BUYING GUIDE
Blackout Prep: A Practical Checklist
Most people think about backup power for the first time in the middle of a storm warning — by then, it's too late to research and order anything. Here's what actually matters to have sorted before the season starts.
Before storm season
- Size your station to your real needs. Know what you actually need to keep running — a fridge, a router, medical equipment — and make sure your station's capacity covers a realistic multi-day outage, not just a few hours. See our watt-hour guide if you haven't sized this out yet.
- Fully charge it and leave it charged. A power station sitting at 40% when the storm hits does you no good. Most stations hold their charge well when idle — check yours periodically (monthly is a reasonable habit) rather than assuming it's ready.
- Test it before you need it. Actually plug in your fridge or router once, ahead of time, and confirm it powers on correctly and behaves as expected. The worst time to discover a compatibility issue is mid-outage.
- Have your charging cables organized and accessible. AC charging cable, solar cable if you have a panel, car charging cable — keep them together in one bag so you're not searching during a blackout.
- Consider an extra battery or a solar panel if your outages tend to run multi-day rather than multi-hour — this is the difference between riding out a few hours and genuinely lasting through an extended event.
During the outage
- Prioritize ruthlessly. Run only what you actually need — a fridge and a phone charger matter far more than a TV. Cutting non-essentials early extends your runtime significantly.
- Cycle high-draw items instead of running them constantly. A fridge doesn't need continuous power to stay cold — running it a few hours on, a few hours off, keeps food safe while stretching your battery considerably further.
- Keep the station somewhere ventilated and out of direct rain or extreme heat if you're outdoors or in a garage — battery performance and longevity both suffer in extreme temperatures.
After the outage
- Recharge fully as soon as power (or sun) is available again — don't leave it partially charged for the next event.
- Do a quick equipment check — cables, connectors, and the unit itself — before storing it away for next time.
The theme across all of this: the actual prep work happens weeks before the storm, not during it. If you're still deciding what capacity makes sense for your home, our Buying Guide is a good next stop.