# smart car as a bug out vehicle



## hank2222

ok i drive a small smart car and with my bug out land is not that far from my work.. 

so here my list of supplies in the car trunk system for holding supplies

-x-first kid kit in own soft carrying case
-x-set of jumpercables
-x-set of fuzes for the car in hard shellcase
-x-set of headlight replacement lights blubs in own travel case
-x-vacum packed texas credit card or as regular 8.ft long plastic tube for gas with smallhand pump system all packed into a vacum packed plastic bag for travel
-x-surefire flashlight with extras batties and blubs in own carrying case
-x-cans of fix a flat -x-2-
-x-door open tool for shelter door system socket with long handle
-x-tire gauge for use as need
-x-set of hand tools in own soft carrying case
-x-set of torx wrenchs for use as need in own carry case
-x-set of needle nose pliers -x-three diff sized
-x-wheel lug socket with long handle ratcheting wrench 
-x-oil filter wrench with ratcheting wrench handle
-x-set of hand cleaner in small tub with lid in a ziplock plastic bag
-x-set of mirco hand towels in a ziplock plastic bag
-x-set of gloves
-x-roll of radiator rescue tape 
-x-set of fan belt for the engine
-x-roll of duct tape for hose repair
all packed into the trunk stowage space 

then in a set of middle sized rubbermaid stowage tubs with lids to hold some supplies if need be along with a one 2.gallon sized water jug and a 2.1/2. gallon sized gas can and 1-gallon sized radiator mix and a 3-1.qt.sized oil for use as need . set up for the travel in the small compact stowage area. with the complete set of back road travel routes all ready pre planned out for travel with each map is complete sealed to protect the map with the maps are put into the three ring binder for travel ..

the rubber maid stowage tubs hold foods items and camping supplies if need be .. one set up to hold the food items ..then one is set up to hold lightwieght camping gear -x-tent-sleeping bag-x-cooking gear and basic items for eating with plate and cup and other items ..

with each rubbermaid sits ontop of each other for travel in the compact with the water jug and gas can sitting inside the compactment for travel..

this items are kept in the apt as it need for travel if i need to leave the area..


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## NaeKid

I have done some playing with a SmartCar and something that you would probably want to consider is mounting a hitch to the back of the little beast-of-burden. Because there isn't alot of room inside it, I would make use of outside storage ability to be able to carry more, safer and without any chance of shifting while you are driving.

I have a rack that slides into a 2" receiver on each of my vehicles (and my trailer) that I toss a RubberMaid-tote onto and then strap-down. When the tote is on the rack attached to my trailer, it has a portable-stove, portable-BBQ, water-hoses, propane-hoses, buckets (for catching grey-water) and other "dirty" items that I wouldn't want inside the trailer floating around.

When the rack isn't on the trailer, it has been used to transport upto 3 propane-tanks (for refill), transport furniture (couch, chair), transport batteries (for recycling), transport wood (for various projects), and, it has also been used to transport fall-harvest (deer).

If you didn't want to have a rack (as pictured below), you might want to consider a small camping trailer such as a LeeSure Lite made here in Canada or, something like the Easy camper and TimeOut camper from Arizona would do the trick. All are motorcycle towable, therefore, SmartCar towable as well. :beercheer:


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## hank2222

my camping gear is the light wieght type of small single fit inside the cookpot type along with small basic lightwieght motorcycle camping gear design to fit inside the motorcycle saddlebags set up ..

so it basically a small system design to fit inside the rubbermaid stowage tub ..the plate and cups and eating items take up the space than the sleeping bag and tent does in the tub..

i figure it going to take me about 24.hours to get out of the area iam in Ca area to my place in Az area if i had to leave the area.. i have detail plan of how and where to drive from haveing a friend and me who basically for about three weekend drove every back road into and out the area to get around the main roads into and out the area.. we found a few out of the way roads that are not listed in the major road maps for they are to old of a road for modern cars to travel on .

part of the plan is to drive south then turn east intill we get to the colorado river area and then come up on the main highway and cross the river and then slide back down onto the old road system cutting cross country intill we get to the area of his land and then i spend the night there with his family and then i will go over the car and make sure it ready for the couple hours of travel to my place ..

but since i might be moveing to another job and the retreat will about 40.min drive to the place i going to have to deal with everything a little diff then


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## sailaway

Thats quite a rig Naekid, have you considdered painting it a color that would blend in with the out doors?


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## Tirediron

hank2222 how much electronic control is on the smart car?? might want to check into that incase of nuke , solar storm or EMP :scratch


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## NaeKid

sailaway said:


> Thats quite a rig Naekid, have you considdered painting it a color that would blend in with the out doors?


Yuppers - but - I haven't decided if I wanted to paint it green colors to match the trees, brown to match the ground, white to match the snow or silver to match the Jeep ...


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## hank2222

Tirediron said:


> hank2222 how much electronic control is on the smart car?? might want to check into that incase of nuke , solar storm or EMP :scratch


it the basic striped down model that i got off the a used car lot that was 6 months old when i bought it ..

so far as basic electronic control it has the basic electronics package from the factory ..but i did learn this that some parts of the electronic control can be rewired to make it driveable if you broken down as the mechanic and i was haveing a talk about the socalled solar flares that where on the tv and he went over some ofthe basic things that i could do to restart the car under any condition ..he did think that the question i asked after the thing about solar storms where on the way and how it could not out the electronics on a vehicle..

he showed me where to bypass the a lot of the engine controls and run saight from the battie and start the car if need be..plus i talked to him about hardening the electronics on the car with the deisel power smart electronics..

in the next couple of months if i stay in the states where going to do some basic modications on the car of the upgrade the system to the diesel smart electronics and a few more things that can and will make it run under diff conditions out there..


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## bstickler92

how is the smart car off road? i'm not talking about muddin or rock crawling, just normal dirt roads, maybe some mud or small rocks, i would imagine it to be quite manuverable due to the short wheelbase


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## hank2222

i have taken it down a cattle path that we used to pick up cattle and move them to another areas ..it was a little wet and muddy and i was following a cattle hauler trailer and made it through a few bad areas on the road and made back to the country road without haveing a major problem ..


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## TechAdmin

I would love to see pics of everything in it's place.


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## bstickler92

hank2222 said:


> i have taken it down a cattle path that we used to pick up cattle and move them to another areas ..it was a little wet and muddy and i was following a cattle hauler trailer and made it through a few bad areas on the road and made back to the country road without haveing a major problem ..


i wonder if they make A/T's that small, what size are the wheels/tires on that thing?


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## hank2222

i use the standard all weather tires on the car
here are the tire size 

front size--155/60-15-

rear size--175/55-15


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## bstickler92

hank2222 said:


> i use the standard all weather tires on the car
> here are the tire size
> 
> front size--155/60-15-
> 
> rear size--175/55-15


thanks, i did not know they'd do different tire sizes for front and rear or have that big of a wheel. or are those the same height?


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## hank2222

for some stange reason smart cars that way and yes they are the same hieght ..i did go and put all season tire of the same size all around on the car with a good set of basic rims for drivieng ..plus i say this if you single and no kids to speak of or married and have no kids in your life it not a bad little car.. i get a lot of comments about beening in a death machine and i tell people that you are going to die one way or the other in a bad car wreck and when your time it your time ..there is nothing you can do about it ..

i been on a few diff dirt roads in Az and not really had a problem ..i watch where i basically drive the car on the cattle path that we have taken 4-x-4 trucks pulling cattle trailers down the road ..

along with the fact i do not do anything stupid when driveing when iam in the back country roads ..

when the road is wet or muddy i trend to drive on side or the other or up on another part of the land around the road..i try not to get high center over a mound or piles of dirt.

at one time i have thought about putting a small bull bar set up front with a set of off road driveing lights on the bull bar for use in driveing ..for they make a small bull bar set up for the smart car..

plus i want to add this i have taken off road in areas ..as long as i drive carefull down the socalled goat paths and make sure i do not run over anything that could hurt the engine in the back i do fine ...it just a matter of picking the pathway when driveing on old dirt paths ..

here is a couple diff pictures of the diff bull bars set ups for the car and one picture of them on the alaska highway up in canada ..they are useing this car in back road road rally set ups also ..


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## hank2222

here is a couple more pictures of the smart driveing on the alaska highway.. they basical said at one point the car was working in 40-below zero temps and before starting out in vancover canada they change out the oil to a one that handle cold weather better and larger heavy duty cold cranking amp battie set up with snow tires and that was it for the cars that they change..

the cars had the standard list of the what came with the cars along basic survial gear for the car when driveing on the highway....

most of the time the people who drive the trucks on the highways the only ones makeing a comment about the car ..for one truck driver said if the smart can make the drive up here it the car for me..they did say that a couple of storms caught them staying in the motel on the highway and waiting a few days for it to clear and the highway dept to help push some of the snow off the roads ..


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## hank2222

if you google the article and read what the guy said about the driveing the smart up there it was just like driveing any other car in the winter time and if your the watch the video you will laugh at people when they say small cars not good for snow country ..

i mean the fact of this if the roads are clear you should not have a problem with driveing the car around the area..


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## hank2222

here is what one person did to a smart as a rally car set up with a body lift of 2.inchs and larger tires set up with a light bar on the front ..

here is a picture of the car set up for road rally driveing..


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## kbar-04

How do you like the smart? I've thought about buying one for us to commute to town. I live on 40 acres in the country so Im not going to "bug out". I have two Land Rovers if I need to do that..


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## hank2222

it great car for all around driveing i have taken it down socalled goat trails and socalled cattle trails and never gotten stuck as long i as did not drive crazy on the road ..

so if you looking fro a small great all around vehicles it great ..iam single so it great for me to drive around to from the city to the area where i have my cabin in the mountains of Az area..


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## sailaway

Smart Cars should be on Ice Road Truckers!:ignore:


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## hank2222

they have drive on the socalled ice road that the big rigs goes on ..google the info from the one picture about the smart winter driveing in the picture and it gives a video and article on the smart driveing in the upper areas of the ice road on the Canada there side of the ice road truckers


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## hank2222

they had a few problems on the road up there in the upper part of the drive to the end of the socalled Canada ice road where they had oil and gas and diamond mines there ..

the problem with the socalled winter driveing was blowning difting snow that the support truck and other vehicles where makeing seeing on the snow blown road a little hard and second problem was with the basic snow storms that hit the area a couple of time on the road so they think they would be able to handle something that like area iam in when it basic snows and rains and cold weather for a few days ..

here is some more pictures of there trip up there ..


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