[338RUM]

Sweet, cant wait! Prayers sent for your son, and thank him for his service from me!

Josh

[Sam Ruger]

Quote:       Originally Posted by 338RUM

Ok, first a little about my work. I drive a tractor trailer for a living, but unlike most drivers I get home every day. Now this makes my problem infinately easier than if I stayed out but this also means I have no supplies in the truck other than the days lunch. At any moment i could be 10 miles from the house or 300 miles from the house, or a 2 hr walk or 7-8 day walk. My worst fear is an EMP which would render my computer driven truck useless. I am looking for a lite pack that can keep me going for a 8 day walk home. Now the only positive... I deliver meat, produce, dairy, and frozen goods with the occasional canned goods trailer. At the farthest I would be walking from just South of Buffalo, NY to Cumberland, MD I have scratched my head as to what to put in a bag that would not only get me through a week worth of walking 10 hrs a day but keep it lite enough that I do not tire of carrying it to work every day. Any great minds wanna give this a shot?

Buy a bicycle rack and put it on the front of your rig.

[big shrek]

Gotta think one more step out...
WHAT breaks when an EMP hits??
Battery
Coil/Electronic Ignition
Brain Box
Have spares on hand...which also saves you when regular problems with those items occur

[338RUM]

Aparently shrek you havnt been in a new tractor trailer, they are wired up more than the ibm building! And i drive a company truck, they dont hand out spare parts.

[BarryHalls]

Without a Faraday cage (which has to be GROUNDED! [no one seems to get that bit!]) All of those spare parts would be just as fried as the ones in the truck.

[big shrek]

Quote:       Originally Posted by 338RUM

Aparently shrek you havnt been in a new tractor trailer, they are wired up more than the ibm building! And i drive a company truck, they dont hand out spare parts.

I was driving a 2008...before the company closed...

Here's a nifty bit of info pulled from elsewhere on an EMP test to see what the damage would be...

Quote:      

Here's the conclusion of the commission for trucks: "Of the trucks that were not running during EMP exposure, none were subsequently affected during our test. Thirteen of the 18 trucks exhibited a response while running. Most seriously, three of the truck motors stopped. Two could be restarted immediately, but one required towing to a garage for repair. The other 10 trucks that responded exhibited relatively minor temporary responses that did not require driver intervention to correct. Five of the 18 trucks tested did not exhibit any anomalous response up to field strengths of approximately 50 kV/m."

So unless you're close enough to GZ to be lethally dosed with radiation...don't worry that much about your vehicle dying
Worry more about the radiation from the nuclear blast that caused the EMP...

[BarryHalls]

Where did you get that and where can I read more?!?!!!

[JetGirl]

Water is heavy. Pack what you need for a day, and invest in some iodine tablets and a life straw.
As for the rest, it's kind of common sense... but keep in mind pounds = pain.

When we go anywhere for a long weekend, I'm the one that gets away with just a backpack. The kid and the spousal unit both pack like Mr. & Mrs. Howell going on a 3 hour tour. Rule is = you packed it, you carry it.

[arvetus]

Quote:       Originally Posted by BarryHalls

Without a Faraday cage (which has to be GROUNDED! [no one seems to get that bit!]) All of those spare parts would be just as fried as the ones in the truck.

That's always something I stress also, but no one seems to get.

You can also easily ground your vehicle when parked using a simple trailer hitch, a chain and a ground rod. Just remember to un-do it when you take off A vehicle is in essence, a Faraday cage.

For external storage outside the cab, if you had the room, you could mount a metal toolbox from Tractor Supply. This would be by default, grounded to the frame and body. That should be sufficient ground, but it wouldn't hurt to have grounding straps/chains on the vehicle either.

Also I have read several reports on the effects of EMP on vehicles with modern electronics and from what I've read, only 1 in 5 vehicles are actually affected in the tests to where it actually kills the engine. Of those, about half of them were able to be restarted.

Whether that's true or not, I don't know. It's all speculation, scientific theory and controlled experiments. Truth is, no one really knows what would happen during a REAL EMP attack.

I watched on Doomsday Preppers of someone trying to simulate a metal trashcan's effectiveness as a Faraday cage against an EMP by connecting a 12v battery to the metal trash can. That does NOT simulate an EMP by any means. It amazes me that most of the people that are preparing to survive an EMP have no earthly idea what an EMP actually is and how it works.

[BarryHalls]

The other consideration is that your truck will carry it from day to day. If you ever NEED the pack, you can leave whatever you don't want lug in the truck, dependent on whatever situations arise.

I carry about 100 lbs worth of gear in my truck at all times. What I need to survive 90% of any situation weighs 2 lbs and is about 8"x5"x3". I can cherry pick WHATEVER I may need from the rest to carry in hand or pocket, another pound or so. I could easily dump out the tool bag I have in the truck and restock with my favorites from tools, first aid, and toss in my mini survival kit and a side arm (or three ) sling the 6-7lb (unloaded and reloaded) tool bag on my shoulder and run!

I use anything in the truck at some time or another, and never carry any of it on my back farther than from the truck to where the need is (100 paces or less), but if I ever need to grab something to get home, it's probably about 4lbs worth.

[338RUM]

Ok in three pages I think we lost the fact that it is a tractor trailer and I am in a different one every day. Which is why I was looking to keep it lite!

[BarryHalls]

I haven't lost it. I was just explaining my situation, and perhaps not clearly enough, suggesting that you could lug a 20+lb pack back and forth from your work truck to your personal vehicle every day and if you find yourself in some situation where you need to walk home, you could ditch anything that wouldn't be needed for that particular walk home.

Carrying a little water is a good idea regardless. If you have even an empty bottle you can refill it with ditch water and some iodine tabs.

[338RUM]

Got ya, so you think it is better to carry a heavy pack between the personal vehicle and the big rig and if poo hits thin it down based on the situation?

[BarryHalls]

Exactly. Naturally don't put in anything you never use, and ALWAYS look for a way to lighten kits. For example A Crovel, while very expensive, combines a shovel, battle axe, crow bar, saw, and a few other little nick-nacks into a single fairly light weight tool.

I carry a solid steel tomahawk in my car for this reason. I can use it as hatchet for wood cutting, it has a spike on the rear that is good for a pry-bar, and the whole thing is a very handy weapon.

I designed my knife for this reason (sorry to all that I haven't gotten any into production yet!). It can chop wood, skin out game, fight quite well, pry apart crates, force entry to buildings, break wires, all at around 20oz.

[338RUM]

That is a good idea, I have a colapsable shovel just gotta get a few extras together!

[thrillbilly]

A flare gun isnt a weapon. But better then nothing...


and if it has to be 4''...then make sure its a FIXED blade! I dont like folders for anything more serious then opening an envelope or cutting a string.

Just because it has to be 4'' doesnt mean it has to be dainty....is that 4'' of blade length or 4'' of cutting edge?? a choil installed onto a KaBar/Becker BK2 could make it 4'' cutting edge.

Is a tomahawk considered a weapon by DOT? They have less then 4'' of cutting edge usually.

one thing not mentioned...footwear. Most truckers I know wear cowboy boots or sneakers...neither of which I would want for a hike. You should break a pair of good boots in...then keep them lashed to side of your pack.

ETA
if ur concerned with ''camo'' and people seeing u carrying a mil-spec pack to ur truck every day...get a colorful sports duffel, marked ''Adidas'' or Nike or something...bright yellow or cheerful blue. Then put ur ''Serious'' bag inside it. You could always fill the duffel with frozen foods from your trailer if SHTF...would be easy food supply for the first day or two. Then discard the duffel after you empty it.

[Wicked109]

Just order yourself a Pit Bike and load it up on your truck. Pit bikes run around $400-$500, have a 110cc 4-stroke engine, run on gas. Get the kick-start version because the magneto is protected by metal covers. It won't be a luxury ride but it'll beat walking.

[Dragunov]

Quote:       Originally Posted by 338RUM

Ok, first a little about my work. I drive a tractor trailer for a living, but unlike most drivers I get home every day. Now this makes my problem infinately easier than if I stayed out but this also means I have no supplies in the truck other than the days lunch. At any moment i could be 10 miles from the house or 300 miles from the house, or a 2 hr walk or 7-8 day walk. My worst fear is an EMP which would render my computer driven truck useless. I am looking for a lite pack that can keep me going for a 8 day walk home. Now the only positive... I deliver meat, produce, dairy, and frozen goods with the occasional canned goods trailer. At the farthest I would be walking from just South of Buffalo, NY to Cumberland, MD I have scratched my head as to what to put in a bag that would not only get me through a week worth of walking 10 hrs a day but keep it lite enough that I do not tire of carrying it to work every day. Any great minds wanna give this a shot?

I carry the following on my keychain:

Small compass.
Fire steel and striker.
Magnesium fire starter.
P51 can opener.

Get a Camelback. Keep it full of water.

Get a small, kid sized backpack Quality doesn't matter much as you're only going to use it once. carry in it:

Dry tender bundle or a medicine bottle filled with petroleum jelly cotton balls, or both.
Water purification tablets.
Thermal blanket. The cheap one that's smaller than a wallet.
High energy protein bars.
Salt and pepper.
Mess kit.
Chop sticks (Learn to use them).
Knife.
Firearm and ammo.

Pack plus contents would be around ten pounds or less.

Learn the food plants in your area and EAT them! Learn where they are under the snow (Purslane comes to mind).

[338RUM]

Yall have great ideas, I have put together a small bag and feel better than when I started this thread.

[cooker300]

if your stuck anywhere around I80 or north of that call me ill come and save you