Preppers often stockpile their homes so that they would be able to survive there without problem for months on end, but what if something happens to their home? Their community? Many people, preppers and non-preppers alike, have started bugging out their vehicles so that they are prepared to leave town in a moment’s notice.

Even if you plan on sticking it out in your home, it’s a good idea to diversify the location of your stockpile. That way not all is lost if something goes wrong. A truck is a great place to store part of your stockpile, and it has a great advantage to your home; it’s mobile!

The stockpile you keep in your truck will be slightly different than that of your home though. It’s important to know what to store in your truck for times of emergency.

 

Prepper Truck Tips

A truck is a great bug-out vehicle. It has plenty of room for storage with the truck bed, and it usually comes in all-wheel or four-wheel drive. These make it a great choice of vehicle. One thing to be aware of though, is if you have a family you need to bring with you, you’ll need a large cab to bring them with you. If they don’t fit in the cab you might need a second vehicle.

It’s also a good idea to have a camper, toolbox, or cover of some kind to cover the bed of the truck. This makes it easier to live out of the automobile if needed, as well as store items so they won’t be stolen.

Keep up Maintenance

A bug out vehicle is of no use if the vehicle runs to the ground. It’s just as important to take care of your “house” on wheels as it is to stock it correctly. It’s important to do and check the following items to ensure the safety of your pickup. Especially in the case of disaster, it’s a good idea to learn to do most maintenance by yourself. That way you never have to rely on anyone else for help maintaining your truck.

• Never let your fuel tank get below half-full.
• Do a daily check of your auto, checking that the tires are fine, there are no leaks and there are no obvious problems.
• Make a maintenance plan and stick to you. Consistently check oil, make fluid changes, tire rotations, and pressure checks.

 

Distribute Items

It’s a good idea to distribute your supplies throughout your vehicle. Rather than just keeping the supplies in a bag in the back, utilize the space of the interior and exterior. Store things in the bed if you have a camper. Store things in the toolbox. You can even store things in clever places throughout the truck. Some possible places are underneath your seats, glove boxes, and center consoles. Tuffy Security Products makes great truck lockboxes that are vehicle-specific if you’d like to lock up your gear. If you do end up spreading your stockpile throughout the vehicle, it’s a good idea to keep a list of where everything is kept so you don’t end up losing anything.

 

Improve Your Truck

If you have a camper, then you can really go all out with your bug out vehicle. Many people make a bed out of the back complete with carpet kits or cots. You can lay down foam or even just a board. A thick sleeping bag and sleeping pad or air mattress could also work great. This is great for living out of your bug vehicle. Then you can bring blankets, pillows and other sleep items. Depending on the size of the truck, there still might be room to store things in the back. You can even spruce it up a bit with some cheap fabric as curtains. This both personalizes your truck, but it keeps light out of the back and protects privacy. Black out curtains do great at blocking light as well as provide additional insulation from the heat and cold.

Apart from the bed, there are many things you can do to improve your truck. Some people put cabinets on the side of the bed. These can hold food storage, supplies, or even your personal items.

On The Road Tips

Ready to Go Survival provides some really helpful tips when it comes to driving on the road with your bug out truck.

• Your truck should be able to leave at any moment. You’ll never know when you have to pick up and leave.
• Pre-test your fuel consumption in different conditions and with different loads. This will help you to know your gas mileage in different situations. This is especially beneficial to know in case you have to air down your tires and go off-road over rough terrain.
• If you go off-road, don’t underestimate the terrain. You also should try to drive in the straightest line possible.
• Keep your eye on the weather.
• Avoid major highways and city streets. This will help you to avoid danger and congestion. Stay on the back roads.
• Get training in specialized driving techniques. Some examples of this are high-speed driving, driving to avoid obstacles, doing a reverse 180, accelerating in reverse, and other ways to avoid sticky situations.
• Stay with your car unless you must leave it. If you do have to leave, then park out of view and remember where you left the truck.
• It’s a good idea to have a bug-out bag as well in case you need to abandon the car.
• Make sure to have a plan. Ration out food. Plan routes. Have back-up routes as well. You could even hide small collections of food, water, and supplies along the route.

Prepper Truck Must-Have Accessories

While it’s important to know how to handle your bug out vehicle, it’s also important to know what makes a bug-out vehicle. There are many things that a bug-out vehicle needs. You have your stockpile items, emergency road kit items, and extra items that can save you in a pinch.

Before we get into that though, there are a few things that are important to remember. First, you have to know how to use your supplies. If you bring a water purifier but don’t have a clue how to use it, it’s just a hunk of junk taking up space in your truck. Before loading anything up on the truck, make sure you’ve learned how to use it. YouTube won’t load in an emergency if you are out in the middle of nowhere without cell reception.

Second, make sure to remember to rotate food and supplies through the truck. Just as you would with any stockpile, expiration dates need to be accounted for. Expiration dates of food storage are cut short substantially by high heat and bitter cold so you’ll have to rotate the items more regularly.

Third, don’t ever leave water in plastic outside in the car when it’s hot outside. The heat could cause the plastic to melt and contaminate the water. Even if you don’t see visibly-melted plastic, water bottles can seep chemicals that are harmful to the body into the water.

Emergency Road Kit

Whether or not your car is being used as a bug-out vehicle, it should always have an emergency road kit. You never know when you’re going to get in trouble when out on the road, and an emergency kit could be the difference between life and death.

• Antifreeze.
• Can with extra fuel.
• Emergency flares.
• Fire extinguisher.
• First aid kit.
• Hydraulic jack.
• Jumper cables.
• Mechanics tool kit.
• Motor oil.
• Seatbelt cutter/window breaker.
• Shovel.
• Spare tire.
• Traction ladders.
• Windshield wiper fluid.

 

Stockpile Items

When stocking your car, you should have at least three days of food, water and supplies. The following are some ideas for what you could include in your stockpile. Overall though, your stockpile needs to be geared toward what you and your family will need.

• Cash. It’s always a good idea to bring a small amount of cash with you, but be sure to not bring too much cash unless you’re planning to leave for good.
• Extra weather appropriate clothing.
• Important documentation. Many people have an encrypted USB with their documents on them. This takes up less space and keeps them more private.
• Non-plastic water container. Remember, plastic is a no-go in the car.
• Spare keys.
• Three-days food.
• Three-days water.
• Water purification system.

 

Hygiene Items

• Baby wipes.
• Bar soap.
• Bug spray.
• Deodorant.
• Dry shampoo.
• Kleenex.
• Lip balm.
• Nail clippers.
• Sanitary items.
• Sunscreen.
• Toilet paper.
• Toothbrush.
• Toothpaste.

 

Essential Tools

• Backpack. Make sure it’s a solid one that will last awhile and carry everything it needs to.
• Bandanas.
• Compass.
• Duct tape. You never know when you’ll need duct tape. It can be used for so many things that make it an essential for your bug out truck.
• Firestarter. Along with this, be sure you bring along plenty of materials that can be burned.
• Flashlight and batteries.
• Glow sticks.
• Handwarmer heat packs.
• Knife.
• Maps of bug out area.
• Mylar blanket. Make sure to not get a cheap one. One sturdy mylar blanket can be used for shelter, warmth, and many other things.
• Paper and pen. You never know when you’re going to need to write something down.
• Paracord. Another incredibly versatile and essential tool.
• Poncho.
• Portable and spare chargers for cell phones and other electronics.
• Radio.
• Rope.
• Superglue.
• Tinfoil.
• Trash bags.
• Watch.
• Whistle.
• Ziploc bags.
• Zip ties.

Defense Items

• Ammo.
• Firearm.
• Knife.
• Pepper Spray.

 

Extras

And for those who want to go the extra mile with their bug-out vehicle, there are the extra things you could pack. If you have extra storage or money to spend on your truck these items will help you take your truck to the next level.

• Grill guard. It’s a good idea to protect your truck as much as possible.
• Undercarriage skid plates. These protect important items under your truck such as your oil pan safe in case you have to drive over tall items such as rocks and logs.
• Night vision goggles. Also expensive, but can help you not losing any time or security to the dark.
• Rooftop cargo carrier rack. A great way to seriously maximize your truck’s cargo space.
• Security film for windows. It can be expensive, but once installed your side windows will be unbreakable (much like the Tesla Cyber Truck haha.)
• Off-road trailer. In case you need to store even more items.
• Roof-Top Tent (RTT.) These tents are super easy and very nice. They don’t provide as sturdy of shelter as a truck bed camper but they are great and fold flat with done.