Tell us about your emergency kits, bug out bags, and the like! (Sharing is good, it keeps us all prepared.)

Plastic tarps, staple gun (manual)- we live in FL. Spare jug of bleach, ditto vinegar. Between the two, we can turn any water into something you can wash with. A lot of coffee filters, because cold brew coffee is better than perked. Batteries and more batteries and solar charger. Solar oven. Spray paint and plywood for smarta** signs. Large bottle of Stoli, for medicinal purposes. Many beautyberry bushes, a natural insect repellant stronger than Deet. Full tank of gas and cat carriers to get out of town so we don't have to use any of the above.

Jessara wrote:Plastic tarps, staple gun (manual)- we live in FL. Spare jug of bleach, ditto vinegar. Between the two, we can turn any water into something you can wash with. A lot of coffee filters, because cold brew coffee is better than perked. Batteries and more batteries and solar charger. Solar oven. Spray paint and plywood for smarta** signs. Large bottle of Stoli, for medicinal purposes. Many beautyberry bushes, a natural insect repellant stronger than Deet. Full tank of gas and cat carriers to get out of town so we don't have to use any of the above.

I didn't know beautyberry bushes could be used as an insect repellent. How do you use then?

Does anyone know how bright the spotlight is?

michaels1715 wrote:I didn't know beautyberry bushes could be used as an insect repellent. How do you use then? ...

I've made 'tea' (water infusion), alcohol tinctures, oil infusion (heated to sterilize), and rubbed fresh leaves on my skin. Fresh juice & tea seem to work best; they don't have any scent that I can detect. Also put fresh leaves in the corners of the cats' beds, which worked fine until the cats fished them out and chased them all over the house. Sachets are next, mixed with lavender. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/Beautyberry-Natural-Insect-Repellent.aspx and http://www.eattheweeds.com/beautyberry-jelly-on-a-roll/

What is a "self-powered aluminum crank"? I'm picturing sitting in the dark and hearing the radio start cranking itself up, but I assume that it actually requires a person to crank it - unless I could convince one of the dogs to do it for me.

Jessara wrote:I've made 'tea' (water infusion), alcohol tinctures, oil infusion (heated to sterilize), and rubbed fresh leaves on my skin. Fresh juice & tea seem to work best; they don't have any scent that I can detect. Also put fresh leaves in the corners of the cats' beds, which worked fine until the cats fished them out and chased them all over the house. Sachets are next, mixed with lavender. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/Beautyberry-Natural-Insect-Repellent.aspx and http://www.eattheweeds.com/beautyberry-jelly-on-a-roll/

Wow, I am from FL and never heard about that, good tip and good to know. Also these are not the "brightest" flash lights but will get the job done, remember these are to be used in an emergency, not to tackle your weekend project in the attic , I have them just for the radio as there are other items that are specific for the job.

Huumm, Seems now we get to pay California Sales Tax. Hope that means short, short delivery time with a presence in California. Thanks, Amazon. Not the best encouragement to purchase. Sales Tax consideration always was calculated to the price savings. Gee, Golly WOW!!!!!!

I received both the radio/cellphone charger, and three way light as a gift... They are both pretty awesome to have. Yes, cranking on the radio can be a bit of a bummer, but it works, and if it gets down to human power or no power... I'd do it in a heartbeat. The light on the radio stays for a while, but is only super bright for a bit after cranking, then it is moderate. The radio works decently.

The three way light is my fave. It is great to have around the house, as it can always be a nightlight, and then when the power goes off, it is still on, which can be very important... Even a little light in the midst of a serious disaster like we get out here (earthquakes) can make a difference in getting out alive and avoiding hazards. Thankfully I've just used it for minor power outages, but it's nice to know it's there.

I was thinking of buying the black-out buddy light, but I'm afraid it may drain too much electricity sitting plugged in all the time. I think it would be nice to have for the very few times we've managed to lose power. It's usually not for long, but I like that they turn on when the power goes out. Anyone have any idea how much electricity they pull when plugged in and fully charged?

Looks like everything awe$ome is all here!!

My first woot was an Eton American Red Cross emergency radio. Memories...

FredFairOaks wrote:Huumm, Seems now we get to pay California Sales Tax. Hope that means short, short delivery time with a presence in California. Thanks, Amazon. Not the best encouragement to purchase. Sales Tax consideration always was calculated to the price savings. Gee, Golly WOW!!!!!!

Technically, if an internet vendor does not charge you the SALES tax, you as the end user is supposed to report the USE tax to the CA State Board of Equalization. For convenience, the CA state added a USE tax line on the CA state income tax return quite a few years ago.

For obvious reasons, not many people do this.

I live in DC so this will help.

i was about to buy a few of the blackout buddies, but I came accross this review on Amazon. YES, it is a different model number, but the picture looks almost identical. Because of this, I decided not to purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3B7V0FXR82WQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3B7V0FXR82WQ

The ClipRay is also a phone charger, though it doesn't say so in the headline. I'm sure it doesn't give a whole lot of time, but it'll be a good add on for day trips. Just enough for that one phone call you need to make.

In for one.

iByron

baybei wrote:I was thinking of buying the black-out buddy light, but I'm afraid it may drain too much electricity sitting plugged in all the time. I think it would be nice to have for the very few times we've managed to lose power. It's usually not for long, but I like that they turn on when the power goes out. Anyone have any idea how much electricity they pull when plugged in and fully charged?

I have a Hunter brand of this type of light. I only plug them in once a month or so, then store them. They got me thru Hurricane Irene last year when I lost power for four days.

If bad weather is coming, charge them in advance and leave them plugged in until it passes.

For power consumption, you are charging very small Li-on battery.Can't be more than a small light bulb.

computiac wrote:I have a Hunter brand of this type of light. I only plug them in once a month or so, then store them. They got me thru Hurricane Irene last year when I lost power for four days.

If bad weather is coming, charge them in advance and leave them plugged in until it passes.

For power consumption, you are charging very small Li-on battery.Can't be more than a small light bulb.

Great! Thanks for the info! I like the idea of storing them unless there is impending bad weather. We had some issues with Irene last year as well, as well as a Halloween storm that left us without power for a few days. These would have been extremely helpful. I'll go buy a couple!

inkycatz wrote:Tell us about your emergency kits, bug out bags, and the like! (Sharing is good, it keeps us all prepared.)

As I posted earlier... I do love the Blackout light. I also have some emergency candles that can burn forever (or it seems that way).
I think the BEST tools to have in an emergency are the ability to provide first aid, and a plan. It is amazing how fast humans can adapt, however, there are basic courses that can also be taken in survival, or books that can be read (and practiced).
My favorite book on it is called Country Wisdom and Know-How, though there is also one by the same people that I haven't read yet, called Survival Wisdom and Know-How.

If only your dog had opposable thumbs ;)

"Self-powered" refers to the fact that the product does not require an external power source, such as batteries. Cranking for a minute is estimated to provide 10 minutes of radio play or 30 seconds of talk time (varies depending on conditions).

The spotlight on the Road Torq is a 1 Watt LED.

The Axis probably doesn't have enough USB juice to charge an iPhone/iPad, eh?

Manufacturer's site is no help with this detail, though the manual says "5V 500", probably meaning volts/milliamps?

http://etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=1774058

http://etoncorp.com/upload/contents/307/Axis_NA_Manual_051011.pdf

karrock wrote:The Axis probably doesn't have enough USB juice to charge an iPhone/iPad, eh?

Manufacturer's site is no help with this detail, though the manual says "5V 500", probably meaning volts/milliamps?

http://etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=1774058

http://etoncorp.com/upload/contents/307/Axis_NA_Manual_051011.pdf

Yeah all USB stuff is 5 volt*. I'm sure it'll be enough to do a call and a couple hundred texts, and if you keep crank charging it you'll probably keep busy all night.
If you really want to save iPhone power and have it run faster turn off your apps; double click the home button (you know, that physical one) and a shelf will pop up on the bottom with all the open apps. Hold your finger on one long enough to make it shake, then press the red close button.

*the HP Touchpad is 5.3v so I have to lug around the special charger.

I got my clip ray today. I ordered one for me and my girlfriend because over the summer the power was out for some time and our cell phones became something we could rarely use.

The light is pretty good, bright and consistent even with only a little cranking. HOWEVER, I was unaware that the USB didn't simply charge from the battery, so you must crank it the entire time it's plugged in even if your battery is fully charged. Also, I did it for about a minute and a half with the cell phone on and it didn't charge even a single percent.

I assume the idea is to charge your phone only when it's off and for probably a ten minute stretch, but it didn't come with any specs so I don't know what sort of power it's supplying. I can only hope that if it comes down to it, it will aid in a situation like we had this summer.

If all else fails I figure it could charge my usb battery charger a bit? That thing works pretty well.

edit: I just tested it with my phone off. Cranked it for five minutes (which sucks btw) and turned it back on. Apparently it LOST three percent of the battery life in that time. Not sure what happened. I guess I'll test it again some time.

The self-powered spotlight is a STEAL at 18 bucks. I bought a couple the last time and grabbed on when the power went out this summer... WOW! Versatile, especially because of the stand, really kicks out the light. I have one in my car, and during the storms this summer kept on in my work bag for "just in case". One minute of cranking lead to 45 min of light for me. I just bought 3 more!

StarBob wrote:I got my clip ray today. I ordered one for me and my girlfriend because over the summer the power was out for some time and our cell phones became something we could rarely use.

The light is pretty good, bright and consistent even with only a little cranking. HOWEVER, I was unaware that the USB didn't simply charge from the battery, so you must crank it the entire time it's plugged in even if your battery is fully charged. Also, I did it for about a minute and a half with the cell phone on and it didn't charge even a single percent.

I assume the idea is to charge your phone only when it's off and for probably a ten minute stretch, but it didn't come with any specs so I don't know what sort of power it's supplying. I can only hope that if it comes down to it, it will aid in a situation like we had this summer.

If all else fails I figure it could charge my usb battery charger a bit? That thing works pretty well.

edit: I just tested it with my phone off. Cranked it for five minutes (which sucks btw) and turned it back on. Apparently it LOST three percent of the battery life in that time. Not sure what happened. I guess I'll test it again some time.

Hmmm... Maybe you were cranking it the wrong way? ;P
Okay... being serious. When I turn off my iPhone and turn it on, it does always seem to lose % points (when not connected to anything). I've found the easiest way to conserve battery was to turn auto-brightness on, and also dim the overall brightness to about 1/3. It also helps with eye fatigue if using it a lot.
As far as the charger part, mine works, so I'm wondering if it might be an issue with the connector... Maybe try with another device and see.

wingedsurfgirl wrote:Hmmm... Maybe you were cranking it the wrong way? ;P
Okay... being serious. When I turn off my iPhone and turn it on, it does always seem to lose % points (when not connected to anything). I've found the easiest way to conserve battery was to turn auto-brightness on, and also dim the overall brightness to about 1/3. It also helps with eye fatigue if using it a lot.
As far as the charger part, mine works, so I'm wondering if it might be an issue with the connector... Maybe try with another device and see.

You were joking, but later on I tried it (with the phone still on but not displaying obviously) turning it only clockwise and only counter clockise. The clockwise spin for a few minutes did nothing. The counter clockwise spin for a minute or so yielded one percent.

That's hardly conclusive, but it may be true...

I ordered several of the Blackout Buddy Night Lights to replace some aging incandescent ones we have on our stairs and bathrooms.

They seem to be well-built and quite compact. All the functions seem to work as designed, and the flashlight is very bright.

However, the nightlight is cool-white and very harsh. It needs to be a warmer color, and more diffuse. These are fine for halls and bathrooms, but I wouldn't use one as a nightlight in a kids room.

All things considered, I'm happy with them and feel like they were a good value. They are a vast improvement over the old incandescent emergency/night lights they replaced.

Received it today. Cranked it two time and handle broke off. Didn't even turn it hard. Crap