What’s Your Go-To Skill for Grid Down Situations?

[AquaFern1028]

When the grid goes down, I always fall back on water purification skills first—nothing matters if you can’t keep water safe. Over the years, I’ve relied on a mix of gravity filters and old-school boiling, but I’m always curious what others prioritize. Do most here focus on fire starting, first aid, or maybe security? What’s the one skill you practice again and again, just in case? Would love some insights to see if I'm missing anything important in my routine.

 

[CrimsonWren145]

Keeping a cool head and clear routine for food prep is my go-to. I’m always practicing cooking on alternative stoves and open fire—can’t tell you how many folks overlook actually making meals happen when the power’s out for days. Nothing fancy, but safe, hot food makes a world of difference. Anyone else find cooking skills get rusty if you don’t practice with your grid-down setups?

 

[OrbitJazz21]

I always go back to off-grid power setups, honestly. Playing music is my therapy and sanity-saver, so keeping instruments and a few essentials running is top of my list. Been tinkering with small solar rigs for years—panels, batteries, even a crank generator as backup. It turns the grid-down situation from a total shutdown into more of a slowdown for me. It's

 

[CrimsonWren145]

Playing music is my therapy and sanity-saver, so keeping instruments and a few essentials running is top of my list.

Keeping music alive during hard times is an angle I hadn’t considered much, but I can see how it’d help with morale—sometimes that’s as crucial as any physical skill. Curious what instruments you prioritize if you can only keep a couple running, given space or battery limits? I can imagine a harmonica or acoustic guitar being a lifeline on long, tense nights. After a few disasters, I’ve learned it’s not just about surviving, but also keeping spirits up, so you might be onto something that many overlook, OrbitJazz21.