My phone just up and died. So, what is the best survival-related replacement. I am eyeing the new iPhone 3G because it mentions something about GPS (though I really don't know what that does for me in the wild).

If I had the perfect survival phone, it would include the following features:

1) compass (like my watch has)
2) flashlight
3) camera

If you feel like getting an iPhone, just get one. The best survival cell phone is the one that's going to work when you're in trouble. You're waaaaaaay better off getting a small seperate flashlight and compass.

^ Truth.

Get a Nokia.

It's not only the phone itself you have to think about, it's also the service provider and the specific plan you pay for. I have a map somewhere showing where in the country my phone will have service, and there are many areas where it will not.

I don't think that you can get "just a phone" anymore anyway. They have more stuff on them, and a thicker manual, than I care to think about. Go into any cell service store and ask for a phone that is only a phone, they look at you like you have grown a second head...

Surely there is something in Paragon's FAK to take care of that.

You may want to check out the Sonim XP1 for use as a dedicated survival phone.

http://www.toughestphone.com/en/xp1

There are lots of videos on Youtube demonstrating how tough the XP1 is.

The phone that can pick up the best signal in the wilderness, which has to do more with your service provider. A strong phone is nice, but it does not mean you can actually talk to anyone.

The question was which of the currently available cellphones would give the most benefits in a survival situation.

I agree the most important consideration is which of them would work.

A survival cell phone is one that will survive environmental abuse such as being dropped on the ground from a considerable height, dunked in water and works reliably in extreme temperatures down to -20C and up to +60C where other ordinary cells phone do not work.

You expect flashlights and GPS equipment to be water resistant or waterproof and work over extended temperature ranges (Mil spec??) , why not your cell phone?

jitterbug is only a cell phone. go here.

it is being marketed to us "boomers" and "olders" who only want a cell phone, not with all the other stuff. and it has really BIG numbers on the display!

just check the coverage.

and can someone explain why we seem to be forcing a marginal instrument - the cell phone, which many times seems to me to be no more better than two tin cans with a string between them - to be a survival instrument?

like the man says above, if you want the opportunity to be in touch - get a sat phone. otherwise, how about not getting yourself in a jam to begin with? or self-rescuing?

we rely too much on marginal stuff, built by others. i'd prefer to rely on myself, also built by others! but designed by me.

Good one, dweste!

People were different 100 years ago. I had this conversation with a work colleage from Zimbabwe who spent the first half of his life in the African bush without the use of electricity in any form what so ever. He talked about the transition to the western style of living with the use of electricity with all this entailed and he laughed at the idea of westerners having to possibly deal with a reverse transition to a lifestyle without electricity in an emergency stating that this would be 'impossible'.

Take away the western forms of communication such as cell phones, PSTN phones, broadband internet, dial-up internet, broadcast media like the TV and radio and electricity in general and I'm afraid I would have to agree that folks today on the whole wouldn't be unable to make that transition to those same people 100 years ago.

Even the small example of the Digital TV switchover, which will occour in 179 days, 8 hours, 5 minutes will create a certain amount of a hullabaloo.

Why not just regard the cell phone in the same manner as the whistle, the flashlight and the signal mirror as means of signalling a rescue if required. The whistle is only as good if someone is within range of the sound the whistle makes. The signal mirror and the flashlight is only as good as when someone can see the signal light. Same with the Cell phone - only as good as the radio reception distance to a cell tower. Every piece of survival kit has its advantages and its limitations including GPS's, Sat phones, SPOT devices and PLBs. BTW most Sat phones aren't ruggedised to the same degree as GPSs, SPOT and PBLs.



Couldn't agree more - PPPPPP. Little chance of getting a Cell phone signal where you intend to go a hiking then bring along a Sat Phone. Or forget them both and make the expedition a little more exciting.

If one would go to a site like Verizon and do a search for "ruggedized", one could find phones that are a tad tougher than the norm such as the Verizon Wireless G'zOne Boulder or the Motorola Adventure™ V750 (both built to Mil Spec).

Those may be tough, hard-to-break phones, but since the primary attribute is reception, the bigger question re a "survival" cell phone is one of the network itself. My non-ruggedized Nokia and Moto have both taken some pretty bad drops onto concrete and kept right on working.

I think that in the Southwest, network choice is a key part of selecting a cell-phone if you do any travel away from metropolitan areas. I have been much happier with service from those networks that are not ENTIRELY GSM-based in the rural areas that surround the city where I live. Services like T-Mobile and Sprint(PCS) just don't work more than 10 miles outside of my city.

Without delving into more technology, just take a good look at the network coverage maps of the providers you are considering. Also, the more "bands" your phone has the better. I haven't looked in a while but Verizon and AT&T seem to offer the best coverage but are also a bit more expensive.

(I have no affiliation with Verizon or AT&T)

I have the Verizon G'zOne and it has taken a beating. Been dropped, fell in a creek (3 times) and got soaked. Still keeps working.

I also have the Verizon G'zOne and I love it. I catch flack about it from guys with teeny tiny phones, but once they learn that it's shock proof, waterproof, dust proof, and can act as a GPS direction finder (I can also play Tetris and Galaga on it). I haven't dropped it in a creek but I've had to use it in heavy rain, and it's been bounce checked a few times from between three and five feet.

Cool, thanks...

The phone in my pack is a tracfone. It is a GMS phone and uses all GMS towers. Tracfone leases air time from the owners of the towers.

AMEN to that, my friend.

100 years ago people also got along just fine without Benchmade knives, nylon clothes, internal combustion engines, dirty water, rubber soled boots, etc.

Don't hate the cell phones...hate the people that talk on them TOO much.

Next we will explore the topic of a survival internet connection. . . How long can we make it without a WWW fix? I think I'll need to go to a Verizon Wireless AirCard® 595 so I can stay online while camping

I think it's more that, given that we are going to be carrying a phone anyway, we might as well look into what features would make it most useful in a disaster.

My picks would include:

• Small size. It can't help if it's not with you.
• Long battery life.
• Easy recharging, eg through USB.
• FM radio (for picking up emergency info).
• E-book reader with reference works.
• E-books and games for entertainment (disasters can be dull).
• I've not come across a phone with a digital compass, but on mine I have a Java app which shows sun and moon positions which can be used to navigate when they are visible in the sky.
• GPS. (Find out what it can tell you when it can't get a cellular connection. Can it give a grid reference without maps?)
• Google Maps or similar. (Useful even without GPS.)
• Consider getting a digitised local map for when comms are down. (I've not found a good solution for this.)
• Camera for documenting what happened. May be important later. If you are bitten by a snake, take the snake's picture. It may help the medics identify which antidote you need.
• Torch. Mine doesn't have a proper torch, but it has a crude flash in its camera. Plus the backlight is bright enough to navigate indoors, if your eyes are dark-adapted.
• The ability to make phone calls.
• The ability to send text messages (these often get through when a phone call won't).
• Web access, with links to news and reference sites.

Reference material can be invaluable, especially if it can help you avoid getting into difficulties in the first place. Eg weather updates, or local tide tables if you are by the sea.

Communications can be invaluable, too. But also think of features that will be useful when the phone network is down.

Cell phones have saved many lives. Therefore, it has survival qualities. Survival-related, just as the OP asked about.

I've been using the $50 tracfone from Walmart, Motorola V170, for several years now. I can't count how many times I've accidently dropped and/or flung it, hitting the ground hard enough to spew it's battery and lid. Snap it back together, no problem. This is one tough phone with some serious scars!

It works pretty much everywhere, I've only been denied service in some small towns in the Black Hills. Great phone!

I use the new sidekick 2008, its my urban survival phone. In the wilds I just don't count on a phone. I use an alosak to keep it dry when its raining.

-Bill Liptak

For me the biggest thing was cost and pricing structure of the talk time. Irridium is nice but overkill for my use and expensive. If I was traveling the globe and spent much time outside normal coverage areas it might make sense.

Altell sells prepaid phones for about $20 for the basic phone and messaging. For $45 you can get one with a camera and other unnecessary features. The time is structured so that if you buy in $100 blocks you get most of 700 minutes and the minutes don't expire for a year. Which makes it cheaper than a land-line.

At $20 for the unit if it gets destroyed your no out much. And at that rice you might be able to keep several. Perhaps one in a BOB, kept charged with a 120v charger, and another in the car hooked up to a 12v recharger unit, about $10. For reliability a spare battery and hand-crank charger helps. A larger remote antenna can extend the range and is a nice option if your phone has a jack to hook it up.

This company has good service in almost all of Florida and has a pretty reliable service history even after hurricanes. But check your area for companies that cover it and ask around about reliability.

My preference is to get a phone that just acts as a phone. If the phone gets lost or destroyed I don't lose any important features. I try to avoid all-in-one type devices.