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Emergency preparedness is never a fun thing to think about, but it’s something that’s worth considering. I mean, when we got hit with the tornado less than a mile away last summer, we were not quite ready for the 3 day power outage. Sure, our camping gear covered a lot of our needs, but we realized there were some things we needed to add, like additional backup batteries and lanterns. The great thing about that is that it doubles nicely as camping gear, and we’ve got a quick roundup up some offerings from FosPower.
As I mentioned, the first thing you’ll want when power goes out – whether its due to storms, high heat, or whatever the reason, is light. Without a good light source, you’re going to have trouble finding your other supplies in a darkened house or garage. For that, they’ve got their camping lantern ($35) which has a simple one-button interface, and can spread up to 1000 lumens (it’s dimmable as well). If you need overhead light – rather than table-based – you can remove the shade and use the hook on the base to hang it up, getting you versatility you might not otherwise have in a lantern. Just be sure to have D-cell batteries around, as it takes three.
Next, you might feel the need to tune in to the weather band radio and get a report of what’s going on (or, you know, even just have some tunes in the background). They’ve got a few options here, but the ones I find the most interesting are the A3 and D4. Both come in at $60 and offer solar charging via the panel on top. You can also power it via a crank or 3 AAA batteries, so you’ve got flexibility there. Really, though, that solar is key. Radios don’t take a ton of power, so even getting that trickle coming would be enough to pull in the weather report, whether you’re at home or off in the woods. If things are powered up, though, these radios can also double as power banks, which is always beneficial.
Which brings us to the last item I want to cover in this roundup – their rugged 10,000 mAh battery pack at $55. Most of the battery packs you’ll pick up are more for slipping into a bag to have with you on the go, and aren’t necessarily built to be out and exposed in the outdoors. It’s build to withstand drops, high and low temps, and even has some water resistance built in. In other words, a good deal more robust than the battery pack you may have gotten as a freebie somewhere.
Those are just a few of the items that FosPower has on offer specifically oriented for emergency preparedness; you can check out their full category right here. We’re also working to get some samples in of their more unique offerings, as they have some definite differentiators. So, be on the lookout for those hands-on reviews later this summer. fospower.com
