Reviews and information about prepping gear and equipment.
A consumer Geiger counter answers one question — is the level going up, down or normal? — and none of the first-24-hour decisions. What to look for, what is marketing, and the models people compare.
An alarm is replaced ten years from the date printed on its back, and the US Fire Administration wants both ionization and photoelectric sensing in every home. Six combination smoke and CO alarms compared on sensor type, power and interconnection, with the catch for each.
The US Fire Administration explains the label: the number before A is a multiple of 1.25 gallons of water, the number before B is square feet of liquid fire, and the UL Listed mark is the thing to look for. Six extinguishers compared on that basis, and which listings do not show the mark.
The American Red Cross publishes exactly what a family-of-four first aid kit should contain: about sixty items. A 516-piece kit is not eight times better, it is four hundred adhesive bandages. Six kits compared against the official list, and the four items most of them lack.
Use flashlights, not candles, says the Red Cross. Five LED lanterns compared on the number that matters in a multi-day outage: hours of light per set of batteries, not lumens.
A Faraday bag either blocks your phone or it does not, and the test is free. Six pouches compared on fit, closure and the catch; plus what an EMP is, per CISA, and why no bag on this page carries a shielding figure.
A foil pouch and an oxygen absorber turn a 20-pound bag of rice into a 25-to-30-year reserve, per Utah State University Extension. The same trick on the wrong food creates the conditions for botulism. What to seal, what never to, and five packs compared.
The watt number on a folding solar panel is a full-sun, perpendicular figure; energy.gov lists angle, season and weather as the things that cut it. Five panels compared by what they can realistically recharge, from a phone to a power station, with the catch for each.
The best-selling one-person kit ships with 25 oz of water for three days; Ready.gov says a gallon a day. Eight pre-built kits compared on what is actually inside, with the catch for each, and the parts list to build your own.
Prepare for winter with essential survival gear. From clothing to tools, find 29 must-have items every prepper needs to stay safe and warm.