Possibly the most important tool in your survival bag

Well that may be a handy item for downloading and storing your survival manuals on and reading before TSHTF I wouldn't suggest trying to rely in that in a real SHTF survival scenario. As a 16 year Navy vet having been through 3 levels of SERE school and spending 12 years under NAVSOC as SWG operator, SWCC operator, and Navy Diver I can tell you that the one thing I learned in school and real life combat survival situations is that your brain and cool rational use of your brain is your best tool.

You never want to rely on anything more than the basics for your survival. Read your manuals on your kindle, remember all you can of the simpler stuff and what you can remember write down on index cards and laminate them, or get a good survival guide such as the SAS survival manual or US Navy SERE training manual and a good waterproof bag or container for it.

There is just too much that can go wrong with electronic devices in a SHTF all out survival situation.

reply to post by Marid Audran


haha Yeah, I forgot about the reading for 'pleasure' aswell. The kindle is pretty good for keeping you sane. I suggest "the ultimate hitchhikers guide to the galaxy' Its an entertaining book and it really really long. 600+ pages

Relying on something like the Kindle to not lose everything out of the blue is just a pipe dream. It's a great thing as long as it lasts, but it ain't gonna last.

Real books can't break, don't need to be charged up and are still readable even if they get wet. These three books: The Foxfire Book tell you all you need to know.

Military manuals are all well and good, but they are written with combat scenarios in mind, implying lines of supply. True survival in a SHTF scenario will come after the first few weeks of combat are over and most people are already dead. THen you will be on your own, if you make it through the first part. Unless you somehow have years worth of food stocked up you are gonna starve eventually. Do you know how to build a log cabin, plant crops, raise and slaughter hogs, make soap, make your own clothes, etc? THese books are a compilation of interviews with really old hillbillies who were in their nineties back in the seventies, and had lived off the land their entire lives without money or electricity and were just fine.

There are other books like this too. These happen to be the ones I have and they are great. I've got lots more, too. Real books. I've got tons of data digitally, but you simply cannot count on that in a SHTF scenario.

To all that are agianst the idea of using the Kindle, let me say, I am not implying that you should rely on it for everything. You SHOULD learn tactics and skills but some information in a book you may skim over not thinking it was as important as somthing else, may come up and you dont want to be up poop creek.

Think as the Kindle in a SHTF scenario as you would back when you were in school. You went to class learning a subject for months and much of it you retained. but then for the final course exam the teacher says its an 'open book' test. Do you remember the oh happy happy joy joy feeling you had, knowing not only could you use the information you learned but you had the book as a back up.

I know the kindle isnt ideal as it is an electronic devise and electronic devises can fail, break or get ruined in many ways, but my argument is for the size and weight of the Kindle it may be a life saving tool to have at your disposal.

So everyone that thinks Im advocating "oh, just have a Kindle in your bag, you'll survive anything'......get real. Im not saying that at all. but you can not dispute that the advantages it provides FAR outwiegh any disadvantange.

Originally posted by Talltexxxan
To all that are agianst the idea of using the Kindle, let me say, I am not implying that you should rely on it for everything.

I'm not against the idea of the kindle but would opt for something else. I do get that the e-ink makes it less power hungry but I would rather carry an android smartphone as is being discussed in this thread: The Ultimate Survival DROID!

I like that it is more than just text files and also the smaller form factor.

While it may not be a great item for having in the woods, in your secure location, this is a GREAT survival tool.
Sure, it won't last forever, but no reason not to use it for as long as you can. I'd recommend saving the books on a jump drive though, so if that Kindle takes a dive, you can switch to another one, or other USB device.

I've spent some time researching the issue, and my informed conclusion is that cell phones and even devices like the kindle will probably survive a low to mid-power EMP event, even without a Faraday cage.



Especially if they were turned off when the EMP occurred.

EMP does it's damage by inducing rogue power bursts in an electrical/electronic circuit. The longer the circuit, the more damage can accrue. So the most vulnerable parts of our society will be the electric power grid (long lines across the land), cellphone and radio communications (longer antennae) and regional pipelines.

But since handheld devices are so small, their circuits are not linearly expansive enough to have much current induced int them.

A Faraday cage, in the form of an (all-metal) army surplus ammo box, the "shoebox" size, can be lined with fun foam from a hobby store, and stored under your sink where a small copper wire grounds it to a metal drainpipe. Tests have shown that even Massive EMP events will not affect anything in the box.

People are going to crap on the idea of a Kindle, but I think its a pretty good one, honestly. I'd have the basics covered with a hardcopy somewhere, but the Kindle would allow you to go into far more detail than any single manual or book is likely to be capable of. Not only that, but it would also be helpful for one's sanity to have something else to read as well, especially in your down time.

There's always the very real possibility of it being damaged, but with a little care, I think it could last a while. Charging? Any decent solar charger would be more than enough given that a single charge can easily last a month or more.

As long as you're not reliant on it and using it as a crutch for a lack of basic survival knowledge, I don't see why it wouldn't make a good secondary item to bring along.

...but books smell so much better than kindles. Personally, I loathe kindles.
Common sense, first aid, and food-procuring skills would rate much higher for me, as well as the SAS survival manual I have triple wrapped in plastic bags and bound with waterproof tape.
I guess my idea is to try to minimise risk and disappointment, so electronic items are 'out the window' I'm afraid.

A Faraday cage, in the form of an (all-metal) army surplus ammo box, the "shoebox" size, can be lined with fun foam from a hobby store, and stored under your sink where a small copper wire grounds it to a metal drainpipe. Tests have shown that even Massive EMP events will not affect anything in the box.

The trick of course, is expecting the EMP event to have it protected in a cage in the first place.

Of course, an easier solution is to simply put it in your microwave (one of the many, ready to go Faraday cages in your house...)

Your fridge is a Faraday cage. If you have a metal safe (and if you don't, seriously?), there you go too.

reply to post by Talltexxxan


YOUR MIND IS THE BEST TOOL...thats it, thats all, nothing else.

2nd line

reply to post by Talltexxxan


Wouldn't it be possible in the event of a nuclear doomsday that the alpha/beta particles or gamma rays would interfere with the electronics? Not allowing them to function... I would say having paper books is the way to go.

This seems like a pretty good idea.

It would depend on what kind of SHTF scenario you're facing, though. Because, if an EMP or solar flare were to occur, the thing would be less than useless.

But, if we're talking about serious life threatening civil unrest, martial law, or even WW3 invasion happening in your area, that Kindle would be pretty life saving.

Just be sure to study up and store up a couple normal books as well, in case of EMP. You shouldn't place all your hope on the Kindle, but it's definitely a useful tool to have.

reply to post by curiousrb


Certainly, but don't forget that its also possible for a book collection to be lost to more mundane causes than a nuclear war. They're not foolproof, either. House fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods...that book collection could be lost just as easily in any of those.

I have all of my survival books on my Blackberry Playbook. Very light weight and can hold a lot of information. I think this is a great idea, especially for bug out bags. Here is a link for free e-books to download.

www.preppers.info...

It is a nice way to store a ton of books that could help but it has some drawbacks also.

It doesn't like...........
extreme heat
extreme cold
moisture / water
being dropped
EMP possibly

Better to have the stuff you need in the hard drive called your brain.

reply to post by mwood


I could not agree more in regards to backing up the info on the best hard drive known to man.

However, I know that I would not be able to remember all the pertinent information or remember it accurately. Knowing my luck, I would try to make rope and blow myself up. I know it's not possible, but I assure you, if there is a way, I'd find it.

Notes to self:
1)Store lots and lots of survival books in android tablet/phone so i dont need internet.
2) Get solar charger
3) Store tablet/phone + solar charger inside pouch made of fine metal woven mesh. - emp proof
4) Store woven metal pouch inside plastic water proof pouch. - water proof