Power-Outage Prep: 6 Items People Forget ALL THE TIME

Any prepper worth their salt will tell you: when survival is the game, the basics are what matter most.

In that spirit, today we're going to talk about some of the most important foundational preparedness supplies that get overlooked when an emergency hits and the power goes out.

1. Not Enough Toilet Paper

It’s probably the least sexy thing in your emergency supply, but I don’t know a single prepper who ever complained about having “too much” toilet paper.

You need this stuff, and it disappears surprisingly quickly. As a rule, you should have about a week’s worth on hand. My advice is to calculate how many you need and then add a few extra rolls.

2. Camp Shower

If the power is out, there’s a good chance your water is soon to follow.

And even if you have water available in an emergency, it will probably be excruciatingly COLD.

Why does this matter? Because nothing beats a hot shower, especially in a stressful situation. Enter: the camp shower. It heats in the sun so you don’t need electricity to get hot water.

Plus, it’s got plenty of uses outside of showering. You can use it to wash your hands, do the dishes, or even just as a general cleaner.

If you haven’t used one, it’s quick and easy to get going. Just add water, hot or cold, and hang up the bag. Then pull the shower head for water. Whatever you don't use can be drained or saved for the next shower.

3. Not Enough Drinking Water

It’s not that we forget about water. It’s just that we don’t always realize HOW MUCH we need. Most people have a few cases of water bottles, but if your water’s out for a week or more, that’s not going to do it. 

That’s why it’s important to have a good amount of water stowed away in long-term storage, and it doesn’t have to be in 55-gallon barrels either—not everyone has room for that.

A good alternative is water bricks. They’re smaller and more convenient. They let you spread your water supply out over a wide area rather than amassing it all in one location. You can fit a few under a bed, in a dresser drawer, behind a couch, in your pantry…wherever you’ve got space.

Most are stackable and can even be used for shelving (depending on your sense of “feng shui.”) At the end of the day, they give you water when you need it, and that’s the most important thing.

4. Bandanas

Bandanas are just plain handy. You can use them as a face covering, tissue, headband, hair tie, tourniquet, washcloth, or even reusable toilet paper if you're in dire need (see the toilet section above to avoid this situation…)

So grab one for every member of your crew, because you never know when you may need it.

5. Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are very useful when the power goes out. They give you a bit of light and they burn without putting off any gases. Just crack them and place them where they're needed.

They make great nightlights (kids love them) and bathroom lights. They put off enough of a glow to help you see in the dark, but not so much that you can’t sleep.

6. Headlamps

Flashlights are great—no supply is complete without them— but they do take one of your hands away.

Headlamps are as bright as your flashlight, but they give you back your hands. That makes working on projects like cooking or handwashing a breeze.