great site...very informative. just wondering if anyone knows a source for bulk vegetarian mre's as my wife is a veggie and they seem hard to find.<br><br>also any suggestion on a good bugout vehicle...i'm mechanically inclined and pretty knowledgable and right now am considering late 70's early 80's k-5's and subs with the 350/400/np205 setup. any suggestions on either of these matters would be greatly appreciated. thanks!<br>

Zalli, firstly, welcome! I must first ask, which vegetarian diet does your wife follow; Vegan, dairy permitted, organic etc.? There are some vegetarian meals in the MLE menu, and Doug has a source for Kosher/ Halel meals that may meet your requirements ( dietary codes somehow make for good eating in all forms). WWW. majorsurplusnsurvival.com is my source for MREs, slow delivery but dependable. You may wish to look over our links. There is a very good dietician's website with a great deal of information.

Kalli,<br><br>Welcome!<br><br>I have no experience with veggie MRE's, although I've heard they're not bad. I believe Brigade Quartermaster's carries them.<br><br>As for a bug-out vehicle, it's hard to offer advice not knowing where you're at, where you plan on bugging out to, what you're taking with you, etc..... Also, "k-5 and subs...." is unfamiliar to me. <br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

K-5 = older Chevy Blazer right? The designation was made to distinguish them from the little bitty things that also went by the name Blazer.<br><br>I drove an early 80s model k-5 for a long time. More than enough engine, plenty of ground clearance in the standard package to plough snow and mount a winch on. Great vehicle to tow trailers with. Heavy duty motor oil user though. Unfortunately very prone to rust and hard to find one now that does not look "Skeletalized."<br><br>I might consider a more modern era pickup. Then again I have a buddy that still uses his late 70s diesel Suburban from his lawn service business. Original paint and metal nearly obliterated, but still dependable with a big tank and great range.

Hi Zalli! The best I can suggest is getyour selves a dehydrator and make your own. We use them a lot and they work quite well on most veggies and fruit. They also work on meats and fish especially for jerkys.<br><br>Our family bug-out vehicle is a 1990 4x4 Suburban. We choose the 1990 because it still retains a solid front axle and the engine is fuel injected.<br><br>The Suburban has many features which make it a good APC. It has lots of power with the stock 350. The 350 and 400 tranny are very good. It can carry two strechers if the need arises. The 33-66 split second seat allows for an attendent if the casualty requires it. You can sleep two full size adults comfortably in the back. You can even set up a small propane stove and cook in the back. <br><br>The 1500 series can take 33x12.50 tires without a lift kit and only a small amount of fender flaring removed. This can be done with a grinder in about 25 minutes. We have made the following mods to our vehicle.<br><br>1. Installed a 100 amp alternator and second deep cycle battery. Did not need to install a winch as Subbys come stock with front tow hooks. Had to install rear hooks.<br><br>2. Installed light bar with 2 amber and 2 white spot/rotating lights. We have red and blue inserts for the lights. <br><br>3. We took out the stock front bench seat and put in fully reclinning bucket seats. We now can sleep 2 adults and 4 kids in relative comfort. <br><br>4. Replaced stock front and rear bumbers with rear step bumpers from a 1 tons. Put a pintle hook on the front and a regular 2 inch trailer hitch on the back. The pintle on the front allows us to push airplanes and boat trailers in tight places by going frontwards instead of backing up.<br><br>Total cost of mods was 763.00 including parts. You will have to visit junk yards and do most of the work yourself. <br><br>We did a lot of extra wiring also. The one thing I would suggest is toggles between the rear lights and the switches. You might want to cover your ass but keep your head lights on.<br><br>Suburbans Rule.<br><br>Mariner. <br><br><br>

If you put in the "blackout switches" use a normally on momentary. That way you will be far less likely to forget to turn the tail lights back on. Several of the local police departments had trouble with officers forgetting to flip the switch back until they started using momentary switches.

> 1. Installed a 100 amp alternator and second deep cycle battery. Did not need to install a winch as Subbys come stock with front tow hooks. Had to install rear hooks.<br><br>Hmmmm...I fail to see the logic in that statement. Tow hooks will not get you unstuck while alone, but a winch certainly will. Sure, there are methods of self extraction, but given "bug-out" circumstances, I dont think I'd want to be dorking around with a come-a-long, tow hooks, and a shovel.<br><br>Spend the $ and get a decent sized winch is my advice.<br><br>In addition, make sure you have some decent tires on whatever you plan to use. Decent tires that will take you offroad are far different from decent street tires. Nothing worse than not being able to make it up a 5' incline because your high mileage, low noise street tires are caked in mud. But then again, if you had a winch you could just pull yourself up assuming there was something to anchor to. ;-)<br>

There is nothing wrong with having a winch. I just think its a expense I don't need to make. When I completed the Hazard Analysis Section of my bug out plan there weren't any scenarios that required a winch. I know my destinations. I know the natural and man made disasters that can happen in my area. I know the conditions at anytime of the year when I might need to get to my destinations. I know the main and alternate routes. <br><br>My biggest concern is debris blocking the way. With tow hooks I can rip most obstructions out of the way in seconds. With a winch it can take minutes. <br><br>If, in the process of doing your bug out plan you discover you need a winch, get one. <br><br>So you see captain Its perfectly logical.

There is an excellent U.S.A. manual on vehicle recovery techniques. If I recall, an axle can become it's own expedient winch with adequate rope. 4WD will get you stuck where 2WD can't go, and a mule will just give you a look of utter contempt ;O)

<br>The main advantage of the (electric) winch though, is that the vehicle need not be running in order to extract or move the vehicle out of harms way. Think flood waters, etc....<br>