|
The Ready Files
The 72-Hour
Rule.
The one number worth planning your whole house around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most people picture readiness as a mountain of gear. It isn't. The standard emergency-planning guidance is simpler than that: be able to take care of your household for at least 72 hours on your own, without a store, a working grid, or a phone that connects.
Three days. That's the baseline because it's roughly how long it takes for help and services to come back after most disruptions. Plan for the first 72 hours and you've handled the part that's actually on you.
|
|
01 — Start with the walk-through
Before you buy anything, walk your house and ask it three questions. The whole point of the 72-hour rule is that it turns a vague worry into a short list you can actually check off.
|
|
02 — The three questions
|
1
|
The lights go out. Then what?
Can you light a room and find your gear in the dark without hunting for your phone? A headlamp and a couple of area lights beat one dying flashlight every time.
|
|
2
|
The power's off for three days. What still runs?
Phones, a medical device, the fridge, a fan in a heat wave. Write down what has to stay on, and for how long. That answer sizes everything else.
|
|
3
|
The cell network is down. How do you reach people?
Agree on where the household meets and who the out-of-town check-in contact is, while everyone can still talk. Communication is the leg people forget until it's the one they need.
|
|
|
03 — Start with what you already own
You almost certainly have more than you think — the flashlight in the drawer, the camp stove in the garage, water in the pantry. Do the walk-through first and shop the gaps second. Readiness is a checklist before it's a purchase.
If the grid check comes up short — if the honest answer to question two is "nothing runs" — here's what we'd reach for.
|
|
What we'd reach for — Power
Solar Generator HomePower 3600 Plus
A serious home battery from Jackery, for the household that answered question two with a list. This is the "keep the important things running for days" option.
$1,619 Shop →
|
|
|
What we'd reach for — Light
Devos LightRanger 1200 Ultimate Kit
Overhead area lighting for question one. Light a whole room instead of chasing a beam around it — the difference between managing a blackout and stumbling through one.
$375.96 Shop →
|
|
|
|
Shop Off-Grid Power
|
| |
Gear We'd Keep
The power gear we stock is the gear we'd actually keep for our own homes — real names like Jackery, not house-brand filler. If it wouldn't hold up for three days, it doesn't get a shelf here.
|
|
|
|
|
Questions? Reply to this email or call (562) 294-6269 — a real human answers, Mon–Fri 8a–4p PST.
|
|
Family-Owned · Southern California · Ships From The USA
|
|
© Stay Ready Outdoors
|
| |
