What’s Your Go-To Backup Power Solution?

[BlueSkyWanderer]

With all the chatter about grid instability lately, I’m wondering what everyone’s backup power plan is these days. I’ve been looking at solar generators, but the price tags are no joke, and I’m not sure how well they hold up long-term. Has anyone here actually relied on them for a full blackout scenario? Would love to hear which setups folks trust and any regrets or lessons learned. Trying to decide between cobbling together my own system or just buying a turnkey kit.

 

[MarigoldBreeze]

Solar’s great in theory but cloud cover can really mess it up—my old gas generator is loud but always starts. Anyone tried mixing solar and propane for more reliability?

 

[OrbitJazz21]

Mixing solar with propane is actually what I ended up doing at my cabin. Solar works beautifully most of the time—keeps my music gear, fridge, and lights going for days, and I love not having to worry about fuel storage. But yeah, the minute we get a solid stretch of clouds or a surprise storm, I’m grateful for the propane generator as backup. It’s quieter than my old gas

 

[AquaFern1028]

I’ve leaned into solar with a small DIY setup, mostly because I like tinkering and knowing exactly what’s wired where. It covers my fridge and some lights, but I do keep a little propane stove handy for cooking just in case. Clouds definitely slow things down—OrbitJazz21’s right about that. Anyone else find their battery bank not lasting as long as they hoped, or did I cheap out on mine?