Here are a few lessons learned (some the hard way) from my recent bowhunt. If any of you, or as I suspect many of you, are planning to take some type of RV, trailered boat, or trailer when or if you bug out, then you should pay particular attention.

First off, trailer or RV tires (hereafter refered to as RVT's) do not have the lifespan of your typical automotive tire. This is because a tire mounted on an automobile gets excercised regularly--at least once a month, or--obviously--maybe even every day. By contrast, unless you are lucky, an RVT might get used once every 3-4 months. This is important because modern tires are made with rubber compounds that require that they be driven relatively frequently in order to mix the tire preservatives, thus extending the life of the tire.

What this means in practical terms is this: the reliable life of an infrequently-driven RVT is about 4-5 years. If they are parked uncovered in the sun, think 4 years. If covered, think 5 years.

I had a catastrophic tire failure on my travel trailer on my way back from hunting. This is not unusual except that I had already had a nail hole in another tire that I had repaired with a plug. When the second tire blew out I went to put my spare on I found that it was SEVERELY cracked on the INSIDE (the unexposed side) of the tire. Thus I ended up driving the 110 miles home on TWO suspect tires. Very slowly I might add! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />I made it but I was lucky. If I was trying to get my family out of a chemically polluted area we may not have made it on the rubber that I had.

The lessons:

1. Make sure all your tires--on ALL towed vehicles, ALL the time--are inflated to proper (think max) pressure.(I like to keep the tires on my bugout vehicles inflated to 10 lbs over the recommended pressure. Think about it--if you have to bug out what's easier: adding air or letting it out?)

2. On non-automotive tires (trailers, RV's, etc) replace tires every 4-5 years. (Yeah, it's expensive, but look at those inside sidewall cracks!)

3. Cover your tires when not in use, This is obviously not practical nor desirable on an everyday driver, but should be no hardship on any RVT.

4. Carry a plug kit. Yes, we all know patches are better, but who has the time or gear to dismount a tire in the middle of a bugout situation? I made it 110 miles with minimal loss of pressure on a plugged tire, and anybody who can thread a needle can do it--it's that simple. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

My point is to make everybody think about what you are relying on to get you out of Dodge, and what will actually do the job. Comments--and especially corrections--are welcome. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />