Over the past few weeks we have been going over what it takes to successfully bug out. The first week we talked about bug out planning and communication, and last week we talked about bug out location, supplies and resources that need to be considered.

This week Lisa and I talked about bug out vehicles and why the best bug out vehicle doesn’t mean owning a $600,000 Unicat Expeditionary Vehicle. The best bug out vehicle doesn’t necessarily need to be bullet proof and able to plow through road blocks. In my opinion, if you need that, you waited too long to get out of dodge.

A good bug out vehicle need to be a few things…

* Reliable enough to get you where you are going without breaking down.

* Affordable enough that you don’t break the budget.

* And capable of getting you, everyone with you and your supplies where you want to go.

The reality is that even though we would like one of these Super Bug Out Vehicles, we don’t have the same budget the United States Military has. The best BOV (bug out vehicle) for us at this point in time might be the one you already have.

This article from ThePrepperJournal goes through some realistic bug out vehicles that you can actually afford, and also talks about some things you need to consider like where are you going? What are you taking? And who is going with you?

“In my mind a bug out vehicle has to be able to accomplish a few tasks to even make the running. Ideally we have a vehicle that you can use daily that can also hold its own if forced to be put into action to get you out of a hairy situation.”

SPP 131 Picking a Bug Out Vehicle

EMP Proof Vehicles

There is quite a bit of debate about what makes an EMP proof vehicle, and honestly it seems to me that we truly won’t know until that situation is thrust upon us. Some people say that you need something that was made before 1980 that doesn’t require electronic ignition, and some people have done studies that show some cars might not be affected by an EMP.

Even though it’s impossible to get a definitive answer on this, the reality is that an EMP that is strong enough could disable electronics and all the bells and whistles that come in the newer automobiles. A little later in this article I will go through my plan for this that is budget friendly, but is going to require some hands on work.

One other thing to consider is that an EMP proof vehicle won’t matter much if it runs out of gas, an EMP strong enough to disable an automobile will take out most of the infrastructure we depend on today. This is why storing fuel and maybe even purchasing a syphon to get fuel from abandoned vehicles is also important.

The Beater vs The Bugatti

As preppers we have the benefit of looking at the world differently than the average person. When thinking about buying a vehicle most people think about how pretty it is...