when shit goes down, pt. 1

this whole swine flu thing has been making me think a lot about 'when shit goes down.'

i'll define 'when shit goes down' as any scenario where society as we know it is basically leveled, and the normal order breaks down. nuclear attack, flu pandemic, natural catastrophe, etc. all count as 'when shit goes down' scenarios. i spend a lot of my idle time pondering what i would do, where i would go, who i would want with me, and so on.

there are tons of movies and books and video games about stuff like this, so getting an idea of what to expect totally isn't hard. (my favorite is 'the stand' by stephen king, but it's a fantastic genre all around.)

okay, when shit goes down, obviously we'll need the right supplies to prepare us for a post-apocalyptic world. choosing the right supplies depends a bit on what specific kind of apocalypse occurs, but generally, i think we can make some choices.

let's assume that staying put is a BAD idea. either because of infection (zombie, superflu) or radiation or just people going crazy from the shock of the apocalypse, being in a highly populated area will be more dangerous. more chances for crazy people to try to kill you for the stuff you have. more competition for scarce resources. so, let's assume you're Getting Away.

how do you get away?

some choices, with my pros and cons (we're going to say these are all stock and haven't been souped up into the mad max armored beasts they'll eventually become. we're not there yet.) :

a) atv
pros: much less gas than a car; good for going off road, but would be okay on a road; more easily maneuverable in tight spaces than a car; faster than a bike or people on foot; i'm not certain but i assume the engine is relatively simple; probably strong enough to pull a little trailer attached to the back, for gear; could potentially hold 2?.

cons: still needs gas, which will become more and more of a problem as time goes on; heavy enough to be a problem if it tips or gets bogged down or trapped somewhere - not light enough for me to unwedge myself; probably not faster than a car with a super-big engine; kids are constantly flipping them and getting killed so apparently that sort of thing is easy to do; might not be easy to modify for towing or better storage; not weatherproof; can't serve as shelter in a pinch; not terribly easy to replace, should you need to; really loud; can't hold more than 2, and 2 might not be very comfortable or realistic for longer trips.

b) motorcycle (would be best if it's okay for both streets and off-road)
pros: really good on gas; good for both roads and going over hills through fields and stuff; perfect for zipping through road blocks from abandoned cars; easy-ish to hide in bushes or something while you sleep; fast; fairly common, so easy to replace parts or the whole bike; lighter than an atv, in case of bogging down or tip overs; could carry two.

cons: again, still relies some on gas; probably still too heavy for me to EASILY lift or right or push by myself; dangerous - super easy to kill yourself on it; have to sacrifice cargo capacity for speed and maneuverability - the best we can do is a backpack and some saddle bags, which still adds weight and girth; not weatherproof at all, and very dangerous in the rain; can't serve as shelter; super loud; needs safety gear in order to be really safe, which will cut down on visibility and reaction time and add bulk; again, no good for transporting more than 2 people

c) 4wd van/truck w/shell (this includes monster trucks and hummers)
pros: huge, so it'd be harder for attackers to get at you; can hold tons of stuff and/or people; can be shelter AND transportation; weatherproof; can go off road; stll, fairly simple engines so minor repairs will be easy and scavenging for parts will be easy enough; would be strong enough to help bogged cars and trucks in your group if they got stuck; good for a family or people traveling with little ones who need full-time protection;

cons: HUGE, so you're basically married to it; useless in the city, because the major arteries in and out will be completely blocked, especially to something as big as that; will use an tons of gas; really tough to camouflage; unless it's bulletproof (which it won't be, realistically) it won't be any more safe from attack than something without walls and might even lull you into a false sense of security; still loud; more people = heavier = moves slower

e) regular bike (mountain bike definitely)
pros: really light; very maneuverable; fewer moving parts = easy to fix; easy to replace; could be outfitted with light saddle bags; great for on and off road; faster than people on foot; really easy to hide; no gas; quiet; could have a kid's seat attached to it if need be; no special protective clothing required; less threatening than most vehicles.

cons: relies on a certain level of physical fitness - if you're out of shape, or injured, you're in trouble; absolutely no protection of any kind; not fast enough to get away from anything with a motor so you'd have to rely on maneuverability; can't carry much gear, and certainly not enough to have a stockpile; not weatherproof; riding bikes will make you really tired and hungry and thirst - food is heavy, can be hard to find and often takes time to prepare, water is really heavy and could be hard to find; obvs carrying ability is limited to small kids;

g) on foot
pros: way easier to hide; can easily get through areas that no vehicle could make it through; nothing external needed aside from some really solid walking shoes; easy to find shelter anywhere (under a car, in a bush, up a tree); non-threatening (could be helpful if you meet skittish survivors)

cons: walking will require a lot of energy, which will require a lot of food, which can be hard to find, time consuming to prepare and heavy to carry; all gear, food, clothing, weapons, etc. must be carried on your body, slowing you down and possibly counteracting the benefits of maneuverability; slow as fuck, too much so to make it through wintry conditions safely, perhaps;

given my goals (speed, ease of fueling, ease of repair, maneuverability) i think i'd go for the street-safe dirt bike.

what about you? what would you choose? any vehicles i haven't thought of?

next note, i'll be pondering weapons.