METT-TC
We use the military derived variables of METT-TC to organize our thinking (see CM-1). These variables can be used to build, outfit, and plan how to use your BOV in a crisis. METT-TC is a framework to help you analyze a situation, prioritize resources, and make informed decisions to accomplish your mission. We always ground our teaching and content in reality; play the odds for the most likely / most probable crisis or emergency. A flat tire or dead battery is far more likely than running armed roadblocks set by a foreign invading army. However, there are increasing odds of having to deal with illegal and hostile roadblocks by unhinged individuals with a penchant for violence so plan ahead and have what you need…most importantly a solid tactical plan of how to avoid them. The other reality is trains derail, rivers flood, and storms disrupt services so you must have the tools and planning in place to use your mobility assets in a way that gets you through the crisis. Adapting the METT-TC variables to “normal guy” BOV planning looks like this:

Mission – The purpose and the tasks that must be accomplished with your vehicle. Does it need to be able to rock crawl over a 38-inch vertical wall to get you to safety? Probably not. Does it need to drive 320 miles without stopping for fuel because your college student goes to school out of state and needs to get back home if society falls apart? It probably does. The daily mission for a vehicle is to get us to work, school, or the coffee shop. But it also includes the other end of the spectrum; things like volunteering 500 miles away for hurricane relief or getting your family, dogs, and few life sustaining possessions out of the western wildfire’s path. A well-defined set of these probable scenarios translates to a set of requirements for your vehicle -requirements you can now use to outfit your BOV. We will talk through some typical requirements and the tools that support them in this field reference.

Enemy - the capabilities and intentions of threats. Wait a minute, we are discussing realistic survival vehicle setups, not some blockade running prepper fantasy. What do you mean by enemy? This is just another wacko survivalist take. No, not really when looking through a realistic lens. This threat might be criminals, even in normal times. Account for vehicle theft; you may consider having fuel pump cutoff switches or an on demand aftermarket GPS tracker to counter theft. What if things devolve to the point where you are in an environment with violent rioters and roadblocks? (where have we seen this before). You must account for this if you consider it a probability. And address it for the not as preparedness minded individuals that drive your family vehicle, it is as much a training issue as it is a physical/material one. Tay Tay in her sorority-decaled daddybought G Wagon bumbling through hostile crowds is not where you want her to be.

Terrain and Weather - This is the physical environment in which the vehicle will be used. This includes the impact of the environment on the vehicle’s use during a mission, such as the effects of terrain or adverse weather conditions (snow, rain, fog, mud etc) on mobility and visibility. 4×4 use may be limited during each year during snow season, but when you need it you really need it. Do you have a vehicle that is adequate for your terrain and weather conditions - both typical and during probable emergent situations? Test and assess your vehicle in reasonable conditions to find out for yourself if it works for you. I learned a hard lesson a few years ago with KO2 tires on a Gen 5 4Runner, the tires had a great reputation as an all-condition tire but in reality, they were hot garbage in the rain. I would continuously break traction even during slow intersection turns if the pavement was wet. They were phenomenal off road (light to medium trail stuff, Im not a rock crawl beat up my daily driver kinda’ guy) but on wet pavement they were dangerous. Any forum search would yield comments of greatest tires ever, but in reality, they were an accident waiting to happen. Lesson learned is test things for yourself under all the terrain and weather conditions you anticipate.

Troops and Support Available - This is assessing the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own forces (teammates, family members, supporting or supported local friendly forces). How many friends are going with you to volunteer during the flood relief? How much gear are they bringing with them? Do you space in your vehicle to carry your family and out of the wildfire’s path or will you need multiple vehicles? Do you have room accounted for to bring your dogs if you have to pack up and haul ass because of floodwaters? If you need to drive for extended times how are you dividing up the work load? Have a plan for navigation, security, and intel roles as you roll down the road, you can’t do it all and everyone needs to be cross-trained to do everything if needed.

Time Available - This is the amount of time available to plan and execute the mission. This is largely unknown in the context of a crisis, but we can look at it in terms of implementing time saving measures during preparation. Adapt this aspect to use as a planning and preparation tool now, well before the need to execute your plan. You may not have time to top off your tank, so you have two 5-gallon fuel cans stored and ready (rotated to keep fresh). You may want to keep a basic set of tools in your truck since you may not have time to grab your toolbox from the garage. Wargame this today by visualizing the process of loading up and leaving your house. Arbitrary time constraints of 5 minutes, half hour, an hour etc will give you an idea of where you can save time by having pre-staged and loaded items.

Civil Considerations - Civil authorities (law enforcement, local political leaders, community / new tribal leaders), gang leaders and criminal enterprises and the local population. Do you have political or LE / military decals on your back glass? Does your ride “fly under the radar” or does it attract attention? Rollin’ coal with two gadsden flags on the daily might draw attention, even in benign periods you are checking a mental block for people who see you in the local area. Does your vehicle comply with local laws, or do you have things that may attract unwanted attention from police looking for a reason to pull people over in a crisis? Window tint restrictions are beyond stupid, but chancing a stop by an enthusiastic officer can lead to other questions you don’t want during a crisis- even if you aren’t doing anything illegal. Will the roads be jammed with refugees or relief convoys? Will local leaders attempt to confiscate capable offroad vehicles during a crisis? Determine if local law enforcement are cooperating or hindering the ones causing issues, what is the political climate in your area? These can all impact your BOV use through route trafficability and the likelihood your peaceable journey may be interfered with. These are just a few civil considerations.

Define your requirements
Defined requirements keep you from chasing your tail or wasting your budget. Using this type of framework (METT-TC) can help keep things in perspective for you. Remember this is just “A” way to look at it, if you use something different that works don’t change what you are doing. The learning point is to have a way to look at the problem set objectively, not emotionally. Most of us do not have the luxury of a dedicated BOV rig. Some do, and that is outstanding; to own an infrequently driven vehicle that is always ready to go is most excellent. But for many of us car owners this is not feasible. However, we still must have this same always ready mindset for our daily drivers. This can mean getting through a snowstorm to retrieve your spouse from work, fixing a roadside issue in the middle of the night, or getting from dangerous point A to safe point B during a crisis while people are shooting and killing each other wholesale.

We all get exposed to advertising and influencers every day in the preparedness community, the survival vehicle / BOV space is no different. And it gets expensive in a hurry; there is no such thing as a cheap off-road component. You have seen these guys, the Green Gravy SEAL Prepper types with 1.2 million followers who loves to show his kitted-out full size diesel “go rig” on the socials. The one with on board air system, two refrigerators, and enough external lighting to make Clark Griswold jealous. Or your single buddy next door who spends 3k of his monthly disposable income on an expanded capacity fuel tank for his pickup because he may have to “make a run for the mountains when SHTF.”

But what do you need? Sometimes we must remind ourselves what we want and what we need are two different animals. And how about the two questions none of us like: 1. what can you afford and 2. what does your wife’s car or your teens’ vehicles need? You just doubled or tripled the requirement and cost with multiple family vehicles. And if you take an objective look at the situation there are probably gaping holes in the training and preparedness of those knuckleheads you love so much. Assess your requirements using the METT-TC framework we discussed to build your plan and gather associated resources (in this case your BOV).

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