Any fellow survivalists utilize their truck?

I went grocery shopping in the woods and this guy conveniently took a nap on my sleeping platform on our ride home.



Does that count for this thread?

 

Sure does! Nice looking....Rack.
I wish we had more bucks around here, but the past few winters with all the snow have been hard on the population in general.

 

That belongs in the expo thread due to the platform. Unless you are discussing how much venison you can fit in an ammo can, then you are welcome.

 

Shrug. I vote we let it slide if he can produce a good 'ammo can venison stew' recipe that doesn't taste like gun oil

 

Didn't know this thread excited......just sayin Hi
Off to read all 172 pages now

 

Glad I'm not the only one who does that when they find a thread they like.
Take it from an old hand at thread mining...grab a scratch pad and a pen in case you see any ideas you like!

 

Pfft. Copy/Paste is your friend.

 

I stand corrected on the can size I looked when I went to storage this morning and they are FAT 50 cans....

 

Just looked at and sub'd your build thread -- amazing truck and lots of work. Did you keep the basket in the bed with the canopy? How does that work for you? You have some great details (paracord grab handles and such) that I will be reading more about and adding as time goes by. You have a great self-sustaining rig there and you could live out of it for as long as you want -- may be more important as time goes by and with current events..........

 

True - can expect the occasional troll to wander through but I have found this a great thread, inspirational and some really good ideas that I have incorporated into my truck. Someone elsewhere said that these are "bugout bags on wheels" and that is how I view my truck. Keep posting, I will keep reading and spending money -- that's what it's for as long as it have value!! Stay safe all!!

 

You know looking at this thread I am already on the same page here. MRE's are great various water containers as well as fire starting equipment. Foil blankets and various pieces from my issue that I find stays in my truck. I really don't think about it its just what I do. After you have been stuck in a snowstorm or stuck out in the back woods you learn to put some things in your truck. One thing I didn't notice on here is keeping at least half of tank of fuel at all times. Thinking prepared and being prepared are very different.

 

Fire starting, cutting, warmth, instant food, WATER, a couple of containers, small comfortable bag, Firearm. The less you carry the further and faster you can travel. Use the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Stupid

 

Being in the military taught me that you can't always rely on your vehicle and if you really need to bug out carry only the minimal. I have way too much stuff in my truck About like you minus the jerry can and the dog food. Every survivalist situations I have seen the vehicle gets scavenged and you can only carry so much. My Ideals came from growing up in Ca. and always having a kit in the car incase of earthquakes or getting stuck in the desert. Really there is a thousand ways to skin that Cat but I do believee in the KISS method it has never lead me wrong

 

Hey thanks! I've been building it as an expo build so its great for camping. Most camping rigs end up being decent survival rigs on their own. Not sure what basket you are talking about though? I may have just forgotten. My bed always has a basic bug out bag, tools, tie downs, hi lift, air compressor, and a RTT on top of the canopy.

 

Agreed. I keep my BOB nearby at all times. I can live for three days out of it, and it's saved my bacon more than once. I keep my BOL stocked, and am also ready to go off grid at home if need be. The bag, like my pistol, is just there to get me "home".

 

So far I've stuffed a well equipped first aid kit, a few days worth of food, bottled water, some knives, some tow chain and a come-along, and tools under the back seats.

To keep things low profile and so my passengers in the back can't be seen, I've tinted the rear windows darker, and the fronts darker as well.

Right now I'm working to install an 800w inverter and outlets so the truck can be used as a generator.

I wish there was more storage space in the truck, but I'm quite happy with all I could stuff behind and under the back seats.

 

Love all the ideas in this thread. The pessimist in though doesn't let me pack it full of stuff for fear of it being stolen. Luckily I live pretty close to where I work and keep bins packed in the garage ready that I can just toss in. When I travel, and depending on how far, I add select gear for the trip, but my general plan is to get home and shelter in place.

 

Keep a gerber multitool, benchmade katana and fenix flashlight in the wallet pocket next to the steering wheel. Under the seats I have paracord, a fixed blade knife with firestart, waterproof matches, a couple lifestraws and another pump style water purifier, first aid kit, isreali cauterizing bandage. I have a console vault I put in but didnt like driving around with my sig (no safety). Basically I went Amazon crazy during the ebola scare and later just put it all in my truck.

 

Mostly I'm pretty minimal with what I keep in the truck, usually just my GHB unless I'm traveling more than an hour from home. The clothing gets swapped seasonally (heavier in the winter, lighter in the summer) and I add hand/footwarmers, heavy boots, insulated gloves, a wool hat, and a true winter coat when the weather gets cold. I just keep enough stuff for me to live out of for a few days, long enough for me to get home from wherever. Plus I have my EDC stuff, obviously, so lighter, knife, multitool, etc.
I need to strip my GHB and do an inventory on it, though. I've added and subtracted so much stuff over the last year that I'm not sure what I have too much of.

I'm old school.

Lol, NOW I see this. I went and pulled one of my .50's of 7.62X54r this weekend and did a count and I was really scratching my head at how the heck I could fit more in there without damaging it, haha!

 

I do have an Access cab, and an open bed with no camper, but I keep quite a bit in the truck out of sight. Here's what I carry in the truck for when I'm not camping or deliberately carrying more gear on long road trips:

• Driver's side door cubby:
  • Ka-Bar BK2 in custom Kydex sheath with Tek-Lok
  • Leather work gloves (for utility, and to cover the BK2 from plain sight)
• Under back seat (used to be small subwoofers in a custom box under my seats, but I got rid of it. It left me with more storage space because there's no cubby or carpet under the seats now. I plugged the drain holes to keep moisture and dirt out):
  • 1/4 mile of coated dual strand coated wire (military surplus, comes in a round metal can) - cordage, low power electrical fixes, snares, etc. This stuff is used by military to make long runs of power wire between explosives and the detonator. It's thin, strong, and cheap.
  • 30,000# tow strap
  • Warn winch controller (wired)
  • Snatch block pulley
  • Crovel with paracord wrapped handle
  • Ka-Bar Kukri machete in custom Kydex sheath with Tek-Lok
  • 8x6 poly camo tarp with aluminized coating on one side
  • 3600 calorie Datrex block
  • Sawyer Mini water filter kit with 32oz squeeze bag
  • Travel umbrella
  • Military surplus Goretex bivvy (outer layer from the sleep system)
  • Titanium cook pot with lid, and Solo Stove nested inside with folding spork and small bottle of camp soap with a scrub sponge
  • Small first aid kit, hand packed in a ziploc freezer bag. Krazy Glue in place of sutures.
• Rear passenger door cubby:
  • Small packable black backpack. Tucks into itself into a small zippered pouch. Never know when you need to go on foot and carry stuff. I'd rather have a larger pack, but this one would do the job in a pinch.
• Rear drivers door cubby:
  • Rolled up lightweight rubberized rain jacket
  • Tan shemagh
• Center console:
  • Condor Bushlore knife in custom Kydex sheath with ferro rod and Tek-Lok
  • 2 micro USB charging cables
  • 9,000mAh charged battery pack (waterproof, rubberized)
  • Spyderco Civilian
  • Diamond/ceramic knife sharpener
  • Seat belt cutter in nylon pouch (from the Gerber LMKII knife set)
• Back seat (in plain site):
  • Weather-appropriate outer clothing (jacket/coat, rain pants, hat)
  • Merrel Moab hiking shoes and pair of good socks, for if I'm wearing dress shoes or something less comfortable for walking long distances.
• In the bed:
  • Old Coleman steel cooler that I upgraded - riveted on steel handles, new steel latch. I ran a cable lock through the handle to a tie-down loop I installed in the bed of the truck near the front. In that cooler, I always have about a half a case of bottled drinking water.
  • Full sized spare, also locked to the cable.
• Coin tray (right of steering wheel):
  • Coins
  • Bic lighter
• Coin tray (left of steering wheel):
  • Small ceramic knife sharpener
  • Some cheap S&W folding tonto knife I use as a box cutter
  • Extra fuses
• Bed rack (ok, so it's an open bed but I have a full sized bed rack always on):
  • Tepui Kukenam RTT (only taken off when I know I'm going somewhere that only has parking available in garages)
  • ARB 6' awning

You look inside of my truck and see, at most, a pair of cheap-looking leather work gloves, and some cold weather clothes down on the floor. I always carry at least a 32oz water bottle with me wherever I go, so I have water carrying capability for short distances. The Sawyer water filter kit has a 32oz squeeze bag for the dirty water, so at least I have a way to carry more with me and filter it as needed. The cooler in the bed of my truck is old and beat up looking, but it works fantastic. It's locked to the truck, so the most anyone would do would be to take the water out of my cooler or vandalize the cooler (which was free anyways). If I'm staying with the truck for whatever reason (breakdown in the middle of the woods or something), I have the RTT and awning to quickly set up as my basecamp.

What I carry gives me food and water for a couple days, the ability to filter water and cook food or boil water, a small pack to carry just what I need, and clothing for the climate. I never drive anywhere without the right layers for the weather and footwear for the terrain, because you never know when you'll have to get out and walk. I carry a bunch of blades, but they all serve a different purpose and I just like knives. I'm considering just carrying the BK2 or the Bushlore, but I also just purchased the Matt Graham Condor knife and that could replace them all. Then I'd have a chopper and something I could still do fine work with.

Something I didn't put on the list above is another great place to carry valuable gear: Under the panel where the shifter is located (automatic transmissions only). If you unscrew the shifter knob, you can just pop up the surrounding panel around the shifter stick (it's only held down by reusable clips) and there's a ton of space for small gear under there. A pistol, knives, or whatever your heart desires. Just make sure whatever you pack in there doesn't get in the way of any of the mechanics of the shifter. Great stash spot, and pretty easy access even in a rush. It does get warm in there from the transmission, so don't put anything in there that you don't want to get warmed up. I won't tell you what's stored in mine.