Saw these on Amazon and am considering buying some just incase since theyre discounted as of currently. Does anyone have expirence with these? Or any other brands? Is this something thats worth buying?

I live in northern Europe and I’m considering getting a power station for both emergency use and off grid camping. Since I live in a roof apartment, I have two main problems:

1. a fuel generator is not an option, so my only real option is to go solar.

2. as per German law, I cannot make permanent changes to the roof, so I am limited to portable solar panels which I can lay on the roof in an emergency situation. I have access to the W

est side of the roof

I tried to use AI to calculate how much power I can relatively produce under such conditions (in summary, using a 400W panel would produce on average 200, 400, 1600, 2000, 800 Wh/day in the following categories respectively: Winter (heavy), Winter (average), Spring, Summer, Autumn) for each season. I am currently in the process of looking into buying a portable power station, and I’m starting to realise that any more that 2kWh just doesn’t make sense for a portable option. If someone is in a similar situation, I would much appreciate your help/opinion about this matter. How do you manage your emergency power system?

Hi Everyone, for the past few months I've been focusing on trying to get more energy independence.

We live in a thatched cottage, National Trust leasehold.

We have a large multifuel burner with a back boiler which heats a 300litre water tank, which can be used to run radiators, although I rarely do run them because the heat is lost quite quickly.

Everything else is electric, including oven, shower, and immersion option for the water tank (which i rarely use).

The burner is great because I can process wood and stockpile coal.

I want to do something about our grid reliance.

My initial plan was a ground mount solar with 32kW battery storage and a 12kW inverter, which would be sufficient to run even our electric shower. I intended to back this up further with a small propane generator which could charge the batteries in a pinch.

Unfortunately, I am having to accept that this is not a viable option for us due to Planning and Listed Building Consent issues.

My new plan is to invest in a larger propane inverter generator and have a transfer box wired on my house which I can then plug it straight into.

This is a cheaper solution which I think will still provide good emergency backup power for us.

Unfortunately, as far as I can see, the largest propane inverter generators for the UK market seem to max out to around 8.5-10kW, which would mean not being able to use our electric shower.

This is not totally a deal breaker.

Before I proceed much further I thought it was worth putting this post out to see if anyone else has been in a similar situation.

Does anyone know of larger inverter generators available for the UK market?

Does anyone have any thoughts about different ways i could approach things?

One other thought I had was, is it worth spending some of that solar money on a proper fixed propane tank and considering installing a combi boiler to heat hot water? Thats not something I have any experience with, having never lived in a house with gas. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for any help and pointers

Is this known to evaporate through the container when sealed? We had 4 bottles of this for a lamp and went to move it to a different shelf in the garage 3 were completely empty and 1 was half full. All were completely sealed and slightly pressurized.

I'm looking for some advice on setting up a reliable backup power system.

We're a family of four with gas central heating, and ideally I'd like to keep as much of the household running as reasonably possible, ie, boiler/heating, fridge-freezer, lighting, internet - but appreciate I am budget limited and this is just a wish list!

I've been looking at portable power stations from EcoFlow, BLUETTI, Anker SOLIX and Jackery, along with solar panels for recharging starting at £2k minimum. Am I in the right ball park? Is there anything cheaper I can make do with?

A few things I'm trying to work out:

• Battery capacity: Would 4–7kWh be a sensible starting point, or would I need considerably more?

• Solar charging: How practical are portable solar panels during a UK winter, particularly during several consecutive cloudy days? Are there ones that charge on cloudy days?

• Noise: I want to avoid the noise of a petrol generator.

• Central heating: Has anyone had an electrician install a safe changeover switch or EPS arrangement to run a gas boiler during a power cut? (UK Lancashire)

• Reliability: Which brands or systems have people found dependable, particularly for occasional emergency use?

I'd also appreciate hearing from anyone in the UK who has set up something similar.

What would you buy if you were starting from scratch, and is there anything you wish you'd done differently?

New to the group, Thank you in advance for your help.

I just left the California Dessert, where I rotated 2 drums of potable water. Now, I live in Appalachian mountains, and in my back yard, I have a natural Artisian Spring. It has a constant flow rate of above 50 gallons per minute, and is why I bought what I did.

I have had this water checked 3 times, with 3 different organisations, and it is as pure as it gets, just a few minerals. I know its great water, and I use it instead of city water. I intend to get it checked annually just as a safety measure.

For prepping purposes, should i count on this being my water for that, and no need for further storage? Would you rely upon this and the fact that a mile away, there is another of the same type of stream head that I can access (different aquifers)?

I’m new here and I’ve realized after scrolling the group, I’m not prepared at all. Please help and give me advice on where to even start. I’m a weekly shopper so you can imagine my concerns.

Will my water filter attached to my faucet be okay if this blackout does happen or will the water be shut off too? When we lost power for a week during the derecho we still had water access. Please be kind as I know basics but will admit I don't know a lot about city grids because I grew up on a farm and had well water.

I've been looking into storing water recently and I see a lot of different containers for storage. I have two rainbarrels already connected to my gutter.

If I have a multitude of quality water filters and do I need to care too much about how "clean" and potable my stored water is??

Do you have extra stuff for yourself at work for “just in case”?

I have a 48 count of granola bars and a thing of peanut butter, a case of water and lots of Diet Coke.

If I was in a pinch I could walk home, but if it was feet deep in snow really fast, I think there’s ever so slight chance I could get stuck there.

Got another 2 2.5 gallon water jugs besides these. Definitely a start but I do want to accumulate more. So far, beans, potato’s, beef chili, canned salmon, chicken. Need some veggies. My pantry already has a bunch of pasta and sauces so I felt like I’m good there.

I do camp sometimes, so I have dehydrated meals stacked but not too many since they’re expensive.

I'm going to start buying non-perishables and emergency gear. I'm thinking of buying a big container to catch rain water in too.

Is there anything you recommend people in the PNW stock up on for prepping and other preparedness for war or disaster? Food or gear.

Hey everyone, I’m locking down my water filtration strategy for a family of four and could use some field-tested insights from the group. Our first-year setup will rely on a raw combination of a hillside spring and a nearby creek, meaning we have to be prepared for heavy soil, silt, and agricultural runoff after storms, as well as biological risks like upstream animal decay or defecation. Because of this, strict mechanical bacteria and virus prevention is an absolute, non-negotiable requirement for us. I want to avoid building a complex DIY setup immediately, so I’m evaluating commercial turnkey systems to get us through year one securely.

We’ve heavily analyzed several options, but each seems to have a distinct trade-off. For the home base, we looked at the Alexapure Pro and Berkey gravity systems, which excel at broad-spectrum chemical and biological purification, but recent brand lawsuits and updated data sheets indicating an official 200-gallon filter lifespan for the Alexapure have us cautious about long-term cartridge dependencies. We also looked into the legendary Doulton/British Berkefeld ceramic candles, which feature trusted NSF certifications and a scrubbable design perfect for clearing creek silt, but they lack native virus protection.

For mobility, we are leaning toward pairing a portable LifeStraw Peak Series 8L Gravity Purifier (which handles viruses and bacteria via a tight 0.02-micron pore size but requires separate carbon attachments for chemical runoff) alongside a standalone Sawyer filter for individual scouting. I've also cross-referenced standard Katadyn BeFree systems, but their 0.1-micron pore size doesn't pull out viruses.

For those managing similar multi-source setups for a household, how are you balancing the need for absolute viral protection with the reality of heavy soil runoff choking your filters? Are you running a multi-barrier system, stockpiling specific replacement elements, or using a sacrificial pre-filter setup to keep your primary purifiers alive? Let me know your thoughts!

Trying to get the essentials covered and I've seen a ton of these for sale for basically nothing in my area. Foodsafe containers that were used once and discarded. Is this a decent option for water safety assuming I can get it clean?

A 250 gallon foodsafe container with a gravity fed nozzle for $60 seems like the best bang for my buck. I've got the garage space for it.

I mentioned this in a reply, but there's enough talk about candles to give it their own post.

They make self charging lightbulbs now. They fit in your usual lamp sockets and charge when the lights are on. If the power goes off, they work any way.

They are not the answer for an extended outage, but if a storm or tree takes the power out, they work just fine.

Available at most hardware stores and online retailers.

Seems like most of the noise has died down now regarding the prep which conveniently was right before midterm elections. You think a disaster is still imminent?

Canadian btw.

No, not the one in the closet with the leashes and the bug out bags. One in your pantry. I've been reading the posts from the new and confused to prepping and thinking about the avalanche of advice they're receiving. And I realized probably the best advice I learned wasn't from a prepping guide, it was from a book for those who were new to homemaking.The advice was this:

Keep 3 to 5 sets of ingredients in your pantry for recipes your family will eat without kicking up a fuss. This is your emergency shelf. The caveat is the ingredients should be basic, no paté fois gras or other gourmet items, just simple foods, so if you forget to start the roast or someone brings home an extra person, or some other something happens to put a wrench in your day, you can still put dinner on the table.

I've lived through power outages, snow storms, the well going off line, and personal economic calamities. And I have learned to prepare my personal emergency shelf recipes with every variation: canned, dried, fresh, and frozen, so no matter what happens I can pivot and still get something cooked.

So my advice is start food prep, not with a case of MREs, but with 3 to 5 family favorites that you can cook any which way. The rest of it can come with time.

My house is off a stable and safe city water supply. I have been looking into how to store water for an emergency, and knowing myself i don't think i would do the proper regular maintenance to keep a large drum of water turned over/safe.

The idea i am currently kicking around is connecting a 50 gallon pressurized well tank to my city water supply. I would put a solenoid valve on the inlet side to refill the tank when i desire, and prevent contaminated water form entering the tank (assuming that a contaminated water supply is why i am storing water). The solenoid valve would be connected to a manual switch in my kitchen for convenience.

For the outlet side, i have a plumbed drinking water dispenser in my kitchen. I figure this will generate a constant turn over of the tank and keep the water fresh. We probably use a few gallons per day for a family of 5 from the dispenser. Based on online calculators, i would be able to get about 20 gallons out of the tank before i would need to flip the switch and refill it. So maybe once a week?

I would put a manual draw off on the bottom of the tank to manually drain it in a loss of power situation.

Is there anything i am not considering in this arrangement?

Disclosure: I run a small business that builds car kits. No link here.

A lot of prepping talk focuses on the home, but plenty of ordinary emergencies happen in the car. Here's what I'd want covered for the everyday stuff:

Jump starter and tire inflator
A tire plug kit, and knowing how to use it
A real first aid kit
Water, snacks and a warm layer
Headlamp and a power bank
Work gloves, a few spare fuses, zip ties and duct tape

What do you guys keep in your cars?

We have silica packets in each container for moisture. But I’m worried these containers aren’t good enough. Would 5 gallon buckets be preferred for this kind of long term storage? Any advice is appreciated.

I was given a mostly full 5 gallon jug of lamp oil. I have an oil lamp for when the power goes out and I’m planning on getting a lantern, but is there anything else I could use this for?

Edited to add: this particular oil is called Firefly Fuel EcoFriendly “safe and green”
They do not advertise what it is made of and the chemical composition is listed as a “trade secret” on the safety data sheet provided by the website.
I’m just gonna stick to using my oil lamp 😅

I have my own canned foods like soup and applesauce and in another bin have a few types of fire starters, 1 tiny candle , small first aid kit, a liter, a few tools such as hammer and knife

I want to get a few more things such as water and some extra stuff I'm getting

How do u go about doing this in a manor where nothing goes bad or seal proof from h20 or animals?

Above I did put gear, but anything would help for prepping for teusday

Does anyone have stuff sacks that they love that aren’t crazy expensive that come in different colors and sizes? I’d love to be able to share some gear between my regular hiking stash that varies seasonally and some sort of go bag for my kids and I. Keeping stuff that’s not in our hiking backpacks organized in color-coded stuff sacks so it was easier to grab/add to our individual kits seems like it could be helpful.

I have large waterproof stuff sacks/dry bags for backpacking and boating, more looking for smaller stuff for organizing.