Author Archives: nickspreparedness5277

Why Should I Keep My Old Cell Phone?

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As a society, human beings have become so dependent on our electronic and mechanical devices that we can hardly imagine how we could have ever functioned without. While the best preparedness practices warn against being dependent on technology for our every need, we should also consider the benefits that we can derive from our devices in the scenarios where they still work. Sometimes we can get some use out of phones that we have replaced and are no longer using. Before you toss or trade in a cell phone or other mobile device, read over the information I’ve gathered here and see if it helps you too.

Why Should I Keep My Old Cell Phone?

Between the advances in technology and the planned obsolescence of devices by the manufacturers that need to sell us another phone or tablet before our’s is anywhere near the end of its useful life, many of us wind up upgrading our mobile devices on a fairly regular basis. The mind numbing habit of having instant entertainment at our fingertips all the time and the constant little upgrades leave many of us with a drawer full of perfectly functioning devices that we no longer use.

Caching

The idea of placing caches of supplies in various locations has a lot of merit for preparedness minded individuals. I mention using a cache to store information in my post on internet dependence. You can read it Here. Staging necessities in various locations makes it more likely we will have a location to resupply at before our bug out bag or vehicle survival packs are depleted. With that in mind, placing an old cell phone or tablet in a cache can give us the benefit of many of the other used cell phone tips I mention below. You can get waterproof caching boxes by clicking the picture below.

Emergency Calls

According to 911.gov, all wireless phones can be used to call 911 for emergency services even if they aren’t subscribed to or supported by a specific carrier. This means that leaving an old cell phone charged up can be a life saver if an emergency happens, however there are some important strings attached to that use. First, you still have to have some cellular signal. The phone still has to be able to access a cellular tower to relay the call so its not gonna work in a dead zone, with or without an active subscription. Another important thing to remember is that using an inactive phone to contact 911 will not give them access to your location (This can even happen with active phones so be prepared to give directions or addresses anytime you call 911) The 911 operator will also not be able to call you back if you are disconnected. Keeping these warnings in mind, we can stage our inactive phones in strategic places for emergency contact if needed.

Data Access and Storage

Each cell phone design is different and has capabilities ranging from only phone calls to advanced computing and memory. Most of the smartphones we use today have the storage capacity of huge hard drives from not that long ago. With those capabilities, we can use an inactive phone to store tons of information and documents that, on paper, would take up an unacceptable amount of space in a cache or small safe. A quick internet search of you phones storage capabilities will tell you all about storing and retrieving information on your particular phone model.

Decoys

When most preppers think of operational security, or OPSEC, we consider all of the methods whereby we protect ourselves and our preparations by hiding them or misleading others who might be after our goods. Sometimes to disappear or hide takes more than just packing up and leaving. if we really need to throw off someone, we can take old phones and fill them with false information such as addresses and contacts. False intelligence is often a helpful way to throw others off your trail. Make sure you wipe all other information from the phone before doing this, though.

What Old Phone Accessories Should I Keep?

When I first began using cell phones, i got a new charger every time I got a new phone and it seemed that none of them were compatible with other phones. As cell phones became more computer-like, the shift to data cables from charging cables began. Now most all phones share just a handful of charging/data cable patterns and keeping them now is much simpler. I personally would have at least one matching charging cord/charger for each of my phones as well as a way to charge the phone from a 12 volt source such as the car. Click on the pictures below to get a multi-cable for charging and data and a 12 volt adapter that you can add to all of your caches.

What Should Not Be Left on My Old Cell Phone?

I wish I could give an all inclusive answer to this question, but the best i can say is “it depends.” If the phone in question is used as a diversion, then we should wipe it clean of any information that can be used to track us to our true location or that of our preps. If the phone is used for digital data storage in a cache, then we obviously need the data saved to the phone, however every password and security option that is available on the device should be activated to prevent someone who might stumble on our cache from using our information against us. Depending on the use, we may also chose to disable the gps features like “find my IPhone” if we don’t want the device location traceable. For emergency calls, current information in our I.C.E. (in case of emergency) contacts is vital if we are unable to respond when help arrives.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon affiliate and may make money on qualified purchases.

Top 7 Prepper and Survival Myths That Can Get You Killed

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The world is full of information on every subject imaginable and it is all just a click away. I mentioned our reliance on the internet and some of the possible problems in a blog post Here, but it’s not just the internet that can give us bad or unproven information. Even the old “rules of thumb” that have been handed down from our ancestors need to be looked at with equal scrutiny. The advances we as humans have made in the last 100 years in science and medicine are almost unbelievable. Each day researchers are digging deeper into all types of information and finding new and better solutions to problems we would have addressed entirely differently just a few years ago. Many of the myths that are still being spread came from a time where less was known or from a singular event where luck was on the side of the person who experienced the cure or result that spawned the advice.

One of the best ways to avoid these potentially lethal mistakes is to keep up to date on the most modern survival methods. I recommend purchasing a book that you can keep in your vehicle, home, and go/bug out bag as a reference, but don’t wait until you need to it get familiar with the information. Click the picture below for one of the books that I carry in my bug out bag:

Top 7 Survival Myths That Can Kill You

I’ll divide these into a few categories and list a few in each. I’m confident that this will continue into other posts and videos as time goes on and I learn more about the proper way to handle situations where survival and prepping is concerned.

Animal Attack Survival Myths

Sucking Venom From a Snake Bite: This is the subject of continuous debate among survival minded individuals. I personally have a Sawyer extractor kit that is supposed to be used to remove venom from a bite site. It may or may not be the answer to reducing the spread of venom, however cutting yourself and attempting to suck out poison with your mouth is not a good idea. Cutting or puncturing our skin leaves us open to additional infection with no real reason. The time and risk spent trying to cut and suck out venom would be better spent keeping the bite below heart level and removing any constricting clothing or jewelry near the site of the bite. Trying to stay calm and get to a medical facility is paramount. If you are waiting for help and want to try to extract poison, you can get an extractor by clicking the picture below.

Playing Dead To Survive A Bear Attack: While I have never been in the vicinity of bears, I have heard this over and over. While I am no authority on bear attacks, the writers at Field and Stream magazine have probably had plenty of experience and their recommendation is based on the breed of bear. Grizzly attacks in the daytime are usually a response to an invasion of territory. If you are unarmed, the writers recommend playing dead in hopes that the bear will realize you aren’t a threat and not attack or continue to attack you. A black bear, on the other hand, is more likely to attack as a predatory response. Fighting back or being aggressive can keep us of the menu! For those who aren’t inclined to carry a large enough caliber firearm to stop a bear attack, you can click the picture below for some bear spray that might give you a fighting chance.

Food And Water Survival Myths

Water Purification Myth: Flowing or Rushing Water Is Safe To Drink: We’ve all seen the movies of the cowboys kneeling to drink from the flowing mountain creek or sharing a sip from the pail and dipper on the front porch of the farmhouse and in those long-ago days it was common to hydrate that way. In modern times we have a few issues to deal with. One is that we are always “drinking downstream from the herd” when sourcing water in the wild. The number of humans and animals on the planet along with the various pollutants that have been released over the decades makes any surface water suspect. Another concern is our lessened immunity to waterborne bacteria and viruses. We have had our water sanitized so well that some of the immunity of our ancestors is likely gone. If you have to hydrate without sterilized water you should use a filter like the one below. Click the picture to get one.

Food Survival Myth: Eat All You Can if You Find A Food Source: It sounds like a great idea to pack on the calories whenever you find a source of food but this isn’t a good time to be a glutton. The longer we have gone without eating, the more gradually we have to eat to keep from upsetting our stomachs. Getting sick and vomiting is a guaranteed way to lose any food you have already eaten as well as hydration that you can’t spare in a survival situation. I have mentioned them before, but click the survival rations below to get some inexpensive pack-able food that can save you from having to gorge on whatever you find.

Navigation Survival Myths

Navigation Myth: Moss Always Grows On The North Side Of Trees: Moss can grow on any side of a tree, depending on the circumstances. This generally accepted rule of thumb is based on the idea that trees in the northern hemisphere get more sunlight on the south side because of the angle of the sun. The myth takes upon itself to assume that all trees are in the path of equal sunlight each day. The topography of the land is much more important to the way vegetation grows around trees than the compass orientation. A quality compass is the best way to navigate, however you can pick up some other tips by clicking on the book below.

Survival Shelter Myths

Shelter Myth: I Should Build my Shelter Near Water: Hydration is one of the maxims that any survivalist or prepper focuses on and preaches all of the time so setting up camp near a water source makes sense to us. Camping near a creek or river as a planned vacation can be fun, however when we are facing a survival situation and have limited resources, we have to put much more thought into the placement of our shelter. In many areas, flash floods can raise water levels by feet in a matter of just a few hours and destroy our shelter or worse, trap us in it. Another factor that should steer us away from survival sheltering close to water is the insect and wildlife activity near water at night. Avoiding hungry critters when they are eating and drinking is a pretty good survival plan by all accounts.

Shelter Myth: It’s Warm, I Don’t Need Shelter or a Fire: While the temperatures might not dictate that we have a heavily insulated shelter with a roaring fire to survive, there are still some benefits to consider. We can get wet from rain, dew, and perspiration as well as crossing or falling into water. Cotton clothing that we commonly wear is notorious for holding moisture and as soon as the sun sets, it can turn into an air conditioner on our skin. Whenever possible we should make every attempt to dry our clothing and skin so we don’t loose valuable energy trying to keep warm. Fire and shelter can also fend off wildlife and insects that make our survival situations much more miserable than they already are, not to mention the psychological boost that having a fire is to our mental health. I recommend having multiple fire starting methods including disposable lighters and fire starters like the one you can get by clicking the picture below.

Final thoughts On Survival and Prepping Myths

There are always exceptions to every rule and there is no way to catalog every possible survival situation. With that in mind, weigh out the best choices for you in your situation. A stupid idea that works isn’t all that stupid, at least in that particular case. In life we gamble daily that we can avoid injury or death. The more information we have at our disposal, the more educated of a decision we can make. If all you have is a rule of thumb or ancestral advice to go by, combine that with common sense and knowledge to make as good a decision as possible.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate and I make money on qualified purchases.