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Getting from Point A to Point B, by E.I.D.
You’ve got your Bug Out Bags (BOBs) all packed. You’ve prepped
your house for
whatever reason you’re leaving. You’ve made contact with what family
you could, and you trust the rest to meet you at your designated meeting place,
whether it’s your retreat or just a spot along the way where your two paths
converge. Everything is set. Or is it? Points A and B are ready, but how do you
plan to make the trek between them?
Walking is always an option, but probably a last resort. Most people aren’t
in good enough shape to walk ten miles, let alone 100 and over the course of
a few days. Cramps and blisters become unbearable, and joints seize up. Adverse
weather, whether hot or cold, can become lethal. Other humans (travelers, police,
military) can be dangers, and so can feral and wild animals. Not to mention,
you can only bring what you can carry. Walk if you must, but don’t let
it be plan A. In fact, keep it at plan D or further.
A bike is a good option, but again, requires some level of fitness. Bikes can
be fitted with cargo containers on the front and back (as well as new packs that
strap to the frame), and thus allow you to carry more than you could on foot.
However, a bike presents a new group of possible problems that must be addressed,
and therefore you should always attach the following to your bike frame or in
an attached pack or basket: a tire pump (foot pumps are best as they are smaller),
a tire patch-kit, a small can of leak-stop, and tools to reset the chain should
it pop loose. Reflectors and a headlight for your bike is a must for night-riding,
and some are available that are powered by your pedaling, much like a hand-cranked
flashlight. Otherwise, pack extra batteries. There are solid foam rubber inner
tubes that will eliminate your need for a patch kit, but there are many mixed
reviews on these tubes, because they tend to also decrease energy efficiency.
A mountain bike will allow you to ride off-road should the need arise, but again,
you lose energy efficiency over a road bike. If you’re in excellent shape,
efficiency might not be as big an issue for you – likewise if you’re
not too far from your retreat. Take all this into consideration. A bike with
multiple gears is better for energy efficiency, but it also presents more moving
parts which can break along the way. To maximize your chances of making it on
a bike, fitting your bike with a small gasoline powered engine is best.
These small gasoline engines turn your bike into a virtual moped. You get up
to speed by pedaling and then engage the engine. These engines can get up to
250 miles per gallon going 25 mph on flat road. Unfortunately, they may only
hold a gallon of gas. However, you can easily fit a 2 gallon jerry can (or jug,
if you’re in a hurry) of gasoline in the back basket of your bike, and
refill along the way, if your destination is further than 250 miles. You might
say “motorcycles get good miles per gallon too” and you would be
right, but they also require a lot more investment and maintenance than a bike,
and aren’t as easily strapped to the back of a larger vehicle. If you’re
considering buying one, ask yourself “Do I want a motorcycle because it’s
a practical form of transportation, or because I think its cool?” I would
ask you to reconsider and look into a newer-model moped. They can go fast enough
for practical purposes, get great miles per gallon, and if they break down, they
simply turn into a bicycle! I call that insurance. Unlike a motorcycle, you can
carry
a moped across otherwise impassable obstacles (such as streams or deep
mud),
and
if you crash, you don’t have to worry about it crushing you. Mopeds get
100-150 miles per gallon, and most only hold a gallon of gas. Is your bug-out
site 100 to 150 miles away? If not, can you easily and safely carry enough gas
to make up the difference? If not, how far will you be pedaling the moped after
it runs out, and on what kind of terrain? You can always pedal in the straight-aways
and down-hills, saving your gas for the difficult stretches, but this is still
not your best option, obviously. Ideally, you want an automobile.
An automobile is something you don’t want to be without in a bug-out scenario,
if you can help it. Most of us have vehicles, but not every vehicle is created
equal. However, I’m not going to discuss what vehicles are the best, because
not many of you are going to go out and buy a new vehicle to prepare for an arguably
improbable contingency, and anyway, plenty of good articles already exist on
the subject of bug-out vehicles. Any vehicle is better than no vehicle, but there
are things you can do to your existing vehicle
to make it not
only
better
prepared
for bugging out, but also better prepared for everyday life.
First, how many miles per gallon does your car/truck get? What size is the fuel
tank? Multiply your MPG by the size of your tank, and that’s how far you’re
going to get before your car becomes nothing more than a metal tent. For example,
my car gets 24 MPG on average, and I have a 15 gallon tank. That means I can
probably drive about 360 miles, but that’s going to vary depending on weather,
wind, temperature, terrain and even how much I’ve packed. I recently spent
a minor amount of money on a tune-up, lube, tire-rotation, and a few small items
that improve my vehicle’s MPG. These included a fuel magnetizer, a performance
chip, and an air-intake insert. Each item is supposed to improve MPG by about
2, but in reality, they might raise my MPG to 25 or 26. Still that would extend
my viable mileage to roughly 390 miles. That’s an extra 30 miles on the
same tank of gas, and that’s nothing to scoff at! Don’t you think
that’s worth it? [JWR Adds: Magnetic "fuel economy" devices have been tested extensively by Popular Science magazine (and others), and have been proven to have no effectiveness. Don't bother.] In the meantime, with rising fuel prices, you’ll
be saving gas and money… so why wouldn’t you invest in these things?
There is more I can do, as well, including getting a better air filter, keeping
my tires at the correct pressure, using a fuel-additive, keeping my tires aligned,
and practicing my “light-foot” driving, meaning attempting to keep
my RPMs
at a low constant while driving. There are probably body modifications that will
improve airflow, and replacement parts that will perform more efficiently
than the stock parts currently under my hood. All of these are sound investments
during the current fuel crisis, even if you never have to bug out. Perhaps a
more automotively informed reader can compile a list of these parts and modifications – I,
on the other hand, will merely encourage you to seek them out and invest in them.
However, we are assuming that gas stations will either sell-out, close, or be
so inundated with customers after a crisis that you’ll have to rely on
a single tank of gas. If you don’t think this is realistic, just look back
at what happened on 9-11. People sprinted to the pumps so fast that many stations
ran out, had lines around the block, or, in the case of a certain establishment
in my home town, raised prices 300% and illegally reaped the benefits of the
panic. If that happens, and you’ve only got a quarter tank, it doesn’t
matter what your MPG is, as you’re only going to be able to go 1/2 of your
total distance. You can avoid this by filling up your tank more often. You’ll
pay the same amount, but in smaller portions and more often. Try filling up every
time you get to half a tank, and then eventually every time you get down to 3/4
of a tank. You may find that you prefer it, as it doesn’t feel like you’re
just dropping fifty bucks into your fuel-tank. You’ll also rest easy knowing
you can easily drive nearly your vehicle's full range at a moment’s notice.
If you have a gas can at home for fueling the mower, keep it full as well. Fill
it every time you see gas prices drop, and tell yourself you’re just saving
money by stocking up while the prices are low. If you suddenly have to leave,
you can use rope or bungee cables to strap the gas can to the luggage rack atop
your car, or throw it in the bed of your truck. Try to avoid putting it inside
the car with you, as this is very dangerous on many levels, but if you have
to,
you can put it in the trunk as a last resort. Be sure to open the trunk every
so often to allow any possible fumes to dissipate (or open the windows if you
keep it inside the cab), and pour it into the main tank as soon as the tank will
take it, rather than waiting until you run out.
What about the other problems
that are possible with an automobile? In order to build a list of priorities,
first ask yourself “What could happen to
my car that would make it impossible for me to drive it?” Then, go down
the list and say “Which of these things has ever happened to me? Which
have happened to people I know? Which are probable? Which can I possibly prepare
for and fix on the road?” For example, you simply can’t prepare
for total engine failure, brake failure, transmission failure, a broken axel,
etc… unless
you perceive these as likely problems with your specific automobile, in which
case you should get them fixed before an emergency occurs, because problems
like this are next to impossible to fix in the field (for an average Joe like
me,
anyway).
What
common problems can you prepare for? Easy ones include: flat tires, blown
fuses, low fluids, dead battery, burned out lights, leaky hoses and low fuel
(which we’ve already discussed).
Preparing for these problems will allow you to save yourself from the hassle
and cost of towing your vehicle, and possibly even the cost of taking it to
a mechanic, depending on the severity of the problem and the quality of your
repair.
Obviously, some problems will have to be addressed by a mechanic, but a quick
fix on your part can get you out of a sticky situation. For example, if you
break down on a small highway outside a small town and there aren’t any mechanics
open on Sunday, then you’re faced with either paying a huge towing fee,
or spending the night in said small town until the next day, at which time the
mechanic will surely overcharge you because you’re a know-nothing townie
who’ll never be back that way again. It’s not like you’ll have
many options at that point.
To begin, ascertain the current qualities of your car regarding its current
equipment and space for additional storage of emergency supplies. Does your
car have a
spare tire? Is it a full size tire or a donut? If at all possible, you should
have a full size spare. Next time you get your tires replaced, have the one
in best condition placed in your trunk as your spare, or purchase a cheap refurbished
tire for the same purpose. Give the donut to the mechanic for a discount. A
full
sized spare will allow you to carry on as before after changing a flat, unlike
a donut which will require you to drive slowly and avoid adverse terrain. If
you can’t fit a full sized spare in your car, then consider repairing the
flat with a patch kit. A patch/plug kit is cheap, easy to use, but will also
require the purchase of a tire pump. Small electric pumps can be purchased that
will plug into your cigarette lighter and take up very little space. If you don’t
like to rely on your car battery, you can get chargeable emergency-starter/air-compressor
combo units that work great, or you can simply pack a bicycle foot pump (yes,
it will take a while to fill a car tire with it, but that’s what they did
in the old days, and you’ll do what you have to do when the need arises). “Where
should I keep all this stuff!?” you ask.
Does your car have extra cargo storage in the spare tire compartment, in or
around the spare? Are there other side compartments in the trunk? Drivers of
trucks
won’t need to worry about this, and should merely get a metal truck-toolbox,
plastic toolbox, or cargo box to store their supplies in. If you don’t
have storage space, a smaller cargo box can also be purchased (or built) to fit
in your trunk. I would suggest including the following in that box:
1. Non-electronic tire gauge
2. Extra fuses
3. Roll of duct tape for securing a cracked window or fixing a leaky hose (or
a million other things)
4. Hand crank LED flashlight
(or standard bright light and extra lithium batteries)
5. Jumper cables
6. Tire plug/patch kit
7. Small electric air compressor, or a foot-pump, if you’re a hoss
8. A couple extra head/tail light bulbs
9. Small bottles of replacement fluids (oil, coolant, power-steering fluid
with leak-stop, transmission fluid)
10. A couple of rags
11. Lock de-icer (which does you no good if you leave it in the car during
a freeze. If you suspect cold weather and a possible freeze, keep it outside
the
car.
12. Some strong rope. How much? Enough to tie your trunk down, tie something
to the luggage rack, or tie to the car to pull and dislodge it if stuck.
13. A fuel siphon hose and pump (inertial pumps are cheap and work well)
14. Bungee cords
If there’s room, you could also put your car-BOB in this box. You should
also keep the following in the glove box: an electronic tire gauge, a small
flashlight, an ice scraper, and a solid multi-tool with a knife blade. The
pliers-style multi-tools
are best, as they can be used to break out the car windows in an emergency.
Just grip the pliers’ handles together, holding them upside down, and
smash the nose end of the pliers against the window with a hammer-fist motion.
The
localized force should make short work of the window, though repeated blows
in the same spot might be necessary.
Everyone should also keep wet-naps and napkins in their glove-box, as they’re
not only useful for everyday cleaning, but also for limited first aid applications:
clean the wound with a wet-nap, cover it with a few tightly folded napkins,
and hold this down with some duct tape from the trunk. I also suggest that
everyone
put a magnetic key-box under their car with a spare key in it, because your
fancy keyless entry is worthless when its attached to your keychain…and
you lose your keys or lock them in your car. Don’t put the magnetic key-box
in an easily visible and accessible spot where any Joe can look under
your car
and see it, but in a safe, inconspicuous spot such as on the top surface of
an exposed portion of the frame or any metal component, between the gas tank
and
gas tank shield (if your car has one), or under/behind a bumper. If Joe is
looking for a key-stash, he’s likely moving quickly. He’s going
to look under many cars, quickly, until he finds an easy target, or a car with
an easily seen
and easily accessible key-box.
There are a few optional tools you might consider to further your preparedness,
the most logical and pragmatic of which is the battery jump-starter. They aren’t
cheap, but they aren’t expensive either, and depending on the environment
and circumstances in which your battery dies, you may either not see another
passerby or you may not want to see another passerby. A dead battery is one
of those problems that require a second, working battery in order to give it
life.
In place of a second, running vehicle driven by a stranger, you can purchase
a battery jump-starter. Most will simply plug into your cigarette lighter or
home wall socket until charged, and in the event of a dead battery, will jumpstart
the car. Most also have sockets to run electrical appliances for a short time,
such as your electric tire compressor, if your car’s electrical systems
fail. In older cars, this is no big deal, as the car will still run with a
dead battery or bad wiring (as long as you can jump-start it). I once had a
car in
which the electrical systems fried while I was driving. Everything electrical
shut off, and smoke poured out of the dash and from under the hood. However,
the car was already running, and I easily drove it across town to the mechanic
(with the windows down). In newer cars, where the engine and electrical systems
are interdependent, an electrical failure could mean that your car isn’t
going anywhere. Many of the higher-end battery jump-starters actually have
air-compressors, lanterns, and even radios built right in. That way, you can
save money and cargo
space by consolidating.
Another practical device to have on hand is a handheld CB radio. I have one
that fits into a box about the size of a bible and plugs into the cigarette
lighter.
There’s a magnetic antenna that you put up on the roof, and then you’ve
got instant communication. This is a good option for maintaining communication
while traveling with other cars in case your cell phone either loses service
or runs out of power. I’ve personally used it during a traffic jam to
listen in on the truckers as they informed one another on the situation. It
can also
be used to ask other unknown drivers for directions, stop suggestions, and
even to call for help in the event of an emergency. It’s also good, in
addition to the poncho and cold weather gear undoubtedly already in your BOB,
to keep
a good pair of athletic shoes in the car. If you are forced out on your bike
or on foot, you don’t want to be stuck wearing the dress shoes you had
on at work when you were forced to flee.
So, what’s the best practical option for bugging out? Max out your vehicle’s
MPG, equip it with a BOB and an emergency box, buy a bike rack for the back
of your vehicle, buy a good bike and equip it with cargo baskets, an emergency
repair pack and a small gasoline moped-motor, buy a large gas can and a small
gas can and keep them full in your tool shed. Ride the bike when running short
errands to stay in shape. Use the moped motor on your bike to run medium range
errands, pedal when you can to stay in shape, and bring the groceries home
in the cargo baskets. Drive your car on long errands and save money because
you
maxed out the MPG. Put your bike on your vehicle’s bike rack and take
it with you on long trips; ride your bike around the downtown area of wherever
you’re
going, or perhaps just from the hotel to the nearby restaurant. Save Gas. Stay
in shape. Have fun. Can you argue with any of that? Can you!?
Boom. The Schumer hits the fan. You’ve got to get outta town. No problem,
your gas tank is 1/2 full. You top it off with your large gas can, and put
the remainder in your bike’s moped-motor. You attach the bike to the
bike-rack and bungee the small gas can into its cargo basket. You load up and
you’re
on your way. You have a flat outside of town. No problem, you change the tire
and you’re on your way… or you would be, but the car won’t
start. No problem, you use your battery jump-starter and you’re on your
way. You have another flat. Son of a… no problem, you patch the hole
with your patch kit, air up the tire with your small electric compressor, and
you’re
on your way. The car starts to overheat. No problem, you refill the coolant,
turn on the heater, open the windows and you’re on your way. You stop
make a quick stop the urinate by the roadside…oh wait, you locked your
keys in your car. No problem, you’ve got a spare hidden under the back
bumper, and you’re on your way. You’re getting pretty low on gas,
so you go ahead and pour your small gas can into the car’s tank. A while
later, you’re getting low again, but before you can do anything about
it, you look up from the gas gauge in time to see a sedan stalled in the middle
of the
road. Too late.
You smash into it, totaling your car. You have a gash on your left arm from
the window, but otherwise, you’re okay. The seatbelt won’t unbuckle,
so you get your multi-tool from the glove box and cut it. You also bandage
the gash on your arm with napkins and duct tape. You can do a better job later
with
the med-kit in your BOB. The car’s power is still on, so you plug
in your CB and
check all channels. Nothing. No problem, you top off the charge of
your battery jump-starter using the car’s battery, and load it and your
CB into the cargo basket of your bike. You use your hose and pump to siphon
the fuel from your car into the small gas can. You try to do the same to the
sedan,
but it’s got a valve in the fuel intake preventing you from doing so.
No problem, you check to make sure the sedan’s engine is cool, and then
use your knife and cut the fuel line. Being careful to avoid the initial spray,
you
drain what you can into the small gas can, and bungee it into your bike’s
other cargo basket. You plug your CB into the jump-starter and set it on scan.
You strap your BOB onto your back [or mo-ped cargo rack] and your athletic
shoes on your feet, and start pedaling down the road, saving the motor for
when you
get tired.
Eventually, you do get tired, and you ride a few hours on the motor. A day
or so later, and you’re out of gas. Luckily, you can still siphon fuel from
any abandoned vehicles you find, or walk the bike up the hills and then jump
on and coast down the other side. Eventually, you make it to your destination.
No, obviously not all of these problems would occur in such rapid succession.
Maybe none of them would, or perhaps one or two… or maybe more. This
story illustrates, however, how a little planning can prepare you for any combination
of likely problems that stand between you and your destination. You never know
when a problem will occur or and what problem it will be, and spending a little
money now on things that will benefit you regardless in the meantime
will save you from uttering the following words in a real emergency: “Aw
crud… if
only I had…”
