Who We Are
Higher Vantages (highervantages.com) is a disaster-preparedness and survival guide site for Pierce County, Washington, plus a catalog of professional hand tools. When this page says “we,” “us,” or “our,” it means Higher Vantages. You can reach us any time at steve@highervantages.com.
Information We Collect
There are no accounts, sign-up forms, or purchases on this site, so we don’t collect personal information from you directly. You can read every guide without telling us who you are.
If you email us, we get whatever you choose to send, like your name, email address, and message. We use it to reply to you.
Like most websites, our web server also keeps standard access logs (IP address, browser type, the page requested, and the time). We use them to keep the site secure and running.
Analytics and Cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 to see how the site gets used, like which guides people read and whether pages work well on phones. Google Analytics uses cookies (such as _ga) to collect things like the pages you view, your approximate location, your device and browser type, and the site that sent you here. We see this information in aggregate reports, not as a profile of you. IP anonymization is handled by GA4.
To learn more about how Google handles this data, see Google’s Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
You can opt out of Google Analytics any time:
- Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Block or clear cookies in your browser’s settings. The site works fine without them.
We may also use Google Search Console to see how the site shows up in Google Search. Search Console uses Google’s own search data and doesn’t place any cookies on our site.
If we add other analytics tools (for example, Microsoft Clarity), we’ll update this page first.
Affiliate Links and Disclosure
Some of the gear links on Higher Vantages are affiliate links through networks such as Awin and CJ (Commission Junction). If you buy something through one of those links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
When you click an affiliate link, the retailer or the affiliate network may set its own cookies to track the referral. Those cookies are covered by the retailer’s or network’s own privacy policy, not this one.
We only recommend gear we think is useful for preparedness. Commissions don’t change our recommendations.
Third-Party Links
Our guides link to other sites, like government emergency agencies, retailers, and tool makers. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we don’t control what they collect. Check their policies before you share anything with them.
Children’s Privacy
Higher Vantages isn’t directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them.
Your Choices and Rights
- Block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
- Opt out of Google Analytics with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- If you live in California or another state with its own privacy laws, you can contact us with any questions about your information at steve@highervantages.com.
We don’t sell personal information.
Changes to This Policy
If the way we handle information changes, we’ll update this page and the “Last updated” date at the top.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy or our affiliate links? Email steve@highervantages.com.
This page describes our practices. It isn’t legal advice.