There is a big debate about what your bug out bag should contain and what would be the best survival gear one should carry. We can find all sorts of recipes for food preparation and storage, and a lot of weapons guides. How about discussing the topic of having a bug-out vehicle?
What if you need to leave your home in case of a crisis? What if you live in an urban area and your only chance of survival is to get out when SHTF. Everything can happen from flooding, urban unrest to a viral pandemic, or nuclear fallout. What then?
It’s obvious that you cannot carry too many supplies or everything that you need in your bug out bag. Not to mention that most of us are not fit and are not used to an intense physical journey. To survive, you have to leave your home; regardless of how well you’ve fortified it, movement is life.
You need to have a plan B, and that can mean only one thing: you need to get yourself a bug-out vehicle. In this article, I will give you 3 reasons why you should pick a motorcycle for your bug out plan.
Last September, when Hurricane Irma struck Florida, it took people on average 20 to 30 hours to evacuate their homes. The scenario was even worse in 2005 when Texas had its own mass evacuation from Hurricane Rita; thousands of people ran out of gas, and 24 died in a bus fire. Choosing the right type of vehicle can make the difference in achieving a safe and successful evacuation when SHTF. Buying and learning to ride a motorcycle can be an invaluable resource when roads are jammed, fuel is scarce, and speed counts.
Trying the two-wheel alternative
There are many motorcycles on the market built for extreme terrain and are used by adventurous people who don’t mind the rough traveling conditions. Most of these bikes can go for more than 400 miles with just an 8-gallon fuel tank, and this is why it is a bug-out vehicle preferred by many.
They are equipped with powerful engines and can take you anywhere you want, carrying a decent amount of supplies. There are many storage options available for these types of bikes, from large-top cases to reinforced side bags, and there are people living with only what their bike can carry.
Usually, the love for this type of transportation runs in the family, so you will have his and hers available for doubling the storage capacity.
Motorcycles are Better on Gas
The average motorcycle will get between 35 and 40 miles to the gallon, while the average car only gets about 24 miles per gallon. Gasoline is a product of crude oil, a nonrenewable resource, which means it is already scarce, and global politics often play a role in the fluctuations of gas prices.
As the American dollar’s value weakens, gas prices increase due to higher cost of imported oil. In this way, gas can be seen as the metric for the strength of the dollar, and in cases of crisis, prices will rise as gas becomes scarcer. When your survival depends on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle, investing in a reliable motorcycle makes the most sense.
Motorcycles Offer Greater Maneuverability
Picture the scene: Natural disaster of an unprecedented scale is striking across the United States. Bridges, tunnels, and highways are jammed, no one is able to evacuate the cities using major roadways. What you need is a small, versatile vehicle that can weave through traffic, drive off-road, and quickly get you to safety.
On your motorcycle, you’re able to bypass cars easily, splitting lanes, fitting in shoulders, and if you have a dual-sport motorcycle, traversing forests, mountains, and sandy terrain.
Motorcycles Move Faster in a Number of Ways
Due to their lighter weight, lower wind resistance, and carefully crafted engines, motorcycles are able to accelerate much faster than most cars. Faster acceleration means you’re able to overtake other vehicles, make it up hills easily, and quickly escape a dangerous situation.
In addition to accelerating faster, repairing and maintaining a motorcycle takes much less time than working on a car. Many parts of a motorcycle are already exposed and visible, so there is not as much work taking pieces apart to uncover hidden problems. Motorcycles are also smaller and have fewer components, making them simpler and less expensive to fix.
Think about a gas cache for your motorcycle
Building a gas cache is not complicated, and you should be OK as long as you follow a few safety rules. The type of fuel you store, the containers you use, the location of your storage, the time and weather effects, and the quantity of fuel you store, are all issues that need to be addressed when building a gas cache.
You may need gas for your bug out vehicle, or you may need it for your generator when the lights go out. Our reliance on fuel is immense in these modern times. If a calamity would strike tomorrow, you will understand the real value of a gas cache.
The tank of gas you store in your truck or the garage will only go so far. If you depend on fuel to survive, you need to think bigger, and a gas cache could be your salvation. To learn more about building a gas cache, you should read the following article:
How To Make A Gas Cache
Concluding
Learning to ride various types of motorcycles is a vital survival skill, and a resource you’ll be glad to have when disaster strikes. Beginners should look for affordable, used bikes to get comfortable riding before investing in a more powerful, pricey vehicle. You can find experienced motorcyclists within the survivalist community who would be happy to guide you. You can also enroll in classes to begin learning about techniques and safety.
Useful resources to check out:
Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation
Find Out What’s the Closest Nuclear Bunker to Your Home
Sorry, NO. Not even…
Yeah, unless it’s October or November through March or April in most of the country, like say, oh, Michigan, or Vermont, or Montana and as far south as the Carolinas, Oklahoma, well, you get the idea. Carrying a rifle, a pistol, and any serious amount of ammo, maybe a tent, a 0 degree sleeping bag, food, water, med supplies? Yes, they are better on gas, they can go places that a car/truck cannot, but they offer zero protection from the elements, or from any miscreants. Speaking as someone who has logged over 120k miles on 2 wheels in temps ranging from 100 plus to below freezing, rain, sleet and yes, even some snow, though it wasn’t planned, four wheels is the way to go. One little mistake on a MC and you go down in a situation where there is no one to help? My preference would be a 4 door 250/2500 pick up, diesel if possible, modded to be able to run bio diesel, and able to carry a 4wd atv in the bed. Still have room for supplies, extra fuel, pretty much anything you need, and can sleep in it in a pinch. Diesel gets better mileage than gas. 30 gallon tank, a few 5 gallon jugs in the bed, and your range is close to a 1000 miles. If something goes wrong, then you go to the ATV.