Waste of Money for My Go Bag or Not I Need Your Opinion

Could be useful or could just be useless dead weight. Either way not something I would put in a BOB, but would be something I would have pre stashed at the BOL. My own thoughts on BOB is if you can't cut with it, can't start fire with it, can't eat it, wipe with it, stop bleeding with it or shoot with it...... then it should not be in the BOB. A BOB should be nothing more than a temporary tool to reach a permanent location to outlive a long term situation.

 

What can it do in an emergency that a modern phone can’t do?

I’ve got a pretty good library on my phone. It’s a hell of a lot lighter.

 

What brand & model # ? Basically all this stuff is going to be backed up in a Duffle Bag/BackBacked that will just be locked up and ready to go that I'll reopen every 6 months to update as applicable (Ie. Replace glasses with no prescriptions, change expired fish antibiotics, etc).

What brand and model and is it compatible with all laptops?

As usual you are making a comment without demonstrating the ability to exist in society. True, I don't have a remote location yet but what you have never understood is one has to start from some place they are comfortable with. I chose to start with finally have a completely prepacked bag that will allow me to temporarily exist if I have to vacant my residence immediately. The next step is as you mentioned trying to find a remote place,

For me, it's just a pain in the ass using my fingers on my Samsung Note 3 and looking at a small screen.

 

I think Ghrit like many of us here can exist just fine in or out of society. Also mirrors what many of us are probably thinking "Why the hell is this guy putting a lap top in a BOB." Which to my way of thinking is not good planning or thinking. A BOL is not hard to find, make a friend or two out in the sticks, prove your worth, earn respect and a place at the table.

Let us just say 10 minutes from now a 8.0 quake hits where you reside. You manage to live through it but the area is wrecked. You have your BOB and no place to go. That makes you a refugee with a bag of goodies. Not someone that is going to have much value.

Make it a more individual SHTF situation. You have a bad run of luck. You lose your job, your ID gets jacked and your credit wrecked, and your bank account drained, leading to you getting evicted. Now you are homeless, broke and have a bag of goodies that might have some value at the brass balls. Don't laugh to hard as this happens every day to people to one degree or another. Again you have reached Refugee Status or as it is called in polite company........ Homeless.

A friend out in the sticks that can toss you some work, meals, a bed and few bucks in exchange for some good old fashioned work would be pretty valuable in either situation. I have yet to see a homestead or small farm that could not use another set of hands. Outfits like WWOOF actually have a service that hooks urbanites up with small farms and opens the door to building those friendships. I have been a WWOOF Host Farm on and off for years. Meet a lot of dead weight and snowflakes in the program but find a gem or three here and there that have turned into good friendships and folks that have earned my respect and trust that the gates will always be open to, as they have proven their character and worth. As a bonus you actually learn something via hands on experience and get room and board to boot. That is one avenue to start find a BOL and have no investment beyond time, labor and proving your worth. No where is it written than you have to own and invest half a million bucks into a BOL.

Hell before I would put the first thing into a BOB I would have a reasonably certain BOL to retreat to.and if spending 2-4 weeks there per year helping the owner out and building a solid relationship is the only cost, that would be like a sore weenie........ you can't beat it Something tells me though that this post is wasted on you and nope you would not be welcome at my place based on your user name alone

 

Well, I agree with the others and I'm puzzled as to why you think you need a laptop in the first place, with 300 GB of extra storage to boot!

A "go bag" is only supposed to be enough to get you by for a few days. Are you saying that you can't go 2-4 days without a computer in an environment that will probably have little or no power or connectivity anyway?

And on the subject of power, if you're going to lug along a computer, you'll also need to lug along a way to charge the battery.

If having a computer as part of your go bag is truly that important, then get the hard drive and take it all the way.

 

My go bag is my EDC .
I have an auxiliary bag stays home with significantly more gear in it .
My EDC has my laptop (Mac Air) I use daily so it is kept up to date on every thing I do and I find valuable for photos and other things I wish to remember, more than I can seem to stuff in my head ,and things I can study when there is nothing else going on .
IF there is an EMP that takes out all my electronics it is no big deal to cast them off and move on, but till then they are valuable tools.
Computers printers, and other electronics that at are in protection will still be preserved for information stored in them . With out up dates a dormant computer can become a dinosaur ,useless for accessing the internet ,so long as it exists. So will it's batteries for that matter .
a solar panel array can be a power source for keeping it charged ,but again batteries don't last forever.
The nice thing about the apple is there are no moving parts so it takes travel very well compared to most any other computer I've ever owned.
In a post SHTF situation photography will play an even more important role for proof of ownership and identification , also reading all those fire sticks people put their information on in the event of an emergency . If your computer has no means of reading these ,post SHTF , it is almost dead weight. Being able to barter with skills and tools will be essential to life .

 

You guys have sold me on this, so I'm pulling the Keureg out of my BOB and replacing it with a laptop... no wait... you can put an amazing amount of reference on a Kindle paper white that you can read in direct sunlight and for me lasts 2 weeks on a single charge reading a couple of hours per day. Weight is less than half a pound and the size is big enough to use effectively and smal enough ti use while mobile. Couple with any smart phone for camera and possible post SHTF cellular comms. Either is quickly charged via small lightweight solar chargers. Total weight for both devices and charger has to be way less than 2 pounds/1 kilo. Remember you have to carry and store this stuff.

 

Thumb drives can hold a lot of survival reference files, plus other things.
A computer with engineering specs on it could be invaluable when building or improving a remote BOL.
Solar is a nice source of electrons.
Computer batteries don't last forever, but any battery of the right voltage can be wired in. Or you can make your own.
You can get the necessary 5 Volts out of a six-potato battery. The amp/hours would depend on the size of the battery, but even if small, it's a win-win situation.
Ten minutes, maybe, on the computer, plus a plate of fries.

That's what I call livin' on the apex of the Apocalypse!

 

My go bag is my EDC .
I have an auxiliary bag stays home with significantly more gear in it .
My EDC has my laptop (Mac Air) I use daily so it is kept up to date on every thing I do and I find valuable for photos and other things I wish to remember, more than I can seem to stuff in my head ,and things I can study when there is nothing else going on .
IF there is an EMP that takes out all my electronics it is no big deal to cast them off and move on, but till then they are valuable tools.
Computers printers, and other electronics that at are in protection will still be preserved for information stored in them . With out up dates a dormant computer can become a dinosaur ,useless for accessing the internet ,so long as it exists. So will it's batteries for that matter .
a solar panel array can be a power source for keeping it charged ,but again batteries don't last forever.
The nice thing about the apple is there are no moving parts so it takes travel very well compared to most any other computer I've ever owned.
In a post SHTF situation photography will play an even more important role for proof of ownership and identification , also reading all those fire sticks people put their information on in the event of an emergency . If your computer has no means of reading these ,post SHTF , it is almost dead weight. Being able to barter with skills and tools will be essential to life .

 

I'd probably look at a tablet as opposed to a laptop. lower voltage requirements .. wall wart as opposed to powersupply, can use adapter in car or even solar to charge 5v device. Galaxy Note running android comes to mind.

Not sure i'd want to lug around an extra 4ish pounds. as opposed to ounces.

 

Might be chelloveck, but I kind of like the ability to have a good medical book, Drs with out borders, etc, basic fire arms training materials, breakdown and assembly instructions for firearms, the ability to pull us some basic material from old Foxfire books, descriptions and solutions for different plant diseases, for the future after TSTF, I might want to reread Jerry Young and see how close to realty his imagination was, etc, have a good copy of a couple bibles and some commentaries, and I would hope that unlike the present generations, the future ones would again want to study the classics. At my age I find the cost, physical storage space, and the lack of the ability to enlarge the type, or print the output of a search limits my ability to use hard printed books. I have received DVD's and transferred them to USB that contain an incredible amount of useful information. I pray to God that they will only be used to waste my time, but I find it comforting to think that at least some copies of the Geneva Bible would still exist if everything went to pieces as well as Plato etc. I often think of what would have happened if in the 1490's, we would have had access to the information destroyed with the loss of the Library of Alexandria, the Greek and Roman ones that were destroyed, etc. It may well be a fantasy, but I hope some one preserves them.
I may not be a blacksmith, but there are books available from the 1880's that would allow a person with a smithing site to recreate much of the society from that age using the scrap iron that would be readily available, or to create new looms, spinning wheels, garden push plows etc.
The little computer I have was made by RCA and is basically a tablet with a keyboard that detaches, has 2 gigs of memory and a 25 gig hard drive, with USB ports I can use the memory devices or external hard drives, and it has the HMDT output so I can put the output onto a larger screen, wi fi, bluetooth, etc. Uses as near as I can figure it out about 6 or 7 watts of 5 v power. I paid $100 for it a couple years ago and as near as I can figure out, it was a total financial disaster to RCA.

 

I will not be packing a laptop, Kindle or electronic in my BOB. For me it does not work but it sounds like it would work for others. I have spent time printing off info that I want. I am not an electronic person.

Very good point. Power for that device will be needed.
@ED GEiN there are solar panels that attach to your backpack that could help charge the laptop while bugging out.

 

Something like this?



It kinda builds on Gunkid's tactical wheelbarrow concept with a tactical technology pushbike. Add a few dynamos, and a PV array like a "Surrey With a Fringe On Top" and Ed'll have beau coup power as he pedals along through the post apocalyptic radioactive wasteland.



A Surrey with a PV on top.

 

Hope Ed has the appropriate Bug Out Suit............

 

I am not one to argue against anything someone decides to put in their go bag. Up until something bad happens we are all measured only by our own metric. Others may ridicule or downright bully. But it all comes down to what that individual decideds to do. Which is why I went the same electronic route the op did in mu reaponse. Cause eventhough it is a little 10" pad, ounces still equal pounds. And cubic inches are limited.

Often on these types of forums everyone seems to know better than you. Everyone will have an opinipn and will apply what they deem fit whe. They talk to someone else about their own decisions.

Rarely can any good come from attempting to defend your choices after the initial engagement. After its been made the best bet is yo sit in the bushes and wait till ya see a comment you think you can learn from.

 

You are right, except that this topic was soliciting opinions, and even said so in the title. There's nothing subtle here.

So it's one of those "if you don't truly want an answer, then don't ask the question" moments.