Survivalists typically point to the fragility and electricity needs of technological gadgets as a case to dismiss their usefulness. My response is that even a gun needs maintenance and support for it to function effectively, or at all.

Survival depends on efficient use of energy and utilizing every tool at your disposal to give you an advantage. When it comes to electronics, dismissing their relevance is to ignore a potentially lifesaving tool. But make no mistake, they are a tool like any other, and like any tool, it’s still the skill that makes them useful.

As an example, being able to navigate by the stars is a very useful skill to have and should be kept sharp. However, using GPS to navigate more quickly and eliminate a step, allows us to utilize our time more efficiently. Otherwise, we are simply letting the fruits of human progress rot on the vine.

Electronic devices like the Kindle, iPad and Smart Phones afford us the luxury of storing a staggering wealth of information in tremendous detail. It’s like carrying the library of Congress in your bag or pocket. Even if we exclude the Internet, filling your device with the total sum of modern human knowledge on survival-related topics is possible through eBooks and PDFs.

With the right precautions, the fragile nature of electronics and their need for electrical power can be accommodated for. There are a deluge of products on the market from cheap to expensive that will protect your electronics from damage. Companies like Golden Shellback are even producing chemical bath products that essentially waterproof your electronics. Storm cases, from manufacturers such as Pelican Case, protect your valuable electronics from impact and weather damage. And these are just a couple of examples.

At one point in time, the wheel was a crazy new technology. So, the next time you think technology has no place in survival, consider the two to four wheels that take you back and forth with such expedience.