Survivalist Laptops for your Bugout Bags
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Hiking Gear
After reading a post over at Utah Preppers about how he has a hard drive in his bugout bag, it got me thinking.
Wouldn’t it be great to have all the survival information you have ever found online in your Bug Out Bag? But how? The hard drive is a great way to store information and can be great addition to your bag, but how can you access it in the middle of nowhere?
Well I think I found the answer. Enter the Mini Laptop and Tablet Computer…….
Laptops have been getting smaller and smaller, but a new generation of laptops (the netbooks) ans tablets have taken small to the next level. These little things are the perfect addition to any Bug out Bag. They are small, require little power, and the batteries on some of them can last for over 12 hours. With the right solar charger in your backpack, you would be able to use these off the grid indefinitely!
You can also plug a portable hard drive or memory stick into the side of the laptop to increase your ability to store information.
So why add a mini Laptop or tablet to your Bug Out Bag?
- Knowledge - You can store a huge amount of survival articles and information on these things. You would have to carry thousands of pounds of books to have the same amount of information that you can fit on one of these little laptops.
- Internet – The ability to log onto the internet when you are on the road. (I know if things get bad enough there will be no internet, but in smaller emergencies the internet is still a valuable resource.
- Entertainment - Having something that can keep your spirits up in an emergency situation is extremely important. Imagine having all your favorite songs, games, and movies available to you anywhere in the world. Don’t overlook the power of entertainment, it helps keep your mind sharp and alert. Without entertainment, depression is a serious risk in any survival scenario.
Top Mini Laptops & Tablets:
Netbooks are great devices, and this new second generation has a lot of promise, new manufacturers, newer technology, much better screens.
The newer Atom chips are great in these devices, much better power. If you don’t need too much size, go for the SSD (Solid State Device) Drives. They use less power, and aren’t so prone to breaking due to getting jostled around, or a little bit of dust.
Also, many of them offer in a lower priced model a linux based OS. Don’t be afraid to try this. On our blog that’s a ‘future’ post coming from us geeks, about why preppers and survivalists really need to use things other than windows.
But hey, I’ll post that on mine
In summary, here’s another vote for a netbook for you EDC/BOB/etc.
Thanks for the tip on the SSD Drives,those would probably be the better option for something going in a BOB/EDC, since it will probably take more abuse than one just sitting on your desk at home.
And I agree the the linux models, they are just as easy to use as a windows machine and some of them are about $100 cheaper.
Although a method of storing survival information is a great idea, the Asus EEE PC’s battery life is only about six hours. I think an E-Ink reader would be better, they last much longer and can store lots of information. They can only show black-and-white images, but the battery can last for weeks.
Sony has an E-Ink reader
I found that the best survival Laptops the Panasonic toughbook. I am using it to write this comment. It is GPS enabled, it is dustproof, water resistant, has a magnisium body; if you drop it by accident, It even has a touch screen. Also having swappable media, battery, and hard drive bays. I got this one on ebay for 1100 dollars. All you really need for a internet connection; is either a WIFI connection, phoneline, ethernet(RJ-45) or buy/rent a mobile satellite system if you really need a highspeed connection. This is the perfect survival Laptop.
Also there are solar powered charging pads that can be rolled up for Laptops might be a good option for a bugout bag
Further still, we’re entering the age of photovoltaic integration with such items as Samsung’s Netbook, the NC215S:
http://technabob.com/blog/2011/06/21/samsung-solar-powered-netbook-nc215s/
Battery life or electrical utility availability is no longer a factor. Alternatively, as Bartlett pointed out, there are a growing multitude of solar harnessing mobile chargers, some are even integrated right into the cases/bags/packs that carry the devices. Survival aside, these items are also exceptional just for travel and outings. You’ll get your money’s worth in convenience and peace of mind.
I would like to strongly discourage SSDs as a solution for a survival laptop. In theory they are perfect, no moving parts, low power consumption, and very small. The downside is that this is all theoretical. In real world use, most SSDs do not last more than 1 year of use, which would be a real bummer. Also with hard drive platters data recovery is possible, SSDs are not. 3rd generation of SSDs look promising, but I think the technology is still too new to trust with something as vital as survival information.
I would suggest a Kindle 3rd gen. The battery last for about a month with light reading and a wekk with heavy reading. I combine it with a solar charger for long hiking trips and am good to go.