Five: Vehicle

 

You are going to need a vehicle stood by, ready at all times to get you to your location in the shortest possible time. The fact that you want to get there in the shortest possible time might suggest that the most suitable vehicle is going to be a sports car. It might be, but to be fair it probably isn’t.

In reality the most suitable vehicle is likely to be a 4x4. They tend to be heavy duty vehicles than aren’t going to fall apart if you have a minor scrape in them. Roads will be chaos post doomsday, in order to survive you may need to push other vehicles out of the way on route, a 4x4 is better equipped than most to handle this task. The roads might even be so bad that you might need to go off road at some point; there is little point in having any other vehicle other than a 4x4. There is no sense in having prepared for this moment for years, in having a great location with a superb comfortable shelter which is fully stocked without being able to get there.

The only other vehicle that you may consider is the mobile home. We have already discussed this option in a previous chapter. The advantage of this option is that you are taking both your shelter and your stock room with you. This does give you the option of going slightly further to a choice of location, however it does make off-roading an almost impossibility. You need to decide, based on your own circumstances, which is the best option for you.

Always ensure that your vehicle has enough fuel in it to reach your location comfortably. It is obviously not practically to always have a full tank; but that is what we are looking to achieve. Never take the risk of taking your vehicle out for the day and parking it up at home with next to zero fuel in the tank. No matter how tired you are, ensure that you fill up before reaching home. Also never scrip or save on vehicle maintenance. You need it available when you need it, ensure regular servicing occurs and when issues arise, fix them. You may also like to consider keeping an additional spare tyre in the car; just in case. Certainly you need four cans of the special foam that can instantly repair a flat tyre, that way even with four flats, you can still get to your location. 

You should also keep a mini-survival kit in a rucksack in your vehicle. You should always plan for the worst; use the adage that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. You may have to ditch your vehicle and continue the rest of the journey to your location on foot. Make sure your rucksack includes warm clothing, a survival blanket, a flashlight and two days worth of rations.

Finally ensure that you have the maps to your location secured inside your glove box. You should know your route by heart. You should practice the drive at least three times a year (in all seasons). Know all the alternative routes. Never depend on a sat-nav system, post doomsday they won’t work!