power outage kit — what you actually need ready

Every outage I've lived through has taught me the same lesson: you either have your stuff together before the lights go out, or you're stumbling around in the dark trying to find a flashlight that may or may not have batteries in it. There is no in-between.

This is the kit I keep. Not a theoretical list from someone who read a FEMA brochure. This is what sits in a labeled plastic tote by my back door, ready to go. Some of it I've used during real outages. Some of it I've used during ice storms, hurricanes, and one very memorable transformer explosion at 3 AM on a Tuesday. All of it has earned its place.

I'll walk through every category, tell you exactly what I keep, and give you the budget version and the comprehensive version. You can build a solid basic kit for under $200. If you want the full setup, you're looking at $500 to $800. Either way, it's cheaper than one ruined freezer full of food.

why you need a kit (and not just "stuff around the house")

Here's what happens without a kit: the power goes out. You grab your phone for light. You spend 10 minutes looking for the flashlight drawer. Half the flashlights are dead. You can't find batteries. The good lantern is in the garage somewhere. The radio is in a closet upstairs. Your phone is at 34% and you just burned through 6% using it as a flashlight while searching for actual flashlights.

A kit means everything is in one place. You walk to the tote, open it, and you're set. No searching. No guessing. No wasted phone battery. The difference between having a kit and having "stuff somewhere in the house" is the difference between calm and chaos.

1. lighting

Lighting is the first thing you need and the first thing most people get wrong. You need three types: area light, task light, and portable light. Candles are none of these things. Candles are a fire hazard dressed up as nostalgia.

More house fires start from candles during power outages than any other single cause. LED lanterns are brighter, safer, last 50 times longer, and cost almost nothing. There is zero reason to use candles for outage lighting in 2026.

what I keep

• Battery LED lantern (x2). One for the main living area, one for the kitchen or bathroom. I use the Energizer Weatheready LED Lantern — it runs for 500+ hours on low, it's waterproof, and it takes D batteries, which are easy to find and hard to accidentally use for something else. About $15 each.
• Headlamp (x2). For tasks where you need both hands — cooking, checking the breaker panel, finding things in the basement. The Black Diamond Astro 300 is my pick. Comfortable, bright enough to work by, and the battery lasts 50+ hours on medium. About $25 each.
• Compact flashlight. One good tactical-style flashlight for checking outside, walking the property, signaling. The Streamlight ProTac 2L-X is almost offensively bright for its size and runs on CR123A batteries that last years in storage. About $50.
• Batteries. A 12-pack of D cells, a 4-pack of CR123A, and whatever your headlamps take. Check and replace every six months. Batteries are cheap. Dead batteries during an outage are expensive.
• Glow sticks (x10). Cheap, safe, no fire risk. Give them to kids. Mark doorways and stairs. They last 8-12 hours. A 25-pack costs about $8.

Basics budget: 1 lantern + 1 headlamp + batteries + glow sticks = about $55.
Comprehensive budget: 2 lanterns + 2 headlamps + flashlight + batteries + glow sticks = about $140.

2. power

Your phone is your lifeline during an outage. It's your flashlight backup, your communication, your access to utility updates and outage maps. If your phone dies, you've lost all of that. Keeping it charged is non-negotiable.

Beyond your phone, a power source lets you run a small fan in summer, charge medical devices, or power a radio when the batteries give out.

what I keep

• Portable power station. This is the single biggest upgrade I'd recommend for any outage kit. The Jackery Explorer 300 has 293Wh of capacity — enough to charge your phone about 25 times, run a small fan for 10+ hours, or power LED lights for days. It charges from a wall outlet, a car, or solar panels. About $250. If that's too much to start, look at the best portable power stations guide for options at every price point.
• Battery bank. A 20,000mAh portable battery bank is your minimum. Charges a phone 4-5 times. Keep it charged — I top mine off on the first of every month. The Anker 325 Power Bank is about $25 and it's been bulletproof.
• Car charger. A USB car charger with at least two ports. If you have a car, you have a generator — just don't run it in a closed garage. A basic dual-port charger costs $10. Keep one in the kit and one in the car.
• Charging cables. Two cables for whatever phones your household uses, plus a USB-C cable for newer devices. Keep them in the kit. Don't borrow from the kit for daily use — that's how you end up with an empty kit.

Basics budget: Battery bank + car charger + cables = about $40.
Comprehensive budget: Portable power station + battery bank + car charger + cables = about $290.

If you want to go further, a portable generator takes care of power needs entirely, but that's a separate investment from the kit itself.

3. communication

During a widespread outage, you need two things: information about what's happening and a way to contact people. Cell towers have battery backup that lasts 4-8 hours. After that, coverage gets spotty. AM radio keeps working when everything else fails.

what I keep

• NOAA weather radio. This is the single most underrated piece of emergency equipment. A weather radio with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) will alert you automatically to severe weather, emergencies, and AMBER alerts for your specific county. The Midland WR120B runs on batteries and plugs into the wall for daily use. When the power goes out, it switches to batteries and keeps going. About $30. I wrote a full breakdown: best emergency radio.
• Hand-crank/solar radio. A backup to the backup. Something like the FosPower Emergency Radio — it has a hand crank, a small solar panel, AM/FM/NOAA bands, a flashlight, and a USB port to charge your phone (slowly, but it works). About $30.
• Portable phone charger. Already covered in the power section, but I'm listing it here too because keeping your phone alive is communication. Your phone is how you text family, check outage maps, and call for help if needed.
• Written contact list. Phone numbers for family, neighbors, your utility company, local emergency services, your insurance agent. Written on paper, in the kit. When your phone is at 5% and you need to make one call, you don't want to waste battery scrolling through contacts.

Basics budget: Hand-crank radio + contact list = about $30.
Comprehensive budget: NOAA weather radio + hand-crank radio + contact list = about $60.

4. water

Water is the category most people underestimate, especially if they're on municipal water and assume the taps will keep flowing. They usually will — for a while. But if you're on well water, your pump stops the instant the power dies. No water for drinking, cooking, flushing, or washing. Nothing.

Even on city water, extended outages can affect treatment plants. Boil-water advisories happen. Plan for both scenarios.

what I keep

• Stored water: 1 gallon per person per day, for 3 days minimum. For my household that's 12 gallons. I use 5-gallon Scepter water containers — they're food-grade, stackable, and have a spout. I rotate the water every six months. About $15 per container.
• Water filter. For when your stored water runs out or you need to use water from a questionable source. The Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter filters up to 100,000 gallons and weighs 3 ounces. It removes 99.99% of bacteria and protozoa. About $35. Keep it in the kit with a clean Sawyer pouch.
• Water purification tablets. Backup to the filter. A bottle of Potable Aqua tablets treats 25 quarts and costs about $10. They last 4+ years sealed. Drop them in, wait 30 minutes, drink. Not the best-tasting water you'll ever have, but safe.
• Collapsible water containers. If you get a warning before a storm, you can fill these from the tap before the power goes. Two 5-gallon collapsible jugs fold flat when empty and hold 10 gallons when full. About $10 each.

Basics budget: 2 store-bought gallon jugs per person + purification tablets = about $20.
Comprehensive budget: Scepter containers + Sawyer filter + tablets + collapsible jugs = about $100.

5. food

The goal here isn't a gourmet meal. It's calories that don't require refrigeration, cooking, or much preparation. You're eating to maintain energy and blood sugar, not to enjoy yourself. Three days is the target.

what I keep

• Peanut butter. Dense calories, protein, doesn't spoil. A jar lasts a family of four at least 3 days as a supplement. About $5.
• Crackers and granola bars. Shelf-stable, ready to eat, and everyone in the house will actually eat them (important if you have kids). Rotate every 6-12 months. About $15.
• Canned food. Tuna, chicken, beans, fruit, soup. Things you'd eat without heating. A 12-pack of mixed cans costs about $15-20. Check expiration dates when you check your kit.
• Manual can opener. This is the item people forget. Your electric can opener doesn't work. That fancy opener mounted under the cabinet doesn't work. A basic EZ-DUZ-IT manual can opener costs $10 and is made in the USA. Put it in the kit. Not in the kitchen drawer — in the kit.
• Dried fruit, nuts, trail mix. Calorie-dense, lightweight, no prep. About $15.
• Instant coffee or tea bags. If you drink caffeine, caffeine withdrawal during a crisis is a real problem. Keep some in the kit. If you have any way to heat water — a camp stove, a portable power station with a kettle, even your car — you can make coffee. Morale matters. About $5.
• Cooler and ice plan. Not in the kit itself, but know where your cooler is. When the power goes out, if you have ice or can get ice, you can transfer your most perishable fridge items to the cooler and extend their life by a day or two. Buy ice before a forecasted storm. Keep a bag of ice in the freezer — if it melts, that tells you your freezer got too warm while you weren't looking.

Basics budget: Peanut butter + crackers + canned food + can opener = about $35.
Comprehensive budget: All of the above + trail mix + coffee + extra variety = about $65.

For the full timeline on what's safe and what's not in your fridge and freezer, read how long does food last without power.

6. warmth

Winter outages are more dangerous than summer outages. A house loses heat faster than most people expect — in below-freezing weather, an unheated house can drop below 50 degrees inside within 6-8 hours. Below that, your pipes are at risk. Below 40, you are at risk.

what I keep

• Sleeping bags (one per person). A basic 30-degree sleeping bag is good enough for most situations and compact enough to store in the kit. The Coleman Brazos 30-Degree Sleeping Bag costs about $30 each and will keep you warm in any room that's above freezing. If you already have sleeping bags for camping, great — just make sure you know where they are.
• Wool or fleece blankets. Wool retains warmth even when damp. A Arcturus Military Wool Blanket is heavy, warm, and nearly indestructible. About $25. Keep at least two.
• Hand warmers. Those little HotHands packets that activate when you shake them. They produce heat for 10+ hours. Keep a box of 10-20 in the kit. Tuck one in each glove, one in each boot, one in a kid's sleeping bag. A 10-pack costs about $8.
• Warm layers. Hats, gloves, wool socks. Keep a set in the kit if you don't trust yourself to find them at 2 AM. Cotton kills — it holds moisture and makes you colder. Wool or synthetic layers only.

Basics budget: 2 fleece blankets + hand warmers = about $35.
Comprehensive budget: Sleeping bags + wool blankets + hand warmers + spare warm layers = about $130.

7. first aid

During an outage, you're more likely to hurt yourself than on a normal day. You're walking around in the dark. You're handling equipment you don't use often. You might be running a generator, using a camp stove, or clearing debris after a storm. A basic first aid kit isn't optional.

what I keep

• Pre-made first aid kit. The Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose First Aid Kit or similar 140-piece kit covers cuts, burns, sprains, and basic wound care. About $15. Check it every six months — things expire, things get used, things grow legs.
• Prescription medications. If anyone in your household takes daily medication, keep a 3-day supply in the kit. Rotate it when you refill prescriptions. This is especially critical for insulin, blood pressure medication, and anything where missing a dose has immediate consequences.
• Pain relievers. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Both. They work differently and some people can't take one or the other.
• Any medical devices. If someone uses a CPAP, nebulizer, or other powered medical device, your kit needs to include a power plan for that device. This might mean a battery backup specifically for the CPAP, or it might mean your portable power station needs to be sized to run it. Non-negotiable.

Budget: About $20 for a quality pre-made kit plus extra pain relievers.

8. documents

If an outage becomes an evacuation — and storms that cause outages sometimes cause evacuations — you'll want your critical documents ready to grab. Even if you're not evacuating, having important information accessible during a crisis saves time and stress.

what I keep

• Waterproof bag or pouch. A simple waterproof document bag costs about $10. Inside it, I keep copies (not originals) of: driver's licenses, insurance policies (homeowner's and auto), medical cards, one credit card number, emergency contact list, and a small amount of cash ($100-200 in small bills — ATMs don't work without power).
• Phone backup. Photos of all important documents stored in your phone's photo roll and backed up to the cloud. Belt and suspenders. When you need your insurance policy number at 11 PM during a hurricane, you'll be glad you took 5 minutes to photograph it.

Budget: About $10 for the waterproof bag plus whatever cash you choose to store.

9. tools

Not a full toolbox. Just the things you're most likely to need when the power's out and something else goes wrong — because things always compound during emergencies. The storm that killed your power also dropped a branch on the fence. The same ice that took down the lines also made your porch steps a deathtrap.

what I keep

• Multi-tool. A Leatherman Wingman or similar. Pliers, knife, screwdriver, wire cutter — all in one. You'll use this more than you think. About $35.
• Work gloves. Leather or heavy-duty synthetic. For handling debris, broken glass, hot generator surfaces, or anything else you shouldn't touch with bare hands. About $15.
• Duct tape. Fixes tarps, seals window cracks, repairs torn insulation, holds things together that should be held together by something better but can't be right now. A roll costs $6.
• Tarps (x2). One 8x10 tarp to cover a broken window, protect belongings from a roof leak, or create a dry work area outside. A basic blue poly tarp costs about $8 each. Keep two — you'll need the second one when you realize the first one isn't in the right spot.
• Rope or paracord. 50 feet of 550 paracord. For securing tarps, hanging things, a hundred other uses. About $8.
• Zip ties. Assorted sizes. Faster than rope for most temporary fixes. A 100-pack costs $5.
• Adjustable wrench. For shutting off your gas or water if needed. Know where your shutoff valves are before you need them. About $10.

Basics budget: Multi-tool + work gloves + duct tape = about $55.
Comprehensive budget: All of the above = about $90.

the total cost

Here's what it all adds up to.

Under $200 for the basics. Under $800 for the comprehensive version. You don't need to buy it all at once. Start with lighting and power this month. Add water and food next month. Build it out over time. The point is to start.

For reference: the average American household loses $250-500 worth of food in a single extended power outage. One outage, one ruined freezer, and the basic kit has already paid for itself.

maintaining your kit

A kit you built two years ago and never checked is a kit full of dead batteries, expired food, and a false sense of security. Check it every six months. I check mine at the spring and fall time changes.

• Replace all batteries (or test them with a battery tester — $8 tool, worth it)
• Rotate stored water
• Check food expiration dates and replace anything within 3 months of expiring
• Check first aid supplies — things get used, things expire, band-aids lose their adhesive
• Make sure charging cables still match the phones your family owns
• Top off the battery bank and portable power station
• Refresh the cash if you've raided it
• Replace any glow sticks (they degrade in heat)

Put it in your calendar. 15 minutes, twice a year. That's the cost of readiness.

what this kit doesn't replace

This kit gets you through 1-3 days of a power outage with your dignity and safety intact. It does not replace a generator, a battery backup system, or a real long-term preparedness plan.

If you want to actually power your house during an outage — run the fridge, keep the lights on, maybe run the AC or heat — you need a power source. That's a different conversation:

• Best portable generators — starts around $400 and runs your essentials
• Best portable power stations — silent, zero maintenance, no fuel
• What to do when the power goes out — the step-by-step guide for right now
• Best emergency radios — detailed reviews and comparisons
• All guides — everything I've written about outage preparedness

This kit is the foundation. The generator or battery backup is the next floor. Build the foundation first.