No blanket, no winter coat, no food/water and peeps are surprised she didn't have a 12v charger for her phone?

This is a good candidate for "I Shouldn't Be Alive" Action would be a little slow, not a lot of drama . . . okay, maybe not a good candidate.

It's good she's alive and able to learn from her mistakes. Learning from the mistakes of others is even better.

A cell phone charger has quickly become a staple in the car and emergency prepared kits.

Regarding your statement about cell service: Even if there is less than one bar of service you can normally text. A quick short text can "burst" out even if your cell has service for about 30 seconds. The way I explain it is that in the time it takes to call someone and say, "hey this is (insert name) I am lost/stuck at (insert location)HELP" your cell phone can send about 10 text messages if not more.

What I love about this site is that those on this site already know to have a cell phone charger (thank you IEEE for standardizing the charging plug). And if you’re new to the site, you’re looking to learn what to have on hand. So there is no real need to repeat what I am sure you are all thinking.



In regards to the comment of varying tempters and weather: If you think about it good layering and clothing choices, along with a reasonable EDC/GHB can handle a very wide range of tempters.

If you think about it, Rain/snow gear can protect you from the wet of rain or snow, Add a polar fleece pants/jacket and you’re covered for the cold winter weather, and the hot rain or just the hot sun. Then when we talk about things like a base layer, like Polypropylene it is a quick wicking material, so when it gets wet from snow or sweat it will still work to keep you warm or dry.

Sturdy boots/shoes are necessary for hot or cold weather, Yeah you might not like the idea of putting on a hot hiking boot when it is 101 degrees out, but it is better than getting sunburn on your feet (speaking from experience on that) or cutting your foot and being stuck and hurt. While wool socks may not be a great idea in 101 degree weather, how much room will a second pair of light socks be?

AS for materials like food or drink you need water and food no matter the temperature.

After some incidents my daily carry pack contains a complete charging system for my electronics in a zippered bag. It contains:

3 AAA batteries,
3 AA batteries.
wall charger with USB cable out.
car charger with USB cable out.
Just Mobile portable battery with USB cable out.
cell phone cable w/ USB male. (Apple)
Tablet cable w/ USB male. (Samsung Galaxy)
portable battery charging cable (also USB to mini USB)
2 sets of $4.00 headphones in individual micro zip lock bags.

This way I can charge in a car, by wall outlet or battery pack which I can also recharge on the go. I can also charge help others out as well. Never know when someone in your group will run out of juice in an electronic device.

The headphones are cheap and designed to give away to friends in need. I use better quality myself and carry those separately.

For Christmas I asked for micro chargers for the wall and car, or to cut down on size, weight.

In my vehicle for trips I bought a $30 charger at a Kinko's that looks like a Grande coffee cup, except the top is two 12 volt plug in's and a USB slot. I've used it to run a laptop, a DVD player and charge a iPod Touch all at the same time. This has also come in handy for people who need to charge their camera batteries and have to bring proprietary wall chargers to do so, like Canon and Olympus.

RE: Chargers

DH is getting a battery powered charger for his phone for Christmas. I'm hoping that Santa is going to bring me a new cel phone or PLB and if so, I'll pick up a back-up charger too. As it is, I don't have either but do carry car and wall chargers for my peeps so we can stay in the loop when we're together.