Power Packs

This thread got me thinking, so I have purchased a wind up DAB radio with 27,000 battery and also a camping gas ring, both from Amazon. I cannot comment on their efficiency so will not name or recommend the products. They will be useful for power cuts, which are frequent in my area.

This thread has reminded us to check our power banks (one in home, one in the car) by using them (to charge phones) before recharging, ready for when needed. So thanks for that!

For me, the best thing to do is have access to a bag/box of essentials that we can access quickly in the event of a power cut or whatever. I have several camping lanterns, and a big box of batteries (I checked the ones that were in them and they have died, so I'm not filling them up until needed), a power pack which will charge a phone 12 times on a full charge, the inevitable wind-up radio, some painkillers, Imodium and hand sanitiser and a small stock of food in a box. Oh, and four loo rolls. There is more food in the kitchen, but that just gets replaced as we eat it.

Keeping it all together like that means that nobody will 'borrow' items and forget to put them back, and we'll know where everything is. Items such as the primus stove live in a cupboard, as I doubt we'd want to use it in the dark.

I have also made sure we have plenty of blankets in case the heating goes off, and several bottles of water 'just in case'.

I'm not preparing for war. Nothing I can do would prepare for that, but I am prepared for a cold winter with possible cuts in power and/or water, so long as they are fairly temporary.

Greyfur16, I feel similar to you. Some days I feel freaked out and other days I feel that nothing will happen, we’ll be ok and I then relax and stop thinking about it. I’ve started stocking up on extra food (tinned food, cream crackers etc) and also water of course, but worry that the food in my freezer will be useless if we have a major long-lasting power cut. Are we being panicked for nothing? My pessimistic side thinks there is a very real threat, but the optimistic side of me says that nothing will happen. Thanks everyone for suggesting various makes of power packs. I am now receiving loads of adverts on my Facebook about different makes, so Big Brother is definitely watching me (and feeding into my insecurities) when I’ve researched on the internet for them!

I really don't know what to do about this. Sometimes I feel afraid and other days I just can't be bothered.

Honeyrose I’ve only just bought a new portable one. I can recommend Charmast portable. The non-portable are very heavy if you intend to carry them out for the day. All from Amazon. You will have to buy the cables separately.

I bought one from Primark for £10 just to see me over a weekend break in Majorca. Seems to work fine.

I should add, I don't know what brand the one on the plane was, but even so I am wary of all of them after hearing about that.

I had an Anker powerbank but it was recalled over safety concerns. Put me off buying another one. Apparently one of these things caught fire on a plane not so long ago.

I didn't know what one was until my daughter brought me a heated scarf . She brought me a belkin 20k to power it but it was to big so brought myself a belkin 10k which fitted into the scarf.
I use them to recharge my Wovte radio,my phone and table lamps if I don't want to charge them from a wall socket. In fact sitting in bed charging my phone with the 10k one at the monent .
I always keep them fully charged incase of power outage. My daughter has several and recharges their tablets and laptops. Ideal to take on holiday abroad.

Cambia. Please could you let us know which radio you bought from Amazon. I’d like to get one but quite a few I’ve looked at have reviews stating poor radio standards. Many thanks

Not quite the same but we have some wind up torches DONT KNOW IF THEY STILL MAKE THEM

I just bought a radio from Amazon that can charge several devices, play FM and DAB and has a reading light, flashlight etc. can use solar to charge as well. Very pleased with it. Should the internet crash I can at least have radio! It was about £50

Thank you so much for all that information. I was looking at power packs last week and was totally banjaxed by the technological language used. I made a general enquiry and received an AI response. The package was going to be around £400, so I shelved the idea, oddly enough. £65 is much more sensible.

Sorry left out the most important bit. It was from Argos

I bought an Anker 20K power pack today for£21.99

This is £13 cheaper than Amazon are charging for it

Hope this is helpful

I have one that will actually charge a laptop, as well as a smaller one for phones. What we would do about my husbands electric wheelchair however is another question!

People use them in campervans and draw power from solar panels on roof or from engine when running. Then a selection of electrical items can be plugged in and used.

There are different types of power packs. You can buy very small ones just for charging your phone, ones which will charge all electronic devices, and bigger power banks which will power electrical devices. Some of them will operate on solar power, some need to be charged by plug or usb, and some work both ways. I’ve just got a small one currently, but I’m thinking about the power banks, because I think they would be good in a power cut, which we get quite a few of here. You can also use them while you’re in the garden, greenhouse or shed, and out and about so they are useful.

However, non of them will be useful if we have longish power outages. Bearing that in mind I’ve just ordered solar battery charger, promises to charge on dull winter days 🤷‍♀️

Mine is from Amazon . It Charmast and has four adapters for different devices . It’s the size of a phone but a bit heavier

Anker is a good brand and reasonably priced.

We have a few Anker ones in different sizes. All very reliable.

You're advised to use them every few months and recharge to keep them working at their best

Go to Amazon (sorry) and search for power packs.

Get one that has as many different outlets as possible, so you can power Android and iPhones, USB and USBC devices, and buy the post powerful one you can afford.

This looks a decent one. It's better than mine, but is saved for me to look at if things get grimmer.

If it is to be future proof (we hope) there is no point in a cheap one which will go out of date before it's used.

www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Laptop-000mAh-Travel-Essential/dp/B0DCBB2YTR/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2O5M0CNEJCBJ1&keywords=power%2Bbank&sprefix=power%2B%2Caps%2C222&th=1&dib_tag=se&tag=gransnetforum-21&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oqwzsY5GbJAnsWINESsIF9LNwpfvCX2asrcxVMYwXsQkxGhhwWBDFCxWnbJAvw1atKGendgBQqvBu5SPPwSN4ygKYKA2euHh3GO2yzripWQI0OiRYU9OA2tagOFQQV5GSRTxBTPZMm69Y-oadXOQWfNqv3VgLnUo5PnYW-FexQvLKqi4Jy7TLY4glvkaFsCvW49GZjec97MXsdyNTGAAEnduYC3XDRNOc9HBJvOczRk._71tz_69nv2S-lDqBkSwBq4KmGB_cnNAfoNvqxOkNzY&qid=1790633276&sr=8-7

I've got one primarily for my phone, but I could use it for my rechargeable torch too. It takes four AA batteries and was pretty cheap from Amazon. I just use the regular cables that come with the phone.