Whats Your Go-To Backup When the Power Goes Out?
When the grid goes down, my first move is always to get the oil lamps and LED lanterns out. I keep rechargeable batteries topped off with a small solar setup, but I still worry about how long that's going to last in a real long-term outage. I do have a small generator for the freezer and fridge, but fuel storage is always a challenge (gotta rotate and keep it safe).
For cooking, it's usually the camp stove or fire pit, though I’ve tried out my solar oven a couple times—works great for bread and stews on sunny days. Water won’t pump without electricity, so I rely on a gravity-fed Berkey and a rain barrel system for backup.
Curious what systems or gadgets people here trust most when the power’s out for days or more. Anybody had luck with those hand crank generators for small electronics? Or maybe some off-grid trick I haven’t tried yet? Just trying to figure out if there’s something more reliable or less hassle than lugging out gas cans or dealing with solar panels in bad weather.
For cooking, it's usually the camp stove or fire pit, though I’ve tried out my solar oven a couple times—works great for bread and stews on sunny days. Water won’t pump without electricity, so I rely on a gravity-fed Berkey and a rain barrel system for backup.
Curious what systems or gadgets people here trust most when the power’s out for days or more. Anybody had luck with those hand crank generators for small electronics? Or maybe some off-grid trick I haven’t tried yet? Just trying to figure out if there’s something more reliable or less hassle than lugging out gas cans or dealing with solar panels in bad weather.
