First of all, I cut and pasted this from a reply I just made to a "gear" type BOB thread on ATS
Gear Junkie only to realize the thread is older and the replies have died out, so I
thought I would pop the information into a new thread as none of the information besides what I've posted below there was about Electronics, and how
to utilize them possibly as a valuable resource.
I live in a very rural wooded region of New England, and have an old family riverside plot of land with a very old camper on it, with no electricity.
This is only a few hours hike from my home, or a 15 minute drive. Since I plan to go there in the typical SHTF scenario, a few of these "non
essential" comfort items would certainly not go in a typical BOB, but this thread is about my favorite "gear", here are mine with links, and a brief
description & picture. Most of these items I acquired for normal hiking and camping over the past few years, but are definitely part of my SHTF plans.
You may be surprised that half of my favorite pieces of "gear" are electronics, but with my homemade faraday cage, some of them just might still work
after a blast.
This small biolite stove runs on twigs, is 5"x8" at 33oz & also produces electricity to charge my phone (which I do not plan to use as a phone, see
further below)
biolite
This brunton charger also can charge my phone (which I use to store many gigabytes full of PDF survival files)
brunton
I am no survivalist, and I have not taken the time to learn how to make a small animal trap or do at least 5 gigabytes worth of reading that I have
stored on a tiny MicroSD card in my phone, but I have over 1000 files (1/4 million pages) in PDF form and keep this Samsung Exhibit in a homemade
faraday cage ready to be pulled out and charged up with one of the above items, to learn on the run in a time of need.
PDF viewer
This rechargeable small Polaroid speaker works over bluetooth with my phone above, and makes listening to music, audio books, and movies far more
enjoyable. It too charges with the biolite or brunton above via USB, as well as the battery pack further below.
speaker
This digital TV tuner by Hauppauge makes my laptop a television and picks up over air HDTV. Maybe emergency information will still make it to the
airwaves, but I currently use it with my pc hooked up to a large flat panel HDTV as the tuner in it broke and this cost less than replacing the tuner.
It works as a DVR with my pc and I use it to follow what little good programming there is out
there.
tv tuner
I don't have a picture of my folding 80 watt solar panel that I constructed from solar cells I bought online, but it is similar to this.
solar panel
With this I can store solar energy or transfer energy from a car battery in this portable battery pack that also has jumper cables, an emergency
light, and an air compressor
battery pack
This rechargeable Coleman lantern lasts several nights on one charge from the above battery pack, and has 3 light levels. I really enjoy having this
around on a rainy night if I'm stuck inside the Hubba tent reading. The bulbs are impossible to find anymore, so I'll eventually upgrade.
lantern
My non-electronic luxury items that I really enjoy, and would hope to utilize to stay comfortable, warm & dry
This Leatherman Wave has all locking blades and several tools I need in one handy leather pouch.
leatherman
This is my 1 man Hubba tent, 20"x6" packed & 45oz, it can be used with just the tarp and poles, or just the mesh and poles, or with both, and sets up
in the dark in less than 5 minutes with the connected pole system.
hubba tent
This Easycot packs down to just 6"x7"x40" and though it weighs 21lbs, it fits in the tent above, and opens in seconds with no assembly.
easycot
This Therm-a-rest dreamtime mattress self inflates, weighs just under 7lbs and packs down to 6"x25". The soft fleece cover is washable, and it has an
air and a foam mattress inside, and is very comfortable.
dreamtime
This 1 piece silk sheet is sometimes all you need over the mattress above for a comfortable nights sleep, and I pack it right in with my sleeping bag
which is just below.
silk sheet
This UltraLamina 0 degree sleeping bag packs to 8"x15" and weighs less than 3lbs, and it is highly wind resistant as well as super soft and
comfortable.
sleeping bag
So those are my favorite items of "gear" and I have lots of other things like a cooler with wheels on it, fishing gear, kayak, 25 lb bags of rice as
well as lima beans, hand cranking radio/light, knives, vegetable seeds, a pressure cooker is essential I believe and of them all, I have put the most
time into the PDF files. I believe information could be a form of currency one day, if things happen to get black out bad. Every US Army manual out
there, recipes, digital copies of books, some over 100 years old. I also created a PDF of all of my favorite paintings from artists like Da Vinci and
Michelangelo. I have most of Beethovens symphony sheet music, countless fictional novels from great writers, poets, 40 of my favorite movies, audio
books, hundreds of discographies of music, and I am adding to that PDF file list all the time. I would like to add that the survival forum is one of
my favorite places on ATS, and I learn a great deal here. Thank you to those that contribute to this forum.
edit on 14-10-2013 by
AlchemistSwami because: Always a spelling error, "add not ad" in the 2nd to last sentence