Transportation for the apocalypse

So in anticipation for the Fear the Walking Dead coming out what would be your choice for transportation in an apocalyptic scenario, like a zombie outbreak or major earthquake.
There are many considerations whether to use a motorized vehicle rather than a horse, range of the vehicle, fuel economy, speed, carrying capacity, armament (doors and such) or lack of. There would be many unknowns, like the availability of fuel. Another major consideration would be all terrain vehicles because the roads may be unsafe or compromised and if you were in an urban area vs rural. Here are a couple of potentially good choices.


Motoped, Black Ops edition. This has one of the best ranges, getting 24 MPG boasting 150-200 miles range, using the additional attached gas can. The top speed however is only 24 MPH, but you an always start peddling when you run out of gas.


Another option would be a dirt bike, giving you much more top speed and maneuverability over the Motoped. The Honda XR 400 has a top speed close to 70 MPH and has a range of about 60 miles on one tank of gas.


An ATV would give you much more carrying ability. The Polaris has a top speed of about 60 MPH and a range of about 100 miles on one tank of gas. It can tackle all kinds of terrain.


What are your thoughts on the topic? What vehicle or mode of transportation would you use?

I have a jeep wrangler Rubicon. The backseat has been removed and I have gear stored in it already. Always prepared. I have an aftermarket spare tire carrier that also holds 2 jerry cans. Currently I get about 16mpg. It'll get me to where we are meeting up with others

a reply to: tRiP2BrAiN

Depends on the type of apocalypse. If it were zombies, for example, you wouldn't want to do your foraging runs with anything motorized and noisy. I'd choose a bicycle or a super quiet electric car.

If it were a normal, we-blew-each-other-up-in-an-orgy-of-nukes type of apocalypse, I'd drive something rusty, spiky, sharp, and pretty. Glitter goes well on rust, right?

I have an electric bike with 25 mile range. It does 29 if you dont pedal and tops out at 38 if you pedal hard. I charge it off my solar array. I also have antique motor cycles from the 40s and early 50s with no chips or transistors. They get great gas milage, and I keep 45 gallons of stabilised fuel on hand at all times. Add to that super light carbon fiber bicycles. Both Bianchi Zolder street bike and a cannondale Mountain bike. Super light. I also have aluminum bikes. Im coverng all bases in case my 4 wheel drive is incompacitated.

a reply to: troyof69

Very nice!

Cuervo, yes that is part of the dilemma, trying to be prepared for different scenarios. Haja, I like the "rusty, spiky, sharp, and pretty"

Visitedbythem, It sounds like you are already prepared! And thanks for the reminder I need to get some fuel stablizer, I am good about rotating the gas I store but that is not enough!

I'll work with what I've got. '99 Crown Vic police interceptor...good for hauling ass and smashing things. A back hoe, and a 4-wheeler.
My own two feet work pretty good, too.

Ya'll go ahead and use those motorcycles/atv's/jeeps etc.....good luck keeping enough fuel and oil to keep them maintained properly. Sure, you got a couple hundred gallons stashed away somewhere, but when that runs out? What then?

Me? I am gonna opt for a tried and tru method of transportation.

To be honest, I don't think any machine that runs on fossil fuels is good for after an apocalyptic event. Reliance on gasoline or diesel fuel would be a massive hindrance. Ethanol would be better, since people can actually make that from scratch. And motorized vehicles that ran on wood, coal/charcoal, or steam would be even better, since fuel could be easily attained. A solar powered, ruggedly constructed atv would be the best, though.

As for now, I'd probably use a sturdy bicycle, a skateboard, or some of those large, old school roller skates (with a bag full of replacement parts for either). I'd just walk when going uphill. If I had the time, I'd probably try to tame some horses or goats for travel and build a basic cart or sled like the Flintstones, but with bamboo. lol

If it was some zombie or "alien takeover"-type Apocalypse, I'd just try to blend in with the animals. I'd make a big grass & mud hut, walk around naked or covered in mud, never bathe, and eat whatever I found. My hope would be that the zombies or aliens ignored me as nothing more than a mutant orangutan or a large mole rat lol. Oh, I mean, unless I had to stay with family. Then I'm not sure. I'd probably try to build a colony or lead the resistance & die too early to really care what kind of transportation I had.

I'm going for the first elephant I can get my hands on.
Saddle him up with a couple of kegs and a machine gun.
Yep. That's what i'm gonna do.

a reply to: skunkape23

Ironically, that wouldn't be bad if you found a young one. If you raised it kindly, it would be a loyal friend. You could mask your scent w/its scent (don't ask how, hehehe) and let it find the food (just eat wherever it stops to eat). And as large as they are, they're surprisingly one of the quietest animals when they walk around.

a reply to: skunkape23

Since you're going there ill just go with Bear Cavalry.....

originally posted by: Frank Dinkle
a reply to: skunkape23

Since you're going there ill just go with Bear Cavalry.....

A rhino would be cool if they weren't such wussies.
A hippo could rip some asses on the battlefield.

a reply to: skunkape23

Occrest, yes the maintenance would be much less than a mechanical vehicle.

Enlightenedservent I like your idea of an ATV that ran on alternative energy or fuel.

Skunkape I like your idea of the elephant, I Googled it and found the below picture, but it is missing the kegs, a great idea I must say.


I like the rhino and bear cavalry ideas.

My downfall is I would get too attached to whatever animal I had and I would be devastated if something happened to it, so me personally I would have to stick to a mechanical vehicle.

a reply to: tRiP2BrAiN

100% a horse or walking. Speaking in general terms here would not be good for storming the zombie castle of doom.

Imagine yourself riding a bike or quad and either being chased or surrounded by enemies. Better come up with an extra hand or two because handling a weapon accurately while riding a bike, for most this would end badly. Go and try it, I have on horse and bike, horses you can get tight in the saddle and let it do the steering, a bike forget it, especially reloading!

Larger animals are great if you can train them, ever train an elephant, rhino or hippo?
Horses have been connected to humans almost as long as dogs, negative traits have been breeded out by generations to be more human friendly. Smaller, stealthier and readily available along with abundant food supply and you've got yourself a winner.

Anyway have fun, AB

Ps - Fallout Rules!

originally posted by: Cuervo
a reply to: tRiP2BrAiN

Depends on the type of apocalypse. If it were zombies, for example, you wouldn't want to do your foraging runs with anything motorized and noisy. I'd choose a bicycle or a super quiet electric car.

If it were a normal, we-blew-each-other-up-in-an-orgy-of-nukes type of apocalypse, I'd drive something rusty, spiky, sharp, and pretty. Glitter goes well on rust, right?

Which is why for zombies I would probaly go with the moped which I am planning on buying that very model, it is pretty sweet. But anyway I'd go with the moped for like you said stealth when needed I could use pedal power and if a little more speed was need go motor to save your strength not tho mention the fuel efficiency which I'm sure would be pretty scarce.

If it were like a socio economic collapse I'd yank a military humvee (already know of a good low security easily accessible stash) because they are rugged as hell and can handle just about any terrain plus the armor. Don't want to be taken out by the next guy with a sniper rifle who wants what you got. If I could get a hold of a 240 or ma deuce to put on the turret even better. Oh and you don't need a key to start them

a reply to: AnteBellum

A lot of great points AnteBellum, and you are right about shooting, reloading from a bike but you can from a horse. I have a street bike which would not be good for off-road so I can relate to lack of being able to do anything else but ride while moving. If I did get a dirt bike it would be more for straight transportation (another drawback vs a horse). Yes I think horses are sounding like a good choice.

Haha, I was wondering if anyone would catch the Fallout pic, I can't wait for 4, yes I love the game. Even in that Fallout 3 I felt bad for Pumpkin the molerat stuck in the cage and spent way too long trying to free him and left food behind for him.

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

Cuervo, haha I'm with you, even though I know a horse would be better I probably would stick to mechanical vehicles. And you are right for a zombie apocalypse, something stealthier would be better.

And if something else a military vehicle would be nice, especially with big guns. But the downside would be the larger vehicles use much more gas so you would have find a fuel source. But you are right about the armor and it would pack quite a punch!

I myself would probably stick with the smaller vehicles, but rolling around in a big tank would be fun.

a reply to: tRiP2BrAiN

Fallout 3 was great where was that molerat?
All I remember were those 2 radroaches in the Snipers Shack. Can't wait until 4 either, I played Fallout 3 so many times I finally decided to give New Vegas an honest chance. Had to force myself through it but in the end once I befriended the brotherhood I got power armour and a guass rifle(personal favorite) the rest was much more fun. Especially Old World Blues. Reminded me of Mothership Zeta which I always went for early to get weapons. November is almost here!

My primary carrier vehicle would be a decent tundra buggy such as this:


On that, however, would be this runaround:
www.fatbikes.com...

Fat tire bikes are fun and damned useful. Sand and mud aren't a problem in the summer and snow and ice are a breeze in the winter.

a reply to: tRiP2BrAiN

My first response will always be to resort to being on foot as much as possible.

The simple fact of the matter is, that if the crap hits the fan, you do not want to be moving quickly, because anything that moves quickly gains attention. What you want to be doing, is blending into your surroundings, and it is pretty hard to do that, if you are either making engine sounds of varying tempos and frequencies, or spitting up a dust trail behind you, leaving tracks all over the place, leaking oil or what have you.

A person moving at walking pace does not automatically grab ones attention at distance, but someone moving about rapidly on a wheeled conveyance in that scenario WOULD attract attention, because folks would be thinking three things upon seeing it.

1) I do not know who that is, and they could be here in minutes at that speed = serious threat
2) That's a handy device, and I could use one for transporting firewood and so on, reducing calorie expenditure per unit of heat generated... I am stealing that, and killing the owner if necessary. = your life's worth being reduced to the worth of the commodity you happen to be riding in or on.
3) Perhaps it would be worth following the tracks back to wherever this person camps, in case they have any other tasty gear, useful consumables, ammunition, weaponry, and so on. = Your camp, potentially your family getting raided, crapped on from a great height, and thereby mission failure.

They see a person walking around though, and the logic chain goes:

1) Either:
They fail to spot you = no threat has been perceived, no action taken.
Or:
They see you = there is no reason for them to be concerned, since they have the drop on you, and you are half an hours walk away from them, and approaching so slowly that they can have you under the gun before you become a serious problem.
2) They see you, but from the looks of you, the weapons you are carrying are probably the best things you have on you, and at the same time, provide a warning to them that you will defend yourself if they try to take them.= not worth risking injury or death for what might turn out to be some crappy ammunition and some middle of the road firearms, plus assorted junk in your pack.
3) they are nutters, and will seek to kill you for sport. Luckily, you are on foot, and capable of stealthy movement, wise use of terrain, and have a nearly unhealthy preference to work up close, where your steel can do its grisly job, rather than spray and pray when faced with superior numbers, like a true moron.


A person on foot is slower, but much harder to spot, and much more versatile in terms of the tasks they can perform, and the distances they can travel. Your metal steed may travel fast, and a long distance on a single tank, but I could walk every single day of the rest of my life if I scrapped up enough moss and edible bark, or fruit and hunted animal matter along the way. In short, even without Walmart being around, there is more fuel for human beings out there, than there is fuel for machines.

Further to that, a person can take a serious pounding before they become unable to move themselves forward. Although I am sure the same can be said of these machines, they cannot be healed with a splint, or sewing needle, or antibiotics or any of that stuff. They need parts, actual physical material in order to be fixed, specific material too! Many of those vehicles will likely as not have non standard bolts and fixings, and require certain specialised tools to maintain correctly. So unless you happen to be a fantastic engineer, with access to more than basic tools and a place to work, including a lathe, a bench drill, air tools, that sort of thing, those funky vehicles will more than likely end up becoming garden ornaments in time, rather than a continuously useful conveyance, and may attract the sort of attention that one would normally want to avoid.

That being said, it depends entirely on the situation.

If you are dug in, and in numbers, with a dwelling area of significant circumference, and in a position where your numbers are good enough to have guards posted at the perimeter, vehicles like this could be useful in repelling repeated attacks at the borders of your compound, because it will mean bodies can be transported from any central barracks or common area, to the borders in double quick time. It will also mean that tasks like the gathering and carriage of consumables like fuels, foodstuffs, grain, game, and so on, will be made easier and could be made more effective as a process. This would be very helpful if the intention is to keep a large number of persons fed and watered in a near industrial manner. They would also be useful for roaming any guarded farmland that might come under your sway, the estate vehicle for the post apocalyptic agriculturalist!

But as for survival in a small unit, without concerns like a large group and a compound to run? I would not bother myself. Me, my Bowie, and my billhook, versus .... Everything... I almost wish they would get it over with and set it up some days, and I say almost because obviously, there are people and things about this world that I love, just as they are, and I would not seek to hurry them to oblivion. The challenge though, would be enlivening.