything with it except get to the edge of the backwoods - someplace I am pretty sure I can get back out of without any trouble. Then if I want to go exploring I would take my pickup or an ATV or something (maybe an electric 2WD bicycle).

I don't want to get a truck with a big camper on it stuck somewhere it should be. OTOH, I don't want to go to an RV park and "camp" with a bunch of other people all around me - I have a better experience staying at home where I have 16 acres and quiet/seclusion than I would in an RV park.