We lost power in my home for 15 days after Sandy rolled through. At the same time, we were sheltering another family with us, for a total of five kids.

Keeping the kids entertained without the use of electronic devices was a challenge. Until one evening I pulled out my acoustic guitar.

The evening was the best night of the entire experience. Think campfire sing-along, but with flashlights and no fire. Everyone had a great time, and was in a good mood the next morning, despite the great stress we were all under.

Now, I don't know if I'd grab my full-size Martin Dreadnaught in a bugout situation, but for bugging in, it made things much nicer to have it around!

(And FYI, Martin makes a very small "Backpacker" model that I have seen on hiking trails in the past.)