# Prepping / Emergency Preparedness > Bags, Kits and Vehicles >  three birds, one stone

## kyratshooter

Covering all the bases in the bags, kits and vehicles section, I am building a new kit for the latest vehicle purchase, and it will include a pack.

Big 36qt plastic container holds all but the mandatory sleeping bag.

Have most of the needed items in supply but I will need to make a Walmart run for another pair of rubber boots, another roll of "bank line", road flares and fresh duct tape.

Also means a new review of the firearm allocations, but that is another thread for another section.

----------


## hunter63

So...doing anything different with this one.....?

I cut back on battery drills, sawzall, and carpenter tools.
Am still carrying the battery chain saw.

----------


## kyratshooter

Yes Hunter this one is different.

It is one of the little Japanese "rice rockets" and started life with no intent of being an off road vehicle. 

My need for an off road machine has decreased over the years, as have the places I can use one.  The roughest thing I have driven on in the past couple of years has been the occasional maintained gravel road.  

There is the need for some kind of specialized vehicle for use in the snow, but even that has diminished since I retired.  There is no absolute need to get out in the deep stuff and go to work.  I no longer have to get to work rain, shine, winter or summer. 

I bought this vehicle due to it having both front wheel drive and limited slip, so all the weight is on the drive wheels and both of them are turning no matter what.  I expect it will get me where I need to go once I get the proper tires on there.  

I still have the Ford Escape and a couple of trailers for hauling stuff so I will not miss that aspect.

This recent one is a back up vehicle mostly.

----------


## hunter63

Gotcha.......
I keep passing the Fiat dealer on my way to the hospital gym....in the 99 F-150, and think how much easier one of those little cars would be in the parking garage.....Good on gas, fun little thing.

Then I remember all the vehicles are paid for..... so I don't stop.
Do kinda want to know where the pull start cord is located.

----------


## kyratshooter

That little Fiat 500 comes with awd as an option.  

You can also get the same thing with a boxy body and a Jeep Renegade sticker in AWD, which is an insult to any honest Jeep driver.

The pull starter is under the hood on the left side.

TBH I once had a friend who rigged a pull starter on his VW.  

I also remember being back in the bush on several occasions with the off road club flexing our 4wd muscles and encountering box stock VW bugs coming from the other direction.

I do not think the new ride I have picked will be up to that but it sure has been fun for the past few days.  I had forgotten what a kick in the butt a small overpowered car could be.  This thing is a Sentra with the Altima engine shoved in, a sub-compact with 175hp, 6 speed, limited slip, heavy duty suspension, traction control.  

I'm going to get a ticket in this thing!  It will break the speed limit on the interstate just before you shift to 4th gear.

----------


## hunter63

Be careful....it seems to open season on Geezers lately.....LOL

Anyway, been awhile, but I did hold a competition drivers license from SCCA, and MCSCC, back when, to drive those little cars fast.
Didn't cut it with the LEO's......

So you have to row the shifter to speed,....I just set the cruise control and push "Resume"

----------


## finallyME

> Covering all the bases in the bags, kits and vehicles section, I am building a new kit for the latest vehicle purchase, and it will include a pack.
> 
> Big 36qt plastic container holds all but the mandatory sleeping bag.
> 
> Have most of the needed items in supply but I will need to make a Walmart run for another pair of rubber boots, another roll of "bank line", road flares and fresh duct tape.
> 
> Also means a new review of the firearm allocations, but that is another thread for another section.


So, are you going to post a list so we can all comment.  Not that our comments will matter to you... but this is the internet.

----------


## finallyME

> Gotcha.......
> I keep passing the Fiat dealer on my way to the hospital gym....in the 99 F-150, and think how much easier one of those little cars would be in the parking garage.....Good on gas, fun little thing.
> 
> Then I remember all the vehicles are paid for..... so I don't stop.
> Do kinda want to know where the pull start cord is located.


Right now the family vehicle is a Tahoe.  It is horrible with storage space, but it can park like a dream.  It has a really small turn radius.  The only thing I don't like about it is that it is horrible on gas and doesn't have much storage, especially with 8 people inside.  But, my wife likes that it isn't HUGE (or yuge  :Smile:  like a big ol' van.  I will probably get a full size van when the tahoe is paid off and use it like a truck.

----------


## kyratshooter

> So, are you going to post a list so we can all comment.  Not that our comments will matter to you... but this is the internet.


I'll post it but it is just a pretty standard list for my area.  It is also added too and taken from on occasion and with the change of seasons.  It also does not include tool kit and towing/recovery items.  

It is set up with the intent that I might have to spend the night in the vehicle, camp on the roadside or leave the vehicle on the roadside and hoof it home, which might or might not require an overnight camp hiding in a field or behind a brush pile.  We occasionally have roadway closures that last 12-16 hours due to accidents/weather, so I am not packing for a bug out or zombie attack, just stuff I have really seen happen, such as a road closure with me caught between exits.  

My "normal" trip is a 25 mile run down the interstate to the "big city" once a week, so I prep for an emergency during that "normal" run.  If caught in town I would zip over to a friends house for shelter.  If I had to walk all the way, which I can never see happening, I plan on a two day trip on the back roads, getting off the I-75 SASP.

List is in no special order.

Container, plastic=24"x16"x12"  fits in Sentra trunk with plenty of room left.
Pack, simple rucksack, hope I never have to use it..
food, 2-4 days
Water, 2liters
Water filter
sleeping bag, not inside container
space blanket
Knife= Mora & what is in my pocket, my keychain, and scattered through the rig
AK bayonet, mostly for the wire cutters
hatchet, no I won't cut myself
tarp, poly tarp 7x9
poncho/shelter half =from some com/bloc nation
gloves, leather= I believe in gloves
rubber boots= tall Wellingtons
first aid kit= with quick clot and bandages, good enough for highway accident use.  
road flares
chemical light sticks
clothes= sweat pants, tee shirt and hoodie
camo jacket=2x-large to fit over all clothing
towel, bath size
100 ft cordage
assorted zip ties
duct tape

Packed in a 1# coffee can inside the big container
folding knife
p-38
tea lite candles
tea lite stove
tea bags/instant coffee
matches/lighter/ferro rod, all three
space blanket

This is Kentucky so there are also legally carried assorted firearms present, no need to start that list.

----------


## finallyME

What is in your tool kit?

----------


## crashdive123

I'm guessing tools.   :Whistling:

----------


## natertot

Don't think that the sentra is not capable of going off road. Mine has been in places that have park rangers scratching their heads. And the number of vehicles I g Ave pulled out with it....... and I have the smaller motor too!

Now our new focus is rated at 177 hp and ford has a habit of underrating their hp. I'm sure it is in the 190-195 range. It is hard not to get a little heavy footed in it and can she ever handle the curves!

I think you'll be pleased with your purchase. Just curious, how many miles is on it?

----------


## kyratshooter

Crash is right!!!  There are tools in there.  A set of socket wrenches, couple of vise grips, electrical tape  and assorted screw drivers.

It has high miles Nate, about 170k.  I went ahead in spite of that because everything I was finding at my price point had extreme mileage.  People are driving the crap out of their cars nowdays!

The Sentra has 60K more miles than my Ford, which is just a year newer.  60K is about 6 years driving for me but seems to be about 2 years for the average person in this area!

Still, the steering is tight, engine is tight, it burns no oil and nothing rattles or clatters. 

And I agree with you about the CVT transmissions.  Nissan owns the company that makes almost all of them and they are crap.  

When did the modern auto makers forget how to make a transmission?  Used to be a transmission was a life of the car item.  Now they blow as soon as the warranty is over.

Slight off road modifications are under consideration.  There was a day when Nissan make some kick-@$$ Daikar Rally vehicles.  I actually tricked out an old 240Z for rally driving back in the '80s.  

I am not doing anything extreme to this Sentra, but a set of good tires and some extra light is in order, even if I do not rive at night much any more.

----------


## natertot

Sounds like a solid purchase. Mine is just two years older than yours with 186K. I have the same experience so far as yours, tight steering and nothing that rattles. 

The past few months, I have been chasing a check engine light issue with the EVAP system. Replaced the fuel cap and charcoal canister valve at a combined cost of $55. Light just came back on so the next step is to check the o-ring on the valve and make sure it didn't get goobered up when I installed it. I am also going to check all the hoses out while I am down there. So far, none of this is effecting the drivability of the car. Just annoys me when that light comes on the dash!

I can't imagine the fuel cost driving around 30k miles a year. I drive 15-18k a year with 34mpg and that puts a hole in my wallet!

If you are looking to beef up your car just a little, there are some cheap and easy mods you can do. Better sway bar and links as well as a shock tower brace seem to be popular, but I cannot attest there value since my car is stock in that regard.

As long as repairs are cheap and easy, I plan on keeping mine. The first repair that is a burden, the car will get sold to some high school kid that will do who knows what to the thing.

----------


## kyratshooter

If you look at the specs on my rig you will be quite amazed at what is on that little car.

Reinforced links and heavy duty sway bars front and rear, braced towers and heavy duty struts and springs, oversized slotted Brembo brakes, 17" wheels to clear the brakes, limited slip differential and a 6 speed transmission and the 2.5 instead of the 1.8.  There is a rev limiter at 7500rpm but no top speed limiter on this model.  

Now according to the math I am getting 75mph at 3000rpm in direct drive 5th gear so if I can get 6000rpm I should hit some crap your pants three digit numbers.  I don't know if my heart meds are up to that kind of abuse. 

It rides like a log wagon.

I had a 240z back in the '80s and this thing has a bigger engine than that did!  The 240 was lighter but I think the Sentra has more torque with the 2.5L and I know the transmission gearing is spaced better.  I had a 280zx 2+2 also, which was almost as big as the Sentra.

I have had several vehicles that had bad ratios where one gear was too low and the next too high and you had lots of hesitation between the shifts and power curve.  This one cures that by putting a 5 and 6 in the selection.  Only problem is I am never sure what gear I am in!  :Oops: 

Of course 6 is overdrive and it is a tall overdrive too.  

My only real gripe with it is that the back seat does not fold down so I can haul stuff.  I would really like to have that feature and most Sentras have it, but it was not offered with my model.  There is a big X brace across the back of the seat area, probably as reinforcement for all that bracing and heavy duty stuff.

Don't give up on your Sentra too soon.  Back about 15 years ago I owned a little Chevy Baretta with the 2.8 injected engine.  I got it cheap ($900) and drove it for several years until the oil pressure dropped to what I though was too low.  I sold it to a guy for his teenage kid for $275. 

His kid proceeded to drive the crap out of that Baretta for the next 6 months.  He rawhided it, slid around corners sideways, kept his foot on the floor most of the time and put more wear on that car than I would have in 10 years and finally flipped it.  And I had sold it because I though it was worn out! 

Perhaps if I am good to this one it will go well past 200k.  It is not intended to be my full time vehicle, just an extra in case of breakdowns of the main vehicle, dead batteries or flat tires. 

Now the trick you should have done on that last Focus wreck was to put Candice and the kids in the Sentra and bought yourself a crew cab Nissan truck!  The Sentra is going to live forever and you are never going to get a truck!

----------

