The Best Flashlights to Help You Survive a Power Outage

Power outages are basically inevitable. If your home isn’t solar-powered, you can expect to be without power for short periods at least once a year (more often and longer if your area tends to have severe weather).

While there are a few things that will make a long power outage more bearable, one of the key steps to preparing for any power outage is making sure you can light your home when it’s dark. Since you’ll be relying on battery-powered and/or solar-powered devices, it’s worth planning ahead to ensure you have lumens available when you need them.

Please note that you should also regularly check your battery level (whether it’s a removable battery or built into the device itself) and have spare batteries on hand. Batteries wear down over time (and can corrode), and battery-powered flashlights won’t do you much good if they’re dead.

The Best Flashlights to Survive Power Outages

Here are the lamps you should have on hand in case your power goes out, according to members of the prepping community on Reddit:

• Flashlight. A flashlight is the most basic lighting option for your emergency kit. Flashlights are bright and portable, and can usually be counted on to last even in the event of a power outage. Keep a few on hand and check the batteries regularly.
• Headlamp. Even if you have flashlights, a headlamp can help illuminate objects hands-free. You can find headlamps that run on regular batteries or that are rechargeable (just remember to plug them in from time to time).
• Camping Lantern: Battery -powered LED camping lanterns can provide varying brightness levels and extended battery life, and some can even charge devices such as phones. Some use regular batteries, while others need to be connected via USB and charged before use. Some of them can also be charged manually using a handle.
• Solar Lantern: Some camping lanterns can also be charged using solar energy. As with keeping batteries charged, you’ll also have to plan ahead and take these devices outside so they can store energy before use. You can also bring solar lights from your yard or garden inside.
• Plumbing Lanterns: Battery-powered plumbing lanterns are a convenient and relatively cheap option for lighting your home during a power outage. They are portable yet adhesive so you can place them anywhere. Please note that battery life varies.
• Step lighting. Continuous staircase lighting that relies on your home’s electricity but switches to battery mode when the power goes out can be useful during frequent power outages. Alternatively, you can purchase adhesive motion sensor lights, which are similar to crane lights but do not require an electrician to install.
• Emergency lights. If you regularly experience power outages, consider replacing regular bulbs in your lamps and fixtures with emergency LED bulbs, which provide several hours of battery backup after a power outage. They aren’t cheap, but some of them can make a big difference.
• Glow Sticks: Glow sticks don’t produce as much light as the other options listed, don’t last as long, and can only be used once, but they make a good backup to keep in your home medicine cabinet .

Of course, you can also use candles and oil lamps, but you should watch out for both due to fire hazards.