Reminder: the best bug out vehicle is a bike.

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: ThickAsABrick

The only problem with a bike is exposure.

If traffic is gridlock or cars are not working and you are trying to get OUT of a city, expect someone to attempt to "bike jack" you. Probably more than once. You are very exposed and off balance on a bicycle.

Great idea, but get "away" from people as best as possible. Find that back road, have that route mapped out.

Well as far as availability, the Yuba Mundo is my Cadillac. But in most urban areas there are multiple abandoned bikes. I ' m not sure where or how you live, but go for a walk in those areas you"d rather avoid. I can almost guarantee you will find an abandoned bicycle that with a little attention, could save your life. In the meantime no Licence no insurance. Heck I have one, I bought the frame for $5, once I'd built it up with custom parts i'd put in about $500 and I made about 36000 per year off of that.

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: ThickAsABrick

The only problem with a bike is exposure.

If traffic is gridlock or cars are not working and you are trying to get OUT of a city, expect someone to attempt to "bike jack" you. Probably more than once. You are very exposed and off balance on a bicycle.

Great idea, but get "away" from people as best as possible. Find that back road, have that route mapped out.[/quote

and have a weapon of choice in your mid section.

a reply to: ThickAsABrick

Animals will get you out of trouble sometimes, and get you into trouble other times. Thinking can be an advantage over a bicycle, or a disadvantage. Horses can see things you aren't aware of. A strong wind affecting the vegetation ahead is much more noticeable to a horse than to a human.They're wired to see the approaching wind because when the wind rustles the leaves the predator uses the noise to cover their attack.You have to listen to them. It's common to think they're just being stubborn, urge them on, then fall into the danger they had noticed.

a reply to: Tiamat384

When it sinks you lose everything. Built in buoyancy is unusable space but it's a good idea.

Qualifications. Mad pumping for an hour till someone came to help and seeing a neighbours floatable possessions drifting out on the tide.

a reply to: ThickAsABrick

www.selway-fisher.com...

Any idiot can build one of these. I did. Don't build a flat bottomed one or you'll blow sideways in the first puff of wind.

a reply to: ThickAsABrick

Reminder: the best bug out vehicle is a bike.

Funny you say that because I have always thought a very robust pushbike would be the best way to avoid trouble in a SHTF scenario because it has the advantage of being silent and staying out of the way of the mobs and bad buggers would be easier to do it could be done silently and at night.

Mind you a very small motorbike with an extra muffler on it could also be very useful.

a reply to: rexsblues

I heard a ticking sound as something hit my mudguard. It was a long thin nail stuck into the surface of the tyre but then being deflected sideways by the highly efficient puncture proofing. You still need a pump to maintain pressure, and spare inner tubes and tyre levers in case of inner tube or valve failure, but you can run over nails and glass for years without a single puncture.

www.schwalbe.com... Schwalbe Marathon Plus. There are other brands with similar offerings but this is what I use and recommend.

As far as I know nobody's invented a really good solid tyre yet. And not through lack of trying.

Behold the survival bike from motoped

A utilitarian, military-inspired super-hauler, it comes outfitted with a universal rack that accepts a myriad of bolt-on mounts, harnesses, and fitments so you can pack along darned near anything you can imagine.

A primary fuel tank plus the added fuel from two optional red side-mounted fuel tanks will take you 250 to 300 miles without a fill-up. That’s a good thing when you’re traveling through the desert on a horse with no name. . .

Link to site

a reply to: ThickAsABrick

Animals can be temperamental. Cyclical hormonal changes or urges to commune with others of their or a similar species can create less than optimal working experiences. It isn't usually this bad, but it can easily be far more troublesome than a well behaved and asexual bicycle.

Edit to add.
Speaking as someone who entered a new area and wondered why everyone was laughing. My packhorse was sporting a humongous erection. We had arrived.

YUP.

a reply to: RainbowPhoenix

Is that a harpoon launcher bolted on? I need one of those.

There's a motorbike with huge tyres that can be used as floats to cross a river or extra fuel storage. I don't expect it handles well.

a reply to: RainbowPhoenix

What does one do when one cannot find fuel?. I am sure the pedaling aspect of it is not particularly efficient, as there are no obvious gearing options on the vehicle in the picture.

a reply to: MyHappyDogShiner

Have you thought about pack goats? www.buttheadpackgoats.com...
When the illuminati take over you can trade the goats for use in satanic rituals.

The best one is the one you can keep running on your own. Depending on what your bugging out from this could mean you have no replacement parts if things go really bad. Bikes are nice they're easy to fix but there are still parts that most people couldn't repair or craft on their own, for people like that a nice pair of hiking shoes.

a reply to: ObjectZero

And wear those shoes in first or you could cripple yourself with blisters the first day.

You pedal just like any other standard moped. May not be as easy as a geared mountain bike but still an option and the fuel efficiency on this thing is pretty good so it wouldn't take a whole lot of fuel which could be siphoned from gridlocked and abandoned vehicles. I like anything that provides options and this being a moped does just that.

t reply to: MyHappyDogShiner

With anything involving animals the harness has to be fit for purpose. Making a pack saddle requires understanding of the animals skeletal structure.

Don't botch it.

Bicycles aren't so fussy.

A huge pack is a necessity if you have to cache your stuff. You will also need camouflage netting or a camouflage tarp to cover conceal and keep the moisture out of your gear too. I already have all of these things and have done "Bug-out Practice" many times.

A bicycle trailer that is detachable is way better than a giant bike,like this one.

But if I Had to use a great big dumb bike, this would probably be the one. Carry along a reasonable quality inflatable raft, some personal flotation gear and heavy duty garbage bags for flotation too. Anything used to protect and waterproof stuff can also be used for flotation. Oh, and a good piece of rope and a grappling hook to help yank yourself up and out of the water or up obstacles would be a good idea too.

I'm up around 300 pounds now with my gear, there is a point where one must cut off.

The less the better.

I am in Wisconsin right now, preparing to bug out and ride my bicycle back to Florida by next winter where the weather is better all year round for doing outdoorsy things which keep me happy and healthy. I like the girly girls there too, even though the place is crawling with some very peculiar and dangerous types of humans called tourists, and locals who call anyone they can't understand tourists too.....

a reply to: MyHappyDogShiner

For those doing this on a tight budget there are always child bike trailers available cheap. You can replace the cover with a box or just use it as it is. You'll tip it over at some point.