Check Your Six

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Check your six is military jargon for "look behind you", and checking to see what might be coming up behind you is a good habit to cultivate as part of maintaining situational awareness. However, if like me you didn't spend time in the service, ingraining that habit can be difficult. 

I had the idea for a smartphone app which would chime and/or vibrate on a regular basis -- between 30 seconds and five minutes -- as a reminder to look behind you. Unfortunately, I have no experience with programming apps. 

Fortunately, I had it pointed out to me that something like this already exists, and they are called interval timers. Used in both sports and exercise, these apps will chime and/or vibrate on a regular basis. Set accordingly, they can be used to remind you check behind you. 

One word of warning: while some of these apps have set durations, others do not. If you keep them running constantly then your phone will experience a significant battery drain as it will be unable to sleep while the notifications are being issued. It therefore falls to you to remember to turn off the timer once you're back from your walk or similar outing. 

A New Meeting Place: BCP Discord

Many of us here are gamers, playing video games, board games, role-playing games, etc. When we play, we sometimes play as part of a group and communication is a huge part of working together. Those of us who play online use a service called Discord, a free service for chatting by text or voice over the Internet without the ads and snooping that come with most of the “messenger” apps.

I've never used Facebook's Messenger app. The one time I looked at it, I was shocked at how much they wanted access on my phone/computer. I went to the Google app store today and looked it up to see if they had changed, but sadly they still demand the ability to add or remove anything they want to from my contacts list, memory card, text messages, and even my accounts. I may be a touch paranoid, but the idea of giving a total stranger (who may not be friendly) the ability to modify, add, and delete files on my phone/computer is abhorrent. When you consider that the stranger may not like what they find, or may not like what you say and can add or subtract files that are admissible as evidence against you in a courtroom, you'd be daft to give them that access.

Discord doesn't ask for that level of access.

• If you have an email address, you can set up an account. 
• They need to be able to use your speaker and microphone to facilitate voice communication, and your camera so you can share pictures. 
• They don't want to know your location, make phone calls, send text messages, or read confidential information from your calendar app like Facebook Messenger. 
• Discord channels are also invitation-only and aren't searchable; the only way to join a conversation is to be invited into it, and most groups have varying levels of access and permissions to make changes.

All of this is to lay the groundwork for a new way to interact with the readers and writers here at Blue Collar Prepping. I have created a Discord server (their name for a chat channel) for our use. The writers here at BCP are also moderators on our Facebook page, and they will have moderator/admin access on the Discord server. 

If you decide to join us, you'll be directed to the Campfire, which is a general meeting place for all to visit. I'm still setting things up and there will be changes made as it grows, but I have text-chat areas set up for a few specific topics (first aid, firearms, weather-related discussions, etc). The voice chat area is a bit empty right now, but if there are enough requests we may be able to host a regular (weekly?) live chat or presentation of sorts. This is not limited to the writers of the blog; I want more input from you, the readers. To be honest, after almost 5 years of writing I'm starting to run out of ideas, so I need your input and questions to be able to write articles that are useful.

Live communication is something different than text. I feel it will allow for a better exchange of information if you can ask/answer questions without waiting a week or two for another blog post. I know there are readers out there with stories and information to share, and I'm trying to provide a way for us to connect with one another and maybe help each other out once in a while. 

Names will be changed to protect the innocent. They'll also get changed if you choose something offensive. 

There are still the usual BCP rules:

• No politics. We're not here for that.
• No blatant ads. There is a place for posting links to things you may have found, but we're not here to grow your business.
• Three strikes and you're out. Warnings will be given for all but the most egregious acts. If you're really offensive, you won't get any warnings. I have limited the boot and b permissions for the participants. an privileges to a select few.
• Keep it PG-13, please. We're all adults (mostly) here, but try to act like your mother is reading what you type.

Discord comes as a phone app (Apple and Android versions) as well as a PC app for Windows, Apple, and Linux. They all connect to the same servers, so if you already have an account you can just add BCP to your list. I'm still learning a lot about Discord and how to run a server, there are tools available that I am trying to find a good use for. Expect changes and improvements in the future.

I have an active game group that I am part of, so I check Discord quite often during the day. It doesn't slow down my phone like a web page would, and I can flip through the servers quickly to check for new messages. I have disabled push notifications so you won't be getting notified of anything except when someone mentions you by name.

If you want to check us out, install the app from one of the links above, then click on the link below. If you already have a Discord account, copy and paste the link into the “Join new server” spot.

BCP Discord server: https://discord.gg/5NvEWZd

Weather Apps

Because I am an adult in America, I have a cell phone. It's an older Samsung, but it's a smart phone which means I carry around a computer that can make phone calls. I use the computer functions much more than I do the phone functions, which means I have several apps installed on my phone. 

The ones that get the most use in the spring and summer are the weather apps. I live in the upper Midwest, so I have to deal with tornadoes and thunderstorms every year. Having a convenient way to track the weather in real time helps me make decisions that will minimize the risks I have to take. 

Here are some that I've used in the past and a few that I still use. (For the record, I don't have any financial stake in any of these apps. These are my opinions of apps that you can find in the common app stores available on Android and Apple phones. Links will take you to the official Android site, but you can find them on Apple with a simple search.)

MyRadar
Like most apps, there is a free version that will have ads covering part of the screen as well as a “pro” version (this one is $2.99) that runs ad-free. I tried the free version for a year or so and ended up spending the money for the pro version to support the developers.

MyRadar is a simple, clean radar app with plenty of optional settings for map styles, overlays, and information displayed. The map is interactive, which means you can drag the map around on your screen to see radar for any area as well as zoom in or out using two fingers. This is my go-to weather radar, since it loads much faster than the local news channels or other weather apps.

AccuWeather
This is good for local weather forecasts, with hourly and daily forecasts. It has radar, but it isn't as clear or easy to use as MyRadar. I don't mind the small ads on the bottom of the screen, so I haven't made the jump to the paid version. The forecasts are fairly accurate, about average for most weather forecasters. This is also the default source of weather information on my Samsung phone.

WTForecast
Sometimes we all need a laugh, and WTForecast gives a simple daily forecast for the next 10 days with a witty saying. The witty comment changes every time you open the app, and it takes a while to cycle through all of the random comments pertaining to the current weather at your location. For example, it's currently 93°F outside with 60% humidity and the comment is, “It's like a terrarium outside”. The background picture changes with the season and I believe it also changes by location. The ads are small enough that I don't notice them.

Be advised, there is a profanity option in the settings that will make most of the comments NSFW.

WeatherBug
I used to have this one installed on my desktop. It was nice having the outside temperature displayed on the task bar next to the clock. Then it was detected as spyware/adware by several PC security scans, so it got deleted (not a simple process back then) and I've not tried it since. The owners have since changed and claim that they've cleared out anything that may be harmful. I may give it another chance in the future.

Intellicast
I used this app for years, then the Weather Channel “upgraded” it to StormTracker (and now StormRadar) and got rid of most of the features that I liked. When it became a copy of other apps I have, it was deleted. I do have the web version bookmarked on my browser so I can still look at a ten-day graph of various weather conditions (wind, temperature, air pressure, humidity, etc.), but when they took that off of the app, it got deleted. The math geek in me likes to see graphs; I can gather information like how fast the temps are going to rise or fall or how long it's supposed to rain over which hours.



Weather has a big impact on my life and is one of the main things I prep for. That makes having good information a vital part of my preps. Multiple sources of information will give you the opportunity to compare and contrast their accuracy and reliability, so grab several and keep the ones that give you the most usable information.

App Review: the Offline Survival Manual

I'm not normally known as the tech guy around here, but I do know my way around electronic hardware. We've talked about preparedness apps and books before, and now I want to look at one I've been poking around at for a couple months: the Offline Survival Manual.

This app is based upon the Army FM 3-05.70 Field Manual. It formats the manual in a searchable wiki design, with a sidebar that lets you navigate to information by topic. The wiki format also makes it easy to update the data as new techniques or topics become relevant. Each segment contains a header that introduces the topic and its relevance with a bit of background. Since it is based on an Army manual, most of the data is about wilderness survival but the basic principles apply on a wider scale.

The format and color palette are clean and streamlined, and the uncluttered look and good contrast make for easy, painless reading. A widely adjustable font is great for folks with impaired vision, and a night mode (with an optional automatic setting) relieves eye strain in dark environments.

One very nice feature is that the entire manual is downloaded to your device, so no network access is needed to use the data in the app. One of the first topics addressed is power, so that you can keep your device powered up and providing information.

When specific products or outside topics are mentioned, a link is often provided. If you're reading in preparation for emergencies instead of during them, this makes a handy way to expand your learning or pick up needed supplies.

The biggest drawback to this app is that is has no illustrations, and it would be far more useful if it did. The developer is aware of this and claims to be working towards it. A second, more personal complaint is that I really hate reading on my phone. This ceases to be an issue on a tablet, but my phone is the device that is always with me, so that's where the data will be most available to me.

The Offline Survival Manual is free in the Google Play store. A similar app can be found for Apple products in the iTunes store.

Lokidude

Guest Post: Laptops and Cellphone Post-Disaster

by George Groot
George is a member of our Facebook Group and has written for us before.

In the event of a major but temporary disruption to normal life, keeping things as “normal” as possible for my children is something that I try to do. Several years ago during a tornado warning we spent a few hours in the basement and a laptop with some videos was enough to keep the kids happy.

But what do you do when a few hours turns into a few days to a few weeks? Assuming that you have some form of alternative energy such as a generator or solar panels, and a battery bank to store electricity, you might be just fine recharging laptops, tablets, or cell phones from that alternative power source. However, if you don’t have a general purpose alternative electricity source, there are a number of portable solar charging options just for portable devices.

Solar Recharging

Cellphones

As a rule of thumb, more surface area for solar panels is better. Anything that is a battery bank with just a single solar panel will be pretty useless as an energy source; battery banks need at least three or four fold-out solar panels in order to get into the “worthwhile” category. For example, this solar battery bank advertises 10,000 milliamps of energy after 20 hours of charging, which is actually useful for a smartphone that uses about 1,800 milliamps of power for a full charge. With 10 hours of daylight, at 100% efficiency and working as advertised, that’s 5,000 milliamps. Even if you drop the efficiency to 50%, that’s still 2,500 milliamps, which is enough to charge up that smartphone or most tablets. 

Laptops

An even larger option is made by the popular Anker brand, and it comes with an 18 volt outlet, which is enough to charge most laptops (although many are set to receive an input of 19 to 19.5 volts). Not all laptops are great options for solar charging, though; a very high efficiency “ultrabook” style laptop will be a very good option, while a “desktop replacement workstation” will be much harder to keep charged. For example, the 4th generation Core i7 processor has a 47 watt power draw at full power, where a 4th Generation Core i5 is only 15 watts. The Core i5 has half the processing cores as the i7 of the same generation, but less than a third of the power consumption at max load (although the i7 can handle a much larger max load, we are talking playing kids games or movies to keep them out from underfoot). 

This shouldn’t discourage you from getting an i7 based system, though, as many ultrabooks use the i7 processor knowing that it has a variable power requirement based on load, so in practice they can often work on battery power for much longer than “business class” laptops using the same generation i5 processors because the entire package is meant to be more efficient. What you should look for is total battery capacity and advertised usable time under battery power; an ultrabook should be good for over 10 hours on battery power with a new battery. As batteries age, that number will go down.

From Recreation to Communication 

Apps

I believe that smart phones are one of the handiest pieces of communications gear that a prepper can have after a natural disaster. While voice telephone calls eat up a lot of bandwidth, SMS messages are tiny and can allow people to communicate in and out of the affected area with reasonable latency. Also, communications apps such as Zello have been used to coordinate local groups of disparate people, such as South American opposition political parties or volunteer search and rescue groups helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Mesh Networks

Even if there is a complete failure of the cellular network, smartphones can be used for local communications via “mesh network” solutions like Serval, and Sonnet is an interesting project that I hope becomes a reality.

If you can find good versions of the Linksys WRT-54G router at thrift stores for a few bucks, you can build mesh net infrastructure. It won’t be as sexy a solution as Sonnet looks like, but as long as you can keep them powered they will keep people connected. Every time I see a version 2 WRT-54G at a Goodwill, I pick it up. They are generally priced in the 5 to 10 dollar range, and even the later version 5 and up models can be useful when loaded with DD-WRT or Open WRT firmware.

Be aware that using WiFi as a primary communications channel will often suck a smartphone battery dry much quicker than the cellular radio connection. This is because the power management for a cell radio is much more “passive” than the WiFi radio, which was designed for computer networking and which keeps the device registered with the Wireless Access Point (WAP) constantly rather than on an “as needed” basis.


I hope this has been an interesting and informative look into how to plan for a power budget in the event of a disaster, although you don't need to wait for an emergency to put them into practice; the concepts are exactly the same as if you were going to do some remote camping and wanted to bring your power source with you.

Personal Electronics after SHTF, Part 3: Apple Apps

DZ, today's guest author, is a former Action Guy turned private investigator and bounty hunter who, in his own words, "isn't nearly as cool as he used to be."

Part 1 of this series may be found here.

Part 2 of this series may be found here.



First of all, my apologies for the long delay from part 2 to part 3 of this. I got caught up in all sorts of work stuff and let it slide.

Many thanks to David Blackard, who provided his recommendations for iPhone apps. For simplicity's sake I've cut and pasted some of his comments with minor editing for flow, which I guess makes this a joint article.

As with the Android post, I've focused on free apps. If you know of a paid app that could replace any of what I mention here, and is worth the price, feel free to extol its virtues in comments. Also, if you've used the paid version of any of the free aps I mention here, please do mention it, or message me and I'll update the article. The great thing about the free ones, though, is you can have multiple apps for the same general function and use whichever one you like for what you're doing.

Compass

There's not much to most compass apps. Some may be prettier than others, and maybe you prefer that or maybe you want something a little more stripped-down for simplicity of use. Keep in mind that a lot of other apps use the compass in the phone, so depending on what you want to use it for, you may not even want a dedicated compass app. Also keep in mind that you should still have a real compass and use it to calibrate the electronic one from time to time. I, for one, would not trust an electronic compass, tiny and surrounded by metal as it is, to remain calibrated under rough use. The iPhone has a standard compass app that was not very useable until a recent update. Since then, you no longer have to wave the phone in a Figure 8 to reset or activate the compass, just open the app and 'roll' the needle around the dial in a circle.

GPS

There's not really anything that you'd call a GPS app, just apps (usually maps) that use the GPS function. All that are applicable are covered in their respective sections.

Step Counter

If you're using one of these for fitness reasons (fitness is certainly important for preparedness, but I'm going to treat it as a separate issue for now), then you may have a preference for an app that keeps track differently or allows you to share your results with other apps or social media... whatever. But for grid-down navigation, all it needs to do is count steps, and they all do that. (Be sure to get your pace count and know how to use it, so that the app can help you concentrate on other things instead of counting.)

Maps

The choice of mapping apps that save maps for online use is huge, but most of them are oriented to street maps. One good option is All Trails, which has the ability to find local trails, log (GPS) where you went and then share your trip. The newest version has been improved by adding better descriptions. 5,000 of the country's most popular trails are listed, BUT if you have a favorite not found, hike it, plot it and send it in to be added!

A paid ($2.99) option: Pocket Earth This off-line map app covers the world (almost) with GPS and maps. I have no info for foreign use, but western US maps work very well. Allows active marking of routes, but battery life will be short if GPS is left running in the background.

Camera

Certainly your device came with a camera app already installed. I promise you that's good enough for most things you'd ever want to use it for. But if you must try others, just look around.

NFC Reader/Writer

As I type, Apple have just announced the iPhone 6, which finally includes an NFC reader. The phone will be released in September 16, so if you get one and try some of the NFC apps that are feverishly being written now, please let us know which are worth getting.

Music/Movies

The sky is the limit here. Purchase or download as many movies or songs as you have space for. Sadly, since Apple phones and tablets don't have removable storage, you'll have to store them on a computer and transfer them as wanted, which greatly reduces the usefulness. (How to torrent.)  

Games

Traditional games such as solitaire, chess, and checkers are all free, and here are some other games that will keep working after the grid goes down. Go find some you like and install them. They'll help keep you sane after SHTF.

Books

Every Kindle book can be downloaded to your phone with this app. Many preparedness-oriented books, manuals,and pamphlets are also available as PDF files that can also be saved and read offline later by the Kindle app or others such as WPS Office. Beware! Keep your Kindle app updated. Otherwise, if they release an update just before SHTF and you don't have it, your app may stop working.

You can also use the iBooks app.

Barometer

The new iPhone has also just added a pressure sensor, so as with NFC, let us know what apps work for you when they come out.

Miscellaneous 

• Knots
• Survival
• Red Cross First Aid Guide
• Sky Guide

A note on battery life
Yes, you'll need to have a way to charge your phone, be it solar or manual (or off a generator if you have one), but the vast majority of the battery usage is in the various radios in a smartphone or tablet. Put it on airplane mode and it'll last much longer.

Guest Post: Personal Electronics after SHTF, Part 2: Android Apps

DZ, today's guest author, is a former Action Guy turned private investigator and bounty hunter who isn't nearly as cool as he used to be.

Part 1 of this series may be found here.

I should mention first that I use almost exclusively free apps. If you know of a paid app that could replace any of what I recommend here, and is worth the price, feel free to mention it in comments. Also, if you've used the paid version of any of the free aps I mention here, please do mention it, or message me and I'll update the article. The great thing about the free ones, though, is you can have multiple apps for the same general function and use whichever one you like for what you're doing.

Compass
There's not much to most compass apps. Some may be prettier than others, and maybe you prefer that or maybe you want something a little more stripped-down for simplicity of use. Keep in mind that a lot of other apps use the compass in the phone, so depending on what you want to use it for, you may not even want a dedicated compass app. Also keep in mind that you should still have a real compass and use it to calibrate the electronic one from time to time. I, for one, would not trust an electronic compass, tiny and surrounded by metal as it is, to remain calibrated under rough use.

GPS
There's not really anything that you'd call a GPS app, just apps that use the GPS function. All that are applicable are covered in their respective sections.

Step Counter
If you're using one of these for fitness reasons (Fitness is certainly important for preparedness, but I'm going to treat it for now as a separate issue) then you may have a preference for an app that keeps track differently or allows you to share your results with other apps or social media... whatever. But for grid-down navigation, all it needs to do is count steps, and they all do that. (Be sure to get your pace count and know how to use it, so that the app can help you concentrate on other things instead of counting.) Pretty much any step counting app will do, but if you don't have one, this one looks pretty lightweight and simple:

• Simple Step Counter

Maps
Google Maps, the most common default map app, allows you to cache maps temporarily, but you don't control the data and the app only saves them for 30 days.. The choices of mapping apps that save maps for online use is huge, but most of them are oriented to street maps. I just switched from an iPhone to an Android phone a few weeks ago, so while I've downloaded a lot of offline mapping apps, most of them aren't the same ones as I had before and I haven't had the chance to try them much. But that said, here are a few that seem pretty decent:

• Outdoor Navigation
• US Topo Maps Free
• Trimble Outdoors Navigator
• My Topo Maps
• ViewRanger
• Outdoor Atlas
• GPS Essentials
• And here's one that's a paid app, that I haven't tried yet, but it's just too cool not to mention: Starstruck Navigation uses the stars to navigate for you. You'll need a sextant to get angle and direction, but the app does the rest. That one will work even if the satellites don't.

A note on mapping apps: some phones, mine included, don't have room for expansion cards. If yours doesn't either, you'll need to get something that does. There are tablets pretty cheap that will work, even if they're not that good for other uses. Just do your homework before you choose one.

Camera
Certainly your device came with a camera app already installed. I promise you that's good enough for most things you'd ever want to use it for. But if you must try others, just look around. Here are a couple of the most popular:

• Google Camera
• Camera 360

NFC Reader/Writer
TagWriter writes NFC tags, and your NFC-enabled device can read them and follow instructions. An app like NFC Tools or many others can read the tag and follow instructions. For more info and ideas see here.

Music/Movies
The sky is the limit here. Purchase or download as many movies or songs as you like and save them to MicroSD cards for later perusal. (How to torrent.)

Games
Monopoly - OK, this ones isn't free normally, but it was for a limited time on the Amazon app store, and I jumped on it. But Solitaire, Chess, and Checkers are all free, and here are some other games that will keep working after the grid goes down. Go find some you like and install them. They'll help keep you sane after SHTF.

Books
Every Kindle book can be downloaded to your phone or tablet. Many preparedness-oriented books, manuals,and pamphlets are also available as PDF files that can also be saved and read offline later by the Kindle app or others such as Kingsoft Office.

Beware! Keep your Kindle app updated. Otherwise, if they release an update just before SHTF and you don't have it, your app may stop working.

Barometer
Barometer falling = bad weather ahead. It's pretty damn near that simple. Take your pick.

Miscellaneous

• Knotsguide
• Traps
• Poisonous Plants, 
• Edible Plants

A note on battery life
Yes, you'll need to have a way to charge your phone, be it solar or manual (or off a generator if you have one), but the vast majority of the battery usage is in the various radios in a smartphone or tablet. Put it on airplane mode and it'll last much longer.

Guest Post: Personal Electronics after SHTF, Part 1 - Capabilities

DZ, today's guest author, is a former Action Guy turned private investigator and bounty hunter who, in his own words, "isn't nearly as cool as he used to be."

If you don't have a smartphone yet, I won't hold it against you, but you're definitely part of a small and shrinking minority. While most of us don't really need our smartphones, we've grown dependent on them just the same and can't imagine what we'd do without them. Whether it's browsing the internet, texting friends, checking Facebook for the 20th time today... never mind, that one's probably just my fiancee.

But all that requires a connection. While some events that would definitely qualify as disasters may not knock down the Grid, we obviously want to prepare for the worst, so we have to assume no electricity, no internet. (And to be honest, even with a functioning Grid, there may soon be major advantages to being off of it.)

So let's look at the capabilities of a smartphone or tablet computer, shall we?

• Compass: Now, I really don't need to explain how this can be useful, do I? Sure, it won't (or shouldn't anyway) replace a good compass, for various reasons, but it does the job, and combined with the right app... but that's part 2. 
• GPS: Whether or not this works depends on how far the grid is down, but if the satellites work and you're anonymous enough to use it without fear, this can be a huge asset. 
• Step counter: Yup, my newest phone has a separate sensor built in to count steps. Get your pace count and the phone can help you keep track of distance even if GPS is down. 
• Maps: Yes, there are myriad apps that allow you to download maps that are then stored on the device itself (or on removable media) and accessed offline. 
• Camera: Maybe you want to take a screenshot from a map and draw a route or cache location on it to pass to someone else using NFC. Maybe you want to document how you built or fixed something so you can do it again. It's up to you. 
• NFC reader/writer: Here's where I really get creative. You've heard of dead drops, right? Well, imagine slapping an NFC tag under a bench, with information which your friend or ally can then read at his leisure after swiping his phone past it. Whether you're part of some kind of resistance or just want to communicate without having to meet (for security from other bad actors such as gangs), the possibilities are endless here. But NFC tags can also be used to pass information directly from one device to another. Pictures, maps with routes drawn on (say, to caches or safe areas), directions, lists of people, places or things, instructions for canning, or a recipe for stored food, whatever. Use your imagination. 
• Music/Movies: You haven't forgotten Evelyn's article on staying human, already, have you? A typical phone or tablet has at least 8GB of space, up to 64GB, and that's before you add expansion cards, which go up to 128GB right now and that doubles every so often. That's a helluva lot of good entertainment to keep you sane. 
• Games: Same thing. There's a staggering number of games available for whatever platform you choose, and they can help pass the time too. That doesn't mean you should ignore the old non-electronic standbys, as they'll help build camaraderie. But the two can go together. I have, for example, Monopoly on my tablet. No pieces to lose. 
• Books: There are many many free books available, including a lot on preparedness topics. No examples for now, but look at http://www.freebooksifter.com. Homestead Survival also does a weekly list of free prep-minded e-books that I highly recommend. And there are tons of PDF files you can download now and save to review later. Let's face it; in 2014 there's a lot of knowledge we no longer possess and it'd be really handy to have the information handy. 
• Barometer: Yes, my newest phone has a barometer built in. Sure, all the high-tech weather apps will be useless with no internet connection, but that barometer can help predict bad weather.

Now, one of the things that may necessitate using this stuff is a nuclear attack. That's a lot less likely now than it has been in fairly recent history, but still a distinct possibility (and let's not forget solar flares). So get yourself a mylar bag and keep or buy an older device that you can keep as a spare. Put the device in the bag, put that inverted into another bag, and you're golden. Don't forget to do that same to the removable media.

So what about electricity? You obviously can't just plug your device into the wall when the electrons aren't flowing. Rather than give you specific options (since I've never used one) I'll just point you to this Amazon search for solar chargers.

[Editor's Note:  I have had excellent experience with both the Halo Pocket Power Charger and the Eton Microlink for charging my various electronic devices.] 

Next Week:  The best apps to have when TSHTF!