Learning + Tutorials

Back in the late 1980s, an oral surgeon was in the middle of a two-week raft trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, when disaster struck.

He and two other men were on the bank, getting their 18-foot (5.4-meter) raft ready for a trip down the Crystal Rapids when it got caught in a wave, filled with water and ripped the line from their hands.

For most of us, having access to electrical power has become so second nature that we hardly give it a thought. It's so abundant to be almost free, and there are lots of places all around to plug in your cell phone when it runs out of juice.

But if the grid goes down for a long period of time, or you need to charge your devices on the move, then you need to consider sources of portable power if you are serious about prepping.

If Super Storm Sandy taught anyone on the east coast anything, it's that huge winter storms can happen and cause incredible destruction and inconvenience.

Power outages are commonplace and can take weeks to restore, which leaves people without heat, hot water and electricity. 

You may not be able to drive due to snow, ice, and downed trees. That means limited access to food. Water pipes can freeze and explode without heat causing your home to become uninhabitable.