Which brings up another memory: many people who go to the big NASCAR races will rent a Ryder 1 ton box tuck and set up camp in it during the races. It seems to work well for the annual racing event that they attend for usually a week. They do take a smaller vehicle to get around locally.

I knew a guy who went in with some others and bought an old bus and fixed it up for tailgate parties.

I'm actually thinking of using a box trailer as a camping trailer. I have my truck now with a tall cap on the back setup like a minimal truck camper so I have shelter and all my gear in it at all times but then I could also pull a small box trailer which could be more shelter and carry a 4 wheeler or pair of motorcycles or something.

BOV is something I have put a lot of thought and planning into since I'm living in the city, there isn't much for me to stay for. So I'll bug out my my parents farm if anything happens. Now if I had a few acres myself then sheltering in place would be an option.

And when they are sold, they are beat to death. A couple of friends and some of thier renfaire group bought a used school bus for about $500, to be turned into a "crew bus"- think what we're looking here but with a bunch of swords and costuming around to.

It started once, so they could get it home. AFAIK, the engine and tranny are going to take a lot more than $500 to fix, and when they stripped the inside to add insulation there was huge holes of body rot.

Not things I'd want to worry about. And besides, school buses are COLD in the winter.

"...from your home to your retreat..."

Yup. But I would consider the RV as my retreat, all I have to do is park it where I want to stay, and that is it. As far as picking up others, that I can do with no problem. Different strokes...

I think that's a pretty intersting idea. However, like any other decision, the answer to whether it would make a good BOV is, it depends.

Off the top of my head, I can see quite a few pros and cons

Pros -
Large capacity
Heavy (if your dream of ramming other vehicles becomes reality, more weight is better)
Non-threatening looking
Good visibility (for passengers)

Cons
Heavy
Poor manuverability
Poor gas milage
Too open (no privacy for passengers
Top heavy, if in high winds
low ground clearance

Look at it from a design perpective, a school bus has been optimized for one thing, moving large numbers of passengers in relative comfort, over well maintained roads for short distances. I actually think in that respect, it might be a really good BOV, that would satisfy most peoples needs in reality. Though most people prefer to think that their needs would require them to blaze a trail in a large 4x4 to some mountain retreat, it seems a majority of people just sit on a highway in traffic. Although I do think ground cleareance could be an issue in this type of vehicle. I have taken a lot of regular cars on unexpected "off-highway" excursions, and usually ground clearance and approach angles will stop you long before lack of traction will. There are always chains to improve traction, but nothing you can do if you're high-centered on an obstacle. As for the dual wheels, that could be a plus or minus. Single wheels might be better in situations where a tire can dig into a layer with better traction, but if in sand or deep snow, dual wheels will allow you to "float" on top of it without sinking in.

From your description, you mention using it as a semi-long term living quarters. As other people already mentioned, there vehicles that have already been specifically designed for that purpose, and have undergone many iterations and millions of man-hours of road testing to optimize it as such, so it doesn't make sense to re-invent the wheel.

But rather than scrapping the idea, you have to think of where this vehicle might become useful. If you have a very, very large family, or group of friends, then this could become very useful. As far as using it to move things, I see one major drawback, access to the inside is limited. A small moving van (like u-haul or something) converted with a couple rows of seats might be easier than trying to add doors to this.

As far as find a usable bus in decent condition, I really don't think that's much of a problem. I assume most buses or government vehicles like this would have a regular mechanics that constantly maintain it, so you are just as likely to find a decent bus as you are any other vehicle or similar age. It might even be better, because you can almost assume it's lived a relatively docile life, no street racing, no off-roading, etc. Of course, if you buy a $500 bus, you can expect to get a $500 vehicle, doesn't matter whether it's a bus, a car, or a truck.

Thank for those comments/observations.

My thoughts are:
1) This would be a poor investment because of the associated costs of maintenance and insurance vs. practical daily/monthly use. The costs of operating when used.

2) Such a conversion (taking out approx 1/2 of the seats) and loading it up with people and gear could be achieved quickly.

3) Every USA location has school busses.
A) Know where the local school bus "Motor Pool" (if your state uses public owned busses) so that a bus could be "appropriated" if TSHTF.
B) If your state uses privately owned (Louisiana for 1) school busses that are chartered, get to know one of those owner/operators and work out an agreement to make use of the bus if TSHTF. Knowledge of a safe location to Bug Out to, equipment, situational and survival knowledge, etc, can be exchanged for the use of the bus, aka: teamwork.

4) This would make the use of a bus as a BOV, a more practical option.

Great ideas and hints from great minds.
I should disagree with you even more to pick your brains . (whink)

I still cant think of a motorhome as a BOV.
The moving van idea seems more logical. Are there any specific van models that come with two rows of seats and large open space in the rear ??

Not that I know of BUT,,,,

I have been seeing more of the camper trailers with the "garage" in the rear. The "garage" door is the aft bulkhead, hinged on the bottom, so that it opens up and becomes the entrance ramp.

Having that with a 4 door truck to tow it may be the most practical solution. Then the school bus option is still remaining as a backup plan.

Maybe this will do better:
15 passenger van with wheelchair lift

It can be fitted with a roof rack, a second fuel tank and a few extra lights.

Problem with this type oif vehicle is space under the hood is very limited. A second battery will be great especially if you add a few extra lights for camping or rescue.





It is even longer than the bus but the ground clearance looks better. Also, dual conversions are available for rear wheels if necessary (I like dual wheels for many reasons other than traction, you have instant spares if one tire goes flat).

I already own a full sized Dodge Ram van with the hightop and the wheelchair lift.

Once the chair has been loaded, there is considerably less storage space left. This chair weighs approx 250 LBS and takes up a space of 36" deep x 32" wide.

My current plans are to:

A) Use the van for people and cargo.

B) Use my 4 door Dodge Dakota to carry more cargo and be used as a "point" vehicle if Bugging Out became necessary.

C) My daughter's car would be used as a "Tail end Charlie".

There is still insufficient cargo space AND all of my vehicles have electronic ignition systems, which is a serious flaw in my plans.

I need to procure a box trailer.