I've seen a lot of the old responses on this thread with varying ideas for vehicles and even service animals for a SHTF scenerio. What works largely depends on what type of SHTF were are talking about.
If we are talking about the end of life as we know it with no recovery in sight, sure... get a horse.
Most of these responses were pre-Katrina, and while that isn't the only SHTF scenerio out there, it is a good example of what could be expected again from a number of causes.
I lived through Katrina and did have to do a significant amount of driving during that time. I'll add my observations, if I may:
1. Whatever you have needs to be able to carry cargo. Unless everything you could EVER possibly need is can fit on your back, a motorcycle is NOT a real option for sustained periods. I want to point out that for short "check on the neighbors" type of trips, we did use a four-wheeler primarily because it was handy to get through blocked roads and had far better fuel economy.
2. Whatever you have NEEDS to have a towing package. More of your SHTF movement is going to get things or delivering things. Otherwise, you won't be choosing to leave the place you have prepared. A couple times, I had to obtain something that needed a trailer to move.
3. Whatever you have NEEDS to have decent ground clearance. I don't mean necessarily putting in a lift kit, but it needs to have at least the clearance of a typical 4X4 truck. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee that BARELY had sufficient ground clearance. You are going to go over debris at times, but more importantly, you may be crossing deep pockets of water. When we finally cut enough trees for me to get to the highway after Katrina (9:00 the night of landfall) I took off to make sure my parents were alive and safe. Along the way, there were a few places ON the road where there was flooding. I was able to cross it, but there were dozens of flooded out cars that were not so lucky.
4. You need to have something IN your vehicle that can lift downed power lines. One of the biggest obstacles to travel even days after landfall was powerlines in the roads with no way to go around them. What worked best for me was a 2X4 long enough to create clearance for my Jeep, and with a notch cut out in the shape of a V on one side to hold the line. You are gonna use this a LOT.
5. I didn't get in a situation where I needed a winch, except for the first night-- still a winch doesn't hurt.
6. A brush guard type frontend is handy but hardly necessary.
7. A undercarriage guard IS a VERY nice thing to have.
8. This IS IMPORTANT. It is crucial that you have some means to FIX a FLAT TIRE and re-inflate it. They make small air-pumps that plug into your cigerette lighter that are GREAT. I used one a number of times. Have a plug kit handy somewhere in the vehicle.
9. In my honest opinion, A 4 door TRUCK is MUCH better than a SUV in a SHTF. You can essentially carry the same number of people, but you ALSO have A LOT more cargo space at the same time. Plus, there are going to be times you haul stuff that you'd rather not have inside your SUV on your carpets. There will be things you haul that may have vapors that you seriously do not want to inhale. My next vehicle will be a 4 door truck with a lockable bed cover.
10. Some may raise an eyebrow at what I am about to say, but it is true. I'd probably go the route of a gasoline engine over a diesel engine in a situation like Katrina. If we were in a end of the world, sure diesel is great-- make your own bio-diesel. However, in a shorter-term situation, you are going to want to be able to obtain fuel. It was hard enough to get gasoline, but diesel was impossible. Why? Because essentially everywhere that had diesel was required to hold it back and not sell it in order to have it available for emergency vehicles, which ran primarily on diesel.
Even though I could have used my father's new Dodge cummings turbo diesel, we had to keep it parked for fear of running low on diesel. We needed all the diesel we had to put in tractors.
11. Only once did I find myself in a situation where I would have rather had four-wheel drive. Overall, it is nice, but it's going to cut down on your fuel economy. It's a toss up. I know that I DID do well without it, but that doesn't mean I ALWAYS would. Besides, I do have access to other 4X4 vehicles if I knew I needed to get somewhere particularly nasty.
12. Keep a spotlight in the vehicle. You will find times you need to see what is to the left or right of you at night. Turning your lights in that direction will rarely be an option. A spot light makes things safer and easier.
13. Edit: Thought of another one. Don't laugh when you read this, but trust me. Keep one of those cans of Baby Wipes somewhere in the vehicle. It's not going to keep you alive, but it WILL make things a lot nicer on you. My wife is a Preschool teacher and uses them alot. She had some in my vehicle and they got used a LOT. They are antibacterial so they may go a ways in keeping you from getting some sickness (I kept a sore throat the entire time of Katrina due to accidental exposure to funky water.) They were good for a "spot bath." A lot of people may thing "Bah, I'm tougher than that... who cares?" Well, I'll tell you... it was 3 days before I could get my first bath, and those were three days of working dawn to dusk with chain saw and getting REAL nasty. You will be surprised at how much better and entergetic you will feel when you can simply wipe some of the gunk off your hands and face.
That is all I can think of at the moment. I may think of more after work.
John
