# Black out kit. I need mine in one place.



## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

I have a lot of this stuff but much of it is spread out. This article motivates me to go buy a big plastic box to store a lot of it in rather than hunt around the house for it.

Flashlights - Flashlights are the basic building block to a black out kit and are invaluable when it comes to existing in a grid down situation. The quality and brightness of flashlights are getting better all the time while the cost continues to drop. Many flashlights today utilize LED bulbs which are extremely durable, super bright, and use very little power. When you find yourself in the dark - you need bright lights that will last as long as possible. I highly recommend LED lights.









Battery Operated Lanterns - Very much like flashlights described above - lanterns provide light over a wider area. For illuminating a large area battery operated lanterns work exceedingly well. Oil lamps can also work well however there is a much greater risk of fire using them compared to battery operated. LED lanterns are more expensive however they provide much more light and sip power out of batteries.









Lightsticks - These chemically activated lightstick provide dim light with no heat and using no energy for several hours. If unfamiliar - these liquid-filled plastic tubes are bent and shaken to activate. Available in different colors - these are very popular with kids which could help alleviate worries and concerns with them. Lightsticks are very inexpensive however they do have an expiration date so check the package.









Candles - It goes without saying but I have to say it - SAFETY FIRST. Burning candles obviously exposes the environment to open flame and it only takes a moment to ignite the wrong thing and the power outage now becomes much more serious. With that said - candles can be used safely to provide soft light to illuminate areas for a long period of time. Jar candles are my personal favorite.









Can Opener - Most any household contains enough food to last a family 3-4 days. Commonly much of that food is in cans. Should the power fail electric can openers will no longer work. Having a manual can opener will allow access to those valuable canned goods. A simple and inexpensive tool that will be very valuable should the grid go down.









Propane Canisters - Cooking certainly becomes more difficult without electricity. As an avid camper - I have a portable camp stove that runs on small propane canisters. These inexpensive camp stoves can be used outside to cook very similar to a conventional stove top. Having a couple of propane canisters in your Black Out Kit to fuel a camp stove will be very comforting should you find yourself trying to figure out how to cook soup with no electricity.









750 Watt Power Inverter - An Inverter is a fantastic device which converts DC power (battery) to AC power (household). Having an inverter provides the ability to operate a variety of devices such as box fans, electric lights, small power tools, and other electronic devices such as radios and computers. A couple years ago a power outage happened in the middle of summer and it was HOT. I hooked up my inverter to one of my vehicles and was able to run a box fan, DVD player and small TV for several hours. I had to start the vehicle to recharge the battery several times but dealing with the heat and boredom was much improved.









Battery Operated AM/FM Radio - Being able to get news during a black out could be very critical depending on the nature of the situation. Having a small battery powered AM/FM radio with spare batteries will provide access to news updates as well as entertainment listening to music. In addition to the common AM/FM bands - some radio's can receive special weather bands which provide weather forecasts and emergency information 24 hours a day.









Portable DVD Player - Certainly not a necessity - a portable DVD player can help entertain the kids in a difficult situation or take the edge off of a stressful one for yourself. Most models can be plugged in a vehicle cigarette lighter adapter for recharging and can play an entire movie when fully charged.









Butane Lighters and Matches - Why a butane lighter? For fire of course. Lighting up a candle or starting a camp stove is difficult rubbing two sticks together. Matches - which are super cheap - serve the same purpose and are just another option.









Extra rechagable batteries- It is very important to store extra batteries for each battery-powered device. Difficult to listen to your local AM news station without batteries in that radio. Put away several spares and always buy high quality alkaline.









Solar panel to recharge batteries during daylight hours.









So - there are a couple examples to consider when putting together your own Black Out Kit. Consider your own situation and build it as big or as small as you wish.

*A few other things to consider: *
DO NOT open refrigerators and freezers unless absolutely necessary. Every time they are opened valuable cold air escapes.
Have food available that simple meals can be made from. A few examples are soup, pasta and spaghetti sauce, and of course everyone's favorite peanut butter and jelly. Hot cocoa and coffee is also usually a welcome addition.
BatteryChargers - With so many devices capable of being charged via USB plugs - have a couple of USB adapters that can plug into the cigarette lighter or 12V power outlet in your vehicle. Being able to charge up a tablet PC, cell phone, or book reader would be nice to be able to do with the grid down.
Fire Extinguisher - Have a fire extinguisher available. You never know what may happen - and lighting matches and using candles certainly increases the risk of fire.
Generators are certainly a welcome addition to supplies when the power fails. Even small generators often can power a refrigerator along with a few other things at the same time. Before purchasing read up on what your power requirements are and make sure you have plenty of fuel stored away.
Helping neighbors - It is very likely that your neighbors will be less prepared than yourself. Be the hero and put back a few extra flashlights and batteries to help your neighbor.
Heat in the Winter - Portable propane heaters using the same canisters that a camp stove uses are fantastic for heating small areas. Kerosene heaters as well can work well. Either one require fuel be stored away for use later.

It is not a question of When the power will go out - but for how long and how bad the situation will be. Regardless, the better you prepare now the easier it will be to deal with later on.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

We keep a cheap LED mini lantern in each room ($6 at Walmart). That gives us enough light to get the other back up lighting going. they give off a surprising amount of light.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

I have LED lights hung in every room. 
lots of tea lights too.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks Moby....good post!


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

I just looked and I have a Glock .45 next to my bed with no flashlight.
What the hell kind of prepper am I???
Gotta fix that.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Moby, something worth considering is to incorporate your black-out kit into a BOB, as we have. A few hand lights in different rooms and one LED battery powered clamp light at the computer desk, with the majority of our lanterns with batteries in a pack ready to toss in a vehicle. A red duffel bag has primarily first-aid, hand lights, batteries, toiletries, hand sanitizer, and other items.

I felt this system would suit our situation rather well, being we have severe thunderstorms and occasional tornado activity throughout the summer, as well as fairly frequent blackouts. It keeps these essential items transportable, and being many of these items (first aid/batteries) don't store well at the higher temps you will find in a vehicle during summer months, keeping them indoors prolongs their useful life. I also have a large pack with my daily carry items which includes several lights and batteries, first aid, sanitation items, and a host a survival gear, so if all else fails, my pack can take care of the basic needs for several people for a few days. And, not all our eggs are in one basket, either.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Somthing I have recently upgraded my black out preps for is the possibility of the black out being long term and due to a high altitude nuclear detonation and the resultant EMP burst. I Don't know for sure that my cardboard boxes wrapped in aluminum foil and nested to provide at least two layers and having the electronic items insulated from the aluminum of course will work. Research online leaves your head spinning and there are at least four different schools of thought on what it takes to protect from emp. But Wrapping most of my flashlights and sensitive spare electronics up, and purchasing a few spare ignition coils for my small engines and wrapping them up certainly makes me feel better. And until I can afford better I have done what I can in the event EMP is the cause of the power outage problem.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I am slowly integrating dual power throughout the house. We still have grid main power, but as I add a circuit here or there we are using more and more solar power through dedicated wiring and outlets. 

A photocell triggered relay turns on LED lighting in every room at dusk. Not a lot, but just what is needed to get around without stumbling in the dark. This system functions whether grid power is available or not.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

As others have point out elsewhere, a reflector to direct the light (cheap aluminum pan or foil) is a good idea too.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Moby76065 said:


> .
> Flashlights - Flashlights are the basic building block to a black out kit and are invaluable when it comes to existing in a grid down situation. The quality and brightness of flashlights are getting better all the time while the cost continues to drop.


I have about 20 or so of these MXDL lights... they are 3 watts (very bright) and use just one AAA battery! I have one in every car, backpack, nightstand, medicine cabinet, kitchen junk drawer, desk drawer, fireplace mantle, bookshelf, etc. etc.

I also have one clipped inside my right front jeans pocket 100% of the time, and I DO MEAN *100%* of the time!!

WELL WORTH the 3 or so bucks they cost!


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## Xanadu (Jul 24, 2012)

Linctex, where did you find those lights?


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## emilnon (May 8, 2012)

Xanadu said:


> Linctex, where did you find those lights?


Yeah, what Xanadu said!!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Xanadu said:


> Linctex, where did you find those lights?


6 years ago wal-mart had some Dorcy LED "Luxeon" flashlights in a clearance section, I bought all they had for $8 each. 
I was so impressed with Luxeon technology that I started to buy various other lights to find which ones are worth owning.

After buying one of the MXDL 3watt AAA lights on eBay, I promptly bought more. They are easy to find, just search goolge or ebay for MXDL 3 watt AAA. they have a longer version that uses two AAA but I have not tried it yet. This little one gets pulled from the edge of my front pants pocket 20 times a day for various reasons, even if it is just to look in the dark depths under my desk for an almond that rolled away, LOL!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

For blackout purposes I have some 1/4" x 2' x 4' sections of plywood to put over smaller windows. I also have some 4' x 8' sections of plywood to put in front of bigger windows. I'll have the blinds drawn and the curtains in front of the blinds.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks for the list, Moby. After a power outage this summer I learned I was woefully unprepared - we couldn't put our hands on a single flashlight, yet we use them all the time. But you can't go looking for them in the dark! And the spares in "the drawer" (everyone has one of those drawers, don't they?) all had dead batteries.

My list is a little different than yours, but I like being able to see what everyone else does. The key for me now it to have everything in one place, and to get everyone in the family to not raid the supplies without putting stuff back (that's the hardest part!) Also, we have things like solar lanterns and solar radios, and I want to get the kids on a monthly schedule of checking those things and making sure they're recharged and ready to go.


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## AnonyManx (Oct 2, 2012)

We have several lanterns, some fluorescent and some LED. My favorite has a little solar panel on the top - set it in the sun to charge it.
http://www.amazon.com/d-light-S10-Solar-LED-Lantern/dp/B004B924OG/
It's durable, too. DS (age 3) loves to carry it around. It occasionally get banged or dropped. No problem.

We're also adding some kerosene lanterns to our supply of stuff...


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Aluminum foil works great for blackout blinds. We used to put it on our windows in Alaska in the summer so we could get to sleep.

We had a blackout in houston one time and my house was the only one on the block with lights. I had a ups for the computer and when the power went out I plugged in a lamp. The neighbors were wondering why we still had power. I told them to pay their bills.... LOL


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We don't have many flashlights but a ton of kerosene and oil lamps. Even a few old hurricane lamps my grandma had while growing up! Our power goes out frequently in the winter (thankfully we have gas heat/stove) so we stock up on wicks and oil/kerosene.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

One thing we did this Fall was to start switching all our flashlights to LED. Battery life is so improved and light is better. Found some real deals on mini mag lights in twin packs for Christmas. 

To achieve privacy we have insulated boards cut to fit windows. This keeps light hidden in house and aids in heat retention.


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## Paltik (Nov 20, 2012)

We used to have frequent blackouts caused by tyhpoons. Oh, the things we would do as a family to entertain us when we couldn't go anywhere and there was no TV or Internet! The kids apparently had so much fun during this serendipitous "family time" that sometimes we would catch them turning off all the lights and shutting the doors to an interior hall and playing "blackout."

Consider adding entertainment items beyond the (battery-operated) DVD player, such as playing cards or table games.

Also, we had battery-powered lanterns that we would leave plugged in that would automatically turn themselves on when the power went out.

Finally, in our case the water would also often go out with the electricity; if this applies to you, stockpile water or have ways to collect water when the power might go out (in our case we knew a storm was coming and would fill up the barrels and buckets).


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