which would you rather use for Bug Out ?

[biker bo]

I'm going to buy an RV this spring. We are looking at motor homes , 5 th wheels and tag alongs . in the event of a SHTF situation which would you choose to use for bug out and why . I also have a crew cab 4x4 that would be used as well with .

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[Dunerunner]

I'd put a small camper on the pick-up. 4X4, and you don't have to worry about the thing you're towing!

I'd get one of these if I had the bucks!! <broken link removed>

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Where are you bugging out to? I would rather be in a tent in a safer area than an armored truck on or near a private chunk of well defended land. I say this as a rural land owner with nearby empty commercial timberland. Choose carefully

 

[Mark W.]

Keep in mind that if you make a vehicle weigh a lot you make it much harder to travel on soft ground. I drive a Dump truck and trailer and a LOT of what we do is like off road travel. Something like that off road RV better at the very least have a rear axle locker or Posi (which can become a nightmare on ice) or your going to get stuck on a level grass lawn.

 

[biker bo]

I have 4 kids plus my wife . I live about 20 miles south of Roseburg so there's a lot of logging roads very close to my house we can head to. This rv will be used for all of our camping trips so I need something at least 28' to 35' .

 

[techiej]

Having owned motorhomes and now a trailer, I'd go with the trailer for a true bug-out.

Motorhomes will burn through fuel like you wouldn't believe and you will most likely end up towing a vehicle behind it as well. They also don't do very well off-road. Even on-road you will find it challenging to turn-around if you tow as you usually need to disconnect the towed vehicle before backing up.

A trailer will allow you to set-up somewhere and then disconnect so that you can more readily get supplies, fuel, etc.

Where the motorhome has a BIG advantage is convenience as you never have to get out to use the toilet, get to the fridge, run the generator, etc.

Also, if you consider maintenance, the trailer is way-ahead and you can probably do most of the work yourself, including changing a flat. Think about what a large RV tire weighs.

I left out several types of RVs that are in-between and there are smaller motorhomes, etc...but if you are going with 4 kids plus the 2 of you then space will be more of an issue.

One other advantage to a trailer is that if you are using a decent sized truck (which you'll want in a large trailer) you have it available for other stuff.

 

[CamoDeafie]

aren't there trailers that also have RV sized showers/toilets/gennys/propane tanks attached to them?

I myself like these designs;
<broken link removed>

the advantages of the loft models is that they provide a pretty good "high" view for areas for defense, and they're also pretty small, and can be camouflaged pretty easily....as they are made of wood found locally.... (made in Oregon!) also; they are decently sized for a family; you can have the kids in the main bedroom in two bunk beds, while you and the missus sleep up in the loft, which also could afford you a nice "hide" to keep overwatch...

 

[biker bo]

Thanks I didn't know that motor homes had trouble on logging roads .

 

[Spielmannsfluch]

I recommend a cucv m1009 for bugging out. Diesel 6.2, very little electrical, will run waste oil and veggy oil if it's warm enough out....reliable, easy to fix, durable...TH400 tranny...

 

[U201491]

in the event of a SHTF situation which would you choose to use for bug out and why

Big Backpacks !
Why?
You will never get out of dodge with anything else. If you do, it will be sheer luck or the right premonition.

 

[PopsBdog]

A motorhome or trailer is a sure target in a lawless land.
They have no armor. Very easy to penetrate with a baseball bat.
Too many niceties for the family. Wasted survival space.
Too heavy. Too big. Not designed for questionable roads.
They aren't designed for that kind survival, they are designed for convenience and comfort.

If SHTF I wouldn't grab my Motorhome, I would grab my family, backpacks, gas cans, and whatever else I can carry and toss them in my 4x4 pickup with a shell and make it to anyplace I can. (hopefully a place with water, food, and defensibility.)
If I have too, I can ditch the truck, so no matter what, I am self contained.

 

[Dunerunner]

I have 4 kids plus my wife . I live about 20 miles south of Roseburg so there's a lot of logging roads very close to my house we can head to. This rv will be used for all of our camping trips so I need something at least 28' to 35' .

Have you thought about one of these...or maybe two?

 

[CoastRange57]

Suitable vehicle 4 X 4 vehicle, probably an older Suburban with a single or tandem axle box trailer. Elk tent, wood stove, generators, supplies can all be hauled in the trailer.

Motor homes are a huge waste of money in normal situations and even worse in a bug out situation. All your money is tied up in a power train that does nothing most of the time. Huge fuel consumption. Just my opinion.

 

[Martini_Up]

A motorhome or trailer is a sure target in a lawless land.
They have no armor. Very easy to penetrate with a baseball bat.
Too many niceties for the family. Wasted survival space.
Too heavy. Too big. Not designed for questionable roads.
They aren't designed for that kind survival, they are designed for convenience and comfort.

If SHTF I wouldn't grab my Motorhome, I would grab my family, backpacks, gas cans, and whatever else I can carry and toss them in my 4x4 pickup with a shell and make it to anyplace I can. (hopefully a place with water, food, and defensibility.)
If I have too, I can ditch the truck, so no matter what, I am self contained.

Yup. sleeping in a pickup, tent or the ground is way safer than a trailer or motor home.

 

[stratbastard]

Where are you bugging out to? I would rather be in a tent in a safer area than an armored truck on or near a private chunk of well defended land. I say this as a rural land owner with nearby empty commercial timberland. Choose carefully

I have to agree... a motorhome/RV/whatever looks like a great target possibly full of goodies. One of my backup plans is a spot picked out deep in the woods, with boatloads of supplies already stashed out there. A simple somewhat beat up non-descript older '89 Suburban (tinted glass the only anomalous feature) lurks waiting out in a locked outbuilding, also full of supplies and spare gas. In many scenarios, I'd sure rather drive the back roads into the deep weeds and stay a few months in our nice warm GP cold weather military tent snuggled up to the tent stove. My Suburban sure doesn't look like any kinda jackpot for anyone to waste time on LOL... and I'll be staying on the back logging roads anyway.

 

[stratbastard]

Gonna hate like hell leaving my '66 Bronco behind though... but that jumped-up 351 drinks gas like crazy, and the cargo space is just too limited.

I have to agree... a motorhome/RV/whatever looks like a great target possibly full of goodies. One of my backup plans is a spot picked out deep in the woods, with boatloads of supplies already stashed out there. A simple somewhat beat up non-descript older '89 Suburban (tinted glass the only anomalous feature) lurks waiting out in a locked outbuilding, also full of supplies and spare gas. In many scenarios, I'd sure rather drive the back roads into the deep weeds and stay a few months in our nice warm GP cold weather military tent snuggled up to the tent stove. My Suburban sure doesn't look like any kinda jackpot for anyone to waste time on LOL... and I'll be staying on the back logging roads anyway.

 

[Brutus57]

Sheer economics have me sticking with my AWD exploder. I plan on building a fairly low profile luggage container on top holding 4 to six low profile gas cans, pick, shovel, tent and maybe another spare. Then on the back one of those hitch shelves for a couple more cans, the chain saw and other suitable pioneering tools. All of course under a blue tarp....actually probably brown. Of course the interior will have me, the wife, our packs, the hound, as much food as we can squeeze and all our defensive toys. Goal is the equivalent of two full bags of gas and no more than 1,000 pounds of payload.
Unless I move to an island...then it's bugging in.
Brutus out

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Big Backpacks !
Why?
You will never get out of dodge with anything else. If you do, it will be sheer luck or the right premonition.

It's weird but we can make it out the back way to our place through the WA Capitol state forest, on power line access roads. If we are hauling last minute supplies in my big box truck and get stopped by an earthquake or something, we will go that way on fully loaded enduros stowed in the box

 

[U201491]

Plan to pack all you can on foot, and the vehicle as a bonus if you have the opportunity, but dont make it the primary plan. If you can use it all the better, but likelihood is low that you will be able to. Prep for the worst case scenario and back that with the other possibilities. Then you wont get caught short.

 

[U201491]

I'd put a small camper on the pick-up. 4X4, and you don't have to worry about the thing you're towing!

I'd get one of these if I had the bucks!! <broken link removed>

And if that is your plan, lots of flat browns, black, greens in spray cans ready. You can see that thing from 20 miles away from the air......
Unless you plan to stay on the glaciers