A stay home bag? Winter preps

The solar garden lights are an interesting item. I just wonder how well they recharge in that weaker winter sun?

That's a good start for most peops. It's not an intimidating to-do list.

The earplugs are a seriously good idea if the neighbors are running generators.

This is some pretty poor advice, canned food is much much cheaper at the supermarket than specialist mountaineer freeze dried single (320kcal) servings for $8 a piece. The Optimus Cruz Lite stove is again a specialist stove requiring dedicated butane/propane cartridges, which aren't mentioned. Most folks would be better off with a cooking burner ring with a higher pot stability. A dual burner is also a lot more flexible in use for food preparations.

For emergency home use the kit can be somewhat more substantial and for winter backup a double gas burner, a portable heater and a LPG portable Lantern based on domestic 15Kg LPG bottles make much more sense.

http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Cast_Iron_Double_Burner_Gas_Boiling_Ring_with_FFD.html

http://www.calor.co.uk/shop/product/provence-matt-black-portable-heater/245/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bullfinch-1616-Handlight/dp/B0056AZ4XM

An ice storm can leave folks without electrical power for a couple of weeks rather than just a day or two as described in the NYT article.

Using a high fuel consumption gennie to produce electricity, which is then used to turn back into heat is a very poor solution anyway. i.e. if there was a prolonged electricity outage in winter (more than a few weeks) and everyone was reliant on liquid petroleum fuels for their gennie then going down to the gas station probably means taking along the AK/AR as well etc.

What is missing from the list is some good warm clothing and some additional bedding such as a good duvet (>12 tog). If the house temperature falls below around 10-12C for a long period it starts to get pretty uncomfortable even with a warm woolly jumper on. Fingerless gloves are also another useful item in cold indoor conditions.

I agree with AFLM; there is no need to resort to freeze dried items. Realize that you may well be short of water, needed for the FD items. You are much better off with canned goods, which contain their own liquid. in addition, there are all sorts of tasty, nutritious recipes which can be made from regular supermarket items which are far cheaper; I don't resort that often to FD food, even when backpacking.

+1 on canned foods.

Another reason is that they are familiar, both in preparation and taste. Feeding the kids foods that they're used to eating will help to alleviate a certain amount of stress.

Just stock up on more of what you usually use, and have a nice variety. Normal food, LED headlamps, board games = something closer to camping out than a weather-related disaster.

For the more high-falutin', stock up on a nice French paté and good crackers, and a nice wine. The rest of us can have Spam and Ritz. (Found both on sale yesterday... wahoo!)

Sue

Don't forget the canned-B&M brown bread w/or w/o raisins,makes xlnt frenchtoast too!

if you are not a propane user, a couple of comments...I switched from the Coleman fuel type lights/camp stoves about 15years ago... some suggestions..

a minimum of 3 of the bulk cylinders (nominally around 25#)... allows overlap in case access to refill is temporarily interrupted

if you loan a cylinder to a friend, ask that they not "exchange" the cylinder... if they wish to refill it, refill your cylinder

a plastic bulk cylinder "caddy" makes vehicle transport safer

a long stem gas grill hand igniter saves singed hair....a brass wrench adds a degree of safety... remember the threads are left handed

an adapter to refill the 1# cylinders work pretty well...outside.. if possible cold soak the small cylinders in a freezer for a day or two...invert the 25# cylinder to get as much liquid transferred as possible...if the Schrader valve in the 1# cylinder has a slight leak (water test it), put it in an appliance as the seal with the appliance is usually better...a pretty good percentages of the cylinders tend to leak when refilled...

I shy away from the mantle lanterns due to excessive heat (which would benefit a cold room but not a hot tropical house)and fragile mantles... I like kerosene and LED lanterns

some appliances (catalytic heaters for example) do not recommend attachment to a bulk cylinder...but an adapter hose to the double burner stove saves refilling cylinders..

a single burner camp style stove attached to a vertical 1# cylinder with a plastic support ring is top heavy if you are trying to boil water, just asking for a spill (BTDT)

If you have a Coleman style double burner stove that uses Coleman fuel, an adapter is available for about $15 to convert it to propane

currently use...(2) Mr Heater single units that fit on bulk bottles, (2) catalytic heaters that use 1# bottles, double burner camp stove, small "tail gate" grill, single burner stove, propane mantle lamp...the big grill and fish cooker are back up if a lot of perishable foods need to be cooked

I have a Trangia alcohol stove and a GI multi fuel stove as back up

Why is this? What is the difference?

Sue

Probably because your new/good cylinder is a known quantity. The exchange might have come from someone's 10 year old gas grill with rusty, bent up tank.

Sue... what Phaedrus said...I loaned a brand new, purged and filled cylinder to a school function, and got back one almost out of date where it could not be filled...

+1 The recommended stove is not what you want for this scenario. I'd recommend something like the Coleman two burner propane stove.
http://www.rei.com/product/723280/coleman-2-burner-stove
It runs off standard propane bottles and the two burners get you almost the same functionality as a normal stove. I hope it goes without saying that it is unnecessary if you already have a gas stove (although for the NYT readers, it may have been a good thing to point out).

I also agree that the recommendation for camping/backpacking food is silly. You can cook almost everything you need on the propane stove.

When I have been snowed in without power (yes it occasionally happens in NC) I use my propane grill in the open doorway of my garage. I have overhead shelter, plenty of ventilation and more flexibility in cooking techniques on the grill.

All in all, the article closely resembled the results of an editor giving a writer an order to "write something up on winter preparedness and get it in by 3 p.m.". "Slapdash", as my Mom would have said.

Sue

It seems to me that someone picked up the ad circulars for their local Home Depot and REI and used them to write an article.

Snarkiness aside; while these are not the most practical suggestions, at least people are starting to talk about such things in mainstream media. A mindset of preparedness is a good start toward improving how they prepare.

Suddenly useful again...for the storms in Seattle.