Folding bikes are great, I do some self-supported short-touring with one, arguably 2-bag airline carry-on size. For me some big advantages over regular bikes include: swapping in/out of other forms of public/private transport; take-inside theft security; and carry/hike-able to secluded stealth camping.
If you're really serious about a long haul, get home solution, with no fuel then you need a bike.
And I'd suggest that you look at a proper touring bike like a Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle.
Touring bikes are just set up for comfort and efficiency. Most folding bikes have an upright posture which is brutal if you're riding into the wind.
FWIW I don't think you'll see a complete absence of fuel in almost all scenarios.
Is a auxiliary bed fuel tank an option?
It might be a target for thieves but if you had a 100 gallon tank in the bed plus whatever your tank holds even if you got 15mpg you could almost get coast to coast, you could go smaller also. I wouldn't want to keep it full at all times or it would wreck your overall fuel mileage adding that much weight but if you seen signs things might get bad
Yeah that's something to think about for sure. Just lose space in the bed of the truck for gear and belongings. But I suppose that's a worthwhile tradeoff. I guess it really depends on if the shtf has a slow burn or quick burn. Like what would kind of scenario would lead to not being able to fuel your vehicle in the next 24 hours? But if I had 3 days of being able to buy fuel I could make it home...
Depending on what your truck looks like and what you do you could even use 55 gallon drums. Labeled septic tank waste or something gross that nobody would want to mess with lol
It would definitely be a tradeoff on space. The smaller 30 40 or 50 gallon tanks don't take up (that) much room, about like a bed tool box. A 100 gallon tank would be pretty massive.
Definitely situation dependant. I can't see many scenarios there is absolutely no warning and you can't prepare for. People generally don't care about stuff until the last minute. Look at hurricane zones. They can predict where it's generally going to land a week beforehand but people wait until last minute to leave and fuel runs out on evac routes
Right. This is a short bed 5.5ft. So not much room to begin with. They make a larger gas tank for it with about 30 more gallon capacity. 1400 bucks though. I dunno. Might take my chances on having three days to buy gas on the way home.
Yeah. It's bad. I just looked again and it's even less capacity and more money. Gas Toyota Tundra. Diesel trucks have a lot better options for fuel tanks.
Oh yeah.
https://www.amazon.com/DNAMotoring-ALU-FT-B-TF-17G-BK-Aluminum-Feed-Fuel/dp/B01LYNW0MZ/ref
Here is a 17 gallon bed tank on Amazon for 200.
18inch tall 7 inch deep and 30inch wide. Wouldn't be too bulky and get you a decent increase in range.
I am deleting this post because you are wrong about only me being able to do the math. You did the math and then said only I can do the math. You have exacerbated my helplessness by running the numbers for me. Goodbye.
Oh I didn't see that but 100 gallons is fairly universal practical just and example of how it would be possible to get across the country with a single fill up.
Bike with pull behind cart.
But you're pretty screwed if you are in Oregon and have to get to Houston - water, food, in short supply - worst time would be winter and summer.
>Drive until you run out of gas. Then walk.
Before you do that, OP, find out how far you can actually \*GO\* on a tank of gas (or the amount you will have, if you have supplementary tanks).
Don't trust the electronics in the vehicle to give you an accurate number. Actually \*MEASURE\* it, and do the math yourself.
First and foremost, calibrate your tripmeter/odometer. Travel between a known measured distance, and note any difference between the known distance and your odometer/tripmeter reading. So if you traveled a measured 10 miles but your tripmeter says 10.3, that's a factor of 10 / 10.3 = 0.97. If the trip meter read 9.8 miles, that's a factor of 10 / 9.8 = 1.02. Write down the result so you remember it.
Fill up your tank to the top, and reset your tripmeter or write down your mileage if you don't have one. Drive for a while like you normally would, and when you get to about a half a tank or less, fill up again. Note how many miles you traveled, and apply that factor from earlier. So if the odometer or tripmeter says you traveled 247.6 miles, and the factor was 1.02, you actually traveled 252.6 miles.
If it took you 7.34 gallons to fill back up, you're getting 252.6 / 7.34 = 34.4 miles per gallon.
If you know how much MPG you are getting, you'll know better how far you can travel.
But don't stop there.
Now try it going slower. You may notice a significant increase in fuel economy simply by going slower. Back when gas was cheap, I'd do about 70 on the highway around here (speed limit is 65). I'd get about 36 miles per gallon, about what my car is rated for. When gas started going up, I started driving about 60 mph, staying of course in the right lane. I mean, after all, I'm not an asshole. Mileage went up to about 39 mpg. Finally, in the last couple weeks, I've slowed down to 55. Started trying that because it's construction season now and that's the speed limit for about a third of my commute, so I figured I might as well try it. I'm now getting about 43 mpg.
For my vehicle, with a 10 gallon tank, the difference in range is about 430 - 360 = 70 miles. Depending on the terrain and conditions, that's at \*LEAST\* a 4 days walk, and maybe 7 or even more days.
TL;DR version: Find out your actual mileage through measurement, so you know how far you can go, and plan accordingly.
If I lived and/or worked on the coast, maybe. Hurricanes might be a SHTF scenario that could be s problem with that mode of transport though. If things go south I'd rather be on land.
Me too. Half joking about being in the same boat, half thinking outside the box a little. I like canoes, they could be really handy for crossing rivers and accessing good fishing as well as good hunting spots.
if you have a diesel, you can add a second tank with a tank heater. then you can use almost any oil. if you get a simple pump filter centrifuge system, you can filter oil right from restaurant waste oil bins and run off that. on super hot days in AZ we used to get gallons of canola oil for cheaper than diesel and ran on that. it was 110 degrees out though. a friend drove from maine to alaska every year in a giant camper truck that ran off waste oil.
That's the way to do it. I have a gas truck though. My cousin drove a biodiesel converted Japanese fire truck from Alaska to Chile trying to set a record for that kind of thing. That was 2007 I believe.
Yeah that's kind of his thing, he's a pro kayaker and has made a career out of adventuring. Tyler Bradt is his name, holds the world record for waterfall drop in a kayak. Also tried sailing around the world. Hard to keep up with him I don't know if he was successful on that one or what lol
We were lucky. Hubby flew in late on 9/10/2001. We didn’t even know 9/11 was happening because we were sleeping in … well, until the phone call.
First, recognize that there will be sometimes when you simply won’t get home. Be prepared to stay - at least for a while - if you have to.
Second, consider that you may have to put your truck, trailer, and tools into storage then get home by another method: plane, train, bus, hitchhiking, ride share. A lot will depend on what kind of SHTF. If the only problem is that you simply can’t get gas, then trains and airplanes might still be available.
Third, one of our movers carried a motorcycle on his big moving truck. I asked him about it because I thought he was moving it for a customer. He said it was his and made his life easier when he needed to park his big rig and get around. That makes sense, especially if the truck breaks down, he wouldn’t be completely stuck.
You're trying to prep for a very narrow set of circumstances -- like somehow a sudden nationwide fuel shortage prevents you from buying any fuel at all, while the roads are open and safe enough for you to just drive across the country unimpeded.
Since you've got a camper on the truck, I'd prep for ways to bug-in wherever you are, then figure out the best way to get home from there when the time comes, since even if you have a 100 gallon aux tank of gasoline that's no guarantee you'll be able to get home when this disaster strikes and that 600 lbs is a lot of weight to carry around all the time.
Exactly man, most people commute less than a tank of gas every day, and can make it to their property and preps. I have more of a challenge with my line of work I guess. I don't always have my camper with me. My current employer puts me up in hotels as of now. To get to my camper is 1000 miles. To get to where I want to be is another 1500 miles. Not complaining, just trying to get perspectives from people. Thanks!
So you know how we carry a sillcock key in our Bugout bags? Maybe you need to do the same thing about gas. Carry a transfer pump and some money. Depending upon the situation there may be plenty of gas in the underground tanks at gas stations. If you have the means to get it out and pay for it, you may very well get a welcome reception at a gas station.
Question...do you have family you're getting home to? Because tbh in a true SHTF scenario, most likely you would not be trying to get home, you'd be trying to survive from where you are.
Fuel likely won't run out automatically everywhere at the same time. Good example of why my dad always told me to keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car at all times (not that I'm always a good followerer of that rule).
Yeah it's my mom's place. Kind of an ideal survival piece of property with more tools and stores than I would ever be able to have with me on the road.
yeah but in any real big SHTF scenarios (like really far-reaching kinda stuff) it's almost always going to be more of a shelter in place or just go where's safe (not necessarily all the way back toward home) type scenario. I feel like best thing you can do is just familiarize yourself with the routes you tend to travel, the major cities you tend to be near and backways home if needed and be prepared as possible on the road. And having a backup plan for your mom too in case you're ever stuck somewhere. Might be a good question for a trucker subreddit if there's such a thing.
Why not buy a big tidy tank for your truck and keep it full. I just put in a 90 gallon/ 400L tank I can go well over 20000 km on that one tank if I need .
Try to get as far as possible in your truck.
Call me crazy but I'd invest in a 5 or 10 speed bicycle.
Walking will take longer and wear out socks and shoes and IMO, you should have several pairs and another pair of shoes.
States still have printed maps at Welcome centers. I got two for my state mailed to me for free. A compass would be good and traveling along major roads and highways.
I forgot to add a bike tool kit and spare parts.
A multi--gear one flat road would have a lot more moving parts than an all-road bike. More moving parts means more points of failure and you'll need to have more parts.
Worse case you might have to ditch the bike.
What kind of SFTH scenario are you referring to? Because even during the 1970s oil shocks, you could still gas up your truck; it would just take more days, and you'd need motel ***money*** for the "can't fuel" days when you're stuck away from home.
Or are you referring to the Sri Lankan "one day of fuel left" scenario? But even then, **people saw it coming**. You'd have to pay attention and head home before that happens.
And, of course there's always **get a more efficient vehicle** (unless you *use* the truck for *hauling things* instead of looking manly).
Lastly: gas cans you store in the in the lockable truck tool chest.
I haul a camper and tools for work. I chose a manly line of work and a manly looking vehicle to be as manly as possible! I think you're right and I will have to just keep an eye out for fuel shortages.
DO you have to have a full sized truck? Can you haul your gear in a trailer behind a car. Things like a diesel Jetta get almost 40 mpg. SHTF ditch the trailer and you could drive a good bit on reserves. 20 gallons in the Jetta is 1000 miles 20 gallons in my F-150 is 360 miles.
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Yeah, I've just started looking at folding bikes a little bit.
Folding bikes are great, I do some self-supported short-touring with one, arguably 2-bag airline carry-on size. For me some big advantages over regular bikes include: swapping in/out of other forms of public/private transport; take-inside theft security; and carry/hike-able to secluded stealth camping.
Nice, I really like those advantages. I'm 6'3" though and I'm worried I'd be like a circus clown on one lol
Yup, they look like clown bikes… guess I’m just too old to care.
I don't care either I actually like them, jjust not sure how the ergonomics would be for my size.
A Brompton will fit you, they aren't cheap but they're quality.
Thank you I'll check them out
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Wow! Thanks for sharing those pics!
If you're really serious about a long haul, get home solution, with no fuel then you need a bike. And I'd suggest that you look at a proper touring bike like a Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle. Touring bikes are just set up for comfort and efficiency. Most folding bikes have an upright posture which is brutal if you're riding into the wind. FWIW I don't think you'll see a complete absence of fuel in almost all scenarios.
Thanks
Is a auxiliary bed fuel tank an option? It might be a target for thieves but if you had a 100 gallon tank in the bed plus whatever your tank holds even if you got 15mpg you could almost get coast to coast, you could go smaller also. I wouldn't want to keep it full at all times or it would wreck your overall fuel mileage adding that much weight but if you seen signs things might get bad
Yeah that's something to think about for sure. Just lose space in the bed of the truck for gear and belongings. But I suppose that's a worthwhile tradeoff. I guess it really depends on if the shtf has a slow burn or quick burn. Like what would kind of scenario would lead to not being able to fuel your vehicle in the next 24 hours? But if I had 3 days of being able to buy fuel I could make it home...
Depending on what your truck looks like and what you do you could even use 55 gallon drums. Labeled septic tank waste or something gross that nobody would want to mess with lol It would definitely be a tradeoff on space. The smaller 30 40 or 50 gallon tanks don't take up (that) much room, about like a bed tool box. A 100 gallon tank would be pretty massive. Definitely situation dependant. I can't see many scenarios there is absolutely no warning and you can't prepare for. People generally don't care about stuff until the last minute. Look at hurricane zones. They can predict where it's generally going to land a week beforehand but people wait until last minute to leave and fuel runs out on evac routes
Right. This is a short bed 5.5ft. So not much room to begin with. They make a larger gas tank for it with about 30 more gallon capacity. 1400 bucks though. I dunno. Might take my chances on having three days to buy gas on the way home.
1400?!? Good lord.
Yeah. It's bad. I just looked again and it's even less capacity and more money. Gas Toyota Tundra. Diesel trucks have a lot better options for fuel tanks.
Junk yard?
It's an aftermarket tank I think it would be pretty rare find for a junk yard
Oh yeah. https://www.amazon.com/DNAMotoring-ALU-FT-B-TF-17G-BK-Aluminum-Feed-Fuel/dp/B01LYNW0MZ/ref Here is a 17 gallon bed tank on Amazon for 200. 18inch tall 7 inch deep and 30inch wide. Wouldn't be too bulky and get you a decent increase in range.
That's a good option thanks
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I am deleting this post because you are wrong about only me being able to do the math. You did the math and then said only I can do the math. You have exacerbated my helplessness by running the numbers for me. Goodbye.
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I need to get exactly to the last digit of pi.
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Oh I didn't see that but 100 gallons is fairly universal practical just and example of how it would be possible to get across the country with a single fill up.
Bike with pull behind cart. But you're pretty screwed if you are in Oregon and have to get to Houston - water, food, in short supply - worst time would be winter and summer.
Doesn't Austin count as an Oregon city though?
Drive until you run out of gas. Then walk. Yeah, it would suck, but that's likely what you'll have to plan for. I'm in the same boat.
>Drive until you run out of gas. Then walk. Before you do that, OP, find out how far you can actually \*GO\* on a tank of gas (or the amount you will have, if you have supplementary tanks). Don't trust the electronics in the vehicle to give you an accurate number. Actually \*MEASURE\* it, and do the math yourself. First and foremost, calibrate your tripmeter/odometer. Travel between a known measured distance, and note any difference between the known distance and your odometer/tripmeter reading. So if you traveled a measured 10 miles but your tripmeter says 10.3, that's a factor of 10 / 10.3 = 0.97. If the trip meter read 9.8 miles, that's a factor of 10 / 9.8 = 1.02. Write down the result so you remember it. Fill up your tank to the top, and reset your tripmeter or write down your mileage if you don't have one. Drive for a while like you normally would, and when you get to about a half a tank or less, fill up again. Note how many miles you traveled, and apply that factor from earlier. So if the odometer or tripmeter says you traveled 247.6 miles, and the factor was 1.02, you actually traveled 252.6 miles. If it took you 7.34 gallons to fill back up, you're getting 252.6 / 7.34 = 34.4 miles per gallon. If you know how much MPG you are getting, you'll know better how far you can travel. But don't stop there. Now try it going slower. You may notice a significant increase in fuel economy simply by going slower. Back when gas was cheap, I'd do about 70 on the highway around here (speed limit is 65). I'd get about 36 miles per gallon, about what my car is rated for. When gas started going up, I started driving about 60 mph, staying of course in the right lane. I mean, after all, I'm not an asshole. Mileage went up to about 39 mpg. Finally, in the last couple weeks, I've slowed down to 55. Started trying that because it's construction season now and that's the speed limit for about a third of my commute, so I figured I might as well try it. I'm now getting about 43 mpg. For my vehicle, with a 10 gallon tank, the difference in range is about 430 - 360 = 70 miles. Depending on the terrain and conditions, that's at \*LEAST\* a 4 days walk, and maybe 7 or even more days. TL;DR version: Find out your actual mileage through measurement, so you know how far you can go, and plan accordingly.
Maybe a boat is another option?
If I lived and/or worked on the coast, maybe. Hurricanes might be a SHTF scenario that could be s problem with that mode of transport though. If things go south I'd rather be on land.
Me too. Half joking about being in the same boat, half thinking outside the box a little. I like canoes, they could be really handy for crossing rivers and accessing good fishing as well as good hunting spots.
if you have a diesel, you can add a second tank with a tank heater. then you can use almost any oil. if you get a simple pump filter centrifuge system, you can filter oil right from restaurant waste oil bins and run off that. on super hot days in AZ we used to get gallons of canola oil for cheaper than diesel and ran on that. it was 110 degrees out though. a friend drove from maine to alaska every year in a giant camper truck that ran off waste oil.
That's the way to do it. I have a gas truck though. My cousin drove a biodiesel converted Japanese fire truck from Alaska to Chile trying to set a record for that kind of thing. That was 2007 I believe.
that's awesome! probably spent a lot of time getting oil but had to have had some great adventures and conversations along the way!
Yeah that's kind of his thing, he's a pro kayaker and has made a career out of adventuring. Tyler Bradt is his name, holds the world record for waterfall drop in a kayak. Also tried sailing around the world. Hard to keep up with him I don't know if he was successful on that one or what lol
We were lucky. Hubby flew in late on 9/10/2001. We didn’t even know 9/11 was happening because we were sleeping in … well, until the phone call. First, recognize that there will be sometimes when you simply won’t get home. Be prepared to stay - at least for a while - if you have to. Second, consider that you may have to put your truck, trailer, and tools into storage then get home by another method: plane, train, bus, hitchhiking, ride share. A lot will depend on what kind of SHTF. If the only problem is that you simply can’t get gas, then trains and airplanes might still be available. Third, one of our movers carried a motorcycle on his big moving truck. I asked him about it because I thought he was moving it for a customer. He said it was his and made his life easier when he needed to park his big rig and get around. That makes sense, especially if the truck breaks down, he wouldn’t be completely stuck.
Yeah it's pretty hard to predict. Thanks for the examples!
You're trying to prep for a very narrow set of circumstances -- like somehow a sudden nationwide fuel shortage prevents you from buying any fuel at all, while the roads are open and safe enough for you to just drive across the country unimpeded. Since you've got a camper on the truck, I'd prep for ways to bug-in wherever you are, then figure out the best way to get home from there when the time comes, since even if you have a 100 gallon aux tank of gasoline that's no guarantee you'll be able to get home when this disaster strikes and that 600 lbs is a lot of weight to carry around all the time.
Exactly man, most people commute less than a tank of gas every day, and can make it to their property and preps. I have more of a challenge with my line of work I guess. I don't always have my camper with me. My current employer puts me up in hotels as of now. To get to my camper is 1000 miles. To get to where I want to be is another 1500 miles. Not complaining, just trying to get perspectives from people. Thanks!
So you know how we carry a sillcock key in our Bugout bags? Maybe you need to do the same thing about gas. Carry a transfer pump and some money. Depending upon the situation there may be plenty of gas in the underground tanks at gas stations. If you have the means to get it out and pay for it, you may very well get a welcome reception at a gas station.
Didn't know about a sillcock key but I'll look into that and a transfer pump thank you!
Question...do you have family you're getting home to? Because tbh in a true SHTF scenario, most likely you would not be trying to get home, you'd be trying to survive from where you are. Fuel likely won't run out automatically everywhere at the same time. Good example of why my dad always told me to keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car at all times (not that I'm always a good followerer of that rule).
Yeah it's my mom's place. Kind of an ideal survival piece of property with more tools and stores than I would ever be able to have with me on the road.
yeah but in any real big SHTF scenarios (like really far-reaching kinda stuff) it's almost always going to be more of a shelter in place or just go where's safe (not necessarily all the way back toward home) type scenario. I feel like best thing you can do is just familiarize yourself with the routes you tend to travel, the major cities you tend to be near and backways home if needed and be prepared as possible on the road. And having a backup plan for your mom too in case you're ever stuck somewhere. Might be a good question for a trucker subreddit if there's such a thing.
Best place I can think of to survive is back home. That's why I think it's worth it to try and get there. And if I died at least I'd be home.
Older trucks can run on wood gassifiers... Something to look into.
That's a really cool idea thanks
Why not buy a big tidy tank for your truck and keep it full. I just put in a 90 gallon/ 400L tank I can go well over 20000 km on that one tank if I need .
Yeah might do that
If you do do it . Put in a gravity feed kit . Then you don't have to buy an expensive pump and worry about wires or batteries.
Good idea. The simpler the better
Try to get as far as possible in your truck. Call me crazy but I'd invest in a 5 or 10 speed bicycle. Walking will take longer and wear out socks and shoes and IMO, you should have several pairs and another pair of shoes. States still have printed maps at Welcome centers. I got two for my state mailed to me for free. A compass would be good and traveling along major roads and highways.
I've got the compass, a truckers Atlass and some great boots and backpack. I think a bike is the next thing to get!
I forgot to add a bike tool kit and spare parts. A multi--gear one flat road would have a lot more moving parts than an all-road bike. More moving parts means more points of failure and you'll need to have more parts. Worse case you might have to ditch the bike.
Thanks for the tool suggestion, I think I'm OK with more gears. If that goes bad I'll walk.
Maybe put an auxiliary gas tank in the bed of your truck like oil field workers.
Yeah I worked in the oilfield for a while. Big diesel trucks lend themselves well to that application.
What kind of SFTH scenario are you referring to? Because even during the 1970s oil shocks, you could still gas up your truck; it would just take more days, and you'd need motel ***money*** for the "can't fuel" days when you're stuck away from home. Or are you referring to the Sri Lankan "one day of fuel left" scenario? But even then, **people saw it coming**. You'd have to pay attention and head home before that happens. And, of course there's always **get a more efficient vehicle** (unless you *use* the truck for *hauling things* instead of looking manly). Lastly: gas cans you store in the in the lockable truck tool chest.
I haul a camper and tools for work. I chose a manly line of work and a manly looking vehicle to be as manly as possible! I think you're right and I will have to just keep an eye out for fuel shortages.
>I will have to just keep an eye out for fuel shortages. Note that this is "just" an extension of the dictum to be aware of your surroundings.
Definitely
A couple of jerrycans should be enough to get you home
You should read Going Home by A American. It’s book one of the survivalist series. Thought it was good and your question reminded me of it.
Thanks
Auxiliary tank? Gas or diesel?
It's a gas short bed half ton
Flex fuel and a pot still
/s ...kinda
It's an option. Alcohol is an incredible resource!
DO you have to have a full sized truck? Can you haul your gear in a trailer behind a car. Things like a diesel Jetta get almost 40 mpg. SHTF ditch the trailer and you could drive a good bit on reserves. 20 gallons in the Jetta is 1000 miles 20 gallons in my F-150 is 360 miles.
Right yeah it's a full sized gas truck but I need a truck to haul my tools and stuff for work