12 mobile living concepts for a post-apocalyptic future
So you wake up one day, turn on the TV and it doesn't work. Fine. You grab your smartphone next — no service. Odd. You dig out the ol' reliable crank radio from your disaster-preparedness kit (you do have one of those don't you?), and that's when you find out: someone's finally gone and pressed the big red button. The world as you know it is gone, and the grid has gone with it. The last radio reports you hear, before they're cut off, are of roving bands of bandits heading into the cities to loot, pillage and generally cause a ruckus. Awesome. You live in the city.
Your best bet on survival is to get moving, and to keep it that way. Never fear, chums: DVICE has you covered. Here are 12 mobile living concepts for your fabulous new nomadic lifestyle. It should go without saying that all the concepts below should be outfitted with spikes, battering rams, chainsaw hubcaps and hood-mounted machine guns asap.
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1. The Carrier Bike First you need to get out of the city. Throw what food and gear you might have around the house into the Carrier Bike's storage compartment, roll it down the stairs of your walk-up in "carrier mode," flip the wheels out and pedal for your life. With a bike this compact, you'll easily be able to carry it over the roadblocks on the way out of town. Exhausted after riding all day, and still not in a safe enough spot to bed down? Flick on the electric motor and let the bike take a turn. You'll be out of harm's way in no time.
2. Verdier Eco-Camper Bikes are cool for a bit, but you're gonna need a roof over your head. Why not embrace the nomad lifestyle with the classic road trip wagon? Based on the VW Westfalia of the 1960s, the Eco-Camper has all the nostalgia you want, along with a few things you'll need. I'm talkin' about a hybrid engine (to keep your gas-syphoning days to a minimum) and some solar panels to boot. You'll also get an onboard computer for monitoring fuel consumption and for operating your built-in projector and movie screen (did I not mention the movie screen?), a pop-up sleeping area, extendable patio covers and some folding camping chairs.
3. The GMC PAD Got a few extra gold bars to barter? The PAD is a fully equipped loft in a box — on wheels. To power your swank little PAD are a hybrid diesel-electric engine and six square meters of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof to boot. These give you enough juice to power the engine, the onboard entertainment systems and the (standard) personal spa. Also of note are the stash of fuel and water supplies, which can last you a few months without resupply if need be. You've even got a roof deck.
4. The DIY Housing Option Wait? I misheard you? You've got no gold bars? How about fashioning something to live in for yourself? Start with a truck, a hammer and these concepts, and you'll have a passable living space in no time. First up is the Mobile M-House by Michael Jantzen, basically a flatbed truck, a few wooden pallets and hinges, and a lot of ingenuity. Once you stop for the night the pallets can be swung out to create an airy, spacious home. A second option is something like this hydraulic-lift Japanese truck conversion, equipped with all the niceties of home — even a fully functional tub!
5. Del Popolo Survival is one thing, but you've got your eye on the bigger picture. You want a way to eat well on the road and put more of whatever goes for currency these days in your pocket. Del Popolo is for you. Imagine the looks of glee from your fellow survivors when you roll up in this 20-foot pizzeria, equipped with an authentic wood-fired pizza oven. The post-apocalypse never tasted so good.
6. Snoozebox Now that you've got a serious community of pizza connoisseurs following you around, you need more housing — but you still need to keep moving. For you, the mayor of nomad-town, we offer up Snoozebox: a fully modular, mobile hotel made entirely of shipping containers. There are four suites per self-sufficient container, each with their own full bath. You don't even need a flat landscape to set up shop, because Snoozebox comes equipped with some adaptable fold-out legs. 48 hours after your arrival in a new spot, you can be entirely set up to accommodate 400 rooms worth of inhabitants.
7. Archipelago They found you. I don't know how, but they found you! The roving bandits heard of your little city and attacked. Luckily you loaded the Snoozeboxes onto a barge and headed out to sea, but now everyone is bored, with no land left to play around on. You're on it, though, and you commission Archipelago to be built to satisfy the masses. A floating, modular movie theater with seating for everyone in your group, Archipelago can screen films, provide a floating social space and even host your weekly iron-fisted public speeches.
8. The MS Turanor Revolts happen. There was nothing you could do. Nothing, that is, except plan ahead for your escape from your one-time subjects. Good thing you had the MS Turanor in tow. Now you and your loyal few are cruising in style on your own 90-foot solar powered yacht. Everything from the engine to flushing the toilets runs off of the massive solar panels, keeping you going as long as you need. Bonus: Turanor means Power of the Sun in the Elven language of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series.
9. Roll It The sea is a harsh mistress. Back on land, itâs time to go walk-about and get your head on straight. Good thing Roll It is available. Now you can go on your spiritual walking quest and keep all your stuff! Cleverly designed as a human-sized hamster wheel, Roll It has more unique spaces than it has space. At one angle it's a comfortable bed, at another a desk and chair, at yet another a comfy chaise lounge. Roll It also has plenty of cupboard space, just be careful when you use any of it, as items will shift during your trip.
10. The Walking Beast It's time to take the apocalypse by the horns. You come return from your walkabout with a new 'tude and a new home: The Walking Beast. This eight-legged behemoth saunters across the land, taking names — but no prisoners. The cockpit seats two — if anyone is worthy of your company, and the deck has plenty of space for a tent or small bunker. Need another reason to climb in? The Beast comes equipped with a flamethrower which shoots flames thirty feet in any direction, and a sweet LED lighting system that would put any low-rider to shame.
11. Wolke 7 You're already the master of land and sea, so what remains? Conquer the last realm you have yet to tame with the zeppelin to end all zeppelins. The Wolke 7 has three decks, two of which are outfitted as a swanky two-story house with a lovely wooden deck surrounding the main floor. The bottom level is reserved for the cockpit, from which you can monitor your dual zeppelins and quad propellers, all while sailing past the chaos of the post-apocalypse far below.
12. Nomad Doghouse What was I thinking? You can't leave the world behind without Mr. Snuggles! Never fear, for he's got his own solution to the need to stay on the move: The Nomad Doghouse. Hearkening back to your first forays into the wasteland of this new world, Mr Snuggles' new digs are modeled after a vintage trailer. The Nomad Doghouse comes with an optional tiny clothesline and collapsible camping chair, and even has a cute little rope that he can use to relocate to the other side of your flying fortress's deck.