PREP What would you want on your ideal all-inclusive prep reference flash drive?

[shane]

If you could only grab and run with a flash drive(s) for all your prep info, what would you want on it?

A lot of us have GB's of digital files on our computers and piles of DVD collections of prep information and references,
but if you wanted to put everything essential onto flash drive(s), what would you be sure that you'd have included
on yours, or would ideally want to find and have put on it even if you don't already have or own the reference?

If you have expert knowledge of best, most universal & reliable, flash drives to consider, and how best to protect
them, etc, that'd be good to mention here, too, but I don't want to get into a discussion of copyrights or the
obviously practical need to have printed copies of essential documents, too, just your opinion of what is already
available as digital info that you'd most want on your own ideal 'all-inclusive' prep flash drive.

Appreciate any input here.

- Shane

 

[Lurker]

I looked into this a few years ago. I forget the company name (I'll have to look it up) but the things were built like tanks. Water/dust proof, took a lot of shock (as in G's), secured, etc, etc. Tons of storage too. Yeah, not cheap but that's they way it goes.

I'll look around and see if I can find it.

It was ironkey (www.ironkey.com)

 

[Tristan]

If you could only grab and run with a flash drive(s) for all your prep info, what would you want on it?

A lot of us have GB's of digital files on our computers and piles of DVD collections of prep information and references,
but if you wanted to put everything essential onto flash drive(s), what would you be sure that you'd have included
on yours, or would ideally want to find and have put on it even if you don't already have or own the reference?

If you have expert knowledge of best, most universal & reliable, flash drives to consider, and how best to protect
them, etc, that'd be good to mention here, too, but I don't want to get into a discussion of copyrights or the
obviously practical need to have printed copies of essential documents, too, just your opinion of what is already
available as digital info that you'd most want on your own ideal 'all-inclusive' prep flash drive.

Appreciate any input here.

- Shane

Shane,

Planning a new product?

 

[tanstaafl]

I don't understand your scenario. Why in the world would anyone bugout with ONLY a flash drive? Without a way to access the info I can't think of a single thing a flash drive would be good for (except maybe to poke an attacker in the eye, and even that depends on the design).

edited to add: If your scenario DOES include a way to access the info (which brings up questions of available storage on the accessing device and why you wouldn't just skip the flash drive), then it seems to me what you're really asking is what info in general is the most important?

 

[Dennis Olson]

Start by reading this thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?396770-*-PRINTABLE-PREP-DOWNLOADS-THREAD-*


BTW, nice to see you on the forum again. How's the pup doing?


As far as best flash drive, Google-up "Ironkey".

 

[cnote]

Good to see you back, Shane.

Nook and Kindle, pdf's/books at you fingertips.

Nook First Generation you can replace the battery.

 

[Kent]

XtremKey

The XtremKey is made of zamac, an alloy composed of zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and copper that is so strong, it can withstand the pressure of a 10-ton truck. With the memory chips inside a 2-mm-thick casing and sealed with water-resistant screw threads and a rubber O-ring, the XtremKey is watertight up to 100 meters, resistant to 5-meter drops, and can hold up in environments from -50 to 200-degrees Celsius.

 

[shane]

I don't understand your scenario. Why in the world would anyone bugout with ONLY a flash drive? Without a way to access the info I can't think of a single thing a flash drive would be good for (except maybe to poke an attacker in the eye, and even that depends on the design).

edited to add: If your scenario DOES include a way to access the info (which brings up questions of available storage on the accessing device and why you wouldn't just skip the flash drive), then it seems to me what you're really asking is what info in general is the most important?

Of course you'd also include your chosen way to access the information, point is if all your essential references are
only on the HD of your portable laptop or whatever, and it went down, or better said 'when' it goes down, you'll
need to be able to readily move & access that info via anything else you may find later to do so with, thus the flash
drive seems really ideal for that vital task via most any platform later utilized.

- Shane

 

[Mrs Smith]

You gonna give us a piece of the profit?

 

[shane]

BTW, nice to see you on the forum again. How's the pup doing?

Lucy is fine, but been driving the other three male dogs here nuts for a week, have had her sequestered before being fixed end of this week.

- Shane

 

[shane]

Shane,

Planning a new product?

Maybe, but not sure yet, with copyright issues for some of the content.

I really want one for myself, then later after it's compiled we'll see if others do, too.

- Shane

 

[shane]

You gonna give us a piece of the profit?

If we later offer it for-sale, any that lent us DVD's to go onto it, will get one at cost.

Fair enough?

- Shane

 

[Double_A]

I don't understand your scenario. Why in the world would anyone bugout with ONLY a flash drive? Without a way to access the info I can't think of a single thing a flash drive would be good for (except maybe to poke an attacker in the eye, and even that depends on the design).

edited to add: If your scenario DOES include a way to access the info (which brings up questions of available storage on the accessing device and why you wouldn't just skip the flash drive), then it seems to me what you're really asking is what info in general is the most important?

I have a flash drive made up. Hurricane Katrina prompted me to complete this. I did it years ago on the premise that fleeing with the clothes on your back kinda of situation, to a bug-out location or to another family member's stable location or to another state or even another country. Remember your computer is worthless hardware. It's the data, the info on the hard drive that is most valuable, you need not take your computer, just your data. Plug your drive into your brothers computer and you have access to your stuff

I have a tiny 16gb drive with several folders for

Family photos,
Contact info for friends and family Names, Addresses, directions.
Reference & How to info,
Scans of certain papers, home insurance for example

Here is a partial screenshot of some folders, I've removed some folders temporarily off the drive for privacy

 

[Moggy]

I would want any and all information on herbal healing and on wild-crafting, including pictures to enable the viewer to identify herbs. Most particularly I would want the information contained in the book "Mountain Medicine...The Herbal Remedies of Tomie Bass" by Darryl Patton, and in the book "Advanced Treatise in Herbology by Dr. Edward E. Shook.

Nice to see you posting, Shane.

 

[Berean]

Maps

 

[mbabulldog]

Edible/usable local wild plants

 

[mbabulldog]

Maps

+1; if possible include utility lines, train tracks, and National Forest Roads/Trails. (it is a WISH list, after all)

 

[Dennis Olson]

Shane, you have my permission to go through the FOUR MILLION POSTS on TB and use anything there for your project.


Happy hunting...

 

[OddOne]

Lemme know if you need anything on PDF that might be hard-to-find: I have sources for loads o' stuffs.

 

[shane]

Start by reading this thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?396770-*-PRINTABLE-PREP-DOWNLOADS-THREAD-*

Tons of great stuff there, Dennis, thank you!

And, this by Kable over there was very instructive...

"By the way, if you are using Firefox you can get the add-on that will allow you to grab multiple links from a page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fi...ribute/roadblock/?src=search&version=3.0.0.19

AND you can also get Flash-Got, which will download all the links and save them as a webpage on your hard drive, or if they are already pdf, will save them as a PDF also. VERY Handy.... just highlight the links you want, right click, and flash-got selections... save them to your preferred folder."

- Shane

 

[Berean]

Morse Code reference

 

[Cardinal]

Tons of great stuff there, Dennis, thank you!

And, this by Kable over there was very instructive...

"By the way, if you are using Firefox you can get the add-on that will allow you to grab multiple links from a page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fi...ribute/roadblock/?src=search&version=3.0.0.19

AND you can also get Flash-Got, which will download all the links and save them as a webpage on your hard drive, or if they are already pdf, will save them as a PDF also. VERY Handy.... just highlight the links you want, right click, and flash-got selections... save them to your preferred folder."

- Shane

Now that is handy! TY.

 

[Monty]

I would make the usb drive a bootable linux distro disk before dumping the info on there. That way you don't have to worry about the condition of the operating system or hard drive of the PC you use to access the data. Just pop in the usb drive, boot to it instead of the hard drive (most PCs have a boot menu) and surf in an OS you already know with the programs you know you will need to access the info. Adding encryption to private info shouldn't be difficult either. Should also work fine as a regular data drive if you choose to use it that way.

Monty

 

[Double_A]

I would make the usb drive a bootable linux distro disk before dumping the info on there. That way you don't have to worry about the condition of the operating system or hard drive of the PC you use to access the data. Just pop in the usb drive, boot to it instead of the hard drive (most PCs have a boot menu) and surf in an OS you already know with the programs you know you will need to access the info. Adding encryption to private info shouldn't be difficult either. Should also work fine as a regular data drive if you choose to use it that way.

Monty

Humm, never had any problems accessing files on my Stick. Not XP at work, not Ubuntu on my tiny PC, nor my Mac at home. But I guess it wouldn't hurt especially if the PC you using had a corrupt OS

 

[hope4mil]

Someone on here suggested that instead of learning edible plants, to learn the toxic ones, so this is one that I would include.

www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/WS/WS_37_ToxicPlants08.pdf

Hope

 

[tanstaafl]

Small (as in shirt pocket size) portable one terabyte USB external hard drives are available for under $150. So why not just take EVERYTHING you can find? What I think the folks who download online prep-related stuff really need is a way to organize the stuff they've got. After all, it does you no good to know you have something but can't quickly find it when you need it.

I absolutely agree that people should put personal info on a flash drive and carry it around their neck (I don't although I keep meaning to get around to it), but I thought the thread was about prep guides and that sort of thing, and that's what I'm addressing with my comments.

I have the Appropriate Technology Library on CDs, although someone on eBay was selling almost all the files for WAY less than I paid for the AT Library -- I know because I also bought their set and compared it title-for-title. I figure information might be a barter item or perhaps the CDs might be a trade to get me into a group. Of course, that plan is contingent on working computers and electricity.

 

[Bubba Zanetti]

I got one of those Survivor flash drives - 32 gigs. Under $50.

Comes in its own protective case. You unscrew the drive from it's outer shell to expose the usb connection.

 

[mostlyharmless]

I would make the usb drive a bootable linux distro disk before dumping the info on there. That way you don't have to worry about the condition of the operating system or hard drive of the PC you use to access the data. Just pop in the usb drive, boot to it instead of the hard drive (most PCs have a boot menu) and surf in an OS you already know with the programs you know you will need to access the info. Adding encryption to private info shouldn't be difficult either. Should also work fine as a regular data drive if you choose to use it that way.

Monty

That's a pretty good idea... could take it a step further and have two partitions -- a boot Linux partition and a partition for the PDFs. If the PDF data partition is DOS/Windows friendly, you could access it from a Windows machine as well as boot into Linux for access. Best of both worlds..

 

[tanstaafl]

For what it's worth, here's what I have in my bugout CD wallet:

Appropriate Technology Library (no date, Village Earth, over 1,000 books selected for Third World conditions, 28 disks)

Ultimate Homesteading (no date, this is the somewhat spottily done but MUCH CHEAPER version of the Appropriate Technology Library, five disks)

Easy Chef: 1,094,579 recipes (1 disk)

Encyclopedia Britannica (1999 standard edition, 2 disks)

National Geographic Maps: The Complete Collection (2001, 8 disks)

DeLorme Topo USA (1998, I think continental US only, four disks)

Mother Earth News: The 1970s, The 1980s, The 1990s, 2000-2008 (2009, four disks)

Backwood's Home Magazine: Jackie Clay (1995-2005, one disk)

The Ultimate Civil Defense Digital Library: Volume One (2005, SurvivalRing, one disk)

Master Fallout Shelter CD-ROM: Volume Two (2004, SurvivalRing, one disk)

Survival Ring and Civil Defense Now (2002, SurvivalRing and KI4U, one disk)

Appropriate Technology Sampler (no date, SurvivalRing, one disk)

SurvivalCD.com and HazaardPak DVD: Bonus Files - All Hazard/Bunker (2008, SurvivalRing, one disk)

Disaster Preparedness CD (2010, The Survival Emporium, one disk)

Well Drilling - Water Supply (no date, files from www.govmedia.com, one disk)

Recovery After Nuclear War (no date, SurvivalRing and Bruce Beach CD Project, one disk)

A Citizen's Guide To Counter Terrorism (no date, Swiss America Trading Corporation, one disk)

 

[DannyBoy]

Hey Shane... What a cool idea! But who has time to put this together?? I would love to go through all these threads mentioned and store all that data... but just can't get to it... if YOU put something together, I WILL buy one!! (As long as it is affordable of course.)

Dan

 

[HeyU]

I have an encrypted thumb drive with copy’s of important documents like insurance papers credit cards savings and training certificates drivers licenses deeds titles etc. while it probably wouldn’t prove anything it can point a way in the correct direction by having phone numbers and account numbers. would be handy in a evacuation situation more than eotwawki. To this I might like to add out of town contact info incase my phone was dead. PDF reference documents like where there is no doctor. The Bible and perhaps some just reading material. Perhaps more as I think on it.
BTW: I like Montys Boot Stick Idea As long as the files were ona seperate partition thay could be accesed in either case

 

[TimeTraveler]

"What would you want on your ideal all-inclusive prep reference flash drive? "


The number of a Swiss bank account in my name with ten million dollars in it. TT

 

[tanstaafl]

Bubba Zanetti, I like the idea of three 32GB Survivor flash drives vs. a single one terabyte USB external hard drive. By the way, I checked eBay and there are two auctions for a 64GB Survivor flash drive, but the prices are over $200.

One thing no one has mentioned is that it might be very easy to lose a flash drive in a bugout situation. I don't know about others, but I've lost small things at resting stops and in camp during hikes. Of course, it depends on where you intend to keep the flash drive, but my point is that it shouldn't be loose in a pocket with other things or where it can easily be separated from you or your gear.

I decided to remove the "Ultimate Homesteading" set (five disks) from my bugout CD wallet since it duplicated already existing book files and replace them with the "Ultimate Library: 10,000 Books on CD-ROM" set (four disks). I'm not terribly impressed with the "Ultimate Library" set (for example, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas" by Jules Verne was more like a Reader's Digest condensed version and it also ended abruptly in mid-sentence ... and wouldn't THAT be frustrating when you're already stressed out), but who knows what you might want to read when/if civilization ends.

 

[Monty]

That's a pretty good idea... could take it a step further and have two partitions -- a boot Linux partition and a partition for the PDFs. If the PDF data partition is DOS/Windows friendly, you could access it from a Windows machine as well as boot into Linux for access. Best of both worlds..

You could do it that way but it wouldn't really be necessary. Even if you set it up as a Linux distro boot disk you can still access any files on it from booting into Linux or just dropping it into your running Windows machine.

Monty

 

[big kumara]

Shane, you have my permission to go through the FOUR MILLION POSTS on TB and use anything there for your project.


Happy hunting...

"All original member content posted on this forum becomes the property of TB2K Inc. for archival and display purposes on the Timebomb2000 website venue. Said content may be removed or edited at staff discretion. The original authors retain all rights to their material outside of the Timebomb2000.com website venue. Publication of any original material from Timebomb2000.com on other websites or venues without permission from TB2K Inc. or the original author is expressly forbidden. "

 

[tanstaafl]

Below are some quick title suggestions from my own notes (I think most are from the Appropriate Technology Library). Also, I have MP3 files for the original radio programs from the 1938 broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" and the 1968 BBC broadcast of "The Day of the Triffids" -- so perhaps a variety of old radio broadcasts for their entertainment value, since there was a time when entire families huddled around radios for the latest program.

Backyard Dairy
Basic Machines and How They Work
Cattle Under Primitive Conditions
Early American Tools
Emergency Response Guidebook
Foxfire Books
The Formula Manual
Goats Under Primitive Conditions
Hand Dug Water Wells
How To Build A Pit Latrine
How To Make Basic Hospital Equipment
How To Make Soap
How To Repair Briggs and Stratton Engines
Managing Pests in Small Scale Agriculture
Mechanical Engineers Pocket-Book
NukAlert manual (naturally!)
Nuclear War Survival Skills (Kearny)
Old Farms Tools and Machinery
Pigs Under Primitive Conditions
Post-Disaster Health Management
Poultry Under Primitive Conditions
Primitive Weapons and Survival Skills
Rabbits Under Primitive Conditions
Root Crop Processing
Rural Tanning Tecniques
Small Farm Grain Storage
Small-Scale Manufacture of Footwear
Small-Scale Papermaking
Small-Scale Pig Raising
Small-Scale Processing of Fruits and Vegetables
Small-Scale Production of Charcoal
Small-Scale Weaving
Survival Manual (US Army)
Tanning of Hides and Skins
Tools And How To Use Them
Tools for Small-Scale Farmers
Urban Search and Rescue
What To Do If A Nuclear Disaster Is Imminent (naturally!)
Where There Is No Dentist
Where There Is No Doctor
Y2K flyers (food and cooking; hygiene; warmth; and, water)

By the way, I bought one of the Survivor 32GB flash drives (mentioned above by Bubba Zanetti, and thanks for the suggestion) off eBay and they seem to be VERY solid products. Here's a picture of one showing how it looks after separating the two pieces:

 

[The Mountain]

How about the DVD of Army field manuals? There's a lot of good stuff in there too.

 

[Hansa44]

All my hidden object and adventure games.

 

[ainitfunny]

What would you want on your ideal all-inclusive prep reference flash drive?

Instant, computer generated husband?

 

[Bensam]

I hate to admit this but I have put two regular (cheap Walmart purchase) thumb drives through the washer with no ill effects to either the drive or the data. Of course I let them dry for a few days before using them. Bright and shiny they are.