iApocalypse

Most of us have grown very reliant on technology to help with even the simplest tasks. In a world without readily available electricity and WiFi that will all have to end, right? Wrong! If you plan ahead, mobile technology could greatly enhance your standard of living in the apocalypse or even make the difference between being a survivor and zombie chow. A smart phone could be the most important element of your survival preparation.

You may be wondering why in the world you'd want to add a smart phone or tablet to your survival bag that is already filled to over-flowing and weighs a ton when the days of making phone calls are over. The short answer: It will help you survive. Not to sound too much like a commercial, but the ways a smart phone can enhance your survival are limited only by your imagination.

Every decent bug-in/bug-out bag has first aid supplies. How many have medical books to help diagnose symptoms of illness or disease? How many have detailed instructions on how to treat major injuries or wounds? Our survival bags don’t have these crucial items in them, because books are heavy as hell. Put digital copies of those books into your favorite reader app and they will always be available. While you are at it... grab a few books on practical survival: how to hunt, build shelters, identify edible plants, grow food, purify water, etc. Before eating a dodgy looking root wouldn't it be nice to pull up a picture and make sure you aren't committing suicide by salad?

A smart phone will also be useful for keeping records. It can replace pens and fragile paper for keeping track of supplies, food and water consumption, schedules, or searched areas. If you keep it charged your device will provide accurate dates and times which will be important to know for weather patterns and planting schedules. Visual records might be used to note landmarks or places you have left supply caches. If you take a picture of a location after you scavenge it, you know exactly how it looked like last time you were there and could quickly tell if other people had gotten to it. Photos can also be invaluable for planning more complicated missions when you don’t want to rely on memories or maps drawn in dirt.  

Morale is one of the biggest long-term survival issues and it is often over-looked. Keeping your spirits up can be tough in today's world. There won't be enough Xanax to go around when you add in long periods of time restricted to small areas, lack of companionship, limited sleep, sparse diet, loss of loved ones, and hordes of groaning zombies constantly after your flesh. Monotony wears down the mind and will lead to mistakes.

Pictures of loved ones will help deal with their loss, bring a rare post-ZDay smile, or remind you of those who are counting on you to reach them. A little music can boost your spirits, help you sleep, or just drown out the groans of the dead. Watching your favorite zombie movie could give you laughs over how 'easy' the writers thought things would be in a world filled with the dead. Reading a favorite novel could take your mind to a happier place. Playing games could provide entertainment as well as help pass time and keep your mind sharp.

All of these capabilities are part of the basic apps that come with any phone or tablet. There are also some great apps available that are made specifically for survival by everyone from the U.S. Army to the elite British S.A.S. that by themselves would be well worth the weight of a phone and a charger in anyone’s survival bag.

The Basic Requirements

Start with a tablet or smart phone with a high storage capacity and a camera. It will not be possible to move data back and forth from another computer and the 'cloud' might not exist, so you will want to be able to cram as much data into that device as possible. Why would you carry around 8 GB of data when you could have 16/32 GB for the exact same amount of storage space and weight? A tablet will be easier to read and will make some apps more useful, but a phone is lighter, fits in a pocket, and uses less power.

The next thing you will want to find is the toughest hard case that is available for your device. Amazon.com is not going to be delivering if you need to replace your phone because it gets damaged. It may be possible to scavenge a compatible replacement eventually but you might never be able to replace the apps and information stored on your original. Remember that transferring data from one to another isn't as easy without conventional power supplies, computers, and internet connections. I recommend the Otterbox Defender Series. You can run over it with a car and not damage the phone.

The power grid might stay up for a few hours or a few days, but you are going to need a way to recharge the batteries on your device without relying on a wall socket or car charger soon after ZDay. You have two basic power options: kinetic and solar. Each method has unique advantages and disadvantages.

A solar charger requires exposure to the sun or other light which might not always be available depending upon where you are staying. The presence of other unfriendly survivors or zombies might make going out in the sun or removing barricades from the windows to let light in hard to do or dangerous. On the plus side the charging doesn't require any effort from you other than getting light exposure for your solar charger. A kinetic charger requires movement which means expenditure of your energy. Extra energy might be a rare commodity depending on your food supply, ability to rest, injuries, health, etc. I think the right answer is to have both, but if I could only have one it would be a hand crank charger.

The final step is loading your newest survival tool with the data that will help you not only survive but thrive in the apocalypse.