Archive for September, 2009
Sep
29
Maybe, Maybe not?
Posted by: | Comments
Thanks to everyone that sent compliments on my Jeep. I agree, everyone should own a Jeep. Mine is nowhere as nice as some of what was described to me and that I have seen but its mine and I’m not planning to get rid of it anytime soon! Also, I will try to get some photos of the contents of my GHB, Get Home Bag, and do a post on the “what and why” of these bags. So just hold your horses and it all will be revealed.
I’m working on another addition to the daily posts. It will be at the beginning, in this area, for some of the emails I am receiving about different topics we all might be interested in. Please continue sending these in to me as you find things that look interesting and I’ll make room for them and probably setup a link as well when appropriate.
________________________________________________________________
VW Version of a house
Alright, you will either love todays subject or you’ll hate it! As this is still all my show, no guest articles submitted yet, I’m going to go for it because I like the topic. I wanted to discuss something that has been a curiosity of mine since I was a young man. Ready? Living in your car… I know, I know – “Prepper’s taken one to many tumbles and finally really hurt himself”… No seriously, hear me out, you never know I might convince both of us to try this out?
Let me give you some background on where I’m coming from. As a boy my paternal Grandmother lived with us from time to time, at least in a manner of speaking. She actually lived in a motor home in our driveway, just steps from the back door. At the time this seemed unusual but looking back from the vantage point where I now sit, more people should have been so lucky.
Grandma was a free spirit, to say the least. I loved my Grandmother and still miss her very much to this day. She was the type of person that was going to have an impact on you whether you wanted her to or not. Well, she made her impression on me for sure! She seemed to be the most free person I had ever met, now I do realize she was retired or at least not working in the conventional sense from about the time I was born. She could pickup and take off at the drop of a hat or stay put for months, her choice not yours! Sounds like heaven to me…
VW Version of a house
Grandma was a free spirit, to say the least. I loved my Grandmother and still miss her very much to this day. She was the type of person that was going to have an impact on you whether you wanted her to or not. Well, she made her impression on me for sure! She seemed to be the most free person I had ever met, now I do realize she was retired or at least not working in the conventional sense from about the time I was born. She could pickup and take off at the drop of a hat or stay put for months, her choice not yours! Sounds like heaven to me…
VW Custom Home
I spent time with her in her motor home and it was just that, a home. She had about anything you could want close at hand. Prior to her having the motorhome I recall she had a 1970’s cargo van, don’t remember the make but it was the style with minimal windows and seats that folded down into a bed in the back. This was like some sort of strange phenomenon to a youngster. A bed in a car? Well, I was hooked I had decided at that young age I wanted to have this kind of setup when I grew up!
I guess it never really went away? Other family members seem to have this sense of wanderlust that runs deep as well, must be in the blood! I know freedom is, I believe that anyone reading this has to got to have a strong desire for freedom or they wouldn’t put so much effort into being prepared. Prepping at its most base definition is really being prepared in advance to be able to hold onto our freedom. Freedom to make our own choices and live our own destiny without the government or anyone else telling us what we have to do or accept…
Back to the original subject, its actually has a name – Vandwelling… Do a google search and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I found a particularly interesting website that is the perfect example of what I am referring to, www.cheaprvliving.com It seems that there are many folks out there living the lifestyle I was always so intriqued by.
VW Custom Home
Daytime setup
They have a dozen or more examples of people that live full time in there automobiles. Everything from a Ford Festiva to larger box vans. Incredible! These aren’t your typical snowbird retirees in a high dollar motor house, these folks are all ages and from a variety of backgrounds. They are choosing this as a lifestyle and enjoying a truly freedom centered life.
As you have already picked up on, I believe that we should be looking at alternative housing arrangements. At least alternatives to the McMansions with 50 year mortgages in the exurbs of most any large city. With my firm belief that “DEBT=SLAVERY”! Our largest expense that has to be paid each month is our housing. I already know someone will email me and explain that health insurance is their highest bill but come on, I know that everyone here knows what I’m getting at. If we play by the rules that society in its infinite wisdom has setup for us we will all live in traditional housing and pay property taxes like good little drones! All I can say is that these folks aren’t and I’m not sure I want to if they don’t have to! That just wouldn’t be fair?
I really am trying to make this a serious post but I don’t think there are many folks here or anywhere else that would resort to such extremes to get rid of there monthly housing expense. You will also notice that many of the pictures you’ll see of these rolling homes is that they are quite cramped and rather cluttered. I mention this not so much because I’m a died in the wool “neat nick”, Mrs. Prepper will assure you that I’m not, but just as an observation. However, I have to also point out that these are happy people. Often they are out seeing the world and engaging in activities that us “workers” could only dream of. I don’t read their stories and hear a bunch of complaints about not enough room for the 54″ TV or latest consumer kitchen gadget?
Daytime setup
I really am trying to make this a serious post but I don’t think there are many folks here or anywhere else that would resort to such extremes to get rid of there monthly housing expense. You will also notice that many of the pictures you’ll see of these rolling homes is that they are quite cramped and rather cluttered. I mention this not so much because I’m a died in the wool “neat nick”, Mrs. Prepper will assure you that I’m not, but just as an observation. However, I have to also point out that these are happy people. Often they are out seeing the world and engaging in activities that us “workers” could only dream of. I don’t read their stories and hear a bunch of complaints about not enough room for the 54″ TV or latest consumer kitchen gadget?
Cockpit
Would I actually pursue this as a lifestyle, truthfully, probably not. I am however more interested than ever and that means I will be continuing to study this subject. Sadly, this also means that all of you will be getting to hear my findings from time to time as I discover something particularly interesting. There are apparently lots of folks that have put their individual stamp on what this lifestyle might look like and I’m going to be watching for them with a much more trained eye from now on.
I have had a dream since I was a junior in High School about getting one of those cargo vans, similar to Grandmas van, converting it myself and then going on an extended road trip. I mentioned this to Mrs. Prepper today and she was encouraging in her response, she usually is, sounds like she would be willing to even take the trip with me… I do believe I have another project to add to the growing list!
Whether this project is ever realized or not, it sure is fun to dream. I’ve waited 21 years since first cooking this scheme up in my head, I’m 38 now, so I can probably wait a little longer. I know I’m not old but I do appear to be getting to an age were I can see things more realistically. I’ve been admitting to myself lately that its all probably not going to happen? I’d wager that you folks a year or two ahead of me have already come to grips with these feelings and let me assure you youngsters that what the old man told you about life going by faster each year is 100% accurate.
My point in this post wasn’t to look at shattered dreams but hopefully to help encourage you to dream. Dream up unique ways of achieving the lifestyle that you’re after. Only you know whats most important to you and your family. Other people have taken to the road or water to fulfill their need for freedom. Maybe, that cabin or farm house isn’t as wild of an idea as you thought. If they could live in a car to free themselves of a mortgage or rent payments. I think I might be able to make do in a mobile home? Its all up to you to decide, I only caution you not to sell out or give up, find a way! Get the wheels turning that take you closer to the freedom I know you crave!
This is all just friendly food for thought, take it or leave it! Either way I’ll be back tomorrow with something different to make your head hurt and have you wondering if I have all my marbles? Until then -
Prepper
Cockpit
Sep
28
BOV – Bug Out Vehicle
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back! Its a beautiful Monday and the start of another busy week… I have to apologize for missing a post on Friday… I owe you an additional one, I’ll see what I can come up with. I promised one a day Monday – Friday, I’ve kept to that schedule fairly well and I have no plans to start slipping now!
Since I gave all of you a 3 day weekend, I’m sure you found the extra time helpful in reaching a few friends to let them know “Prepper” Nation is here and encourage them to stop in and check us out…right? If you didn’t, please help me spread the word the next chance you get! Thanks…
I’ve been getting emails with topic suggestions and show advise but haven’t had anybody step up and offer a guest article yet? I would really like to share the podium with all of the rest of you. I also know that some folks have gotten far more accomplished than I have in this prepping for self sufficiency lifestyle. I know we’ll all enjoy seeing the other folks projects or even just a new perspective or world view… Anyway, don’t be shy!
_______________________________________________________________
So I thought I’d start this week off with a little show and tell. I’ve been showing you my projects and even some of my toys. Today I want to show you my version of the BOV or bug out vehicle.
For anyone that is unfamiliar with this term or possibly even the concept. This is a vehicle that we “Preppers” have designated for making our escape. Obviously, this could be an escape from a disaster after the fact or even in final preparation for the disaster about to strike. There aren’t any hard fast rules as to the configuration this vehicle must take. However, I find that many are of the 4 wheel drive truck or SUV styling. There are also alot of folks that have decked out their daily driver with all the in sundry equipment and capabilities, this way they can make their automobile do double duty.
Preppers BOV
I happen to be one that falls into that last camp. My BOV is also the car I drive most of the time. As you’ll see that doesn’t mean that my other vehicles are completely useless, just less equipped on a routine day to day basis. I have been blessed with a wife that follows my leadership and consents to my selecting our vehicles for the most part. This means everything is 4 wheel drive. We really don’t have to have this feature most of the time but as we “Doomers” always say “better to have and not need than need and not have”… Truer words have never been spoken, so we have 4 wheel drive. All of our cars are older and paid for and we try to keep them in good repair, as I’m not anxious to take on any car payments! Debt=Slavery, never forget that!
Our BOV is our 2001 Jeep Cherokee Classic. This is actually the 3rd jeep we have owned, all cherokees. We had a 1988 cherokee that was setup almost identical to the current one back a decade or so ago. Then we had a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee after that, it was a nice car but just didn’t excite me that much. I always had liked my first jeep and as soon as it became necessary to make a purchase I jumped for another cherokee classic.
This Jeep is nearly all stock. I purchased it a few years old with low miles. The only customization I have done is to add a 3 inch SkyJacker lift kit and larger tires. If you’re interested or can’t tell from the pictures they’re BF Goodrich AT’s 31×10.50×15, not to large or aggressive but give a bit more ground clearance and traction. Helps the looks too, not important but boys will be boys!
Preppers BOV
Locking Steel Box
I also installed a heavy gauge steel locking gear storage box behind the rear seat. This box was designed for a Jeep Wrangler but is just fine installed in the cherokee. I bolted it through the floor from underneath, so it won’t be going anywhere without a considerable amount of effort. I have a surprising amount of equipment and materials stowed in the car on a permanent basis and I haven’t lost any passenger space either. I hope you all can see the rear storage area well enough to see that I still have adequate space back here too.
I’ve found ways to attach everything so it won’t be getting in the way or rolling around in the back either. If you flip the rear seat forward you will see that I have attached the larger of 2 shovels, the D handled “real” shovel, to the backside of the steel box with plastic C clips normally used to secure a maglight. Behind this and held in place by the shovel I have a bow saw and 2 additional blades. Somewhat interlocking with these first two tools I have a camping hatchet and also a carpenters hammer. I found a small tool box that fit perfectly into this configuration. I keep various wrenches and pliers in here along with other potentially helpful mechanics tools. The final items stowed here are a pair of leather palm work gloves and a couple of large black contractors garbage bags, these could be used for any number of reasons.
Locking Steel Box
Equipment Stowage
All of these items as well as a 4 D cell maglight and a collapsible lightweight snow shovel are always kept in the Jeep. Additional equipment is located here 99% of the time but can transferred whenever needed for road trips in another vehicle. In the winter months I also carry tire chains, these are heavy link chains and I have a set of 4.
In a small rubbermaid action packer tote I keep additional gear. Tow straps, fix a flat tire sealant, jumper cables, 12 volt air compressor, blue utility tarp and duct tape, roll of plastic sheeting, etc., etc. Kind of a catch all for potentially helpful items, oh yeah – I even have the always mentioned roll of bailing wire! You know what they say about rednecks using Duct tape and bailing wire to fix just about anything…
Equipment Stowage
BOV Gear
I also keep a large heavy lined Carhardt jacket, stocking cap and a +15 degree sleeping bag in the back. Oh, and of course my GHB… “Get Home Bag” I didn’t get a picture of the contents of the Steel box, hmm, you’re wondering what he isn’t showing us?? Actually I keep this area mostly empty as to provide a lockable compartment for any sensitive items I might be carrying from time to time. The items that are usually in there are more for containment than security… Water filter, 3 MRE meals, a few bottles of water and maybe a box or 2 of extra ammunition for my carry gun. You know, everyday kinds of stuff!
For emergency power needs I keep a spare set of batteries for the maglight and one of those multipurpose battery jumper boxes. This power box deal is actually very handy and rechargeable with a cigarette lighter plug, so it doesn’t even have to leave the vehicle to stay charged. It also has an emergency light on it. It has a cigarette lighter 12 volt outlet on the front, I have even used this in my office to recharge cell phones that I didn’t have an AC charger for. All around a pretty handy item!
BOV Gear
12 volt Power Jumper Box
All in all this list is fairly complete and could be helpful in many ways. As I discover additional items and or refinements I will continue to improve my readiness. Alot of prepping is modular and as such we could easily throw in additional sleeping bags from the shelf or a bin of easily prepared storage food. The applications are endless but it is important to have supplies and equipment with you, there may be no warning or you could find yourself too far from home when disaster strikes. At least you will have the beginning of a way to start to reorder your life and this can make all the difference.
Well this gives you an idea of the type of vehicle I keep as a designated BOV and many of the items I store in and with it to make myself as prepared as possible to handle circumstances that I may find myself in that are outside my control. As always this is food for thought and certainly not to be held up as the be all, end all for BOV’s. There are people reading this that will look at my example as very elementary in comparison to their own accomplishments, I encourage them (you) to step forward and add to or contradict my line of thinking, you won’t hurt my feelings and I’m certain we will all be able to learn more with your input! Until tomorrow…
Prepper
12 volt Power Jumper Box
Sep
24
Pantry Pictures?
Posted by: | CommentsHas everybody signed in? I appreciate the folks that have subscribed and are being updated with the daily posts as they are available… Keep up the good work in sharing “Prepper” Nation.com with your friends! I do appreciate your help in supporting the site!
___________________________________________________________________
Bean, Beans and more Beans
So, I was going to show all of you pictures of my pantry… See how huge it is. Almost looks like I have a warehouse full of goods, doesn’t it? It looks like that because it is a warehouse. These photos are from a local restaurant supply chain, “Cash and Carry”.
This supply house is just one of I’m sure a dozen in our area. I just happen to be a shopper here from time to time and snapped a few shots to illustrate some points in today’s post. These restaurant supply stores are often over looked by our prepper masses. We all know about Costco and Sams but I haven’t seen much coverage of these other outlets.
Like probably 90% of you, I shop at Costco for our monthly grocery supply run. I am very happy with the prices and convenience I get at Costco. They usually can beat the prices of these smaller stores as well! The prices of the smaller outfits are only slightly higher than the big chains, not enough to drive very much further to buy something at a Costco!
The single best reason to shop at these places for your preps or even your day to day groceries is the selection! Where Costco only has 25lb bags of Pinto beans, these guys have 15 different types of dry beans, also in 25lb bags. My families preps have gotten much more diverse since I found this source. I have taken advantage of their large variety of rice, beans, grains and spices. We even find the supplies of paper goods in the giant packages are far superior to what you can find when shopping at Costco. Don’t get me wrong I shop at Costco and will continue to! I’m hoping to bring to your attention an asset we can all take advantage of at least for our dry goods.
We have all heard the bulk wheat and rice for long term food storage ideas. I’d wager many of us even have these very items put away. I wouldn’t be without them myself. What I do think is that this is a fairly narrow view of food storage. We have a layered approach to food storage at our house. I’m a believer in the “Store what you eat and eat what you store” philosophy. With this in mind we have a large amount of our pantry filled with the day to day things. Unfortunately, these have to include many canned items rather than fresh or even home canned. We would prefer to have healthier options but we do the best we can until our lifestyle will allow us the time to achieve more of what we want.
Restaurant supply
I had driven past these stores for years before I ever went inside. Their signs say that they are open to all businesses, I happen to be a business owner but I’ve never been asked for any information to substantiate this fact. I presume that they are happy to have business from any and everyone, so don’t be scared off by the fact they are a wholesaler.
In addition to the canned goods, we store rice, beans, pasta and even popcorn that has been purchased in quantity. We can often break these packages down to more reasonable sizes for handling. Nobody wants to be hoisting a 5olb bag of rice into the kitchen to prepare every meal. It doesn’t take much additional planning to have a couple 50lb sacks of rice on hand for day to day use than it does to have the smaller bags. Obviously the small bags work just fine but why not have a months worth on hand instead of a weeks.
Another item I buy both at Costco and at “Cash and Carry” as well are Spices. Prior to finding this additional source of goods, I would put back extras of many of the common spices that Costco offered, I’m guilty of not doing enough prepping in this particular area. After finding the restaurant supply house I have been able to provide a better supply for our day to day use but also the long term storage shelves as well. They offer a much larger selection as well as larger volume sizes. We all know that the more you buy the less the per unit price is, it works with spices as well.
Bean, Beans and more Beans
Like probably 90% of you, I shop at Costco for our monthly grocery supply run. I am very happy with the prices and convenience I get at Costco. They usually can beat the prices of these smaller stores as well! The prices of the smaller outfits are only slightly higher than the big chains, not enough to drive very much further to buy something at a Costco!
The single best reason to shop at these places for your preps or even your day to day groceries is the selection! Where Costco only has 25lb bags of Pinto beans, these guys have 15 different types of dry beans, also in 25lb bags. My families preps have gotten much more diverse since I found this source. I have taken advantage of their large variety of rice, beans, grains and spices. We even find the supplies of paper goods in the giant packages are far superior to what you can find when shopping at Costco. Don’t get me wrong I shop at Costco and will continue to! I’m hoping to bring to your attention an asset we can all take advantage of at least for our dry goods.
We have all heard the bulk wheat and rice for long term food storage ideas. I’d wager many of us even have these very items put away. I wouldn’t be without them myself. What I do think is that this is a fairly narrow view of food storage. We have a layered approach to food storage at our house. I’m a believer in the “Store what you eat and eat what you store” philosophy. With this in mind we have a large amount of our pantry filled with the day to day things. Unfortunately, these have to include many canned items rather than fresh or even home canned. We would prefer to have healthier options but we do the best we can until our lifestyle will allow us the time to achieve more of what we want.
Restaurant supply
I had driven past these stores for years before I ever went inside. Their signs say that they are open to all businesses, I happen to be a business owner but I’ve never been asked for any information to substantiate this fact. I presume that they are happy to have business from any and everyone, so don’t be scared off by the fact they are a wholesaler.
In addition to the canned goods, we store rice, beans, pasta and even popcorn that has been purchased in quantity. We can often break these packages down to more reasonable sizes for handling. Nobody wants to be hoisting a 5olb bag of rice into the kitchen to prepare every meal. It doesn’t take much additional planning to have a couple 50lb sacks of rice on hand for day to day use than it does to have the smaller bags. Obviously the small bags work just fine but why not have a months worth on hand instead of a weeks.
Spices Galore
About our layered storage approach. We have the items we will definitely be using in the next few months as layer one storage. Followed by items that will be held in reserve for longer periods. These are often similar items but handled differently. These would be something that I might store in a less convenient location or if it is dry goods, go ahead and package in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. I like to have several months supply of this layer put away at any given time.
Beyond layer 1 and 2 we have what is our LONG term reserves. These would be things such as MRE’s and Mountain House Freeze Dried goods. These don’t require much packaging explanation as they are already sealed in there own long term packaging. I do take special care to keep the MRE’s stored in as cool of a location as I possibly can.
Rice supply anyone
These Meals, Ready to Eat have a fair length shelf life if stored appropriately. Roughly 5-7 years… I know this will set off an age old argument in this statements accuracy. The published shelf life is alleged to be on the conservative side, however as a conservative individual I keep these dates in mind. This said I still have some old style MRE’s from back in the 90’s. Now I am not counting on these still be viable but I have the space to store them so I have held onto them. I may do a taste test review of these old units, if I can find a guinea pig to try them out. I personally don’t plan to try them short of a disaster situation.
The other long term food is the freeze dried Mountain House Meals. We elected to purchase a small stock of these as they have such a long storage life, 25-30 years. These meals are packed in the #10 cans to get the long storage life. As with everything else, I take care to try to keep these cool and dry. We have sampled the Mountain House products in small quantities that we purchased from the sporting goods store. We all found them fairly good tasting, certainly won’t be a hardship to eat these if we were to need to or 25 years from now at ”use em or lose em” time! Also, the fact that only boiling water is required for cooking these, they would be very convenient in a time of stress. Both to prepare them as well as eat something along the lines of comfort food…
Well, that’s what I have for you today. My system isn’t as elaborate as I’m sure many of yours are but as usual the point is to be DOING it not just talking about it. So any of you that have been putting off getting the food stocks taken care of get out and DO IT! At least start, it takes time to get to an amount you might “Hope to Have” but it won’t take long to get to a point where you’ll know you can feed your family for that extra month.
Be forewarned that if you haven’t already gotten bitten by the “Stocking Up Bug”, you will and it can turn into an serious addiction! I won’t let my wife do the Costco trip with out me… I look forward to this trip all month, I actually would prefer to go by myself, it’s my Prep Trip and I take it a little to serious! Hey, a guys gotta have his fun too!
See ya tomorrow!
Prepper
Spices Galore
About our layered storage approach. We have the items we will definitely be using in the next few months as layer one storage. Followed by items that will be held in reserve for longer periods. These are often similar items but handled differently. These would be something that I might store in a less convenient location or if it is dry goods, go ahead and package in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. I like to have several months supply of this layer put away at any given time.
Beyond layer 1 and 2 we have what is our LONG term reserves. These would be things such as MRE’s and Mountain House Freeze Dried goods. These don’t require much packaging explanation as they are already sealed in there own long term packaging. I do take special care to keep the MRE’s stored in as cool of a location as I possibly can.
Rice supply anyone
These Meals, Ready to Eat have a fair length shelf life if stored appropriately. Roughly 5-7 years… I know this will set off an age old argument in this statements accuracy. The published shelf life is alleged to be on the conservative side, however as a conservative individual I keep these dates in mind. This said I still have some old style MRE’s from back in the 90’s. Now I am not counting on these still be viable but I have the space to store them so I have held onto them. I may do a taste test review of these old units, if I can find a guinea pig to try them out. I personally don’t plan to try them short of a disaster situation.
The other long term food is the freeze dried Mountain House Meals. We elected to purchase a small stock of these as they have such a long storage life, 25-30 years. These meals are packed in the #10 cans to get the long storage life. As with everything else, I take care to try to keep these cool and dry. We have sampled the Mountain House products in small quantities that we purchased from the sporting goods store. We all found them fairly good tasting, certainly won’t be a hardship to eat these if we were to need to or 25 years from now at ”use em or lose em” time! Also, the fact that only boiling water is required for cooking these, they would be very convenient in a time of stress. Both to prepare them as well as eat something along the lines of comfort food…
Well, that’s what I have for you today. My system isn’t as elaborate as I’m sure many of yours are but as usual the point is to be DOING it not just talking about it. So any of you that have been putting off getting the food stocks taken care of get out and DO IT! At least start, it takes time to get to an amount you might “Hope to Have” but it won’t take long to get to a point where you’ll know you can feed your family for that extra month.
Be forewarned that if you haven’t already gotten bitten by the “Stocking Up Bug”, you will and it can turn into an serious addiction! I won’t let my wife do the Costco trip with out me… I look forward to this trip all month, I actually would prefer to go by myself, it’s my Prep Trip and I take it a little to serious! Hey, a guys gotta have his fun too!
See ya tomorrow!
Prepper
Sep
22
BUSINESS REVIEW – Tactical Tailor
Posted by: | Comments
Tactical Tailor
Old School – Off Road Vehicle
Posted by: Prepper | Comments (1)Well, we made it to Wednesday! I know on Monday’s, Wednesdays are so far away, but here we are again… 2 days until the weekend. Life’s just racing by, I swear I saw the holiday stuff come out at the department store already? Really, wasn’t it just Christmas? I have just finally got the stupid Dogs barking Christmas Carroll’s out of my head and we’re right back to the holiday season. I remember when I was a kid, not all that long ago in reality, the holiday season was from Thanksgiving until New Years Day. That’s just over a month by my calculations… I’m beginning to believe we’ve been successfully duped into this 3+ month long season of commercialism.
I am really wondering how we’re going to pull off a good sales season this year? I was thinking that the economy was pretty tight last year but the stores in large part have been able to keep the doors open? Before anyone emails to remind me that the recession is officially over, take a survey of the people you know and see if you can’t name a few that don’t have a job. I didn’t see the last jobs report but I do hear from people I personally know that they haven’t been able to find any kind of meaningful employment and these people were actually looking? I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see! I was really hoping for a little more time to pass before I had to have the reminders of the fact that Christmas was right around the corner…
_______________________________________________________________________
1962 Swiss UniMog
Today I’m going to share with you a little bit of how I spent my time last Sunday afternoon. Really it wasn’t more than a couple of hours but you get the idea.
Let me back up just a little bit… This all started back on Labor Day weekend. We were on our way out of town heading for the BOL. My daughter had a friend coming along with us and so we had to make a quick stop to pick her up. Neither my wife or I had met this particular friend yet and so we obviously hadn’t met the girls parents previously either. After a bit of a wild goose chase and a few wrong turns we end up finding the correct house. As we pull up to the home I see some sort of military vehicle in the driveway, Swiss military to be exact… I was still distracted as we proceed to parade to the front door so we could make the appropriate introductions before heading for the hills with these nice folks teenage daughter.
Well we, as all of you would have done, introduced ourselves and made sure that Mom knew exactly where we would be all weekend and how to reach us in an emergency. As I was about to turn and leave I mentioned seeing the “Truck” in the driveway? Mom explains that this was her husbands Unimog project… Ding, Ding, Ding – Unimog? Well, now this really had my attention as I explained that I would have liked to have had the opportunity to talk with him about it. She was surprised that I even knew what the Unimog was! Oh well, maybe next time, she explained that her husband was a history buff and would enjoy telling me about it.
Drivers side dash
This last Sunday I got my chance to get a better look. I called and introduced myself to Dad and asked if I might come see his project and take some photos. I did my best to explain that I had hoped to post them on my website as a way to share with my readers. He asked what exactly this website was all about and after a short explanation he willingly consented to my visit.
We made our mutual introductions and he began to tell me a little of the trucks previous use. This truck was Swiss Military surplus, specifically a 1962 Command Cab Unimog. The truck was manufactured by Mercedes Benz and had spent its life with the Swiss Military and various private owners before it found its way to where it is now owned in Western Washington State, a long way from home.
Bunks added for sleeping comfort
The owner explained that this being a “Command Cab” configuration was similar to the “Radio Box” only a bit taller. This extra height was appreciated as it allowed me to move around the interior completely upright. Originally the interior was setup for a commander to use as a rolling office. It had a desk, bench and was equipped with other various map holding apparatus.
The new owner had purchased the truck with only 35,000 Kilometers on the odometer. He has added a few since but this is still a very low road time vehicle. It was left virtually stock on the exterior to maintain the historical military appearance. However, creative control was exercised on the interior. This truck had been purchased with “Elk Camp” in mind. The owners father is an avid Elk Hunter of MANY years. Each year 3 generations of the family men make the trip to the mountains, less about the meat than about the quality time spent as a family. They like to get away from the crowds and hunt areas off the beaten path. This requires they go higher up and also down into the snowy canyons to find the privacy they’re seeking. It was with this particular need in mind that the owner went searching for his next ORV.
It took him a couple of tries and over a years time to secure this truck. It was exactly the setup he had been searching for. So, once he was able to get it home he set out to customize the interior to his needs. For the camping that this truck was destined for they wouldn’t need the desk and other accoutrement’s. He basically stripped the current equipment out and salvaged what he could to reconfigure and reuse.
Kitchen area
As you are able to see in the photos, there are 3 bunks, a kitchen area, lots of storage under the bunks/benches and even a custom wood stove to provide the required heat for cold wet hunters. This wood stove is completely custom built by the owner. It is made from a piece of 8 inch steel casing and other steel plumbing pipe fittings. He explained that this took a bit of engineering to make work. It will overheat the box if it isn’t managed correctly but will definitely be a hit this winter at camp!
Bunk/Bench
I poked around the trucks cab a bit and found that it wasn’t at all designed for creature comforts. I’m sure that this was both because it was the military as well as 1962. The passenger seat doesn’t even have a leg well for sitting up normally. This requires the passenger to sit with their legs extended straight out in front of them? Doesn’t look to comfortable for a long ride? Everything has been left original and even the labels for the controls are still in German. It is in very good condition over all. The trucks engine is a gasoline configuration, its also the same engine that was found in the Mercedes Benz automobiles of the same vintage. I was told the truck is under powered and not setup for a lot of highway driving. Not a big issue as this owner isn’t going cruising and wanted it for the off road clearance and capabilities! It is perfect for that chore!
Passenger side in cab
This was the first Unimog that I have had the opportunity to get a good look at as they don’t seem to be a dime a dozen, at least not in my neck of the woods. This is an impressive vehicle for its age. I would say its condition is “GOOD” to “VERY GOOD”, many of the original pieces of equipment are still with the truck. For example the OE wheel chocks and spare fuel cans. The fuel cans were removed and put in storage as the owner elects to carry additional water over the extra fuel but that is just a personal choice.
If any of you have the opportunity to get a peek at some of these old military surplus trucks, I would highly recommend it! I have seen collectors from time to time at our local gun show in the past. I hadn’t previously had much interest but will look forward to giving these vehicles a look from now on, well worth the time.
Swiss Surplus UNIMOG
Other than the obvious parts availability issues, this would make a great bug out vehicle. I think that if a person was a collector and could therefore justify the added expense and trouble that comes with a more rare truck, it would be a real fun project and or hobby that would have the “Preppers” side benefit!
I hope you enjoy getting a look at this truck as much as I did… See ya tomorrow!
Prepper