I have an Eliminator powerbox 800 and solar panel charger from Moto master which I purchased from Canadian tire a few years back. To offer an alternative source of power for people who do not, or cannot have a generator where they live (in an apartment for example) this is one good way to make do during a blackout. It has 3 house hold outlets, a built in light and a built in radio. In a power outage, it can run almost any appliance for varying times, depending on power output of the device, and the model of Eliminator you choose. It also comes equipped with jumper cables to give your vehicle a boost when the battery dies. For an extended power outage it can be recharged via a solar panel (sold separate) or by your vehicle while running through the cig lighter. It has a lot of non emergency applications as well. I often use mine to run my Dremel tool or a power drill etc when too far from the house to bother with an extension cord. When hunting it always stays in my truck for a whole gambit of possible uses while afield. It does not offer all the advantages of a generator in some ways, but in some cases it actually offers more (does not require fuel, more portable, able to be used indoors etc) I have a generator but have not had to use it yet due to power outage in Edmonton. In the few small outages we have had this has been more than enough to get me through until the power is back on.
Some things I use it for during an outage include:
1. Charging my cell phone.
2. Running my laptop if I need it.
3. Plugging in my alarm clock so I won’t be late for work.
4. As a safe alternative to a candle, (it will power a fluorescent bulb forever)
The list could go on forever of course, but you get the point. For those of you who cannot have a generator, this may be the answer until something better comes along. Best of all, they are very affordable. These are just my thoughts on the subject as always. I am sure that they have other products out there that do similar things.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/welcome.jsp

Great minds think alike I guess.

I have the Motomaster 1200A power pack, 2 12Watt folding solar panels (also Motomaster), and the Yardworks 950W generator. I use all three at home, when car camping, and when on road trips in varying combinations and I'm super super happy with them all.

Man those babies are nice.
Canadian Tire sounds like an interesting store.

Back in the 70's there were a few nasty ice storms (nor easters?) that put the power out all over the NY,NJ,CT,RI,MA region and I remember my my dad scoring the very last generator at the local Sears. That generator was probably the most valuable thing in that Sears on that day. It served us for decades.
Bill

I tried to use the link for the canadian tire that you posted, it asks for a zip code but when I enter mine it says not valid, I assume because I live in the US, any way to access the site other than using a zip.


LOL spoke to soon, I figured it out. Cool stuff, thanks for the link.

So now I have a question for Hacksaw, you said you have two of the solar panels, how do you connect the two together and then to the power pack, is it with a quick connect like they mentioned in the description? And do they ship to the US.

I keep one with the battery all the time. When I car camp or travel I plug the cigarette lighter cable into the lighter outlet of the battery to trickle charge it during the day (I do the same in the car to and from to charge it faster). I keep the other one in my backpack (they're surprisingly light) when I go hiking. I connect an adapter that converts 12V to a powered USB socket and then an Energizer USB battery charger or any of my toys which can be charged off of USB power (most of them).

They're expensive but I didn't pay retail so I considered it to be worth the expense at the time.

I've been working on custom making a cable so I can connect both at once and double the power. 24 Watts is pretty respectable for a solar panel you can almost pocket.

Shadow,

Alas, Canadian Tire does not ship to the US.

Three things I have to do when I go back to Canada: stop at Canadian Tire, eat chicken at St. Hubert/Swiss Chalet, and eat Poutine (french fries with cheese curds and gravy). Nothing like those in the US that I have found.

Now that there are Tim Horton's coffee & donut stores in the US, I can stretch out my visits to Canada if I have to!!

I am pretty sure that they sell knock off versions of the Eliminator in the US. I have a couple of friends down there that said they have something very similar to what I have. I cannot remember what they called it though.

I'm 99% positive that Xantrex makes many of the Canadian Tire power packs. Xantrex makes my power pack only the casing is gray and the inverter is 1200W, not 1000W. They're certainly equivalent either way.

Try a power inverter for the car.
cheers