How To Prep Your Truck For Disaster

Disaster and danger don’t always wait for when you’re safely behind the closed doors of your home with your emergency food and water supply, arsenal, medical supplies, etc. So it’s important to be ready for situations that might arise when you’re out and about or on a road trip, because you never know when you’ll need to assist in a rescue, “move off the X,” abandon a vehicle and disappear in the woods, or even get back home on foot. Here’s how a former 2nd Batt. Army Ranger preps his truck/vehicle for whatever might come up.

Prepping your truck can begin with something as simple as a reliable flashlight (such as what I carry, a rechargeable SureFire)

To Shed or Not To Shed (Extra Gear)

Prepping is a journey, and it’s pretty common to pack more in your vehicle than you need. After all, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have. Hopefully over time you’ll begin to understand what’s essential and what’s not, but that decision is yours to make based on your level of comfort, skill and the circumstances. All my gear started to crowd the cab, so I paired it down. That doesn’t mean I won’t bring some of it back eventually.

Driver Side Door Pocket

Stainless steel water bottle. (Yay for that).
A handgun (covered by a hat to hide and disguise it).
An ankle medical kit (I also usually keep one around my ankle) which includes medical supplies, trauma kit, plus lock pick kit, handcuff keys, passport card and spare credit card.
Gloves (preferably tactical) because you can never have enough gloves.

On My Waist

Conceal carry handgun in appendix carry holster that can easily wedge for quick access between the driver seat and center armrest console. I can also leave this holster on, placing my seatbelt behind it. Concealed dagger style knife that I can get to even with my seatbelt on. So I’m still able to get to all my fighting and cutting tools even strapped into my seat.

On the Center Floor

Another medical kit with all kinds of emergency medical goodies from chest seals to pressure dressings, trauma shears, ACE bandages, tape, and, more recently added, a little booboo kit with Excedrin, aspirin, antidiarrheal, alcohol swabs, etc., because more often than not, if I’m not saving somebody from a gunshot wound I’m giving them something for a tummy ache.
Flashlight (an inexpensive USB rechargeable one that lives in the vehicle)
Window breaker/seatbelt cutting tool to escape the vehicle if needed.

Center Console

Another handgun, of course because why not. I keep this one aircraft loaded, and it’s one of my less expensive ones so I’m not too worried about it being taken.
Extra Magazines
Leatherman multitool always
Notepad and pen
More common medicines
Headphones

Glove Box

Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Three-pronged charging plug for charging a variety of devices
Snacks, napkins, and, yes, more medicine
N-95 masks not just because of COVID-19 but because of smoke and other potential particulates when a bad day hits (I used to have a real gas mask but decided to sideline that for a while). At some point, you’ve just got to say enough is enough.

Backseat Driver Side Door

AR-15 Magazines in a specially-designed magazine holster for fitting in the door pocket.
More gloves because why not?
Ear protection not necessarily for tactical situations but they might come in handy for the range or in a fight.
Umbrella for obvious reasons

Backseat Floor Board

Fully-equipped AR-15 with a suppressor, SureFire light, infrared laser (for night vision) and sling.
Fully-loaded get home bag which I detail in a separate video. I don’t typically carry this thing if I’m just going around town or to the office because I don’t want it to get stolen.

Under the backseat

Night vision setup and helmet in a protective bag because you never know.
MORE gloves
Compass because I’m a Ranger and I like that option for land navigation.

Front Passenger Side Door

At this point I should probably mention that I’m a big fan of keeping bottles of water in the door pockets and elsewhere in the truck. Obviously my get home bag will have plenty of water treatment and filtration, but having some bottles of water handy is also a major plus.
So in addition to stocking the door with a frisbee (because I love throwing frisbee with my boys) and other small items, I keep large bottles of water in the front passenger side door.
Also in that pocket are sunscreen, spray paint for steel Raven targets.

Other Things to Consider for Prepping Your Ride

Rain jacket, preferably one that has quick zips for accessing weapons.
Emergency road supplies such as wrenches, ratchets, channel locks; tow straps; tire repair kits; pump; road flares. And if there’s one thing that Nicholas Cage has taught us, road flares are fun to have around for a variety of reasons.

And of course, the loadout on your truck is only as good as your ability to use it, and practice makes perfect.