Survival Survey: Your Most Necessary Piece of Survival Equipment?
photo by Bah Humbug
I never, I mean never leave home without my cell phone. Someday I hope to replace it with a Star Trek style comm badge! It’s my link to security, my lifeline to the 911 operator. More than once, I’ve stopped the car, made a U-turn and headed home to retrieve my trusty flip phone when it’s been forgotten.
What is the one piece of survival equipment you are never without, and why is it so vital?
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Lists, so I don't forget anything else. Cell-phone circuits will overload/fry if it's really bad. Think it would be better to work out alternate methods of connecting with relatives when things fall apart. But if it's not the end of the world scenario, circuits will probably recover so you can eventually contact family and friends. Don't forget your charger, though – if the grid is still up. Most likely the vast majority of people will be left sitting right where they were before it hits. Wonder what the "it" is going to be? Seems to be the big question. Good luck!
Hmmmm….I wasn't thinking about the piece of survival equipment in a SHTF scenario. I was thinking of more my current day to day life. If I had to choose something to have in a worst-case scenario, like you mention, I think it would be my vehicle 72 Hour Kit/Bug-Out Bag. I really do have it well equipped for quite a few different emergencies.
My pocket knife is the piece of equipment that I most seldom leave without, followed by a lighter.
Batteries in phones can fail, firearms are prohibited in many places but with a knife and a lighter I can get by in most every situation.
Bob, I keep a pocket knife in my car but haven't needed to use it for more than prying the battery out of my cell phone when it freezes up. LOL I think I need to learn a little more about its' multiple uses, which is one thing I've been saying about being in a crisis, having the "right equipment", but being under so much stress or duress that you either don't remember you have it OR you don't know how to utilize it in a way that would be helpful. My solution to that, and you may have a better one, is to first, USE the darn thing often enough so you could put it to use blindfolded and then make a list of all the ways a pocket knife, duct tape, rope, a tarp, etc. can be used.
I'm so glad you posted this. I've been saying for quite awhile since I started by blog and podcasts, not to forget cell phones. Modern technology can be used for survival very easily. Too often preppers overlook technology. Cell phones can be used to store important documents (like on Blackberries and iPhones). If you have an iphone for example, there are over 10 different survival applications you can download, from free to $1.99 each. You can keep track of food storage and many other preps on a blackberry or any other cell phone that has a SD memory card. Just transfer important info and preps and pictures to the SD card and password protect your phone. That's it. Then it's a portable and very valuable survival tool.
In many disasters, either the internet or cell phone service is still working. During Katrina, the first landfall took out internet, but not most cell phones. By second landfall of that Hurricane, they had 86% of the internet back up and running. Cell phone service still worked in many areas.
Even if you don't have cell phone or internet service, your cell phone can still be a great survival tool, carrying important info, pictures, and even pictures of the inventory of your house in case your home burns down or is destroyed, you've got the pics and inventory to give to investigators and the insurance company!
Again, I'm very glad you posted this, if anyone has any questions or want to learn about more ways to use your cell phone, check out http://www.todayssurvival.com
I've got an episode on modern technology, Episode 7 and also how to use a cell phone in case your child is missing or harmed! Episode 27.
Bob, those are all great ideas. Have you read the list of 50 ways to use a cell phone camera on my "List of Lists" page? There are some very creative and survival-oriented ideas there. (Can't take any credit, other than finding the article online!) BTW, when I saw your name, I thought for sure you'd say a firearm!
)
Lisa I was going to say that, because I don’t leave home without one, but your subject was cell phones, LOL!
Just now read that list on you list of list page. Excellent!
I almost always carry a small knife (either large Swiss Army or small folding) and a mini flashlight.
I agree completely! I always keep a case of water bottles in the back of the Tahoe and some filled 2-liter bottles beneat the back seat. In a desert, you never want to be caught without water.
Water-I don't go anywhere without a couple of bottles. I stock up on Brita filters everytime they go on sale. Without my water, I get very claustrophobic in lines, traffic, or while stuck on tarmacs! I can only imagine if it was a real emergency
Gotta have the water
Something to think about when the cell system is getting busy: Text messages. They take up much less bandwidth and will often make it through when a call won't connect. You can also add multiple addresses which would make it easy to contact your entire family with one burst transmission.
That is an excellent suggestion. My husband works all over town, and I do worry sometimes about him getting home if there was ever some type of disaster in our city. Text messages are a great idea, and I've also heard that pay phones are often up and running before regular phone lines. Thanks for visiting my blog!
cell phones i could care less about but it is a nice way to keep all those phone numbers that you need and cant remember..but in my case i always have a boxcutter style knife with a pocket clip my handfull of keys on a keyring and a compass on a carabiner and a garrity 9 LED flashlight all hanging from my belt loop..i also have a zippo lighter in my other pocket and of course a wallet with more notes and cards then cash..i used to carry a multi tool as well but that was more job related than anthing..
Welcome to my blog! From the sound of it, you fit right in! I really should put up a poll someday to find out how many of my readers carry the exact same equipment as you!
thank you for letting me in..i found you from a link and checked things out ,very good info here for both the newbie and the long term survivial person..