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| Walking Along a Paddy Field (ca 2018) photograph by Basile Morin |
The easiest way for a human to move from one place or another is walking. All you need is a pair of shoes, and you really don't need that. A pair of sandals will do in the spring, summer, and fall; add a pair of socks and you might just have winter travel covered.
The problem with walking, besides seeming to take forever to get somewhere, is you can't carry a lot of stuff. You are limited to how much you can carry.
How many plastic shopping bags can you carry in your hands?
Not many if the bags are full, and the plastic bags are fragile. Plus, you can only use the plastic bags once or twice before they rip.
Backpacks
To increase the amount of stuff you can carry, you can purchase a backpack. In these United States Army, soldiers carry anywhere from 40 to 120 pounds of supplies and equipment in her or his rucksack (backpack). Remember, these folks are trained, conditioned, and practice walking carrying this large of a load. Plus, their equipment is designed to carry most of this stuff.
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U.S. Army Metal External Frame (left) with Medium Rucksack (right)
As a side note, 60 to 120 pounds is an abnormal load for a soldier. These heavy loads are usually carried for a short time and distance, extreme situations, or are limited to the elite forces. I have heard of rucksack frames bending or breaking, and rucksacks tearing from carrying such heavy loads.
Now backpacks range in price from $10 for an inexpensive school book bag to $250 for an extremely lightweight, high-tech, specialty backpack.
The designs also vary. Some backpacks are a big sack with shoulder straps, while others have internal and external pockets. Frames may be internal and external, too.
Just like it sounds, an internal frame is encased in the material of the backpack, (you can feel it, but you can't see it) and an external frame you can see and easily remove from the backpack.
A frame allows you to carry a heavier load. This may or may not be a good thing. Remember, the heavier the load; the more energy it takes to walk.
If you want to move a lot of stuff you could put wheels on it.
Wheels
There are a few ways of doing this. One way is to buy a used or old suitcase carrier, the one with wheels. You put your stuff on the suitcase carrier and wheel it behind you. Another way is to use a wheeled suitcase. This works especially if you already have this type of suitcase. Be careful though, the wheels have a habit of falling off at the worst possible time.
Handcart
Another way of "putting wheels on it" is a handcart.
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Handcarts Crossing the Platte River
source
Norman Bosworth from Wikicommons
Similar items, such as a handcart, can be improvised from wheelbarrows, furniture moving dollies, garden carts, a child’s four-wheeled wagon, baby stroller, grocery cart, golf club bag carrier, or …
Bicycles
To increase how far you can travel and your speed; you can use a bicycle. The simple one-speed bicycle will easily double your range and speed. The one-speeds are simple and robust machines.
As you add gears, 3-speed, 10-speed, or 20-speed, the bicycle becomes more complicated. Cables and shifters must be maintained. This complex system of changing gears also increases initial cost, cost for repair parts, and add the number of repair parts you will need to have on hand.
If you have the money or skill, you can add a trailer to the bicycle. Most people use a bike trailer to carry their child on a trip. These carriers can be modified to carry supplies.
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Bicycle with custom-made cart
by
Hubert van Ham from Wikicommons
If you are willing to walk beside your bicycle, you can carry huge loads. During the 1960s, the Vietnamese used bicycles to carry goods to market using modified bicycles.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles, just like bicycles, have severe limitations. They are difficult and miserable to ride in the cold and rain, and have severe limits on the weight and number of people it can carry. Plus, motorcycle riders are easy to knock off their motorcycles.
Automobiles
Probably the most popular way of moving your stuff and family is the automobile. An automobile will move a lot of supplies. They can carry many more people than a bicycle or motorcycle, and the auto can usually move much faster than walking or riding a bicycle, this includes cars, trucks and vans in all their variations.
You probably have one. If you are a typical US family, you probably have one for every driver in the house.
If you are like me, you are in your car one to two hours a day. A lot can happen in those one to two hours. Such as 40,000 to 50,000 people dying every year in automobile accidents, in the United States. In fact, automobiles are the number one predator of humans, but they have their uses.
Now, you are going to have to go back to your threat analysis because you are going to have to decide what type of or if an automobile is useful for your continued survival.
For me, I commute 50 miles a day from a 250 home subdivision in a medium sized town close to shopping. Parking at work is in a semi-secure lot that I can see from my office window. Work is in an area with low crime, but is surrounded by low-income areas close to the interstate highway. I wanted to be prepared for having to stay over at work, winter driving, earthquakes, and civil unrest.
So, I bought an economy car that I can use to store an extensive survival kit for work. My kit has been personalized for my situation.
If I stayed over at work, I wanted modest and comfortable sleeping clothes, blankets, a pillow, and toiletries to clean up in the morning. Yes, I have to admit; I have bunny slippers in my survival kit, just for fun though.
For winter driving, I carry a spare coat, gloves or mittens, scarf, winter boots with extra wool socks, a little food and water, matches, votive candles, a 13 ounce metal coffee can, two ice scrapers, and ex cetera.
The only thing that I did differently for earthquake preparedness was to avoid parking in a spot that the surrounding buildings could collapse on to, and I bought a backpack.
The backpack was a medium priced model, on sale. I wanted one that would be comfortable enough and big enough for a 50 mile or 2 day hike home. I keep it empty because I plan to load the pack depending on the climate and situation.
I always have jumper cables, coarse sand (not cat litter because it turns into mud), warning triangles, local and state maps, and an empty fuel can in my car with $20 in five dollar bills, in the car.
The empty fuel can is in the trunk with the jumper cables, warning triangles, and sand. The jumper cables and warning triangles are together in a bag because I don't want to dig for them, if I help or need help to jump a car. The coarse sand is in a one gallon plastic jug. I learned last year; I will need a lot more sand. The maps are in the passenger area of the car.
For civil unrest, I keep a .357 revolver in the car. I have it unloaded and one loaded speed loader with an extra 6 loose rounds. The revolver and rounds are concealed in different parts of the car. If I know about civil unrest before I leave work, the plan is to load the revolver before leaving work with the loose rounds and quickly drive home.
If I don't know about the riots before leaving, I will drive very quickly. I know the above plan sucks, but it is the plan for now.
Preventive Maintenance and Accidents
Except for the problems associated with winter driving, I am more likely to have a car accident or breakdown on my drive to and from home. To prevent or reduce breakdowns, preventive maintenance needs to be done on your family’s vehicles, all of them.
Every time you drive you should do a ‘walk around.’ This inspection helps you identify potential problems before you use the vehicle. At a minimum, you should walk around the vehicle looking at the windshield, making sure it’s clean and free of cracks. You should check the lights, turn signals, reverse, brake, and head lights; they should all work.
Next, check under the car for any leaks. If you have ‘normal’ leaks or you find a new leak, you need to check the fluid levels. This check insures you have the proper fluid level. Of course, if the fluid is low, top it off with the proper fluid.
Lastly, finish you walk around checking to make sure the bumpers, trim, and any loads are firmly attached to the vehicle. Trust me; you will hate losing your bumper or a load on a busy street.
Every week, or before each fill-up, all of the fluids should be checked and topped off with the correct oil, brake fluid, power-steering fluid, windshield washing fluid, and any others. All of the tire pressures, including the spare should be checked, all windows and mirrors cleaned, and the inside of the vehicle picked-up and cleaned out.
Some folks are going to disagree about cleaning out the car once a week. I suggest doing this cleaning to reduce clutter in the vehicle; it can distract you, causing an accident; and to eliminate temptation for villains to break into your vehicle. Another added advantage, it seems, police officers will look into your vehicle. If they find anything suspicious, you might be ticketed or arrested.
Another disagreement folks are going to have is how often to change your oil. According to the hosts of “Car Talk,” a radio program on the local public radio station, it should be changed every 7,000 to 10,000 miles.
Of course, when you change the vehicle’s oil, it will need to have the tires rotated. Depending on the vehicle will depend on the rotation pattern or even if the tires are rotated. Motorcycle and lawnmower tires aren’t rotated; I think.
With all of this preventive maintenance, you can still be in an accident.
Accidents
Accidents can usually be prevented by being a defensive driver, most of the time. For those times, when it won’t help, you need to remember some rules.
First, make sure you’re o.k. than your passengers. If you’re not, take care of yourself, first. If your passengers aren’t o.k., take care of them, second.
Next, be safe! If you’re on a busy highway, interstate, or well-traveled road, stay in your car. That’s right. If you’re in no danger (car’s on fire, smell leaking fuel, or other danger), stay in your vehicle.
I can’t tell you the number of times, folks have been killed, getting out of their stalled or smashed car, and been struck by an on-coming vehicle. Stay in your vehicle, until help arrives.
Of course, If the road isn’t busy, you and your partner can get out of your vehicle and offer assistance to the other driver and their passengers. Just remember, they might be pissed.
Next, call for help from the local rescue services then carefully place your warning triangles to warn on-coming drivers of the danger.
No matter what, be safe.
Defensive Driving
After an accident is when most people realize the event could have probably been prevented by following some advice from various law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, and roadside assistance organizations, like the American Automobile Association (AAA). These various organizations advice:
* Pay Attention to the road and what’s going on around you as you drive. Avoid distractions like eating, listening to the radio, and talking on your cellphone and to your passengers.
This may seem harsh, but you and your family are trying to safely reach your destination.
* Maintain a proper following distance for the conditions by allowing three to four second between you and the vehicle in front of you while you drive around town. You need to allow four to five seconds when you’re driving on the highways or interstate. During rain, snow, or icy conditions this time should also be increased to six or more seconds.
Remember, 1/3 of vehicle accidents are rear-end collisions.
* Have an escape route while you’re driving and give other drivers an escape route, too. If you have a proper following distance, most of the time, that is your escape route, but you also need an escape route beside your vehicle.
In other words, avoid driving next to other vehicles except while passing them.
* Use your turn signals to communicate with other drives, so they know what you’re going to do. This allows other drives to have enough time to properly react to your actions.
Yes, every time you plan to make a turn, even in a parking lot, use your turn signals.
* Don’t depend on other drivers to be a good driver. Some folks are trying to do three things at a time, including driving, so plan for other drivers to change lanes without using the turn signals, fail to check their brake lights before a trip, and other bad habits.
Yes, everybody, including you, aren’t always prefect drivers, so plan accordingly.
* Lastly, keep a positive attitude while you drive. As hard as it may seem, being angry while driving can cause you to violate all of these suggestions endangering your family’s safety while you drive the family vehicle.
It might be hard but ignore the driver that flips you off, races ahead to ‘take’ the stop sign, and other unpleasantries that you might experience on your travels.
Remember, it’s better to be safe than right and dead.
Appendix A: Common Mistakes
The most common mistake preppers make for transportation is failing to properly maintain their transportation. We get wrapped up in filling water containers, storing food, and other stuff then forget to check the tire pressure and fluid levels in our vehicles.
Another common mistake is common to all the chapters; preppers fail to practice their prepping skills. You, your partner, and any other capable people should learn to use the tools and supplies stored in the vehicle. Yes, that means your daughter needs to learn how to safely change a flat tire; top off the motor oil, coolant, and windshield washer fluid; and properly scrape snow and ice off the vehicles windows.
The next common mistake is being unrealistic in how much supplies and time it will take to get home from work or school during an event. Many preppers drive 20, 30, even 50+ miles to work, one-way, in about an hour. That same distance would take 8 hours or many more to cover, if you and your family had to walk, at under 3 miles an hour. Don’t forget, traffic jams, too.
The last common mistake is failing to make the change in our mental attitude, during an event. Let me give you an example. During the 2011 tsunami, Japanese drivers waited at red-lights, with no oncoming traffic, as the huge wave rushed to engulf them, from behind.
Most preppers laugh and say that we would drive into oncoming traffic, drive up on the sidewalk or do other illegal things to flee the disaster. I doubt it because we are conditioned to safely operate our vehicles.
During an economic event, these safe driving habits may become dangerous. We may have to change our driving habits. Some of these changes will include disobeying traffic laws, not helping during an accident, and even paying bribes to local police officers.
When I write about disobeying the traffic laws, I mean to slow down then roll through red-lights and stop signs at night, maybe even during the day; not giving pedestrians the right-of-way because they may be trying to slow you down, to rob you; or ignoring things hitting your car.
Ignoring things hitting your car also includes ignoring accidents, on the side of the road. During tough times, villains may use staged accidents to lure unsuspecting drivers to their family’s doom. Yes, most preppers would be willing to help, but during tough times, a well-dressed family on the side of the road could be criminals, so call the local police, instead.
Lastly, you and your family may have to increase their safe driving practices such as increasing stopping distance between vehicles and making sure that everyone buckles up and that all car doors are locked after getting in the car.
Appendix B: Other Information
How to "Put Wheels" on a 5-Gallon Bucket
I heard about this technique from a Latter-day Saint friend. She told me to buy old, used folding luggage carts at garage sales or swap meets. She warned me to make sure they are in good shape.
Open the folding luggage cart. Place the 5-gallon bucket on the cart. Take enough bungee cords to hold the bucket on, and wheel away.
Her and her family kept their emergency evacuations kits in 5-gallon buckets. They planned to attach the folding carts to their bicycles if they had to evacuate by bicycle.
No, she didn't tell me how they attached the carts to the bikes, but she did say that they had practiced and it had worked.
Another method, to put wheels on a 5-gallon bucket, is for your family to use hand-trucks or ‘dollies.’ These mover’s dollies are two-wheeled hand-trucks for moving large and heavy equipment from place to place, usually in warehouses, by furniture movers, or other commercial settings.
Other Wheeled Transportation
There are two others types of wheeled transportation, I would like to mention. They are tricycles and scooters.
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Industrial Tricycle
by
Worksman Cycles and Carts
Tricycles are three-wheeled cycles, usually seen in commerce and industry. In commerce, you and your family might see one with a cooler on the front or back of the tricycle selling ice cream, hot dogs, or other food items. In industry, tricycles may have a basket or platform on the back to hold heavy or bulky equipment or supplies. Another added benefit, tricycles are more stable than bicycles and lighter than four wheeled human-powered cycles.
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Kickbike, Kick Scooter, or Scooter
by
Jim Henderson from Wikicommons
Adult-sized scooters, kick-scooters, or kickbikes, are just like children’s models, except built for adults. These ‘kick-scooters’ are used just like the children’s model. One foot is placed on the scooter’s platform, and the other foot is used to ‘push’ the scooter forward.
These scooters have an advantage for preppers. They are smaller than a bicycle, making the scooter easy to store, at work, and they are faster than walking. Plus, for certain models, panniers, baskets, and other equipment can be attached to the scooter, to increase its ability to carry supplies for your travels.
Military Manuals
The US military has many manuals that are useful by people who are preparing for tough times. One of these manuals is FM 21-18 Foot Marches. But you have to be careful because these manuals are written to be used by soldiers. Soldiers will have supplies, equipment, and many other items you may not have.
So plan accordingly.
"The Bike Man"
In our area, there is a gentleman that refurbishes bicycles for the local children. He takes used bikes as donations, and he also collects bikes during big trash pick-up day.
He will give these bicycles to children that have gone through a short class, taught by him, on bicycle safety and maintenance; additionally, he will sell his excess bikes to help fund his project.
He works out of his garage repairing the bicycles as needed. He also salvages parts from bikes that are unusable.
Why, am I telling you this?
Because, this would make a good side business and this is a way of getting transportation for everyone in the family for free or little cost.
Getting to Work
A total collapse probably won't happen. Yep, I know it's sad but true; no mutant zombie biker gangs, weird looking Mad Max vehicles, or Car Wars action; just lots of folks needing to get to work, so they can earn the money to buy the stuff their families will need to survive.
However, …
Fuel shortages, transportation worker strikes, and other likely disruptions will disrupt your commute to work. For families living close to their place of work, using a bicycle to get to work, may be a great idea. ‘If,’ you and your partner live close to work.
Another way would be to "Share the Ride" with co-workers to reduce the financial burden of getting to work, shopping, and other important tasks.
If you don't like that idea, how about buying a small motorized scooter? These scooters have a very small engine. The engine, 49cc, is so small some states consider them a powered bicycle. (No motorcycle license required). They get from 50 to 100 miles per gallon and most scooters maintain, at least, 25 miles per hour.
Lastly, you can look at selling or trading in your old car (low gas mileage) for a higher gas mileage car. We did this when we were looking to replace our cars; however, our mechanic suggested staying away from the hybrids. His reasoning: The hybrids cost more and we wouldn't recoup that extra cost even if fuel went to $5.00 a gallon. Replacing a battery pack is $8,000. So, no hybrids for us.
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