Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Bug Out Vehicle and Accessories

What will it be used for? Just to get from point A to point B? Or will you be staying in your bug out vehicle for an unknown length of time?

This will determine how many mods and accessories you will add to your vehicle. A “point A to point B” vehicle, you can get away with less mods. At a minimum you should have some sort of communication device (ie. CB radio).

Living in your bug out vehicle means a lot more mods to make it livable. For example a space to sleep, possible cooking/food prep area, fridge and so on.

If living in it, do you want the sleeping area accessible from outside (ie. fold up tent on roof or back of truck) or accessible without leaving your vehicle (ie. bed in van)? Depending on your location, a pop up tent might not be practical if temperatures drop below freezing. Then you would probably want something insulated.

In either type of vehicle you’ll want extra fuel containers because fuel is the one thing your vehicle is dependent on (besides the less frequently needed, oil). Depending on the bug out situation, if you run out of fuel…..then what?

Consider an older vehicle, as newer vehicles have a lot of electrical components, giving them a lot more chances to break down if something goes wrong. Older vehicles are a lot more mechanical with less electrical options, making it easier and less complicated to fix if breaks down.

You will need a spare tire or two, because besides a mechanical failure, a flat tire will strand you. Ideally if run flat tires are available to you, that might be a viable option.

You should always choose a vehicle that has higher clearance so you can take off-road or go over obstacles. Nothing would be worse than driving down the road and having to stop your journey because you can’t get over a curb.

There’s a good chance of getting stuck when driving on sand, or off road in mud/deep snow. When this happens to you, how will you get out? Popular options are wenches and traction solutions (ie. MAXTRAX).

I think this is a given, but, definitely go with a vehicle with 4 wheel drive, IF a model of the vehicle you need/want comes in 4WD as an option. A truck for sure, but an RV more than likely doesn’t have that option, therefore you can’t get 4WD.

How many people will be with you in your bug out vehicle?

This can determine the size of your vehicle. If just yourself, you would probably want a smaller vehicle as to use up less fuel, and be able to squeeze through tight spots, like abandoned cars along a road, or narrow trails.

With 3 or more people, you are now starting to limit the type of vehicles suitable for you. Do you get a larger vehicle? Do you get some sort of trailer? Do you get multiple vehicles? Some things to think about when traveling with a group of people.

There are a million different accessories you can add to your bug out vehicle to make it awesome, but what it comes down to is what works well for you. Doing the customizations yourself is cheaper and you really get to know your vehicle. But if money isn’t an issue, you can always have a professional bug out vehicle company build one for you.

There are many different aspects to consider when choosing a bug out vehicle.  I hope this has helped make your decision easier.

Good luck selecting and modding your bug out vehicle!

Until next time