What to buy before the next power outage (Spring edition)
Photo by Maxim Tolchinskiy on Unsplash
For years, my power outage “prep kit” was a half-dead flashlight in a junk drawer and a vague hope that the lights would come back on before dinner got cold. Sound familiar? Living here in North Carolina, I told myself spring storms weren’t that bad. Then one muggy June evening, a line of thunderstorms rolled through, knocked out our power for about 8 hours, and I sat there sweating in 88-degree heat wondering why I hadn’t prepared better.
That was my wake-up call. And if you’re reading this before your next outage — good. You’re already ahead of where I was.
Here’s what I’d actually buy (and what I have bought), broken down from the simple everyday stuff all the way up to the gear that genuinely changes the game. Obviously, this list will continue to evolve, but for 2026 this works for me.
Start Simple: The Basics Still Matter
Flashlights — But Better Ones
We all think we have this covered. But yet, We don’t. A good LED flashlight has gotten sooo much better and cheaper in recent years. Skip the cheap two-pack and grab something like a Anker Bolder LC90 or a similar 900-lumen rechargeable model. The key word there is rechargeable — because dead AA batteries during a storm are a special kind of frustration.
Also grab a few headlamps. Sounds dorky until you’re trying to hold a flashlight in your mouth while rebooting your router at midnight. Trust me on this one.
Battery-Powered Lanterns
These are underrated. A good lantern like the Black Diamond Moji or even a basic GE LED camping lantern throws light across an entire room and lets the whole family function without everyone huddled around one beam. Hang one from a hook in the kitchen, set one in the hallway — suddenly your house feels livable again instead of like an inhabitable bear cave.
Manual Can Opener
Go ahead and laugh. I’ll wait. Now go check your kitchen drawer and make sure you actually have one that works. I’ll wait again.
Step It Up: Power Banks and Portable Charging
Phone/Device Power Banks
This is non-negotiable in 2026. A quality 25,000–30,000 mAh power bank (like the Anker 737 or the Baseus Blade) can charge your phone six or seven times over. That’s the difference between staying connected to weather alerts and emergency info — and being completely in the dark in more ways than one.
Pro tip: keep it charged. Set a calendar reminder every couple of months. Mine sat at 12% for most of last year. Not helpful.
A Step Up: The EcoFlow River 2
Okay, this is where things get “interesting.” I picked up the EcoFlow River 2 and it genuinely changed how I think about power outages. It’s a compact portable power station — about the size of a small carry-on bag — that holds 256 watt-hours of power and can push out 300 watts continuously (600W with X-Boost mode).
What does that actually mean in real life? It means I can keep phones and tablets charged for the whole family, power a box fan for hours, and even run a small lamp without breaking a sweat. During our last outage I had the lamp sitting on the kitchen counter like a champ while everything else was dark.
It charges back up fast too — wall outlet, car adapter, or solar panels. Speaking of which…
For Southern Summers: Beat the Heat Without the Grid
This is the part nobody talks about enough. Up north, a winter outage means you huddle under blankets. Down here in the Carolinas? A spring or summer outage on a 90-degree, 80% humidity day is a legit health concern — especially for kids, elderly folks, and pets.
A Battery-Powered Fan (This One’s Critical)
Get a rechargeable fan before you need it. The EcoFlow Wave 2 is the gold standard if you want actual cooling, but it’s pricey. For most folks, a solid mid-range option like the OPOLAR Battery-Operated Fan or the Treva 10-inch Battery Fan gives you several hours of airflow from D-cell batteries.
Even better: pair a regular box fan with your EcoFlow River 2. A standard box fan pulls about 40–100 watts — meaning your River 2 can run it for 2–5 hours easily. That’s the combo I use, and it makes a genuinely uncomfortable situation manageable.
A Quality Cooler (And a Plan for Ice)
A good cooler does double duty — keeps food from spoiling and keeps drinks cold when morale is suffering (and it will suffer around hour 14). A Igloo or Coleman 54-quart hard cooler is plenty for most families. If you want to splurge, RTIC makes excellent mid-range rotomolded coolers that hold ice for days.
The move: when severe weather is in the forecast, fill your cooler with ice before the power goes out. Pack it tight. Keep it in the coolest room. A well-packed cooler keeps food safe for 24–48 hours without any power at all.
Solar-Powered Helpers
Solar Charging Panels
If you have an EcoFlow or any compatible power station, a 100W foldable solar panel (EcoFlow, Jackery, and Bluetti all make good ones) means you can recharge your station during the day even when the grid is down. In the South, we’ve got plenty of sunshine between those storm bands — might as well use it.
Solar Landscape/Path Lights — Indoors
Here’s a little trick: those cheap solar-powered outdoor path lights? Bring a couple inside during an outage. Set them near a window during the day to charge, then use them as ambient night lights in hallways and bathrooms. Free light, zero batteries. My kids think it’s actually kind of fun.
Don’t Forget These Easy Wins
- Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio — The Midland ER310 is what I keep in the house. During tornado season, this isn’t optional. Your phone alerts are great until your phone dies.
- Surge protectors with battery backup (UPS) — For your home office router, modem, and computer. A basic APC 600VA UPS keeps your internet alive for 15–30 minutes during a brief outage — long enough to save your work and gracefully shut down.
- A bag of ice in your freezer at all times — Seriously. Just keep one in there. It buys you hours of food safety if you lose power, and it costs almost nothing.
- Propane or butane camp stove — When the power’s out and you’re hungry, having a Coleman 1-burner propane stove means you can still cook a real meal. Use it outside or in a well-ventilated space.
- Portable battery-powered smoke/CO detector — Power outages can sometimes involve candles and generators running nearby. Don’t skip this one.
My Honest Take
You don’t have to go full doomsday prepper to be ready for a spring storm outage. Start with a solid rechargeable flashlight, a big power bank, and a battery fan — that’s maybe $80–100 total and covers 90% of what you’ll actually need. Then, if you want to level up, something like the EcoFlow River 2 genuinely transforms your experience from “surviving” to “we’re actually okay.”
The time to buy this stuff is not when the storm is already on the radar. It’s right now, on a boring Tuesday, before half the county is competing for the last flashlight at Home Depot.
Consider this your friendly nudge to go get it done. Your future sweaty, power-less self will thank you.
Got questions about any of these items or want me to do a deeper dive on the EcoFlow River 2? Reach out to email me — I’ll be happy to share more from my own experience with it.