Our daily lives have gotten so much easier since the discovery of electricity. Most of us never even think about it. We wake up in the morning as we turn off our electric alarm clocks. We use an electric toothbrush, and electric razor, or a blow drier to get ready. We cook breakfast with a toaster, a microwave, and a coffee maker. We set our security system and head out for work. How many times do you use electricity in a day without even considering its importance?
This is one of the biggest reasons why many SHTF scenarios are so scary. If a disaster strikes which knocks out the power grid, we would be in big trouble. It has been estimated that roughly 90% of US citizens would not survive the first year of life without electricity. We rely on power to pump our water, cook our food, warm our homes, and function within society. Without electricity, many people would not be able to get food, drinking water, or heat for their homes. These are basic pillars of survival that are absolutely needed to stay alive for any period of time.
You might say that the power never goes out for more than a few days, but I can make two arguments against that statement. One is that many parts of the US and the world have recently gone weeks or even months without power due to natural disasters. Just look at New Orleans after Katrina or the blizzard that hit Texas last winter. Talk to people in any of the Caribbean islands that went more than a year without power unless they had a generator.
In addition, you must remember that there are potential disasters out there that have just not happened yet. A major solar flare could take out the grid. An EMP blast or nuclear blast could knock out the grid over a large area. There are a variety of different natural disasters that could take out the grid in a limited area. Even here in rural Missouri, we had folks that lost power for almost a week during a snowstorm last winter.
Whether you are stuck at home without power or bugging out in the wild, a power backup plan can be invaluable. Living without that power can be tough. One backup plan that could make your life much easier is a power bank. I purchased my first power bank five or six years ago and have continued to integrate them into my prepping and survival plan since. In this article, we will cover why a power bank is useful and the different types you can buy.
Why Should I Get One?
Until fairly recently, folks who wanted backup electricity in their homes or in the wild were limited on options. You could keep batteries around for any battery-powered devices, and you could buy a gas-powered generator to power the home. Generators were expensive, and batteries constantly had to be replaced. Power banks came along as a reusable, rechargeable battery that can hold more power per cubic inch than disposable batteries. They provide pure power storage, so you do not necessarily need to use a generator or purchase a bunch of batteries. You just need to keep them full of juice, so they are ready to go when you need them.
I hate to admit it, but one of the most powerful survival tools you have is your smartphone. Your phone keeps you in contact with anyone you need to reach. I also have apps on my phone that help me navigate in the wilderness, broadcast my location to others, get updates on icy roads, get emergency weather updates, and identify mushrooms. I can look up the shortest route to my bug-out location and can look up first aid tips if someone is injured.
You really can search online for any survival topic and get some valuable information. The risk is that certain scenarios could render your cell phone useless. Your cell phone is worthless if you run out of battery power. In addition, a large-scale grid shutdown could knock out the internet and cell services in the area which would knock out most of those cool apps. If you break your phone or drop it in the water, it may be worthless too.
My smartphone is a few years old, but I never make it a full day without having to charge. Some days I have to put it on the charger five or six times to get through my calls. Power banks are great for keeping a charge for your cell phone. You can also use power banks to charge headlamps, flashlights, weather radios, arc lighters, and pretty much any other electric device you buy these days.
At home, power banks are all about keeping your vital appliances running. The size of your power bank will determine how many of these devices you can power. This would definitely include refrigerators, freezers, a few lights, your stove or microwave, and a heater in the winter. If you have enough power, you could potentially power the entire house including all of your lights, your TVs, and all of your kitchen appliances.
How Does a Power Bank Work?
Power banks are not all that complex when you break it down. They are just simple Lithium-ion batteries that are restructured to hold more power in a more convenient shape with the appropriate docks for charging cords. You can plug in a USB cord to charge another device or to power it. You can also plug in a USB cord to charge your power bank.
Larger power banks intended for the home will generally have normal wall outlets for both charging and for powering devices. The more powerful ones will have 220V outlets for appliances like electric stoves and dryers. You can get portable power banks that hold 1000 mAh to over 10,000 mAh. You can get larger home power banks that hold over 50 Ah. The higher the Ah capacity, the more power the bank can store. Be aware that the home-style power banks are often used away from the home at campsites, bug-out locations, and construction sites.
Portable VS Home Banks
There are two main types of power banks you can purchase. The one you probably see all the time is the portable and often pocket-sized power bank. These are use mainly to recharge electronic devices like tablets and cell phones. Every year, there are more and more devices that can be powered or charged with a USB cord. I use my power banks to charge my headlamp and my emergency radio as well. We have six or seven small banks that hold 1000-2000 mAh. They are ideal for camping trips and for my survival challenges. I keep my phone charged strictly to communicate with my family and take pictures to record my journeys. I even have one that heats up to keep your hands warm if needed.
I completed one of my first long-distance survival challenges about five years ago. On this trip, I brought a power bank but forgot to bring the USB cord. I had a map and compass to navigate, but the map got wet and fell apart. I was going to need to pull up the map on my phone to continue.
I had just enough juice left on my phone to call my wife and have her meet me with the cord at the next road crossing I came to. I was able to pull up the map that was saved on my memory and used that to navigate my way through the rest of the 34 miles. Without that power bank, it probably would have taken me a week to travel that distance instead of three and a half days. If I got turned around too bad, I may not have made it out of the woods at all.
The other common power banks you will see are primarily intended for home use. These are generally bigger than a car battery and are designed to hold much more power than a portable power bank. Normally these are used for blackouts to power most or all of the home, or they are used on remote worksites to provide electricity for power tools. They were originally paired with generators to store the power created for later use. Quickly people realized that the battery could be used alone if it was fully charged in advance. These could be used in a survival bug-out scenario, especially if you are able to use a vehicle to transport gear.
Power Banks for Generators and Solar Circuits
As mentioned above, large power banks are often paired with independent power sources to charge them instead of using the grid. We have a gas generator with a big power bank to store power. This works great for camping trips as I can charge it at home and then quietly use the power when I get to my campsite. Generators can be noisy, so this flexibility is nice.
As I mentioned above, there was a bad snowstorm last winter during which fallen branches and ice brought down power lines throughout Missouri. Lots of people I know were without power and really had no clue how to get by. We had lots of folks ask if they could come over until they got their power back, but the roads were too bad to make it to our house. Our generator helped us get through that time just fine.
Some solar panel setups have built in power banks as well. While it is very common to hook solar panels up to the grid so excess power gets sold back to the power company, there are other options. When you have a power bank hooked up to solar panels, it will store any energy you don’t use.
If you are at work all day and little power is being used, all of that sunlight is pumping power into your battery. Then you will use that power in the evening when you get home, but all of the excess is stored. This extra energy is your backup power. If a hurricane rolls through and you have virtually no sunlight for several days, a functional solar panel system with a power bank would keep going on the backup power stored previously. Without the power bank, you would have to go without power or you would have to hope the grid is still functional.
While you probably think that solar is just for your home, there are portable solar setups that have power banks built into them. I have a pocket-sized power bank with a small solar panel about two inches by three inches. They also make bigger, fold-out solar panels with power banks. The tiny one is nice because it can fit in my pocket. I can also attach it to my pack and let it charge while I hike. However, the solar panel is so small that it needs to set out in direct sunlight all day to really collect much power.
The fold out solar panels are much more effective. While you cannot charge your power bank during a hike, you can get several hours of sunlight while you are setting up your camp. These rigs are normally a few feet across, so they can easily have over 100 times the surface area of my little pocket power bank. In general, 100 times the surface area means 100 times the electricity generated per hour. You will notice a much more dramatic charge up process with these power setups.
I think that these days it is easy to say that electricity can be considered an important survival resource. While all of us should be trained to function without electricity, we should also be prepared to keep our lives as functional and comfortable as possible. If you are truly prepared, you will have sources of electricity for survival scenarios. Do some research to bring a couple of these power banks into your survival arsenal, and survival will be much easier when the time comes. In the end, you just give yourself the best possible shot of making it out alive.