One of the more entertaining Prepper pursuits is the Bug Out Vehicle (BOV). With my crew of 20 children and grandchildren, you might think my BOV would look like the one pictured. Unfortunately, I can only aspire to such a rig. Maybe someday. 😊
First up in pursuit of the perfect Bug Out Vehicle…
When I first started prepping, I wasn’t planning for 20 people. I had not yet realized that I had 20 people (and 9 dogs) to worry about. I was already a fan of Jeep Grand Cherokees, so my first attempt at a Bug Out Vehicle was to take an early 2000s Jeep Grand Cherokee and fix it up as a BOV. I could then use it as a daily driver and just load it up when it was time to bug out.
There are a few limitations to this choice. 1) The vehicle chosen was too new to be Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP} resistant, 2) The vehicle alone was large enough for the family of four, or cargo, but not both, 3) I wanted range of 500 miles or more. The typical modern vehicle provides a tank good for about 300 miles.
Problems to solve
I decided to solve the cargo problem with a roof rack and a rack that attaches to the rear hitch. Actually, both of those were sitting in the garage from prior vehicles, so the price was right. I decided the EMP problem would simply not be solved with my BOV. I would prepare for a Bug Out in any scenario, except an EMP.
That left the range problem. When I was younger it was pretty common to put extended range tanks into a vehicle, so I figured I would do that. I quickly learned that these were generally unavailable today. Thank you for 50 years of environmental rules, making cars impossible to tinker with. ☹
There are tanks that go into pickup truck beds for folks like landscapers, who need to fill up lawn equipment, etc. but nothing for SUVs or other passenger vehicles. I did find one supplier in Australia, but the tank did not accommodate a modern vehicle’s EVAP system, because those were not required in Australia until later than when my vehicle was built.
Gas to go…
I finally bought a bunch of Jerry cans. You don’t want to have an accident with a vehicle with a bunch of Jerry cans strapped to the rear end, but if the world has already ended, . . . I then loaded a bunch of bags that could be rapidly tossed in the overhead cargo rack and we could be on our way.
Meanwhile the Jeep could continue to serve as a daily driver. I was satisfied, so I acquired another Jeep! I now had two vehicles that would not survive an EMP and didn’t have the necessary range, but I could fit more “stuff” in two Jeeps than into one Jeep, and the family could use them as daily drivers.
I have owned 6 Jeep Grand Cherokees over time, 2 currently. These vehicles in daily driver use are good for about 200,000 miles and are great in the snow we get here in the People’s Republic of New Jersey. They seem to require very little maintenance. You will have to replace the air conditioner once in 200,000 miles, but that is about the only thing other than routine maintenance you’ll need.
Fine… within limits… but diesel? Yes please!
While these Jeeps were fine within the limits I understood, I felt that with a dedicated BOV, I could avoid some of the compromises needed in a daily driver. I wanted EMP resistance, diesel fuel, as it will remain stable longer, and provide greater range.
After researching vehicles, I realized my choices were limited. I could not go newer than about mid-1980s or the electronics became deal breakers, and almost nothing pre-1980, except semis, used diesel. In my little window of time, it basically came down to a Suburban or Blazer, or an early 1980s Mercedes diesel.
I have to admit the idea of a Mercedes BOV intrigued me. What could be more cool than a dedicated Mercedes BOV? Unfortunately, the Mercedes gave me my missing features at the expense of 4WD and cargo space. There was a station wagon version in that period, so the choice was tempting.
Mercedes BOV? Can we get that with a camo paint job?
The deal beaker was that there wasn’t going to be anyone at the BOL to impress with my classy choice of BOV. I mean what good is it to be cool if no one knows?
Suburban…
The Suburban models from that period are known as “square body” because of the boxy body style. They’re not cool. They’re square. About 10% of the production had the optional 6.2L diesel engine. It also turns out that these Suburbans are favorites of the director of The Walking Dead, and one was prominently featured in the 80’s disaster film “Dante’s Peak”. There are lots of ideas on the Internet for pimping out one of these. 😊
This isn’t mine. This is what mine looked like before it rusted from the door handles down. ☹
Unfortunately, anything that old in the People’s Republic of New Jersey has long since rusted away. Fortunately, I found an old Suburban on the Internet and had it towed to my restoration shop. (You do have a restoration shop don’t you?) It arrived in totally horrid shape, but that just gave my restoration shop buddy something to do, a nice break from Corvettes and 50s classics. Now I had my “ready for the scrap heap” Suburban in good company. My wife, of generator fame, declared it “ugly”. (That’s part of the appeal!) Maybe I should have gotten the Mercedes?
It looked bad enough when it wasn’t sitting next to a $125,000 classic Corvette that just won first prize at a car show. Surrounding it with show car classics gave the whole shop a certain ambiance. 😊 You couldn’t miss it, as it dwarfed all the other projects in the shop. I cut a deal where the shop could slow walk my Suburban for a lower price, and the Corvette with the owner who was in a big rush could go first. It wasn’t as though the EMP was on a schedule to arrive next Thursday, but that big Corvette car show was a regular.
Anyone know where you can see a BOV car show?
Stay tuned for the next installment!
I”ve got a VW Diesel Rabbit, there’s only me to bug out so it works. Interesting stuff.
You’ll really appreciate part 2. What year is the Rabbit?