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Posted:  2/27/2013 10:35 AM #36674
CTD Blogger

Joined: 7/14/2009
Posts: 10828
Last Post: 8/20/2014
Subject: 5 Essential Pieces of Gear to Get You Comfortably through a Winter Power Outage
( Around 3 years ago here in New England we had a pretty serious winter ice storm that knocked my power out for around a week and in many close-by areas they were without power for 2 weeks. From that experience I realized I was woefully unprepared for winter. Sure, I had plenty of food and water storage, and I had a wealth of wilderness survival experience to draw on if I needed. I would simply have to make a winter shelter for my wife and 2 year old…yeah right.

My wife packed up the kid and went to her mother’s.

I on the other hand, decided to “man it” at home to ensure that the house was taken care of (drain pipes, clear fallen limbs and debris etc).

At night I would sleep in my sleeping bag and during the day I’d start a fire in my fireplace (which is inadequate for warming up an entire house).

Eventually I had to pack it up and head to my Dad’s where he had the internet so I could get some work done (as well as a warm shower).

Experience breeds wisdom

What did I learn from that? Well, it was time for some new preps.

Sure, if needed we could have survived. I could have blocked off the room where the fireplace is, set up any number of improvised mattress shelters (which are killer indoor shelters btw), and with plenty of food and water and a place to cook and heat it we would have been fine.

But, it’s not just about surviving, but thriving in tough times remember? (see tag-line)

Now fast-forward three years to the present day and we get hit with a good-sized winter storm (we got 15 inches where I live) that knocks out our power again.

Did that past experience breed some present-day wisdom? Absolutely. Here are some new preps that made all the difference (and kept my wife and kids at home with me :) ):

5 essential pieces of gear that got us comfortably through a winter power outage

Generator (Energy)

For energy production I now have a generator.

The one I ended up buying is a Yamaha EF2000is. I actually had it custom built by to allow it to run off of 3 different types of fuels: Propane, Gasoline, and Natural Gas.

This is perfect since I have around five 25lb propane bottles that will get me through at least 1 1/2 weeks of power loss and I plan on purchasing more.

As a side note, propane is a great fuel source since unlike gasoline it won’t go stale, and it can be stored practically forever.

Also during a major power outage, I always see the gas stations teeming with people around the clock filling up their gas cans whereas I hardly see anyone at the propane refilling stations.

In other words, if resupply were down for a short while, gasoline would be the first to go.

The generator will run my fridge, tv, some lights and my pellet stove without issue — all my family needs for a comfortable time through the coldest of nights.

And given that it is an inverter-type generator it will power my computer without harming any sensitive electrical components (it produces a pure sine wave much like the grid’s electricity).

If I needed more power, it also has the ability to be run in parallel with another matching EF2000is for 3600 running watts (4000 max) of power. Plenty enough for most any application.

One of the other things that really attracted me to it, is how quiet it is. With a range of 51 – 60 dB of sound (depending on load) it’s one of the quietest generators on the market (comparible to Honda’s EU2000i) — an ideal feature during a SHTF situation if discreetness were to become a priority.

Oil Lamps (Lighting)

My favorite types of lighting during a power outage are oil lamps. These can be found in most of your big-name hardware stores for under $10.

Not only do they burn paraffin oil (what is typically sold with it) but it will burn any of your cooking oils you may have as well (olive, vegetable, etc). They are bright, effective and the oil will last a long time.

In a pinch, remember that you can easily make your own homemade lamps from everyday objects.

Pellet Stove & Big Buddy Heater (Heating)

For heating, I primarily use my pellet stove. It doesn’t draw much power (starting watts is 400 running is just around 200) so it’s perfect in conjunction with a generator.

At night, when we’re all tucked away upstairs, I use the Big Buddy Heater. This also runs on propane and on medium it kicks out enough heat to warm up my upstairs without an issue.

If long-term heating were required I do have a wood-burning stove given to me by a good friend of mine. However, I don’t have the proper piping at this time to vent it through my chimney – so that is still on the list to get done.

Rocket Stove (Cooking)

For cooking I primarily use my rocket stoves (see the reviews for the Stovetec and EcoZoom here).

Since I have a fireplace, it allows me to easily cook inside. Here’s a pic of me cooking up some breakfast during the power outage (btw cast-iron pans are perfect for rocketstoves):

For fuel, while I do have stored/seasoned wood, there is so much of it on my property in the form of dead trees and branches that it would take a lifetime to deplete it since the rocket stoves are so efficient.

As another redundancy, I also have a propane camp stove, however I like to save the propane for heat and energy production since there is so much wood for cooking.


So if you’re not yet prepared for a power outage, where do you start?

Since most grid-down situations are usually resolved in under 2 weeks, I would first start by getting yourself prepared for at least a 2-week power outage. You’ll want to cover each of the four areas that our grid provides: energy, heating, lighting, and cooking (if cooling is a major worry instead of cold winters, just replace heating for cooling).

Once your 2-weeks are secure, start considering what you’d do in longer-term power outages. As you do so, keep in mind what would be most beneficial for your location/environment and living area.

Also consider what natural resources you may have available since these will be what will carry you through long-term emergencies.

For example, you may be in an area that gets a lot of sun or perhaps wind. If that’s the case solar or wind power might be an option for you.

Or if you, like me, have lots of wood or bio-waste then gassification is a definite consideration. Or any combination of those may be good for you.

So what type of setups do you guys have? Any particular preparations you have that get you through power outages? I’d love to hear from your experiences so we can all benefit, so please comment.

Posted:  2/27/2013 2:31 PM #36683

Joined: 5/2/2012
Posts: 2063
Last Post: 9/30/2014
Yes, for catastrophic, long term outages, SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situations, or devastating natural disasters, take the advice given above to heart. However...
Most winter power outages only last a day or 2 at most. For a common, everyday, garden variety power outage, you just grab the dog, your spouse, significant other, or FWB, journey to a nearby city where the power is still on, board the pooch in a nearby kennel, and then find a nice All-Suites resort with a decent restaurant attached to check in to for a few days. Enjoy.

Posted:  7/14/2013 3:51 PM #38422

Joined: 7/14/2013
Posts: 1
Last Post: 7/14/2013
If you live in an area where it gets cold, get a heat-absorbing woodstove (and some firewood obviously), propane stove, LED lights and a bunch of lithium batteries, they last forever. Heat, cooking and lighting sorted.
I'd also consider a propane generator or a tri-fuel generator for electricity to keep the fridge on and what not. Why a propane generator you ask? Because you can store propane indefinitely without spoilage, unlike gasoline. Propane generators can also usually use natural gas by default and it's not hard to enable them to use gasoline either. And if it's really an end of the world type situation like a major hurricane or blizzard that cuts off power for a bit longer, you can build a biogas digester or a woodgas generator and it'll run on that just fine.
So say we all

Posted:  11/8/2013 4:30 PM #39621
Chadley Ortiz

Joined: 11/8/2013
Posts: 5
Last Post: 11/8/2013
I think the best possible thing to do when you get a generator is to get a conversion kit to make it run on propane or natural gas. Reason being is understanding what no power does. Gas pumps dont work! have fun trying to get gasoline when you could have a propane tank that runs longer than gas tank will last you. Plus it is like way cleaner! Bought mine at

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