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We have had some discussions regarding this, but typically it is all bigger stuff, and trying to run it more efficiently.

I prefer start small and stay small.

4 wheelers and canoes if water nearby.

A rack can be made for a 4 wheeler to tote a canoe over a distance.

You can cover a heckuva lot of ground in a canoe.

4 wheelers are easy to fix, cheap to keep running, and the stuff out now can go just about anywhere at high speeds if needed.

Full basket of price ranges from $2500 to $10,000 new, and $1000 on up used.

As for a canoe, a few hundred bucks and you are golden.

Big advantage, use less fuel, and mobility about anywhere.

Disadvantages, noise and long distances are a bear.

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Scorpio,
NO offense, but the canoe has ONE MINOR problem. If you tip over AT ALL, you will find yourself trying to pull your supplies from the bottom of the river or creek.

Trust me, never fun even in GOOD circumstances (lots of friends on the bank drinking beer making fun of you). During SHTF, I CERTAINLY wouldn't want to chance all my supplies ending up at the bottom of a river or creek. While you can 'water proof' them, meaning the supplies will not get wet for a while, YOU STILL GOTTA DUNK DOWN AND GET THEM. And if the river is deeper than six feet, most of us will be over our heads. Never a good thing.

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saw a show long time ago now some guy traveling the north east coast of australia had some sort of little 4wd might have even been 6 wheels cant exactle remember now but he had a little tinnie (flat bottom aluminium boat)
which when he came to many of the estuary/rivers he would hand unload
from the top of the 4wd drive.then drive the 4wd onto the tinnie and
boat across the river think he even did a little trip to a small ofshore island

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Sukhoi should be showing up with pix of Sherman Tanks pretty soon ... mean while, back at the ranch ....

http://www.key-ideas.com/Modified-Yerf-Dog-3206.jpg



h

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http://www.necky.com/images/tandem/manitou_II_sm.jpg
http://www.necky.com/kayaks/tandem/manitou_ii.html

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Very nice Keehah, I'm seeing a lot more of those rigs on the Current River.



h

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I like canoes, too. My wife and I have taken ours out into Tampa Bay and held our own crossing the channels and motorboat wake to make it to the spoil islands. A good canoe really isn't that tippy, we also use ours as a work platform when pulling lillypads out of our pond. It probably isn't a bad idea to make sure your gear is properly secured though. Even if you don't tip over it sure makes a portage easier than fighting heavy items sliding around.

I also like Go-Peds as far as small gas powered vehicles go. They get anywhere from 100-200mpg and can do 20-30mph+, they even have offroad models. They used to make silencers for small engines and you could rig such a thing yourself if you want it to be more stealthy, cargo capacity is what you can carry in a large pack on your back or a couple hundred pounds in a trailer on a paved surface. Chief advantage is speed and saving energy over walking.

It's still hard to beat a bicycle, horse, mule or similar as a failsafe, though.

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Use canoes a lot, never tipped the gear into a river, and been on some jumpy ones, but no rapids. No problems with rivers and lakes around here anyway. Cover a lot of ground in a relative hurry, and carry a lot of gear. Quiet as a church mouse.

You want out of a city area, drop a canoe in any local stream and you will be miles away before the logjam in traffic breaks. Kajaks are great, just not workhorses.

4 wheelers are great as you don't need roads. You can pick your way through some pretty tough stuff if needed, and versatile.

JMO,

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Most larger towns where I am seem to have networks of canals and large ditches running in and out of them. With a little aerial reconaissance courtesy of Google you could plot your escape route. Under cover of darkness you could move quickly and quietly along what is quite likely an uncontested right of way. The same could work for creeks, rivers and the like as long as not too many people live along the banks.

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As much as I like my 4-wheelers, they don't get much credit for fuel economy. Figure almost the same as a 4x4 pickup....and no, they're not really that easy to fix, anything other than minor repairs often requires removing the body. It can take hours just to replace a throttle cable or trace out short circuits.
But get one anyway, they're lots of fun!
They would be great for escaping from rural thugs who are on foot or pickup truck.
The older ones are better.

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:beer: Good post Scorp...lot's of good info here.

Check out this company...all their ATVs are amphibious !! :

http://www.argoatv.com/applications/...ions.asp?AID=4


Hoarder is right...ATVs are fun,but when things go wrong...look out.
Local ATV dealers around my area will give you a brand new ATV if you will just let them repair it for three years...Hoarder knows where I'm coming from...he and I have been there...it's not pretty.

:bear_w00t: :bear_w00t: :bear_w00t: :bear_w00t: :bear_w00t:

If you can find an older air cooled 2 stroke-bare bones ATV...buy it.
Every widget and improvement increases your chances of major failure at the worst possible time.

Reliability and parts availability...same as dirt bikes..

Years of repairing dirt bikes taught me one thing about the big off road/recreational repair picture.

Honda and Suzuki support their products with parts almost indefinitely.

Yamaha,Kawasaki and the others ?

Forget it...buy a new machine,hit the salvage yards,or walk...I hope you like waiting 6 months for your dealer to locate a part in Japan and rush to have it delivered.

Brand loyalty is fierce...we're not starting a flame war on Chevy vs Ford...so get over it.
Your situation may be different...I'm relating my experience only...and I dealt with the biggest parts wholesalers in North America...some ATVs and bikes over three years old are considered disposable by a lot of the majors except Honda and Suzuki...it's your money...and your choice.

Rotax engines were always a bear to get replacement parts for...I do not recommend any equipment that uses them for that very reason...all things fail sooner or later...Rotax reliability seemed to be the worst...and parts are expensive...I absolutely hated working on equipment that used them.Your experience as an owner is quite possibly worlds apart from a shop mechanic's experience....so use your own judgment...

Canoes ?

I prefer Kayaks of course...but I run Class III and IV rivers for a hobby.
I wouldn't advise you try that in a canoe...unless you got a death wish.

Canoes can carry a lot of gear...stick a small trolling motor on one and away you go...they are lightweight and range is unbelievable with a good marine battery...of course you can always paddle...

:yes: :yes: :yes:

BTW: There are some tough inflatable Kayaks and Sportsman type fishing rafts that might be an avenue worth pursuing...some will carry two people and a fair amount of gear easily...

One thing's for sure...once you hit the water the hordes are not going to pursue you...even if you gave them a Kayak 99% of them would either drown themselves or go around in a 360 degree circle for hours...Kayaking is not something you learn in 30 minutes...trust me...it's not a canoe.

In a SHTF situation canoes and Kayaks might just save your bacon...don't dream about it and expect to jump in one and escape...buy one and practice...otherwise I hope you're a strong swimmer.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Scorpdude I think Andy and Rich must have rubbed off on you at our last meeting.......... Looks like their gear!

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Kids converted two of those to silver last year. I was proud of there decision.

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Nope. This is what you want. And plenty of spare tires for it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...4/renaca24.jpg