eReader For Survival

Has anyone considered an eReader (Kindle, Nook etc.) as part of their survival kit? It would be a very light and compact way to carry all of your survival books, maps, first aid guides etc. all in one place. Since you can store PDF's on them, you could even store documents that you've created yourself, such as escape routes, checklist etc. Of course, any book that you'd like to include would have to be available in an ebook file format. The battery lasts for months on a single charge, so that shouldn't really be an issue.

Yeah, the reader is lightweight, but the generator and gasoline you would need to keep it charged over the long term are a bear to lug around.

Not a survival tool in the least bit IMHO. But a neat thing to have for reading books when you're not busy trying to stay alive in survival mode. I really like my Nook (which I just bought last week, BTW), and would recommend it to anyone. But not as a survival tool.

I dunno. The battery lasts for weeks and can be charged with solar power. Certainly I wouldn't want to rely on an unhardened, non-waterproof electronic device for my critical info, but that should be in your head anyways!

Only if you bought one of the "just a book reader" B&W E-Ink models (e.g., the Nook Simple Toch). The battery life of something like a Kindle Fire or one of the Barnes&Noble color models is measured in hours.

The Fire sucks batteries pretty fast. But the Kindle Touch only needs to be charged every couple of weeks. I know nothing about the Nook or i-thingies.

My husband is an avid reader, so an ereader would be a light way for him to carry lots of books. Likewise, DH and DS love their video games. We're not going to purchase one to dedicate for that purpose though. I have a tablet that includes an ereader and some games, but I suspect we'd dedicate that to information gathering in an emergency.

We have a little 1W Solar Planel that would probably work well to charge the tablet. Haven't tried it but we did use it to power the truck radio during an all-day picnic last year and it worked great.

Keeping my iPhone charged is an important goal in my planning. It makes a reasonable ebook reader and it's relatively easy to keep charged with AAs, hand-crank power, and other means. It's easy to keep a bunch of entertainment and reference reading available.

The counter-argument is that paper books are more resilient to rough handling and don't need charging. I stuck the pocket version of the SAS Survival Guide in both my wife's and my BOB with that in mind, along with means for charging our iPhones.

I'm referring to eReaders (e-ink), such as the Kindle Touch, Nook Simple Touch etc. I'm not referring to tablets, such as the Kindle Fire, Nook Color, ipad etc., which do use batteries fairly quickly. The eReaders with the e-ink display could last for months on a singe charge if used very infrequently, which would most likely be the case in a survival situation if it's only being used for reference guides (edible plants, first aid etc.).

I wouldn't want to rely solely on an e-reader for survival information. Even though the e-ink versions are very energy efficient they are still relatively fragile. I guess it falls under the "carry a GPS but have a map too" theory.

I heartily endorse placing survival information on them as an adjunct though. Cody Lundin's 98.6 Degrees was on sale at Amazon for $1.99 recently for the Kindle edition. Even though I had the print copy, I bought the Kindle version because I could download it to any linked Kindle device - my iPhone, Kindle Fire, iPad, even my PC. If the best knife is the on you have with you then I suppose the best survival info is too.

If you want something concise and easily portable, Doug's RSK guide is great. No batteries required.

+ 1 on that

Nothing like a stash of books in your bugin/bugout location , and most important : in your head.

Some guy that is banned from here, I can't find his site anymore, suggested this long ago. Yes you can carry hundreds of books on one, but anything technological can and will, eventually fail. And most often when you need it the most. A pet hacker once loaded tons of books on an old laptop for me, and it's at my cabin. But I've read each book at least twice so I can hopefully remember something when it breaks down, and not sit drooling as I stare at a blank screen. I have huge libraries at the ranch at the cabin. Books don't break down like electronics and are not subject to EMP. But if you go with an e reader I would suggest packing one of those roll up solar panels to power it. Hope this helps.

The fragility of e-readers does worry me, too, especially if your libary is primarily just stored on the e-reader.

Just the other day, my mobile phone got drenched inside the pocket of my rubber rain jacket, even with the pocket flap snapped closed. I never imagined water could get in there, but the wind was howling while I was waiting for the bus and I guess that was enough force to push rain under the flap and into the pocket. I've been trying to dry my phone out for a week but it looks like it's done for. There must be dozens of "totally unexpected" ways that your e-reader could be knocked out of service in a survival situation.

Also, I assume (I don't have one--yet) that these e-readers use some sort of lithium ion rechargeable battery? Regardless of how well you treat them, lithium ion cells do degrade. So, for a gadget that you might just keep in storage for years, waiting for a chance to use it, you may find that the battery will not hold a decent charge when you need it.

So, I think an e-reader is a great tool, but it's a rather vulnerable single point of failure that could take down your whole library at once. Certain critical items such as important maps, first aid and edible food reference books, etc. should have some redundancy, preferably in a non-electronic form.

I would caution anybody who buys DRM-encumbered applications, video, music or reading material to make sure that you know the terms and conditions of any "shrinkwrap" agreement. Also make sure you're either able to convert to other formats, or that you are comfortable being unable to do so. If you decide to buy music (for example) that can only be played on a proprietary media player, be sure that you're willing to do without those purchases if the media player is discontinued.

A friend uses a Kindle and another her iPhone. I'm a low-tech guy who agonizes over batteries for flashlights. I have borrowed an E-reader from the library but have hardly touched it. In fact, I need to learn from my friend how she charged her phone on the AT last week!

An LED headlamp is the extent of my survival tech. Not slamming anyone; its just that I'm a Luddite.

eReaders are great for reading entertainment books that you typically read only once and then move on to something else. But I wouldn't use a DRM'ed eBook for reference materials. Long term storage on electronic media is iffy in the first place, but when you add DRM to that, I think it becomes too risky a proposition to consider. It very well might not be there when you need it.

If you want something to keep, and refer back to in the future, possibly many times, a DRM'ed digital book is a very poor choice. But I had no qualms about buying a digital copy of The Hunger Games that was DRM'ed up the wazoo. I finished reading it. It was a fun read. But there are too many OTHER good books to read for me to worry about going back to read it again later. The digital copy I purchased has already served it's intended purpose. I would donate it to the local library if that were allowed. I can buy a hard copy of a book, read it, and then give it to the library so others can enjoy it. Not so with this new DRM nonsense. You can't donate or even lend (reasonably) a digital book, everybody has to buy their own copy. Greed has taken over in the publishing business.

Yup. That's my thinking too. I LOVE my tablet but I'm not going to count on it in an emergency. Same goes for electronic copies of documents. I carry a flash drive with copies of important documents and information. It's a convenient way to access that info, but both are dependant on power so limited and not something I want to depend on.

Well said Jac.

As some have assumed, the OP said nothing about an eReader being the sole source of information.

I would suggest that the best solution is to have both a paper survival manual AND an eReader. It is not feasible to carry multiple books in your BOB, but you can carry a whole library in an eReader. If the battery dies and you are unable to charge it, you still have your paper manual.

Welcome Treeseeker! Nice first post. You caught a lot of us with our "all or nothing" thinking caps on. Carrying both seems like the the best compromise to me.

When discussing electronic devices for survival, I think we're too quick to dismiss them because they COULD fail IF we were in a prolonged survival situation. Let's be honest..the chances of both happening simultaneously are pretty remote. Could it happen? Absolutely...but so could a lot of other things. Battery power is another concern but there are ways to mitigate that too IF the situation required it.

That said, many survival situations boil down to survival of the fittest and technology will almost always provide an edge, whether that be with competing for resources or competing with time. If two people had to get to a certain location at a certain time, and one had a GPS and the other had a compass (assuming they both new how to use them), my money is on the guy with the GPS getting there in less time and most efficiently. Likewise, if two people needed to find a particular passage in a medical book in an emergency, and one had an ereader and the other had a regular book, guess who would find that passage in less time and increase the chances of survival? He'd also have access to a much larger resource, unless maybe the other guy was lugging around the 40th edition Grey's Anatomy (>10 lbs.). I'd still want a compass and a (small) book(s), but technology would be what I'd count on first in most situations.

I guess you need to weigh the risk of technology failing against the obvious advantages it provides and decide what you're comfortable with. I just don't think dismissing it outright is always wise.

To extend on Jfish's post.

Soldiers in the US Army carry Ipod Touch, LOTS of them. They carry Iphones.

Are they perfect NO, not hardly; but they do pack lots of useful tools in a very small space.

Gun sites, GPS, translators... the things are darn near Tricorders....

Another option not mentioned would something more robust, like an OLPC. not ALOT of power, but a full out PC with a keyboard. Plus, can be powered from darn near anything- AC/DC Solar/Crank......

Selling on Ebay for 100.00 used.

example (not mine, no money etc)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLPC-XO-1-Excell...=item19cf1f5e10

you can carry alot of files on a 1GB Micro Card....

How well will your GPS receiver function when the satellites fail to receive their regular maintenance? GPS is wonderful in a less than Doomsday situation but it, too, has it limitations. I'll put my money on the person with the better skills, not necessarily the one with the most toys. I also think cooperation, rather than tooth and fang competition, will be very significant. Not to say that competition won't exist, but I'll predict cooperative groups will prosper long term more often than the Ramboesque operations.

You make a good point, Fish. If it can get us info, communication, etc. . faster, then it's not a bad option to have. I can see something like an interactive first aid manual or mechanical guide being quite useful. We might not want to be dependant on technology but we shouldn't count it out either. If we can take advantage of it - go for it!

I live with video gamers and avid readers, so I have no doubt that electronics will be coming with us if we ever have to bug out. Like our cell phones, we can pack batteries, chargers, solar panels for it. Frankly, this mom will take the help in keeping everyone amused.

I think there is a tendency to worry way too much about TEOTWAWKI going on here.

I consider it to be a lot like the GPS versus map debate. The debate is long over. GPS is here to stay and short of some event that is extremely unlikely, it is going to stay here. It is a far better tool than typical map and compass. While it can fail, so can a map and compass, and in many ways a map and compass are more fragile.

Paper books printed on normal paper are pretty fragile. Try to read them in the rain, or with sweaty hands and see what happens. A lot like trying to use a typical paper map under similar conditions.

Personally, I print my maps out on regular 8.5X11 paper and put them in a gallon sized zip lock bag. I could spend a lot of money on laminating maps or using waterproof paper, or buying them that way, but a gallon sized zip lock bag works pretty well at protecting the map from both water and abrasion. If I need a bigger map, I can print it out 11X17. Folded over and trimmed 11X17 will fit quite nicely in a gallon sized bag.

The reality is that some kind of ereader is something you can store hundreds or even thousands of titles on. You just cannot carry that much with you in paper form.

I am not opposed to paper books, but I am transitioning to mostly ebooks these days, and they are all either Amazon or DRM free. I have decided Amazon is likely to be around a while, and there will always be something to read DRM free stuff with.

I have been burned by some of the more offensive DRM schemes and smaller sellers that use DRM that I just will not purchase from them anymore.

Incidentally, there are a large number of very readable free books for the Kindle platforms. Enough to keep me in reading material. Most are from unknown authors, but some are from best selling authors like Bob Mayer. I do have to sort thru a lot of stuff that is uninteresting and/or just plain bad stuff to find the good stuff.

I have been using the library's Kindle this week and now find it to be a pretty handy gadget. As long as one isn't using the device to the exclusion of other means, they definitely have a place. I must admit, that smart phones are pretty amazing.

I have way too many other things to buy before an e-reader or tab, but I am a supporter now.

The fragility of paper maps, or any paper goods for that matter depends upon the quality of paper and how they are handled. Some years ago, I realized I would be a set of quadrangle maps (for the northern Channel Islands) regularly for a good many years, so I "super prepped" them - cut them into uniform rectangles, coated them with waterproofing solution, and glued them together with Chartex cloth so that everything would fold uniformly. I used that map set regularly for nearly two decades with great success, also covering them with notes and locations. When I retired, they went into the park archives.

Sometime in the early 1990s, I began to use GPS. For an archeologist, GPS is the best invention since the wheel. Still, I like the backup that only a good old paper map can provide. Carrying both doesn't incur any significant weight or space penalty. Besides, you can shave off the margins of a paper map to use as an emergency fire starter. Try that with a GPS receiver.....

What about my old maps in the archives? I will be going out on a trip to Santa Rosa Island in June with another archaeologist and I inquired about getting my old map set from the archives and doing one more lap with them. No dice, but I can get a photocopy......

Sure. And you can replace it with a compass and map, which doesn't take much room, if you only need a local map. I don't think an eBook reader is strictly analogous. It's much, much smaller than the library of books it contains would be in paper form. A paper library is fine for shelter-in-place or if you have a cabin to bug-out to, but not if you have to carry it. By all means have paper versions of crucial documents and reference works. Beyond that, it's either eBook or nothing for travel.

(Pack a deck of cards, too. In a medium-term survival situation, an eBook reader has significant value purely for entertainment, but a deck of cards is hard to beat.)

There can also be software faults. I've recently been suffering from some very poor battery life. The reason is that the Kindle lets you search across all installed books. To support this it constructs an index of all the words in each book. Building the index takes a lot of electrical power. Normally it happens once when a new book is added. Sometimes the indexing process gets stuck, never succeeds in indexing the book, and runs forever. Then battery life drops from 2 months to a week or so. A fix is to delete the book, then reboot the Kindle.

Presumably it only happens if there is some kind of formatting issue with the offending book. I've only seen it with books that weren't bought from Amazon. (I've been buying eBooks for a decade or more, and have many that predate the Kindle.)

The point is, it can go wrong, and even if its working now, Amazon can update the software at any time, and the new software could have a new bug. Their system is not something you should trust your life to. It's not designed for that.

I think everyone agrees with this--you still need some paper based reference materials. But you can only carry a couple of paper books, and if you also carry an ereader you can have a hundred more books. You may or may not be able to access them.

Also, a dead battery can be addressed if you have several means of charging it. A broken ereader (either software or hardware) probably cannot be fixed. The same is might be true of a paper book that is soaking wet or that catches on fire accidentally.

I EDC the Nook color and it gets great battery life. I store several good survival texts, tons of bushcraft FAQ/s word docs important data (copies of birth certs, drivers license, sevral gigs of pic. Plus my regular entertainment library.

I've charged it from cig lighters, small portable solar charger (slow but it works).

Like someone said I wouldn't rely as the only source. Should back up with paper books. but for EDC it's pretty handy

I store all my most useful relevant books (or at least pages from them), gear instruction manuals (JIC repairs etc.), pics of wildlife/plantlife I might see, important ID/CC info (password protected), etc. on my iPod. Battery lasts a long time with all the RF stuff turned off, very clear screen (but lousy in sunlight), small, quick to recharge. Does the job.

I don't rely on it, but I do count on it. I like to think I already know beforehand all the stuff I *need* to know. I'm big on planning, not as good at it as big on it lol, so a backup is handy. In college (engineering) we were always taught to never memorize stuff you can easily get from books (they meant formulae/data), rather to use the brain for the stuff that isn't in the book. I'm big on books too lol.