Survival Wagon Idea - Recreation Or Reality TV

[Turtle]

___I touched on this in another thread, but I thought I'd see if it floats on its own. Basically, a hand pulled/pushed wagon/cart designed & built to carry survival/camping supplies over long distance while maintaining a relative comfort level. :)

___I already have such a wagon & since I doubt many others do (if any) I though tto build some enthusiasm for the idea. :) In the Science Gallery/Memmbers Category/Turtle I have some photos of my basic wagon sans all the equipment. Here is a list of what's onboard that I recall just now:

___25Watts of photo-voltaic cells, 100 AH deep cell battery, 12V electric winch, collapsable bridging(10ft), 800Watt inverter (converts 12VDC to 120VAC), freeze dried food, 10 gallons water, tent, canopy, tarps, 600 feet assorted rope & cord, nickel-metal-halide batteries & charger, multiband radio, GPS, axe, machete, shovel, bucket, tire patch kit, tire pump, hand winch, tripod, TV, video camera, blankets, cooking utensils, soap, towels, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, parachute, flag, flashlights, whistles... I'm starting to draw a blank.

___Enough to get the idea. Whether we raced or just went for a week in the mountains with our wagons, I think it makes for a jolly good time. Any takers? :xx:

[Queso]

man, i would just take that thing out in the middle of nowhere and just live for a while. come back, restock, and do it again sometime. i definitely need to set up something like that.

[Turtle]

___That's the spirit! My wagon has taken me 3 years so far to outfit & it's still not optimal.

___I see we have plenty of looky-loos already, but few stopping to post. Don't be shy; if you like the idea or think it's ludicrous, post up your comments. :xx:

[infamous]

___That's the spirit! My wagon has taken me 3 years so far to outfit & it's still not optimal.

___I see we have plenty of looky-loos already, but few stopping to post. Don't be shy; if you like the idea or think it's ludicrous, post up your comments. :xx:

 

Hey Turtle, neat idea. One question however. Have you determined how long this Survival Wagon should sustain it's owner. Let's set a length of time which one could expect such an outfit to last in the wilderness. Also, I would assume that it depends upon what part of the conutry one wishes to take this adventure to. Needless to say, the desert would be a much more demanding enviornment. I'm personally more in favor of a trek to the mountains of the north west. So what do you think about a choice of destination, and how long should our survival kit last. I think this is a great idea, I might just try it myself sometime.

[Turtle]

___All good points Infamous. I had tentatively planned a 7 to 10 day leisurly trip through Gifford Pinchot National Forest from Sunset Falls to Carson for this month. My plans have been interupted by an upcoming forced move.

___As to how long the outfit provides, I have in mind it should last 'till it falls apart. Other than a camping trip, I have no expectation that I can carry more than a month or so of food for two. I myself figure I can live on what I find; this is partly due to a lifetime of camping & partly to megalomania. :)

___Seriously though, much of what is onboard constitutes tools for securing survival. With some little rope & a knife one can make shelter, cooking utensils, traps, collect fuel,etc.

___I have already used the electrical equipment during a power outage in an ice storm we had 2 years ago; the ham radio operator next door had no power & bailed to a motel 5 minutes after the power failed. The wagon is a convenient storage for a home survival kit even if it never goes out of the yard.

___After we get a few other wagons going, we can decide where to go; desert sounds as good as any! :xx:

[Buffy]

In search of minimalism (which would appear to be essential given the goals of the endevour), I would suggest replacing the air tires with solid rubber. They will not absorb shock as well, but you don't have delicate instruments in it, and while they will weigh more individually, they will allow you to eliminate the air pump and the tire patch kit and actually eliminate any energy expenditure in repairing tires.

 

This is an interesting mind experiment of its own! Want to label it #3? :xx:

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___Good point on the tires Buff. When I first locked onto this idea I planned to build my own wagon & I was actually shopping for wheels when I found the wagon I have for just $80. Given that I was looking at $20 -$30 a piece for solid rubber tires, I settled. I still have the option to change over I suppose.

___Something of a mind experiment this is indeed. As each interested person puts together their own survival wagon, a lot of decisions crop up. This angle interests me in seeing how different people solve similar problems independantly. Two, four, six wheels, solid tire vs. pneumatic, ...you get the idea. :) :xx:

[infamous]

Hey Turtle; How about a bow and arrow for hunting wild game. Some might prefer a small rifle but I would prefer something like a cross bow, just for the sport of it. I believe that this would add much to ones ability to survive for extended periods of time.

[Turtle]

___Excellent point Infamous; may I expound?

___A bow is a good idea for several reasons beyond the hunting you mention. First of course is defense, & in the vein of survival, if you have stuff & others don't, they will attack you for it. Further, with a bow, you can make more arrows from sticks & stones, & in fact make a suitable bow from found wood.

___Firearms have their advantages & disadvantages. Over a long term, you will run out of ammunition & its unlikely you could make your own, but in terms of defence, firearms are rather more powerfull in both range, rapidity of fire, & effective stopping power. In addition, the weight of ammunition is rather high compared to arrows. Moreover, firearms require oil to stay in good operating condition, & in the long haul situation this will run out too.

___I gave away my last bow (a 30lb target recurved jobby) because it was a right hand bow & when I blinded my right eye, I could no longer aim it properly. While I adapt to rifles by shooting lefthanded, this is not easily done with bows due to their construction.

I have found that with pistols, I have about equal facility with either hand, the biggest problem being with automatic pistols fired left-handed throwing ejected casings across my field of view & spattering my face with powder residue from the open receiver.

___All in all, the bow is an excellent addition to any survival wagon; good call.

[Turtle]

___I may have the opportunity to try the wagon out soon; I have to move out of this house in 3 weeks & if we don't find a big house soon enough for us all I am moving into a campground.

___The one I have in mind is closer to St. Helens & about $8 or $10 a night. Of course out there I won't have the web, but hopefully it's not too long lasting.

___Will any of you have your wagon ready by then? :(

[infamous]

___I may have the opportunity to try the wagon out soon; I have to move out of this house in 3 weeks & if we don't find a big house soon enough for us all I am moving into a campground.

___The one I have in mind is closer to St. Helens & about $8 or $10 a night. Of course out there I won't have the web, but hopefully it's not too long lasting.

___Will any of you have your wagon ready by then? :hihi:

 

I'm going to be very busy this summer so I'll need to wait until this winter to put mine togeather. With Drag racing and family vacations already planned, there is just no time left for me to start this project. I will also need to spend some time with my mother, she is 87 and in ill health. I live in Ohio so that means another trip because she lives in Missouri where I was born and raised. Any how, this winter I plan to begin putting my wagon togeather. I do think this is an unusually good idea Turtle, and am looking forward to getting started.

[Turtle]

___Drag racing?! Now there's a good group to put the wagon idea in front of! Nothing like a bunch of gear heads to come up with optimal wheeled equipment. :xx:

___Of course I'm aware I have some pretty outlandish ideas, so I always appreciate gettin' the nod because I seldom know which ideas are hair-brained.

___I had an appointment today with a state social worker & I told him I might have to camp with my wagon; he said if I pay to camp I won't be considered homeless! Of course in my wilder plans, I have myself saying screw all this stuff & just hit the road with the wagon. :hihi: :D

[Buffy]

___Drag racing?! Now there's a good group to put the wagon idea in front of! Nothing like a bunch of gear heads to come up with optimal wheeled equipment. :hihi:

Woot! Think ya kin put a nitro-fueled engine on the back of it and pull a sub 4.5 second quarter mile? You'll need to have bigger wheels and space for the 'chute...

 

Burnin' rubber,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___GETE Of course powering the wagon is entirely contradictory to the idea of pulling or pushing it. Not only philosophically but practically as the burden of fuel is prohibitive. My roommate Ace suggested using the electric power system to drive the wagon, but there just isn't enough juice.

___In the few uses I've made of the battery backup I can see already that the ins/outs requires careful monitoring. 100 amp-hour battery & the formula Watts = Amps * Volts, plus the ratings on my equipment must all receive consideration.

___Since for me this is more than a theoretical enterprise, I have learned considerably from hands on practice. My wagon is no where near optimized, lacking among other things a brake; do you really want to try & slow a 500 lb wagon on a hill without a brake? :xx:

___Keep up the great ideas on this! :hihi:

[Buffy]

...slow a 500 lb wagon on a hill without a brake? :hihi:

Yow! 500 lbs? Boy, you're gonna need some hydraulics and some big disks for that!!!

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___Again, I have to stay practical. My wagon fully loaded is just under 500 lbs, Fairly easy pulling on flat ground, but I haven't ever taken it very far pulling. I have moved it into & out of a pickup bed at about 250 lbs (oh & we used it to get the Christmas tree one year) & one guy can do it but you need to rope it up and/or use one of the winches. I have a hand winch (come-along) with a 2000 lb capacity & a throw of 6 ft & an electric 12V winch with a rolling capcity of 2000 punds & a throw of 30 feet. :hihi:

___After quite a few brake ideas, I'm leaning toward a simple lever that drags/digs in the ground. :xx:

 

PS I don't use the term "gear head" in a derogatory manner. The knowedge these guys have on bearings, mechanical linckages, etc. is invaluable in putting together one of these wagons.

[infamous]

Hey Turtle; Geeezzzzz, 500 lbs, I quess you'll need to stay away from the mountains, Huhhh??