| Dave's Ferret Mk 2/3 |
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The Ferret, Ideal vehicle for troubled times
Recently I read a blog in a survival site that panned the Ferret scout car for a survival vehicle due to it's lack of speed and passenger space. As someone who has experience in these matters, I think the Ferret (any mark) would be an ideal vehicle for survival, as long as you have kept it maintained and ready to go.
I survived Hurricane Katrina, and previously I have attended several "survival " type schools. If we are talking about urban survival, I was at ground zero when the Local and State government collapsed in the New Orleans area. Gas was at a premium, food was scarce, and we were being shot at from time to time. Our normal vehicles were hampered by tree branches in the road and some areas were impassible due to high water for more than a week. By the way, it took the military several days to provide water and food to those who were left behind in the Super Dome and Louisiana Convention Center. Sometimes you just have to fend for yourself.
The Ferret is four wheel drive, tough, and can ford some pretty high water. The engin systems are sealed better than most jeeps and SUVs, and as long as you don't drown the air intake, or the driver, you are good to go. The key here is preperation and maintainence. You have to keep your Ferret, or any vehicle, ready to run in case of trouble. Oil changes, tune ups, and so forth. With a military vehicle like the Ferret this means getting dirty on the weekends, as the Ferret will take care of you if you take care of it! Also, keep some supplies on hand ready to load into the Ferret bins if trouble looms. Food and bottled water are obvious, but some other stuff would be: rope, paracord, a very good medical kit, hand held communication radios (at least 4, as land lines and cell phone towers may be out of service), personal medication like blood pressure meds, diabetic meds, and so forth, spare clothing, spare boots and shoes, alcohol for cleaning, repair kit for clothing, fluids and parts for the vehicle, a good tool kit, axes and shovels, crow bar and prying tools, emergency AM/FM radio with batteries, flashlights (at least three) with a LOT of batteries, bug spray, sun tan lotion (I'm not kidding here!), spare gas in addition to your Jerry can, a weapon or several weapons, and plenty of ammunition, a good cleaning kit, and anything else you may need. Remember, no grocery stores, no drug stores, no banks, mabey no police or EMS either. The Ferret can haul a lot, don't travel light. The above list is a good start even if you can't swing a Ferret, add or subtract to it according to your personal needs. Any car you have, Ferret, Saracen, or Volkswagen Beetle, may have to become a survival vehicle.
There is also the intimidation factor involved in a military vehicle like the Ferret, most people won't want to mess with you if you are riding in a tank. Just the sight of the military Humvees gained the National Guard a lot of respect. Also, we experienced a lot of broken windows and other wind damage to vehicles we were using during the storm. The Ferret would be resistent to this type of problem, just don't park it under a big tree before the trouble starts.
For some survival jobs, like hauling ass out of the area or state with a large family, the Ferret may not be ideal due to it's speed and fuel consumption. If, like me, you may be stuck in the area of disaster and need a tough, rugged vehicle to get you around in, I believe the Ferret is a great choice.
I survived Hurricane Katrina, and previously I have attended several "survival " type schools. If we are talking about urban survival, I was at ground zero when the Local and State government collapsed in the New Orleans area. Gas was at a premium, food was scarce, and we were being shot at from time to time. Our normal vehicles were hampered by tree branches in the road and some areas were impassible due to high water for more than a week. By the way, it took the military several days to provide water and food to those who were left behind in the Super Dome and Louisiana Convention Center. Sometimes you just have to fend for yourself.
The Ferret is four wheel drive, tough, and can ford some pretty high water. The engin systems are sealed better than most jeeps and SUVs, and as long as you don't drown the air intake, or the driver, you are good to go. The key here is preperation and maintainence. You have to keep your Ferret, or any vehicle, ready to run in case of trouble. Oil changes, tune ups, and so forth. With a military vehicle like the Ferret this means getting dirty on the weekends, as the Ferret will take care of you if you take care of it! Also, keep some supplies on hand ready to load into the Ferret bins if trouble looms. Food and bottled water are obvious, but some other stuff would be: rope, paracord, a very good medical kit, hand held communication radios (at least 4, as land lines and cell phone towers may be out of service), personal medication like blood pressure meds, diabetic meds, and so forth, spare clothing, spare boots and shoes, alcohol for cleaning, repair kit for clothing, fluids and parts for the vehicle, a good tool kit, axes and shovels, crow bar and prying tools, emergency AM/FM radio with batteries, flashlights (at least three) with a LOT of batteries, bug spray, sun tan lotion (I'm not kidding here!), spare gas in addition to your Jerry can, a weapon or several weapons, and plenty of ammunition, a good cleaning kit, and anything else you may need. Remember, no grocery stores, no drug stores, no banks, mabey no police or EMS either. The Ferret can haul a lot, don't travel light. The above list is a good start even if you can't swing a Ferret, add or subtract to it according to your personal needs. Any car you have, Ferret, Saracen, or Volkswagen Beetle, may have to become a survival vehicle.
There is also the intimidation factor involved in a military vehicle like the Ferret, most people won't want to mess with you if you are riding in a tank. Just the sight of the military Humvees gained the National Guard a lot of respect. Also, we experienced a lot of broken windows and other wind damage to vehicles we were using during the storm. The Ferret would be resistent to this type of problem, just don't park it under a big tree before the trouble starts.
For some survival jobs, like hauling ass out of the area or state with a large family, the Ferret may not be ideal due to it's speed and fuel consumption. If, like me, you may be stuck in the area of disaster and need a tough, rugged vehicle to get you around in, I believe the Ferret is a great choice.