[Yehudi]

Most survivalists carry a Survival Manual or two. I have hundreds I can carry.
Currently I have:
1 Samsung 8 inch Tablet
1 Samsung 7 inch Tablet
1 Samsung 5 inch MP3 Player
1 Samsung S4 Smart Phone, offline
1 Samsung A50 Smart Phone

They each have at least a 32GB Micro SD loaded with 3.36 GB of Survival Manuals. That includes 810 files in 32 Categories and 224 Survival photos. The manuals are in PDF file format and therefore are searchable. I also have the 3.36 GB of Survival Manuals on multiple USB Flash Drives as backup.
To keep them charged, I have one 2 panel folding solar charger, one 3 panel solar charger, and two cell-phone-size solar chargers.
I keep most of these in sealed steel boxes (faraday cages)

Depending upon the situation, I can carry one, or two, or all of them. Of course, I always have my Samsung A50 with me.

The Advantages:
Enormous amount of information in small, lightweight form.
The documents are all searchable.
With a touch screen, the view can be expanded (magnified)
No reading light needed.
All the data can be shared electronically.
Can be upgraded or added to anytime.
If it is on your Smart Phone, it can be with you at all times.

 

[pengyou]

You can add smart watches to your list, though the small screen size makes using them a challenge

 

[PeterWiggin]

I assume you also have personal important documents shared on all devices?

 

[Yehudi]

I assume you also have personal important documents shared on all devices?

Yes. Here is a handy list of Documents to keep safe.

What to Keep in a Safe
1. Birth Certificates
Keep original birth certificates of everyone in your family in a secure, fire-proof safe. If you need a birth certificate for identification, make copies to use for documentation and enrollments. Luckily, if you don’t have an original copy, request and order a duplicate certificate from the Vital Records office in the state of your birth. Additionally, store foster or adoption legal papers in a home safe.
2. Social Security Cards
Used often to prove identification, social security cards need easy accessibility and proper security. Never carry social security cards in wallets or purses. Social security cards may be requested by employers or government bodies. Utilize cards as necessary, but immediately lock social security cards in a home safe for safe keeping and protection.
3. Passports
Passports also prove identification for many legal or formal documents. Unlike birth certificates and social security cards, passports require more documentation to replace and need to be safely stored in your home. Using a safe to protect passports also keeps them safe from natural disasters.
4. Living and Last Wills
A living will provide instructions to execute on your behalf should something happen that prevents you from making health decisions. A last will and testament, however, details your estate and lists who gets what once you pass away. To be legally observed, put together a legal will, get it notarize then keep a copy in a home safe.
5. Tax Returns
Financial experts advise keeping tax returns for at least three years. Should the IRS decide to audit your financial filings, they have three years to perform an audit. However, consider storing every year’s tax returns and supporting documents. Many people file electronically, but it’s useful to also keep and secure a hard copy should anything happen to your computer or online storage system.
6. Property Deeds and Ownership Forms
Keep mortgage papers, property information, home blue prints and any real estate deeds in a home safe. Similarly, store copies of the titles and registrations for all vehicles you own. Use a safe to protect additional ownership documents for other valuable property or vehicles like boats, trailers and tractors.
7. Financial Accounts Information
These days, most banks upload financial statements to online customer portals for easy, electronic access. However, use a home safe to store a list of your accounts, including account numbers and institutions for each. In the event of an accident, a comprehensive list of accounts, with online login usernames and passwords, helps family and loved ones organize financial affairs if you cannot.
8. Professional Appraisals
Safely story professional appraisals on your house or any high-value you item you own (such as original art, heirloom jewelry, or antique furnishings) in a home safe. Take extra precautions with appraisal documents, as copies or duplicates may not be easily available. Also, an original appraisal helps confirm value if you intend to sell or auction items.
9. Marriage Certificates or Divorce Papers
Keep your marriage certificate and/or divorce papers in a home safe. Store additional legal documents related marital status, like prenuptial agreements, alimony, or child support agreements, too. Legal documents tend to be kept as hard, print copies. A home safe helps protect irreplaceable documents from natural disasters or break-ins.
10. Irreplaceable Photos or Prints
It is good practice to scan irreplaceable photos or prints and store them electronically. However, a home safe helps protect the originals. Consider keeping other irreplaceable documents like hand-written letters, cards or notes protected by using a home safe.

 

[Yehudi]

Anyone can compile these survival manuals and photos, and put them on your flash drive, cell phone, or tablet. All these are available on the internet on various websites. Most are free to download, and most are in searchable PDF format. It just takes time to collect them, sort them, and categorize them. My collection is the result of a LOT of work. IMO, it is well worth the effort.
I give them to family and close friends Once all the work is done, it only costs about $6 for the Flash Drive to share them. There are also double ended Flash Drives, with USB on one end, and Mircro USB on the other end. They are 32GB and cost $16. The advantage is they can plug into most Samsung and other Smart Phones without an adapter.
Share the knowledge.

 

[Yehudi]

A little more information regarding these USB Flash Drives. If you want to share this information to a distant friend, sending a USB Flash Drive in an envelope within the USA will cost $3.70. Media mail is $2.80, but the Post Office says that USB Flash Drives do not qualify. However, a SD or Micro SD in an envelope would be $.55. Safer to send a Micro SD in a SD Adapter in a folded paper in an envelope. The recipient can load it into their computer and transfer it to a USB Flash Drive and/or their Smart Phone or Tablet. The reason I have been using USB Flash Drives is that, with an Adapter or Adapter cable, you can download the data directly into a Smart Phone or Tablet.

 

[Joeyjoe]

Anyone got some links for some websites that have a treasure trove of manuals?

That PSSurvival one comes to mind from the other thread

 

[Yehudi]

Anyone got some links for some websites that have a treasure trove of manuals?
That PSSurvival one comes to mind from the other thread

There are many sources Most have the same ones that other sites do, with a few that are different. Here are a few of them. I cannot vouch for the security of any of these sites. Doing a search for Survival Manuals PDF will bring up 7 million hits
http://seasonedcitizenprepper.com/preparedness-downloads/
https://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/archives/2471
https://www.shtfpreparedness.com/over-4000-free-survival-handbooks-pdfs/
https://survivalschool.us/survival-info/survival-manuals-pdfs/

 

[harbinger1972]

Subscribed for future reference.

 

[Aerindel]

Plus its a challenge hauling around a physical library, or running back to the office to check something. Moreso, when working farther afield...

Indeed. I still have every digital book I've ever bought.

I can't say the same for the physical ones. When you can turn literally thousands of pounds of anything into a few ounces its worth coming up with backups, charging systems etc.

 

[Yehudi]

As noted earlier, one of the really great things about those Survival Manuals is that they are in PDF format, which means they can be searched. Simply open the manual that is the category you want information on, then type in a keyword, and the search feature will highlight and advance to each reference to that keyword. You will be able to find things that an index won’t help you with.
With 754 books and 228 photos, there literally isn’t anything that is not covered. That includes things that you may not even have known you would need information on.

 

[Aerindel]

I recommend a copy of offline wikipedia as an addition to manuals etc. There are many ways to do this, I use a program called 'kiwik', which keep all of wikipedia offline, about 53Gb in a fully functional form with all hyper links and pictures intact.

One of the things I've learned in life is that you don't know, what you don't know.

The problems we may face may not be ones that are in any manual. I can't tell you how many times wiki has saved me when I had a problem I was trying to work through and I didn't know the right name for the issue I was having. Because of its cross-referenced searchable nature you can search one thing, and then look into the history of its parts and the math, history and science etc behind it and associated links.

As an example, I got my dunebuggy running again after months of problems and forum searches, by eventually finding this wiki article, which had a picture, which perfectly showed me the problem I was having.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_lock

 

[jfountain2]

Don’t forget you can download a lot of great files from this forum for free.... https://www.survivalistboards.com/downloads.php