# Bug out trailer, FEMA Trailer Auction?



## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

This is a continuation of a discussion that was started on the Idea thread, but we discussed what a good thing a travel trailer is for emergencies. It can be kept stocked for emergencies, and you can live fairly comfortably in one if something happens to your home. 

You don't need a very big one, but for me, a bathroom is a must!

If you do want a bigger trailer, there are bargains to be had by going to a Fema Trailer auction. Here is an artice about them. http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-a-FEMA-Trailer-at-a-Government-Auction-Really-Cheap!&id=320784


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

If I remember correctly, some of those FEMA trailers were fairly toxic with formaldehyde. I'd be careful.


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

I could use a cheap trailer if could get it to northwest Colorado and the land there to set it on but it cold there. Utilties foundation would add it up. Been looking for a place up there. Moving it that far be too much.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

deaconjim said:


> If I remember correctly, some of those FEMA trailers were fairly toxic with formaldehyde. I'd be careful.


I think they are all toxic. Fema trailers and the non FEMA ones you buy new from a dealer. New Mobile homes are toxic too. I believe I read that it was the use of plywood. The secret with any of these is to air them out regularly. RV's have roof vents. Unless it is raining hard I have always kept the vent cracked open on my 5th wheel trailer, because otherwise it smells stuffy and musty. I have been doing it before I ever heard about the toxic issue.

My 5th wheel trailer is now 13 years old, and that "new trailer" i.e. toxic smell is gone.

According to this article from MSNBC, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23168160/

_Formaldehyde is used in a wide variety of products, including composite wood and plywood panels used to manufacture the thousands of travel trailers and mobile homes purchased by FEMA after the storms. _

All RV and Mobile home construction use these materials in abundance. Not just FEMA trailers. Use common sense, and air your trailer out.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Colorado said:


> I could use a cheap trailer if could get it to northwest Colorado and the land there to set it on but it cold there. Utilties foundation would add it up. Been looking for a place up there. Moving it that far be too much.


 Go to craigslist.org for the area you want to go to, and buy a good used one there. If you arent using the trailer in the winter, you need to winterize it. 
http://www.byexample.com/articles/current_news/winterizing_news.html


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I've had my eye on these little trailers for a few years....I think they'd be perfect for a long term primitive situation. They are very small, but have a bathroom and kitchen option.



















http://www.burrotrailers.com


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I've had my eye on these little trailers for a few years....I think they'd be perfect for a long term primitive situation. They are very small, but have a bathroom and kitchen option.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They're cute! And a great thing about smaller trailers is that you can pull them behind smaller vehicles!


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I'd avoid FEMA trailers like the plague... if not for the toxics, then for the trash that lived in them.

I can totally see having a travel trailer, for travelling, recreation, or simply living in... been there, done that...

They'd be great for personal shtf's...

However, in a nationwide shtf, or TEO, under no circumstances would I hook one up and hit the road... unless I was willing to ditch it. Of course, if I had a few hardy souls riding on top of the trailer with a .30 caliber belt fed machine gun, I'd risk it. Traffic jams will make any kind of travel difficult if not impossible. Security would be a nightmare... In a TEO' I'd worry about attracting attention... hey, look, there goes somebody with a travel trailer... I bet he has lots of booty inside... let's hit it and see... Even if they shot wildly and killed the owner, most of the booty would come thru unharmed, at relatively little cost to the highwayman.

Of course, I'm probably thinking too much...


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Most emergencies aren't TEOTWAWKI situations. Look at the folks who evacuated before Katrina. Many took their RV's with them, and they were better off in the long run. Especially if they kept it stocked with food, spare clothes, kept the propane topped off, Their water tank filled, they were set, as best as could be!

In 2003 California suffered some of the worst wildfires we have seen. The "Old Fire" burned in the mountain range where my ranch is. We were evacuated for three weeks.

The fire never got to our ranch, but there are few roads into and our of the mountains, and the fires got too close to the roads to risk trapping the population up there so they evacuated the mountains. FEMA set up shop at the old Norton Air Force base and had a large parking lot where people that wanted to camp out could stay. The folks whose homes didn't burn were allowed to move back home after three weeks. The parking lot provided them a place to be without incurring huge costs associated with a hotel stay. There were RV's of all descriptions, tents and people living out of their cars there. By far, the people in RV's were the best off. 

This was a localised, temporary SHTF scenario. Even folks whose homes burned could park their RV on their lot and supervise the rebuilding of their homes. Lumber and construction supplies have a tendency to walk away if not guarded.


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## fireliteca (Jun 7, 2004)

What things would you think were essential to pack in the trailer? I am packing ours to park it at BC at our Daughters place for when we visit,also they don't have an emergency plan -living in earthquake zone.My daughter finally is thinking it is important but my son in law doesn't so it is up to her and I to pack and plan.Thanks-fireliteca


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

And, in Hurricane Rita, people were stranded less than a dozen miles from their homes... many attempted to try and turn around and go home... some abandoned their vehicles altogether.

Granted, if a person is fidgety, and bugs out at the hint of trouble, they'd probably be able to take all their possessions in a motor home or trailer. But, if they stick around, like the vast hordes tend to do, and wait for an official evac order... well, it wouldn't be pretty.

I have first hand knowledge of the Rita evac. Several board members here spent all day in the Rita evac trying to escape Houston.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

She needs to make a list of what dried/canned foods she could pack in the trailer to feed the family for approximately 3 weeks. And she needs to be diligent about rotating the food! If not well ventilated the trailer will be hotter inside in warm weather than a house. Optimally your stored foods will be kept in a cool dark place. I store my food in cabinets in the trailer and under the bench seat. That provides the dark, but because it isn't cool, rotate the food often or it will go bad.

I make up the beds and keep extra blankets in case the SHTF in winter. I also keep clothes in the trailer, and spare shoes. I am not rich, so the clothes I keep in the trailer are older clothes that might otherwise have gone to charity. A coat for everyone, knit cap, gloves warm socks. Three changes of clothes per person. Don't forget undies, and sanitary items for the ladies. My kids are grown, but if you have babies, don't forget wipes and diapers, baby food, formula, bottles. A first aid kit. In the bathroom I keep the same things I do in the house. Soaps, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, toilet paper, towels Hand sanitizer, as you will want to keep your hands clean but if you are short on water or your gray water tank is getting full, you don't want to waste water or run it down the drain as much as you normally would. 

DH bought me a nice set of cookware a while back so the set I was using went into the trailer. Corelle dishes are great because they are difficult to break, inexpensive and stack compactly and neatly. I have a set of those. Laundry detergent and dish detergent and bleach Hide some quarters in the trailer so that if you are lucky enough to find a coin op laundry, you can. Keep a broom handy because people will track a great deal of dirt into a trailer.

I put a plastic dish pan and small dish rack under the sink. A dish scrub brush. I keep the corelle dishes in the dishpan and wrap and surround the dishes with dish towels and hand towels. Dishes and heavy items should be stored down low. It is disheartening to keep them on a high shelf and have them shoot our and hit the floor when you go over a bump.

During spring, summer and fall, when the threat of freezing is gone I keep water in the tank. That also needs to be rotated, as it can get stale in the tank. I water the lawn with it and put in fresh. I said bleach which you will need if you don't have a clean supply of water. I have a PUR water filter pitcher, and it is PUR and not Britta, because the PUR removes 99.9% of chryptosporidium and giardia, where the Britta is a charcoal filter. Keep some bottled water out there to hold you through until you find a clean water source. Flashlights, candles, extra batteries. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, anbesol or something for toothaches, temporary tooth filling material if you can find it. Spare glasses, sun glasses.

A few books, age appropriate toys, board games. A small protable TV with antenna if your trailer doesn't have an antenna of it's own.

Keep the propane tanks topped off.

Prescription meds should be in your bugout bag. Don't forget to take the bags with you. I don't keep cash in the trailer, it might get broken into. I would be certain to take cash with me. 

Take it out occasionally for the weekend and use it. You will see how to work everything, how to tow it, what more you might need. Enjoy it! Don't forget to empty the grey and black water tanks after every outing!

Our trailer has storage beneath, so we have a small BBQ, briquettes, lighter fluid. A BBQ that uses charcoal will also use wood, which is how I grill at home anyway. If you have room, take a small amount of firewood. Plenty of dry matches. Bug spray (like OFF) folding chairs and a small folding table for the outside. Our trailer has a roll out awning so we can set up an outdoor area where much of the living during the day happens there. 

If your trailer has batteries, check, clean and charge them periodically.

Any other suggestions guys?


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

That's excellent, Common Tator. Don't forget to rotate your aspirin and stuff. Also, it's a good idea to keep a couple of bikes in or with the RV (with spare tires and repair kits) in case you have to abandon ship, as it were. Or just for local riding around while the RV is parked -- bikes use a lot less gas than an RV!  Folding bikes might be a better bet than regular ones that would have to be mounted on the rear bumper.

Kathleen


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

Common Tator said:


> This is a continuation of a discussion that was started on the Idea thread, but we discussed what a good thing a travel trailer is for emergencies. It can be kept stocked for emergencies, and you can live fairly comfortably in one if something happens to your home.
> 
> You don't need a very big one, but for me, a bathroom is a must!
> 
> If you do want a bigger trailer, there are bargains to be had by going to a Fema Trailer auction. Here is an artice about them. http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-a-FEMA-Trailer-at-a-Government-Auction-Really-Cheap!&id=320784


ours was 37 foot when the tornado ripped the roof off our house it also took the trailer


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

BlueJuniperFarm said:


> That's excellent, Common Tator. Don't forget to rotate your aspirin and stuff. Also, it's a good idea to keep a couple of bikes in or with the RV (with spare tires and repair kits) in case you have to abandon ship, as it were. Or just for local riding around while the RV is parked -- bikes use a lot less gas than an RV!  Folding bikes might be a better bet than regular ones that would have to be mounted on the rear bumper.
> 
> Kathleen


I always carried my mountain bike with me on trips to AK, just in case... a few times I came very close to needing it, to go and get a spare tire...

I'd also recommend a high quality four season backpacking tent... Just in case some of my evil fears came true... very cheap insurance...


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

mtman said:


> ours was 37 foot when the tornado ripped the roof off our house it also took the trailer


A tornado is a mighty powerful force! They scare me more than the earthquakes here do! Other than an underground shelter, I don't know what you could do!


But if I lived in tornado country, I would want the underground shelter, and I would keep it stocked too!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I think that if you live someplace like Houston it would be nice to have a travel trailer prepositioned someplace else. If you had the money for it, you could store it at one of those boat/rv storage places a ways inland. Then you would only have to get yourself and family to the storage place and hook up with the travel trailer. 

I'd love to have one on high ground somewhere, just in case. It is not high on the priority list though since there are so many other things we need worse.


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## BuckBall (Dec 26, 2005)

I wouldn't buy anything from the Gov't, no matter how cheap. PLUS as stated, those dang trailers are washed down with chemicals that could kill you. Why on earth would you want to poison yourself and your goods? Don't feed the gov't auction block...by the way, I have a doctor in the family, he has never heard of something so outrageously mad in his 43 years of medical profession. Formaldehyde is not used to disinfect trailers!...Lysol is.


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

I use to deliver RV's and motor homes. The very same trailers that go to the dealers to sell are the same one that FEMA send to disaster areas. The only difference are, at the manufacturing plant they leave off the names and outside decorations.

When we would pick up the RV's at the plant we would have to go inside and inspect everything. The Formaldehyde, is just as strong in the high dollar one as they are in the cheap FEMA ones. They are all made from the same stuff. 

The key is to let them air out several days before using them. There are some people who are more sensitive to the chemicals than other people. But for the most part it's all the same. 

As far as the trash that lived in them. They could be fumigated and cleaned. I use to have to rent apartments back when we were young and have had to clean up other peoples garbage. You would just have to know what your buying. 

I would buy one or two in a heartbeat if I had the money to do so.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Formaldehyde wasn't used to wash down the trailers. It is from the plywood and composite wood that the trailers are made from. All trailers, mobile homes, most new home construction use these materials. A big stink was made about the levels of formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers, but it exists in everything that contains these materials.

According to this http://www.allergyconsumerreview.com/formaldehyde-air-quality.html, 90% of the off gassing is done in the first 12 months. And as I said earlier, Air out your trailer. It really needs the fresh air.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

BuckBall said:


> I wouldn't buy anything from the Gov't, no matter how cheap. PLUS as stated, those dang trailers are washed down with chemicals that could kill you. Why on earth would you want to poison yourself and your goods? Don't feed the gov't auction block...by the way, I have a doctor in the family, he has never heard of something so outrageously mad in his 43 years of medical profession. Formaldehyde is not used to disinfect trailers!...Lysol is.


I don't know if Lysol would kill crackhead cooties... they might survive formaldehyde...


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

texican said:


> I don't know if Lysol would kill crackhead cooties... they might survive formaldehyde...



Just so you know, thousands of the trailers were never lived in. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17509045/


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I heard recently that they sold the extra's in lots to various states and tribes. Does anyone know if they are still selling or if it's a done deal?


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

The trailers should be coming up for sale at this site http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/gsaauctions/ However there aren't any right now. Keep checking back.

According to this article http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/07/09/ap5198628.html there are congressional hearings about the formaldehyde levels. Congress is in recess right now. FEMA trailer auctions must be on hold now, but also according to this article: _Katrina victims now occupy 15,000 travel trailers in the Gulf Coast. This is down from the more than 143,000 trailers that once housed Katrina victims._ Fema still has 10's of thousands of those trailers. I suspect auctions will resume after the hearings, so keep checking the GSA auction site.


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## FL.Boy (Dec 17, 2007)

Common Tator said:


> I think they are all toxic. Fema trailers and the non FEMA ones you buy new from a dealer. New Mobile homes are toxic too. I believe I read that it was the use of plywood. The secret with any of these is to air them out regularly. RV's have roof vents. Unless it is raining hard I have always kept the vent cracked open on my 5th wheel trailer, because otherwise it smells stuffy and musty. I have been doing it before I ever heard about the toxic issue.
> 
> My 5th wheel trailer is now 13 years old, and that "new trailer" i.e. toxic smell is gone.
> 
> ...


All new homes have toxic stuff in them (trailers,block etc.)
I was also told from trailer builders that most FEMA trailer where not built to code.


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