Don’t forget offline maps/GPS that don’t require a data connection. Android has an offline version of SAS survival guide that’s cheap. Any number of other books can be stored for reference including plant identification etc. Most can also be used as a compass. My phone is used more as a tablet then a phone. I would definitely want it with me, whether there’s cell coverage or not.

Nancy,

When/If ‘the grid goes down’, cell phones will have little, if any, use beyond paper-weights. Over 80% of the ‘cell towers’ lack any battery backup. i.e., It will be a long time before they come back on-line. The systems that do have battery backup, those in ‘important/high priority’ areas, will generally not function very well since those sites will depend on network access to get a call through or internet access. And if there is no complete circuit into the network/s, you ain’t gonna get Domino’s.

And, depending on how/why the ‘grid went down’, your cell phone might be down also. Along with everything else that uses transistors to work.

The general intent, I think, of this article is to suggest that a bit of concern and interest should be focused into the area of using solar panels and rechargeable batteries. Not a bad idea, but using ‘certain’ brands will weigh heavily on your budget. I personally build my own chargers and buy solar panels individually. Check out instructables dot com for some good ideas.

Batteries are a very different subject. From my experience, Lithium Ion batteries, which include Lithium Cobalt, Lithium Manganese, Lithium Iron, Lithium Nickle cobalt, and Lithium Titanate all do well at first. Then degrade to not much better than Nickle Metal hydride and/or Nickle Cadmium. Until the Nickle/Iron (NiFe) batteries come down in price, we’re all stuck with whatever is on sale. (Notice that there’s a lot of Nickle used in batteries? Hmmmm.)

The best suggestion I have, (IMHO), is to get a multi-battery-type charger. That way you’re covered on whatever battery you buy. Then get a solar panel, build a ‘charge controller’, and get yourself charged up for free.

I must stress that people should be aware of what rechargeable batteries you should use for your your devices !

I learned the hard way and initially purchased cheap ones from China, these are next to useless as when fully charged they run down within an hour.

I suggest that you should always use ‘Low Self Discharge’ (LSD) batteries, these when fully charged do not run down so quickly and can hold their charge for weeks on end, the best ones to get are ‘Sanyo XX Eneloop’, these are quite expensive, it cost me $22.88 AUD for 4 X AAs, but at least you have the assurance that they will not let you down.

Remember; don’t skimp on cheap batteries as you could be in a life or death situation and reliable power can be your savior !!

Keith